Every week, an old lady sits by a makeshift stall, selling fruits and vegetables near a condominium in Thomson.
She makes no secret that her goods — bananas, mangos, and pumpkins among others — are more expensive than those found in the supermarket where she got her stock from.
But instead of haggling with the elderly woman, customers are willingly buying her produce at higher prices.
97-year-old Teo Suan recently came under the spotlight on social media after Facebook user Samuel Lee posted photos of her peddling her goods.
In a post on Nov 1, Lee encouraged people to support Teo and patronise her stall.
He wrote: “(She’s) still making an effort to come out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, pushing a grocery trolley full of fruits, potatoes, etc, which is super heavy given her age. Just (to make) a living.”
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After the post went viral on Facebook, many started dropping by her stall.
A man even bought all the produce she had on sale on Saturday for $100, local media reported.
“The main point is about helping one another, and if I can pay S$100 and she can end her day earlier, why not?” he said to Channel NewsAsia.
Another woman, who bought a packet of mushrooms from Teo for $20 on Friday, told Lianhe Wanbao that she was moved by her spirit and decided to support her.
And when granny was done packing up for the day, two other women were seen helping her with her trolley and baskets.
They told the Chinese evening daily that they work in a nearby interior design firm and often patronise Teo’s stall, which they said has been there for about 10 years.
“She’s always crossing the road while carrying so many bags. The sight worries us so we’ll go over to give her a hand.”
Image source: Facebook/Ruide Tan
But the frail-looking granny may not be selling produce to make a living, as Lee said in an update he learnt that she’s “well taken (care) of” by her family and only set up the stall because “she wants to”.
Whether Teo is from a well-to-do family or not, “shouldn’t we just support her spirit and her willingness to earn money by herself at this age?” Lee asked.
According to Wanbao, Teo, who used to be a farmer, has nine children. One of her sons told the paper: “I am in awe of her because, at her age, she turned down our offer to hire a maid to take care of her.”
Seeing how the granny’s interactions with customers made her smile, perhaps it’s just her way of passing the time while making new friends.
When asked why she was still selling fruits and vegetables at 97, Teo simply said “it’s fun” in Hokkien.
This post was first published on AsiaOne and was republished on theAsianparent with permission.
