“Dinahnahnah” said Sie gave her multiple lollipops even though she paid S$2 (US$1.48) for just two. Sie also seemingly charged a lower price for several items bought later by the TikTok user’s husband.
The couple could not understand what Sie was saying and when they recalculated the amount they owed and gave her S$20, telling her to keep the change, the shopkeeper refused and kept shoving more snacks into their bag.
A passer-by who helped bridge the communication gap then told the couple Sie’s age and encouraged them to patronise her shop more often.
She worked from day to night, lifting bags that were up to 60kg
As of Monday, the video had been viewed more than 182,000 times and had over 17,300 likes.
The provision shop belongs to Sie’s youngest son, who said his mother helps manage the store because she finds staying at home “boring”.
Due to her age, her voice isn’t very clear, but she gestures energetically with her hands when asked her age. She has seven children and 27 grandchildren.
The provision shop was initially located at the old Beauty World — a market and shopping venue in the 1960s — and moved to its current location in 1984. It’s just one of the many businesses that her family runs, including Lean Seng Lee Goldsmith located one floor above the provision shop.
Sie’s youngest son, who did not want to be identified, said that he chose to keep the store open for his mother so that she could do simple tasks and would not be alone and bored at home. He says he has no plans sell the store for now.
Sie hopes to keep running the shop until she is no longer physically able to do so.
Her second oldest son Lean Kee Suh, 66, who works at a supermarket in Bukit Batok, said in Mandarin that Sie emigrated from China in her 30s.
She used to work long hours as a farmer in China, he said. “She worked from day to night, lifting bags that were up to 60kg.”
Even now, she is highly mobile for her age, standing up to attend to each customer and taking occasional breaks by sitting on a chair outside her store. She also lifted a bundle of newspapers, neatly arranging each copy.
Lean says his mother is extremely healthy, requires no medication and rarely visits the hospital.
“She is healthier than me,” he said, adding that he was diagnosed with diabetes. “This store does not make a profit, it is just for her to pass time. We would make more money renting it.”
Each day, Sie arrives at the shopping centre at 8am, has her breakfast nearby and opens the store at around 9am.
One of the neighbouring store owners, Tay Kok Yih, 63, spoke of how mobile Sie was for her age and questioned lightheartedly: “Is she really 102 years old?”
When a reporter visited the shop, Sie was seen giving extra snacks to a child who bought from her, just as she did in the TikTok video.
She also refused to accept payment when a reporter bought some biscuits, so the money was left on a counter.
Most people who viewed the TikTok video looked kindly upon her, calling her “a gem” and “sweet”, with some making promises to patronise her shop.
One TikTok user wrote: “Yes, please support this aunty. I grew up buying snacks from her shop since primary school. I’m hitting 30 and till this day she remembers me.”
Another wrote: “I always drop by on Thursdays to buy something from them, she’s always happy whenever someone patronises her store.”
“Thanks for sharing! I live just one stop away but never knew about this shop,” read another. “Will definitely pay her a visit and support her.”