On November 4, the owner of an online furniture store in Suqian, Jiangsu Province voluntarily offered a bed to an old man for free the minute he knew the old man was a veteran of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) and once fought in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).
That day Wang Fang from Huaihua, Hunan Province was looking for two railed wooden beds online for his parents. He found an online furniture store that looked nice, and the seller told him that such small sized wooden beds should be customized. During their talks, Wang accidentally mentioned that his father was a CPV veteran. Wang Fang showed the store owner a photo of his father’s memorial medal to mark the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) entering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
The store owner immediately expressed his respect and sent a text saying “salute to veterans” and told Wang Fang he could make two beds for his parents for free. Wang Fang thanked him for his generosity and told him that he still wanted to the bill, the store owner insisted on his decision and said that “Owing to their sacrifice, we are now living a safe and happy life, and our country is as prosperous as the veterans hoped. Wish all veterans health and longevity.”
According to Wang Fang, his father Wang Shijian, who is 95 years old now, joined the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in November 1949. In early 1950s, as a soldier of the Chinese People’s Volunteers, Wang Shijian fought in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea and was honored three times for his military merits.
Several days later, Wang Shijian received the two beds. Wang Fang told his father what had happened, and the old man was so moved that he insisted on expressing his gratitude to the store owner for his kindness.
“The owner refused to take my money and wouldn’t tell me his address, so I could only search the store information online,” said Wang Fang.
After finding out the online store is based in Suqian City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Wang, on behalf of his father, wrote a thank-you letter to the Publicity Department of the Suqian Municipal Party Committee, with whose help he finally got in touch with the store owner Yang Wei.
The 40-year-old Suqian native runs a furniture store online. Hearing that his story had caught much attention online, Yang said modestly, “What I did was nothing. Anyone would have done the same thing.”
According to Yang, his father is a veteran too and he himself has always dreamed of becoming a soldier. The love for the country is his family's tradition. “When I learnt that the beds were ordered for a veteran, I couldn’t help but think of all the heroes who have sacrificed themselves for our country and the people, and I was full of respect and admiration for them.”
The story attracted many visitors to Yang Wei’s web store. He left a message on the homepage of his online furniture store saying the customers shall pay more attention to the veterans and do more to help them.
