A 44-year-old delivery man who has been living on his lorry with his pregnant wife hopes to rent a room in time for his baby.
For Wang Baohua, his lorry is both his means of living and his home, Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday.
He had split from his ex-wife seven years ago and sold his three-room flat before going to Vietnam to work.
He returned to Singapore in 2013 and stayed with an uncle for some time before moving into a rental apartment. However, his monthly salary of $1,000 was not enough to pay the rent of $600.
He started living on his lorry to save on costs and got his new Vietnamese wife, whom he married in August last year, to share in his nomadic life on wheels.
Wanbao visited Mr Wang at the Changi Beach Park on Tuesday and found that the pair’s “furniture” included a portable stove, cooking utensils and cutlery, cardboard that doubled as a bed and laundry that was hung out to dry on the vehicle.
The couple sleep on the back of the lorry every night and wash up at a nearby public toilet.
Mr Wang starts his job delivering goods at 3am and his wife follows him on his journeys.
He said his boss is very understanding and lets him live on his lorry, even offering to lend him $10,000 to buy a house.
He is thankful to his boss and his colleagues who have been “very helpful”.
As his wife is four months pregnant, Mr Wang hopes to rent a flat but has been unsuccessful so far.
He said some landlords do not let them cook in the house while others do not welcome pregnant women.
“So we decided to save the money and use it on gynaecologist fees,” he added.
Mr Wang had also tried applying for a two-room or rental flat from the Housing Board but was rejected as his spouse is a foreigner and his $1,900 salary does not fit the rental-flat requirements.
“We can bear hardship but my wife is already four months pregnant and it’s not very convenient for her to climb up and down. Now, we just hope that our baby will have a comfortable home when he’s born,” said Mr Wang.
His wife told Wanbao that she was already aware of his situation before she came here and that she “doesn’t mind” because she loves him.
Mr Wang added: “Even though we do not have much, in terms of material things, we are satisfied as long as we have each other.”
myp@sph.com.sg
