On May 3, his wife Liang Lili rushed to Xianfeng. Unable to drive and needing to look after her husband around the clock, she was left with no one to sell the apples. As the weather grew increasingly hot, the apples would soon go bad if left unsold, dealing an additional blow to the family.

Worried about the couple's precarious situation, Jiao Yonggao, a staff member from the general services section of the hospital, came up with the idea of having everyone buy a few kilograms of apples before they spoiled in the truck.

The hospital acted promptly. At 2:30 pm on May 4, the publicity department of the hospital issued a voluntary purchase initiative to all staff: "We invite all staff to buy apples on a voluntary basis, helping this out-of-town patient reduce his economic losses and get through this difficult time..."