The Washington Post
The young man standing outside the shopping mall would prefer to be writing poetry or acting in a play. Instead, he’s waiting to pick up a plastic bag containing someone else’s lunch.
Tu Xuxin (pronounced Shoo-shin), 30, has been making deliveries by electric scooter for six grueling years. He works up to 14 hours a day, six days a week, balancing boredom and exhaustion. In a good week, he earns the equivalent of $500, a healthy income here, but is left with no time to read the Ernest Hemingway novels he enjoys.
“If you want to earn money, you need to spend a long time on the road,” Tu said, adjusting his orange safety helmet. “I’d like to switch to another career. More and more people are competing in this industry.”
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