A PhD holder from southern China utilized a food delivery request to ask the proprietors of the eatery that had nourished him for seven years to join him in his graduation photographs.
The delivery arrived at a modest Hakka eatery on the morning of June 23, located in Guangzhou’s Baiyun district, just a short distance from the primary campus of Southern Medical University.
In the comments section where patrons typically indicate preferences like fewer chilies or no cilantro, a customer named Xiong made an unusual request instead. Could the owner and her spouse attend his graduation photoshoot two days later?
"As an undergraduate through my doctoral studies, I have dined at your establishment for seven years, and I truly cannot stand to part with it," the message stated, as reported by the Guangzhou Daily May I extend an invitation for both of you to join?
The proprietor, Luo Na, informed the Hubei branch Jimu News That she was aware of who had sent it even before finishing the message. The shipping address was the university, and she immediately identified the usual sender.
Her initial idea was that he needed her assistance with taking his photos. It wasn't until she sent him a message that she realized he had asked for her and her family to be in the photographs.
She was taken aback. She had dropped out of school during her early teenage years, and she mentioned she had never even considered receiving an invitation to a commencement ceremony.
Xiong has dedicated over ten years to Southern Medical University, where he studied the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. He mentioned that him and his fellow students have been dining at the restaurant since his fifth year as an undergrad. Jimu News often pausing later after completing work in the laboratory.
The invoice, he mentioned, was the team's concept, an effort to commemorate seven years prior to their parting ways.
The Luo family has been operating the Meizhou-style Hakka restaurant for over 20 years. Having worked in this field for two decades, she said to the Guangzhou Daily The most joyful aspect was not the money, but being recalled.
A photo of the group was shared on her social media account, receiving over 250,000 likes and numerous messages from people urging her to leave. She stated she intended to do so, taking along her husband and their two kids, some flowers, and red packets for the graduates.
The invoice was fixed to the middle of the store's wall where Luo displays photos of her family and frequent customers.
The actual photo session, initially scheduled for June 25, was postponed because Xiong's laboratory timetable conflicted, and it eventually took place at the close of the month. The completed photographs, shared by Luo, depict her family standing next to the graduates in their caps and gowns, all smiling. She mentioned that she honored her commitment.