He Walks to the Subway Every Night to Use Free Wi-Fi to See His Family

January 15, 2018

A migrant worker in China has been walking to a subway station every night just to access free Wi-Fi that would let him make video calls to his family.

Ge Yuanzheng came to Shanghai from Henan Province in central China in October, according to Beijing News.

As a construction worker, he earns 200-300 yuan ($30-$45) a day and lives with workmates in a dormitory.

With tight budget, Ge, a father of two, has nothing to spare for a personal internet connection.

This explains why he walks to a nearby subway station every night — to log on to free Wi-Fi so that he can keep in touch with his family. He usually calls from 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.

“I don’t want to spend money, but I miss home and want to talk to my family,” the South China Morning Post quoted him as saying.

Everything was going as usual until one night, a pedestrian saw him making a call and took his photo to share online.

He quickly went viral on Chinese social media, with many expressing pity.

Apparently, Ge’s wife had no idea that her husband must walk to the subway every night just to see them on camera.

But it turns out she was also good at getting “free” Wi-Fi, having “rubbed” her neighbor’s internet connection.

The couple have a son who’s already working, and a younger daughter studying nursing with a tuition of 30,000 yuan ($4,646) a year. Ge plans to go home for the Chinese New Year and bring his wife a new phone.

Ge adds to 76.66 million migrant workers documented across provinces in China in 2016, leaving children in their hometowns.

Photos via big023.cn

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