The experiences of those who drive for Didi have unexpectedly shaped the child's future.

At the age of 46, Cheng Xiaoqing started her career as an online car-hailing driver. Many years ago, her family came from the countryside of Xiaogan, Hubei to the city to strive for a better life. They have run a supermarket and an online store. Eventually, it was driving for an online car-hailing platform that allowed her to earn a stable life and broaden her horizons. Now it is the eighth year of her driving for an online car-hailing platform.

Not long ago, Cheng Xiaoqing received a scholarship from the public welfare project Didi's "Orange Fruit Plan", which added a surprise for her daughter who just got admitted to college. After years of efforts by the mother and daughter, their hard work has finally borne fruit, and Didi has also become a witness to this joy.

Cheng Xiaoqing and her daughter are not the only winning families - in 2024, a total of 400 children of online car-hailing drivers from all over the country received the "Orange Fruit College Entrance Examination Scholarship". The honors of the children record the pursuit of dreams of each driver's family...

Telling the Stories on the Road to the Children

Somehow, the daughter found that her mother, Cheng Xiaoqing, had become more cheerful.

This family from the countryside of Xiaogan, Hubei, chose to venture into a big city many years ago. The couple ran a small supermarket of about thirty or forty square meters outside the vegetable market. After the supermarket closed down in 2016, Cheng Xiaoqing's husband went to Hebei to open an online store with his fellow villagers, and she, at the age of 46, started to look for a new job. Cheng Xiaoqing, who was originally at a loss, earned 100,000 yuan in the first year after being recommended by a fellow villager to become a Didi driver, which made her feel at ease from the bottom of her heart.

Gradually, the originally anxious mother changed. The daughter felt that after starting to drive for an online car-hailing platform, Cheng Xiaoqing was able to go to many places that she had never had the opportunity to go before, broadening her horizons and gaining a better understanding of society.

When filling out the college entrance examination application this year, Cheng Xiaoqing could talk freely about the professional options proposed for her daughter and analyze the job content and career prospects of each major. Daily, Cheng Xiaoqing would also give some examples of passengers she encountered and tell her daughter about her experiences. The daughter is also happy to see that her mother has gained more life experiences by driving for Didi.

Although often busy with life, the daughter's understanding makes Cheng Xiaoqing feel that it is worth it no matter how tired she is

Lu Weijun, who has been driving for an online car-hailing platform for 9 years, is also like this. In 2015, Lu Weijun's financial credit company encountered a business contraction. In order to subsidize the family expenses, he registered as a Didi Express driver. When driving for an online car-hailing platform, he often comes into contact with many college students. He found that by listening to these college students chatting in the car, he could naturally feel what the atmosphere of this university is like.

For example, once he picked up several students from Dalian University of Technology as passengers. Hearing them talk about the recent social practice and public welfare activities they did, he also yearned for his daughter to grow up in such a learning environment. Lu Weijun would communicate these experiences with his daughter during their time together to inspire her to be admitted to an excellent university.

What Zhang Qi, an online car-hailing driver, remembers most deeply is a rainy day when he picked up a blind passenger while driving for Didi. That day, he received an order to go to the train station. Zhang Qi told the boy that he could go to pick him up with an umbrella in advance, but the boy said, "It doesn't matter, I can manage it myself." In the car, Zhang Qi chatted with the boy and learned that he is now learning musical instruments at the university and hopes to open a music school in the future. When getting off the car, Zhang Qi specially sent the boy to the entrance of the station and did not accept the gratitude fee offered by the boy.

"Although he is blind, he is very optimistic about life and has great ambitions," Zhang Qi was deeply touched by the boy's experience. He grew up in the countryside and has two siblings. Since he was a child, his family has taught him to be independent. "Be independent and enterprising, that is to say, you should not rely on others." These educational concepts are also what Zhang Qi has instilled in his children since they were young.

Since driving for Didi, Zhang Qi has had more intersections with strangers, as if opening a window to understand the diversity of the world. These experiences and insights have finally been digested by him as his life guide and passed back to his children.

The "Dialogue" with the Family

This is the 9th year that Lu Weijun has been driving for Didi.

After leaving the financial credit company, he gradually turned driving for an online car-hailing platform into his main job. For a long time, his monthly income has been stable at around 10,000 yuan, which can support a family in Dalian.

In addition to being a Didi driver, Lu Weijun has another identity - a member of a certain public welfare rescue team and the team leader of the urban search and rescue group.

Rescue operations always come suddenly. For example, once at about dawn, Lu Weijun received a call from the Liaoning Provincial Rescue Alliance. A fishing boat capsized in the outer sea, and four people fell into the sea, requiring urgent rescue. Soon, he got dressed and quickly set out in a rubber boat to search and rescue at sea.

The rescue training is on the Fen River under the Jinyang Bridge. Despite the high summer temperature, the team members will not slacken for a moment

Lu Weijun, who has been driving an express car for 9 years, has also been doing rescue work for 8 years. Driving for an online car-hailing platform gives him flexible time and allows him to be familiar with the city routes. This advantage allows Lu Weijun to find a self-consistent balance between the two identities.

There are at least two such sudden rescue incidents every month. When he recalled, the most common ones are receiving calls for help from the elderly who got lost. Sometimes, there can be up to three cases in one day. There are also some special situations. For example, during the summer vacation, an 11-year-old child got lost in the mountains. The rescue team where Lu Weijun is and the police joined forces to search and rescue, and finally found the child in an abandoned small house at 3 am; another example is when someone wants to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff, Lu Weijun must race against time to save the person.

