I ordered a moving van (货啦啦) and a couple from Shandong showed up. Because these drivers spend the full day in the van, I figured she was just accompanying her husband for his work, to be together the whole day. But then she explained his back is bad. So the guy helped with things like opening the doors or removing the cart, while she helped me haul the boxes in. A 女汉子 (tough woman) if I ever saw one.
They said they’re from Shandong Laiwu (莱芜), and moved to Shanghai to drive a moving van here: “There’s a bit more money to earn here. All the costs are higher, but the income is as well.”
Still, to split this income across two people you don’t have much of that left at the end of each month. I don’t think it’s an easy life, even though they face it together, working to the best of their ability. But to me these stories from migrant workers are as much about Shanghai as the downtown indulgence.
