KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Chinese actor Xu Hai Wei has returned to his hometown to cut down on cost after lacking job offers.

The 37-year-old Peace in Palace and Under the Power actor shared on social media that he sold vegetables while at his hometown, 8 Days reported.

Social media users claimed he was now living in poverty but Xu was quick to refute the claims and said it was part and parcel of being in showbiz.

“An actor’s job is very unstable. Once [they] wrap up work on a show, [they] may not know when the next time they will work again,” he said.

Xu added that he returned to his hometown as the pandemic had led to fewer job opportunities, and that the standard of living in the city is too high.

It is unclear where his hometown is where he remains, returning to the city only when there is work.

Xu said living in rural areas can help to cut costs, while he now has more time to help his family as well.

He also started selling vegetables at a stall he set up since the beginning of this month.

Responding to queries from social media users on his new career choice, Xu said, “There are always people who question why an actor would want to be a vegetable seller, they say it’s very pitiful.

“I want to say that there’s nothing pitiful about it at all. I approach it level-headedly and with no baggage. You adapt to your surroundings. On set, you are working for someone. When you remove your costume and head home, you are just like everyone else, a normal person.

“Because my family lives in the village, there are a lot of things at home that if you don’t do, someone at home will have to do it. It doesn’t have anything to do with money.”

Meanwhile, 163 reported that Xu returned to stay with his nonagenarian grandparents.

During an interaction with his fans, Xu said he would do livestreams in the future to sell items.

Xu is not the first celebrity to turn to a different industry to earn a living following the pandemic.

Actor Xie Ning of Immortal Samsara revealed that he found work as a sanitation worker and Li Jia Ming, who last acted in Anti-Fraud League in 2019, had turned to selling watermelons.