Fortunately, driving for an online car-hailing platform gives him sufficient and flexible time to participate. Lu Weijun drives for Didi for about 10 hours a day. If he receives a sudden rescue request, he will stop accepting orders and seamlessly switch to the work of the rescue team.

He is used to this rhythm and feels that, "Driving for Didi is really the most suitable job for me at this age. It can ensure rescue work and also take care of the family." Every morning at 6 am, Lu Weijun goes out to send his daughter to school and picks her up at 9 pm. Although the father and daughter do not spend a lot of time together in the car, Lu Weijun can hear his daughter talk about the daily news, worries and troubles at school, and notice the subtle changes in his daughter.

Being an online car-hailing driver gives him more time to "dialogue" with his family.

The daughter not only learned the common sense of rescue from following her father Lu Weijun, but also learned his cheerful and enthusiastic personality

For Zhong Qinwen, who drives for an online car-hailing platform in Guangzhou, he can only be with his son who is in high school in his hometown of Meizhou during the winter and summer vacations or holidays.

But this does not affect the father-son communication. Football is an important "dialogue" method between him and his child. In 2016, Zhong Qinwen switched from driving a taxi to a Didi special car, and he also had more free time to spend on football. Influenced by Zhong Qinwen, his son who studies sports has gradually developed a love for playing football.

Whenever they can meet, the father and son will play football together. "The relationship between father and son does not have to be very serious. I am like a friend with my child, playing happily." Zhong Qinwen feels that as long as you do your best in everything, this is his working attitude and also his parenting experience.

The flood submerged the football field in the village, but it could not submerge the enthusiasm for playing football. As long as there is a piece of land and a football, everyone can "sweat" together

Zhang Qi, who has been driving for an online car-hailing platform for 8 years, has the same feeling. As an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of the Dance with Flagpole, he has more "playful" tricks.

Zhang Qi remembers that when he left his hometown in Hebei to venture out at the age of 20, he would engage in various sports in his spare time, such as badminton, table tennis, dragon dance, wrestling... He also taught his children a lot when they were children. Zhang Qi has a son and a daughter. The son is 2 years older than the daughter. He first taught his son Chinese wrestling and martial arts to exercise his son's willpower. When the daughter grew up, he also taught her wrestling and dragon dance. He thought that the 20-30-pound flagpole was too heavy, so it would be better to start with the lighter dragon dance.

Since his son entered high school and his daughter went to a boarding school in Hengshui for junior high school, Zhang Qi has had much less time to meet and get along with his children. But he continues his past habit. When the family is reunited, he takes his son and daughter for morning runs and plays ball together.

Playing together is a way for online car-hailing drivers to "dialogue" with their children.

Usually, Zhang Qi will take his daughter to practice the intangible cultural heritage projects that his daughter is interested in

Bearing Fruits

Just this Spring Festival, Cheng Xiaoqing's daughter suddenly took the train from her hometown to the city where her parents were on New Year's Eve and made a big New Year's Eve dinner for her parents. Since her daughter entered high school, the family has not been together for the New Year for two or three years. This reunion surprise from her daughter made Cheng Xiaoqing, who returned home after finishing her work, tear up.

She feels that she owes a lot to her daughter over the years. She has been striving in the big city and cannot be by her daughter's side, but the daughter does not complain. Instead, she thinks that parents who can make a way in the big city through their own efforts are very amazing. In an instant, Cheng Xiaoqing felt that her daughter had really grown up. This year, her daughter was also admitted to Hubei University of Arts and Science with her own efforts.

When the daughter is on vacation, she will accompany Cheng Xiaoqing to buy groceries, cook and do housework

Zhang Qi's son has been admitted to Hangzhou Dianzi University to study computer science. This year is his daughter's promotion year. She was admitted to Minzu University of China to study journalism from Hengshui. In different cities, the family continues to run on their own paths of pursuing their dreams.

Under Zhang Qi's influence, his daughter has been the sports committee member of her class since she was a child. After entering the university, she also took over the sports work as soon as possible, continuing Zhang Qi's expectations for her.

Just one day before filling out the college entrance examination application, Zhong Qinwen also participated in a football friendly match with his son. He was the goalkeeper and his son played as a center forward. Later, his son was successfully admitted to the sports education major in a vocational school.

Seeing that his son was successfully admitted to the major he loves, Zhong Qinwen's idea is to use this "Orange Fruit College Entrance Examination Scholarship" to buy a computer for his son for study, fulfilling his long-cherished wish. In addition, he will also choose some sports supplies for his son to help him better complete his university studies.

Celebrating by jumping together after scoring a goal is the tacit understanding between Zhong Qinwen and his son

Lu Weijun's daughter was successfully admitted to Civil Aviation University of China and became one of the college students he once envied. Under his influence, his daughter has become more calm in her personality. She hopes to enter the aviation industry step by step and steadily.

"Live safely, master some survival skills, help yourself and others", this is the life principle that Lu Weijun teaches his daughter. After receiving the scholarship from Didi's "Orange Fruit Plan", Lu Weijun said happily: "It can be used as the child's living expenses, and this is also a reward for her." His daughter told him that she would save this money well