A Small Town Shopkeeper With a Big Heart: 'Everyone Deserves Dignity'

When a woman with mental illness walks into his small supermarket, Chen Hui usually plays along – a scan, a beep, a polite nod – but never accepts money from her.

"I don't want her to feel pitied or mocked," explained the 37-year-old shopkeeper from Pingxiang, Jiangxi Province. "Everyone deserves dignity."

Chen first saw her on a sweltering day in 2021. While others wore short sleeves, she was dressed in a winter jacket. He learned later that she had suffered from mental illness for over a decade due to a major family upheaval and had no others to care for her.

When a video mocking her winter attire went viral, Chen was furious. "She's not mad. She's just sick," he said. "Why ridicule someone who's already struggling?"

Chen posted footage from his store showing her condition and urged compassion. His post received millions of views. He was called "the most tender-hearted shopkeeper."

Chen said the woman usually took bread or small cakes and a drink – sometimes cola or water.

"It's just a few dozen yuan each time," he said. "She minds her own business and never causes trouble."

At first, she would pay with small change, but soon she pleaded for credit: "Can I pay next time?"

Chen agreed, and it has been the same ever since.

To spare her embarrassment, Chen told her, "People have already paid for you online. Just take what you need."

She would acknowledge Chen but said little.

"She doesn't say much, but she knows I won't judge her," Chen said.

Chen later deleted his video post to avoid unwanted attention on her. But people kept sending money and clothes. Chen put the money in her "account," using it as payment for her purchases.

"This way, she doesn't feel obligated," he explained. His business even improved as customers shopped in a show of support.

Chen doesn't see the help as a burden. "What she needs costs only a few dozen yuan each time. I can afford that," he said. "She needs help, and I can give it. That's the most natural thing to do."

He shrugs off labels like "hero" or "philanthropist."

"There are many people who need a little help – those with mental illness, those who are sick, or those hit by sudden hardship. If everyone helps within their means," Chen said, "society will be a bit better."