Viral: According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the daughter, Li Bingdi, is a second-year student at Jilin Normal University in Siping, Jilin province. For almost a year, Li had shared her frustration about the university canteen food, calling it unhygienic and nothing like the homemade meals she missed.
Touched by her words, her father decided to take matters into his own hands. He quit his job at a barbecue restaurant in Tianjin and travelled to southern China to learn how to make popular dishes like fried rice and noodles.
After honing his skills, he rented a small food stall right outside his daughter’s university just so she, and other students, could get a comforting taste of home.
The small food stall started in mid-October managed to sell only seven sets of cooked rice, making a modest profit on the very first day. In comparison his daughter earned more as a private tutor, earning 70 yuan.
Being in full of emotions about her father's struggles, Li shared his story on her school's social media handle. Also with that she also mentioned that he prioritized clean cooking and was all ears to listen to people's advice for improving his sales.
The story quickly struck an emotional chord online, drawing an outpouring of support from people across the country. By the very next day, long queues had formed at the father’s food stall, with students, teachers, and even nearby residents lining up to taste his dishes.
Li shared that some customers “ordered extra just to show their support,” while many online comments praised the father’s love, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication.
Bond That Grew Stronger After Losses
As the stall started getting more sales, Li began spending most of her spare time helping his father at the shop. she reminisced a moment from the previous month when her father mentioned feeling cold while running the stall in the harsh winter weather. But now, with a steady stream of customers, she said, “his heart feels warm.” She added that her father wasn’t chasing big profits all he wanted was to earn enough to live simply and remain close to her.
Li shared that she and her father have leaned on each other ever since her mother passed away from leukaemia a few years ago. When she was unsure about which university to attend or which city to move to, her father had comforted her, saying he would go wherever she did. “He’s kept his word,” she said softly.
