Shang was from a family of peanut farmers in rural Henan, and found village life slow and constricting. Men married at 18 and became fathers at 20. “You can see the end of your life at its beginning”. As soon as he finished high school, he left to join the Army. One of his teachers had given him a valuable piece of advice: “The future belongs to those who know English, computers, and their way around a vehicle.” Shang knew that his English was hopeless and his computer skills average at best. That left driving, without which his new career would have been out of reach. On the sidewalk, Shang’s phone rang. Someone who had been planning to pay in cash had suddenly realized that he didn’t have enough on hand. Shang arranged to make the delivery another time. This wasn’t unusual with younger customers, adding that almost everyone he delivered to was under 40.

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