A Chinese man’s thoughtful plea for help on his mother-in-law’s luggage has gone viral after it led to a heartwarming chain of kindness from strangers during her first time flying alone.
According to China Press, the man, identified as Zhao Chen, was worried about his nearly 70-year-old mother-in-law travelling by herself from Xi’an to Dalian on Feb 28 to help care for her grandchild.
Asking passenger to keep an eye on her
As she was elderly, could barely read, and did not speak Mandarin fluently, Zhao posted an online plea asking if any passengers on the same flight could keep an eye on her.
To increase the chances of someone noticing, he also taped a handwritten note onto her luggage that read:
My mother-in-law cannot read well and is flying alone for the first time. If you see her, please help look after her.”
University student steps in to help
The post quickly gained traction online, attracting over a million views in just hours.
Among those who saw it was 21-year-old university student Lei Yuming, who happened to be on the same flight while travelling to Dalian for his studies.
He privately contacted Zhao and volunteered to help care for the elderly woman throughout the journey.
During the flight, the woman reportedly suffered from motion sickness and vomited, prompting Lei to assist her together with the cabin crew.
Escorted her until family arrived
After landing, Lei accompanied her to collect her luggage and stayed by her side until he safely handed her over to waiting family members at the airport.
Although the family offered to pay for his transport back to school, he politely declined, saying it was only a small act of kindness.
Later sharing an update online, Zhao thanked everyone who helped his mother-in-law reach safely, saying he was deeply touched by the kindness shown to his family.
Inspired by kindness shown to his own mother
Zhao also revealed that his belief in helping others’ parents stemmed from a personal experience in 2014, when his own mother was once helped by university students while travelling alone.
Since then, he has lived by the principle of “helping others’ parents as you would your own”, a message many netizens said was beautifully reflected in this touching incident.
