A bakery owner known as “Pudding Granny” tried to commit suicide on Sunday amid online accusations that her family abused public compassion.
Responding to an emergency call on Sunday afternoon, police and firefighters found Hsieh unconscious in her bedroom amid charcoal fumes.
She was rushed to Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital, where she regained consciousness after treatment, the police said.
Hsieh apparently did not inhale enough carbon dioxide to cause lasting damage, and the hospital is arranging counseling services for her family, hospital deputy superintendent Lai Chun-huang (賴俊煌) said yesterday.
Hsieh is the proprietor of Brothers and Sister Sweets and Bakery, which she runs with her three grandchildren.
The bakery gained fame in 2013 after Chinese-language media reports about the grandchildren having to go to work following their mother’s death from cancer.
The publicity reportedly led to a rush of orders that boosted business.
However, the family recently became the target of online anger after a person, reportedly a Chung Yuan Christian University professor, posted a message on Professional Technology Temple (PTT), a popular academic bulletin board, criticizing the three siblings for poor customer service over a delayed pudding order.
Coinciding with the PTT post were accusations on other social media platforms that the Hsieh family were “abusing” public compassion to live a “luxurious” life, with photographs allegedly showing that Hsieh family members owned an iPhone, high-end clothing and accessories, and a motor scooter.
Shortly before Hsieh’s suicide attempt, her grandchildren on Sunday issued a public apology to the professor on social media, while denying allegations of an extravagant lifestyle.
They said their restaurant meals and clothing had been provided by online donors, while the scooter owned by the eldest sister was a necessity.
“Granny cannot take this kind of pressure, please stop this,” the siblings posted.
Lawyer Lu Chiu-yuan (呂秋遠) said on Facebook that the problem with “using compassion to package products” is that eventually, “the recipient of compassion would be able to afford the things that their patrons cannot.”
It was time for the family to “focus on the quality of their products” because “compassion is all sold out,” Lu posted.
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