Most people dream about having a cushy retirement to make up for their decades of toil.
However, there are some who insist on working despite their old age and that includes one 90-year-old hawker who goes by the surname Liu.
Liu, who was born in 1932, runs a tau kwa stall at Blk 628 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 and is one of the oldest vendors in the market, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Currently, his son helps out with the family business as Liu is too frail to do hard labour. But the passionate man still makes it a point to go down to the stall to help out.
“The elderly still need to have something to do to pass their time,” explained Liu’s son, who is the youngest of eight children.
Liu’s first encounter with beancurd happened after the Japanese Occupation. Due to the war and his family’s poor financial status, he was unable to receive an education, which prompted him to do door-to-door deliveries for the tau kwa factory that his mother worked at.
He would also try to make more money by buying and reselling noodles and soft tofu to customers during his delivery stints.
Unfortunately, when Liu was in his twenties, the beancurd factory shuttered for good, causing Liu and his mother to lose their jobs. But, the tenacious mother-and-son duo did not give up and decided to start something of their own.
They purchased stone mills and soybeans to make their own tau kwa. Eventually, with the concerted efforts of their family, the business picked up and they even managed to upgrade from a delivery bicycle to a small delivery lorry.
When their kampong was demolished, Liu, then 43, became a tau kwa hawker.
When food production became regulated to be done in proper industrial areas, Liu sourced for his products from suppliers.
Till today, he refuses to retire and would arrive at his stall at 1am every day for another day of work.
He isn’t the only elderly hawker who still wants to work. Lawrence Chua, 78, who owns 96 Kwai Luck Cooked Food, continues running his mee siam stall after years of being in the trade.
Despite having a heart bypass surgery a few months ago. Lawrence said that despite his age, he believes that work is good for his well-being and “old people must have something to do”.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
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