'You're Not Ugly, Bro': A Chengdu Driver's Kindness on An Otherwise Lonely Holiday

When Ou took off his sunglasses and called himself ugly, the driver replied: "You're not ugly, bro."

The exchange, captured in a video that spread widely online, took place during a ride in Chengdu on September 25, the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ou, a 49-year-old blind massage worker, was going to see friends. The driver, surnamed Wang, had got out of the car to meet him after the booking app indicated that his passenger was blind, Red Star News reported.

Once they were on their way, Wang asked whether Ou could see anything at all. Light, perhaps?

Nothing, Ou told him. He had lost his sight when he was just over a year old.

As Ou spoke about his eyes and his life, Wang struggled to compose himself. Ou, too, reached for tissues. Between the tears, he smiled.

He wanted to do something for the man who had been kind to him. After they exchanged contact details, he sent Wang 100 yuan (US$15) on top of the fare.

Wang refused.

"If you think of me as a friend, don't send me this money," he said.

Ou offered to top up his phone credit instead. Wang refused that, too. In the video, he told Ou to call whenever he needed help.

For Ou, the driver's concern had touched something especially tender that day. Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for families to come together. His parents were both gone.

"Both my parents have passed away. I'm on my own now, and sometimes I feel sad during the holidays," he said.

Ou grew up in Yibin, Sichuan Province. He said a high fever had damaged his sight so early in childhood that he had little memory of being able to see. In 1995, aged 18, he left home to learn massage.

That skill has supported him ever since, taking him to jobs across China, from Hangzhou to Beijing. He usually lives at the shop where he works, with meals provided there.

Of all the places he has lived outside his hometown, he has spent the longest in Chengdu. The food suits him. His friends are there. And he remembers people who have helped him get where he needs to go.

"I've been to so many places, but I still like Chengdu," he said.

Other people had told Ou about the video's popularity. He thanked those who cared about him, then spoke about getting on with his work.

When asked why he had wanted to give Wang the extra money, he had a simple answer: "He’s a good person."