Liu Jianmin, a disinfection worker, performs routine disinfection in east China's Shanghai, Feb. 27, 2020. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

SHANGHAI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Shouldering a 20-kg container full of disinfection fluid, Liu Jianmin in mask, gloves, goggles and protective suit, trudged through the buildings in Shanghai and sprayed disinfection fluid onto roads, sweat dripping down his face.

Two weeks ago, Liu leisurely watched TV in his hometown in central China's Henan Province when something touched him.

"The exhausted medical workers busy treating patients in protective gear worried me," he said.

Liu, a 30-year-old house cleaner, never imagined that he would one day become a disinfection worker, not to mention joining the fight against the novel coronavirus like the people he saw on TV.

The youngest of his siblings, Liu had been away from his family for years to earn a living as a migrant worker.

He came to Shanghai and began working with a housekeeping company more than a year ago.

For this year's Spring Festival which fell on Jan. 25, Liu planned to stay at home until Feb. 3 to accompany his parents and his grandmother in her 80s.

His plans changed when he received a notice from his company on Jan. 26, saying that they were asked to help disinfect places such as office buildings, commercial buildings and neighborhood community centers, as Shanghai has stepped up efforts on prevention and control of the epidemic.

His company, short of disinfection workers, expected Liu to take on the disinfection work.

Liu returned to Shanghai three days later. He received detailed training on procedures of compounding disinfection fluid and tips on avoiding electric shock while taking two weeks of quarantine at his residence.

"I had mixed feelings when I was allowed to go back to work on Feb. 13," he said, adding that he rejoiced at making some money while doubting his own ability to fulfill the new assignment.

Liu was a bit scared of being infected. He said that he understood at this critical moment, people should avoid unnecessary personnel gathering to contain the spread of the virus.

However, he still proceeded as planned.

Together with his colleagues, he carried a container full of disinfection fluid and sprayed the fluid onto the floors, walls and air conditioner vents.

Liu Jianmin, a disinfection worker, performs routine disinfection in east China's Shanghai, Feb. 27, 2020. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

"On my first day as a disinfection worker, my fingers got stiff in the tight plastic gloves, and the container was so heavy that it almost fell on my head," Liu recalled.

In addition to this, he sprayed the towels, wiped and disinfected places including on and off keys, handles and elevator buttons.

"Although it seems trivial, we must be especially careful when we disinfect offices with a large number of computers," he said, as the excess fluid may cause computers to glitch.

"Every day after work, when I come home, I can also smell disinfection fluid. I feel that the smell of the fluid wafted into my nostrils," he said.

Liu has a full schedule and works from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day.

To spare more time for work, he eats instant noodles for lunch with hot water he asks for from nearby shops.

On sunny days, he spends his lunch break in the park. But on rainy days, he has to slurp instant noodles under the shelter of the overpass.

"After all, time is tight and tasks tough. Usually, I'm too busy to take off the thick protective clothing," he said.

A stranger greeted Liu and his colleagues a few days ago by saying that "the medical workers in protective suits are beautiful, and so are you."

That was the moment when Liu felt that all the stress and hard work he has undertaken paid off.

"I get up at 5:30 a.m., then ride an e-bike for an hour to get to my workplace," said Liu who lives in the suburbs of Shanghai.

"The day usually breaks as I ride. I believe the epidemic will end and we'll all see the light at the end of the tunnel," he said.