Story 14/03/2025 23:33

Tears fall over photo series of 83-year-old woman with hunched back struggling to pick up trash at night to raise 2 gran.dch.ildren

In the middle of the night, the streets are sparse with vehicles, the sound of car horns is also quieter, the sound of conversation is intermittent, people start to pack up and go home, but the image of an old woman with a hunched back quietly pushing a cart of scrap metal and cardboard, walking slowly, no one pays attention.

An old woman over 80 years old quietly makes a living on the street at night

The image of the old woman diligently making a living that night was accidentally captured by the lens of a young photographer. The simple moments of the old woman were captured by the photographer and shared on social networks, making many people emotional.

Because at her age, she should definitely stay at home and enjoy her children and grandchildren, enjoying her old age, not struggling to make a living, picking up every plastic bottle, piece of cardboard or piece of paper someone threw away.

"I met her at 10pm on my way home from work. The streets of Bac Giang were now less crowded, and the number of people returning home to reunite with their families was also decreasing. She still looked thin, with a hunched back, working hard to push the garbage cart to pick up each piece of trash to put on the cart. She started pushing the cart, which I guessed was heavier than her. I knew she was tired because she was old. She always tried to smile and pretend to be relaxed. But deep in her eyes, there was something that I didn't know, I only knew that her eyes were filled with tears. She continued to push, continued to pick up, and continued to smile. While pushing the cart, she was so tired that she sat down in one place. She was tired.... I know.

Her already hunched back became even more hunched because she had to bend over to pick up trash every day.

I asked her how old she was. She replied that she was 83 years old. At the age when she should have been taken care of by her children and grandchildren, at 10pm she still had to go to every corner to pick up scrap metal. She said she had to raise two grandchildren. Her children had all passed away.

Hearing this, I was speechless. My hands were shaking. I wanted to cry because I was touched. But I couldn't. I felt ashamed and I also saw something very optimistic about her. She was optimistic, she still smiled, how could I cry?

And so she continued to push the cart and pick up trash while I continued to record her moments. Her back was already hunched over and weak. How could she keep bending down? Yet she still bent down to pick up each piece of trash, each plastic bag. "Whenever she pushed a cart and looked at anyone passing by, she would smile at them...", shared by photographer Kun Mon about the old lady who is also the main character in the photo series he just took.

Her hands were dark and covered with scratches, and her legs were thin, but she still trudged along the small streets every day to make a living.

After seeing the photos, many questions arose: What was her situation? Where were her children and family that made her work so hard until her old age?

Yen Hoang also left a comment to share her situation so that everyone could understand better, "She had 2 children, 1 boy and 1 girl. The mentally unstable daughter passed away. The son got married, but the wife left a long time ago.

A while ago, she wandered around houses asking for rice water to feed pigs, to feed her drunken son who did nothing all day and often scolded her, and to raise a granddaughter who went to school. On many rainy days, she still wore a raincoat and braved the rain to get rice water. But her son also caught a cold and died not long ago.

Ah, now that her son is gone, she doesn't go to get rice water anymore. Now she only goes to collect scrap metal, earning money to raise her granddaughter to finish high school. Her fate is extremely miserable and unfortunate. Now she is over 80 years old. Late at night, she still goes to collect scrap metal. If you have a heart, please come and help her. Her house is in Thanh Thien alley."

"Will you come here tomorrow?"

Sharing more with us, Mr. Doan Quang (Kun Mon), the photographer who captured the simple moments of the old lady collecting scrap metal, said that he raised his camera to take pictures of her last night on the streets of Bac Giang, while doing another photo job.

"At first, I intended to ask her to take a photo and intentionally set up some moments to capture a story about her. However, when I saw that she was old, her back was hunched and her body was bent, so it was very difficult to bend down to pick up scrap metal. Feeling sorry for her, I just raised my camera and took pictures, capturing her natural and very ordinary moments.

"Because it is her daily job, her livelihood, everything is quite favorable. Seeing her old age and still having to work hard to make a living, I was very touched and sympathetic. When I sat and talked with her, some people who knew her situation also came to give her some money to help with her life, but she still shook her head and refused. I had to tell her many times before she accepted," Kun Mon shared.

In addition, this young photographer also shared, "With just 15 minutes following and recording these moments of the old lady, I could see all of her hardships. I just hope that after this photo series, more people will know and help her not only materially but also spiritually."

Kun Mon also said that he would arrange time to visit the old lady again, because during the conversation last night, she did not forget to ask him, "Will you come tomorrow?".

"I did not promise in advance, but her optimistic smile and words still left an impression on me. I will definitely come back to visit her and support her to the best of my ability."

The old lady's optimistic smile after a hard day's work

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, the old lady still quietly makes a living every day by collecting scrap metal to earn a little money. If possible, please help her a little!