TO his family in China, he is working as a cook in Singapore and earning good money.
But for almost four months until mid-April, Mr Li Bingxin, 39, was broke and living on the streets here.
All he had was a backpack containing clothes and some personal items.
And he kept the bad news from his family as he did not think they could cope with it.
Said Mr Li, who is married with a 15-year-old son, in Mandarin: 'My parents are in their 80s and are frail. I can't let them, not even my wife, know what has happened.'
Mr Li's troubles started after he had a salary dispute with his employer and quit his job at the end of last year.
He came here from Shandong province in March last year to work as a cook after paying an agent 30,000 yuan ($5,900).
The agent said he could earn at least 10,000 yuan, or about $2,000, working here, claimed Mr Li.
NO REGULAR PAY
Mr Li worked at a Chinese restaurant in Geylang and claimed that the owner had agreed to pay him $2,500 a month. But he alleged that his employer did not pay his salary regularly from the start.
'When I asked for my pay, he kept telling me not to worry and that he wouldn't cheat me,' said Mr Li, adding that the employer gave him some money every now and then.
Mr Li claimed that he was paid about $5,500 in total and had remitted all the money home. His employer still owes him about $18,000, including overtime pay, he claimed.
Saying that he worked up to 15 hours a day without any rest days, Mr Li added: 'It was very tiring. I had headaches and backaches, and couldn't sleep well.'
Mr Li said the last straw was when his employer vented his anger at him after a quarrel with his wife.
He stopped turning up for work and left the workers' quarters.
Even though another restaurant was willing to hire him at the time, the employment pass (EP) holder couldn't take the job as his former boss refused to cancel his pass, which is required by law when EP holders change employers.
On the advice of a fellow countryman, he handed in his resignation letter and lodged a police report on 7Jan. He also filed a complaint with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
In the meantime, Mr Li roamed around every day and had no place to sleep at night.
'Sometimes I would sleep on benches, other times, I lay newspapers or cardboard boxes on the floor,' he said when first interviewed.
He was attacked by dogs and had a fever for four days after being bitten by mosquitoes.
Penniless, Mr Li would turn up at hotel kitchens to ask for food.
He found out about a Sikh temple near Outram MRT station which gives out free food.
'I have to cover my head with cloth and take off my shoes before I go in,' said Mr Li, adding that he was grateful.
Mr Li took occasional showers in public toilets and his only pair of shoes was worn out from walking all day.
He also borrowed $10 or $20 from acquaintances when he was desperate.
At his wits' end, Mr Li turned to migrants' welfare group Humanitarian Organisation of Migration Economics (Home) for help in late March.
It requested MOM to facilitate Mr Li's transfer of employer so that he could work again. Things moved faster after that.
When contacted in early April, an MOM spokesman confirmed receiving a complaint from him against his employer over short payment of salary.
Said the spokesman: 'An inquiry was held where Mr Li and his employer settled on the payment of salary arrears.
'The employer made an initial payment but defaulted payment for the balance. A further inquiry would thus be held.'
Although cancellation of the EP is usually done by the employer who applied for it, the employee may cancel it if he can produce documents to show that the employment relationship has been terminated, added the spokesman.
Once Mr Li did so, his EP was cancelled and his new employer applied for a new one for him.
Yesterday, at his new workplace, also a Chinese restaurant in Geylang, Mr Li was a different man.
'I'm feeling very good. The boss is from the same province as me, and I want to help him grow his business,' said a beaming Mr Li, who started work on 16 Apr.
He earns more than $2,500 a month and lives in the workers' accommodation provided by the owner.
As the case against his former employer is still ongoing, Mr Li is hopeful he will get what is owed to him.
Meanwhile, he can't wait to get his first pay cheque next week.
'I can finally send money back to my family again,' he said.
