Singaporeans can be a nice lot. Especially when it comes to seeing our elders toiling in their advanced age.
Recently, a kind-hearted netizen took pity on 101-year-old shop owner Sie Choo Yong and posted a touching video to social media about patronising her tiny Beauty World store hoping more people could drop by to support her.
According to TikToker @dinahnahnah, Choo Yong was seated outside her shop and she had gestured for the TikToker to buy something from her array of drinks, snacks, and toys.
We can only imagine how heartening a sight that must have been.
“I chose to get some lollipops and she told me it’s $2,” she said, adding that Choo Yong went on to give her more lollipops even after she told the latter she had enough.
In the video, @dinahnahnah says she told her husband about her experience who then returned to buy more things.
Choo Yong primarily speaks Hokkien and so a passerby, who works at the nearby Mcdonalds, helped with translation when it came to the bill.
According to Choo Yong, their purchase tallied $10.40. The amount surprised them due to their number of items. They did their own calculation and realised that the actual bill was $17.30.
Even after passing Choo Yong $20 and asking her to keep the change, she declined and kept stuffing more things into their already full plastic bag.
The video has garnered more than 96K views, with many commenting that they plan to head down to support Choo Yong.
“I’m going to go every day after school!” proclaimed a netizen.
But before you think Choo Yong is a poor old lady who has problems making a living, hold your horses.
According to her youngest son in an interview with local media last year, the store is opened by her family so she would have something to do as a hobby.
In fact, neighbouring shopkeepers claim Choo Yong, who first came to Singapore from China with her husband 70 years ago, hails from a rich family that owns Lean Seng Lee Goldsmith.
Even at her advance age, the centennial does not suffer from any health issues. Her son, however, always makes sure to wheel her back home by 6.30pm so she doesn’t overexert herself.
Is keeping busy the secret to having good health even at the age of 100?