By Ji Lina
In the high-rise buildings, the neighbors seem to be very close but strange. However, in the Sanjiu Building of Hongkou District, the 75-year-old Building Group Leader Gu Yafang cured the “indifference” among the neighbors with her warm and kind heart and the neighbors feel relived at letting her keep their keys. Gu Yafang has kept the keys for over ten years and obtained the respect and trust from the residents.
Gu Yafang is a native of Chongming and found that every household would close their doors and have little contact with each other when moving in this apartment in the downtown area, which made her very unconformable as she got used to drop around. Gu Yafang said, “When I just moved here, each household only cared about its own business. Then, I publicized the idea that no one can live in a vacuum zone and the neighbors should care about each other instead of closing the door tightly.”
Ms. Fei, a proprietor of the Sanjiu Building, often travels to and fro between Jiangxi and Shanghai due to her special family status. Seeing Ms. Fei toiling between two places, Gu Yafang often visited her and cared about her. As time passes, they have become good friends in spite of the difference of age. And Ms. Fei left the keys to her house and mailbox under the custody of Gu Yafang out of trust. Ms. Fei originally did so for emergency and little has she thought that Gu Yafang would help her tidy up the room and pay the fees for water, electricity, and gas, which moved her very much. With the lapse of time, the warm-heartedness and kind-heartedness of Gu Yafang have been recognized by the neighbors. Afterwards, many neighbors have put their keys under her custody.
Now, there are dozens of keys to doors and mailboxes in Gu Yafang’s house. She has carefully marked the keys and put them in category. And in the thick telephone book are the phone numbers and relevant information of her neighbors. Gu said that each key represents the trust and reliance of the neighbors. Some of them are working couples and some do not live here regularly. In case of emergency, they cannot rush back and the keys and communication method left in Gu Yafang can meet an emergency.
In recent years, online shopping is increasingly popular and many express packages would arrive at the building every day. As people working in the daytime cannot stay home to receive the package, signing for the express delivery becomes a troublesome thing. And Gu Yafang is very conscientious and assumes the task of signing for express delivery. The warm-heartedness of Gu Yafang also worries her daughter who thus help her do the housework. And the consideration and support of her family also make her have no worries behind. Gu Yafang said, “Neighbors should get along with each other just like this and help each other, thus enjoying every day happily.”