Heilongjiang Hegang City, a 13-year-old girl was captured selling duck eggs alone on the street until midnight, raising concerns about her personal safety. The local police station confirmed that the girl’s family is facing financial difficulties, and she sells not only duck eggs but also other small items to support her family.
Recently, a video filmed by a netizen showed the girl sitting alone on the steps in front of a store at midnight. In front of her, there were several plastic-wrapped duck eggs in a cardboard box. She was wearing a hat and thick clothes, huddled on the steps with her backpack on the ground beside her, while nearby stores had already closed for the night.
The netizen who captured the video posted that the 13-year-old girl who sells duck eggs after school and doesn’t return home until midnight, often seen sitting on the store’s steps selling duck eggs. The netizen expressed concern about the girl’s safety selling duck eggs alone at such a young age.
The video sparked discussions online, with some netizens saying they have seen the girl around the industrial and agricultural area, selling various items apart from duck eggs. Some expressed pity for her while others worry about her well-being, questioning if she might be under some form of control.
According to Jiemu News, the girl is situated in the New Century Plaza of the Gongnong District in Hegang City, Heilongjiang. On October 1st, contact was made with nearby stores at the girl’s location. Store operators mentioned that they often see the girl selling duck eggs alone at night, and during the summer vacation, she also visited during the day, though her specific circumstances are not well-known.
The girl frequently moves around different locations in Hegang selling duck eggs. A catering operator mentioned that the girl, nicknamed “Joy,” is 13 years old, currently a sixth-grade student, selling bags of four duck eggs for 10 yuan each. She was found to have a health condition at eight months old, and now she and her mother depend on each other. To cover medical expenses and household needs, she attends school during the day, then sells duck eggs after school and during holidays to earn money.
The report stated that the officers at the Cultural Road Police Station of Gongnong Sub-Bureau of Hegang City Public Security Bureau confirmed the authenticity of the situation, stating that the girl comes from a financially strained family. Apart from selling duck eggs, she also sells flowers and little turtles to supplement the household income.
The report has prompted numerous netizens to comment, some sarcastically mocking the comments of the Chinese Communist Party authorities:
“Why doesn’t the CCP come up with a ‘Strong China’ version of The Little Match Girl? So inspirational.”
“The money China gives to Asian and African countries could cover free healthcare and education for all Chinese citizens. Chinese people are worse off than black people. During the three-year Great Famine, the CCP gave away millions of tons of food to Albania for free.”
“All the government assistance goes to African students? How can anyone worry about the safety of a girl in the safest country in the world? How could the party and government, dedicated to serving the people wholeheartedly, let a girl and her mother struggle financially? How can there be financially struggling families in the only country that has already achieved moderate prosperity for everyone?!”
Since the beginning of this year, the CCP official media has claimed more than ten times that they are “firmly guarding against any large-scale return to poverty.” However, the reality is that many impoverished areas still have a large number of people living in poverty.
A retired scholar from Renmin University of China, Mr. Li, recently told Dajiyuan, “The more the official emphasizes something, the more serious the problem tends to be.”