Taxi-driving mother draws offers of support

A single mother in Wuhan, Hubei province, who drove a taxi at night with her daughter on board for the past two years, has finally managed to send the girl to a kindergarten free of charge thanks to help offered by warmhearted residents.

The plight of the mother and daughter became known after local media reported the story.

Li Shaoyun, 42, has raised her daughter Yiyi alone since getting divorced in 2015. She took a job as a taxi driver and chose to work from 5 pm to 5 am for the better pay.

But unable to find a babysitter for the night shift, she decided to bring her daughter along.

While other children were sound asleep at night, 3-year-old Yiyi accompanied her mother to work, sitting quietly in the passenger seat and looking out of the window.

"I have no choice but to take Yiyi. Nobody else can do it. I don't blame anyone for that. I think we are responsible for ourselves, so the only thing we can do is to work hard," she said.

When Li got divorced, Yiyi was only 5 months old. Li's father died the same year and her mother cannot help to look after the child because of her age and poor health.

Li, who used to work as a salesperson, decided that working night shift as a taxi driver might suit her better, allowing her to spend more time with her daughter during the day.

She said most passengers didn't mind Yiyi in the taxi, and they told her stories and gave her candy.

"Yiyi prefers to talk to male passengers rather than women. Maybe she's looking to compensate for the absence of her father's love," she said.

Li chose only to drive on the road connecting Wuhan Tianhe International Airport and Wuhan's downtown where there's less traffic, making it safer for her child.

Besides, Yiyi could get out for a breath of fresh air when there were no passengers. When Yiyi fell asleep, Li would stop picking up passengers and let her daughter lie down on the back seat.

At 5 am every day, holding her sleeping daughter in her arms, Li returned to her home near the Hanyang railway station, which she rents for 700 yuan ($110) a month.

Following media reports, a number of individuals and corporations offered to provide free preschool education and a better job with a free dormitory for the mother and daughter.

This month, Yiyi started at a kindergarten in Hongshan district free of charge, courtesy of a warmhearted citizen. Yiyi adores the new environment and adapted quickly.

"Yiyi is my dear child and I will never give up," Li said.

What makes her happiest now is seeing Yiyi flourish.

"She is well-behaved and sensible most of the time and never cries when I am driving. It's worth working so hard as long as I can see my child thrive," Li said.

Jiang Chenglong contributed to this story.