PETALING JAYA, Feb 11 — A hardworking street vendor was rewarded for the simple act of giving a schoolteacher a complimentary cup of ‘air jagung’ (sweetcorn beverage) at a traffic light in Kelantan.
Impressed by the young seller’s determination to make a living, Ahmad Shahrul Azhan Ibrahim decided to return the favour by ordering a large batch of the popular Malaysian drink for his students.
It all happened last week when Shahrul was on his way to photocopy study materials for students who are sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams this year.
The ‘air jagung’ seller tapped on his car window at a traffic light near Kubang Kerian in Kota Baru.
“I had just finished teaching around 2.30pm and when he knocked on my window, I didn’t wind down my window at first because I didn’t want to buy the beverage.
“But I was taken by surprise when he knocked again and when I opened the window, I realised the young gentleman had a food business.
“I was even more surprised when he gave me the ‘air jagung’ for free — I wanted to pay him but he said it’s okay, it’s free,” the 45-year-old teacher told mStar.
The Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Long Ghafar 2 in Kota Baru said the man started selling the sweetcorn drink when the movement control order (MCO) 2.0 was announced.
“After he gave me the free beverage, he walked from one car to another — I pitied him but at the same time I was impressed with his determination.
“So I called him up and offered him to come to the school to prepare the beverage for the students during their 30-minute recess.
“I ordered more than 40 cups, for the staff too and I paid for it,” the English language teacher said.
Shahrul wanted to share the story on TikTok to highlight the young man’s grit.
The clip has been viewed 102,400 times on the video-sharing platform.
“He may have lost RM3 by giving me a cup for free so I helped him in a bigger way by supporting his small business.
The 19-year-old ‘air jagung’ seller, Muhammad Hanif Asyraf Mohammad Ali told mStar he ran a food court stall in Kota Baru but had to close it during the MCO.
“I operated the stall for the first two weeks of the MCO but no customers came by, even for takeaways.
“So I had to find another way to make a living by selling air jagung,” Hanif said.
He would go to traffic light intersections at Kubang Kerian from 11am to 6pm and would typically sell 50 to 60 cups a day with the help of two workers.
Hanif, who is originally from Besut, Terengganu said he gave the teacher a free cup of air jagung as part of a charitable act (sedekah).
“Not just for Teacher Shahrul but I gave some other drivers free ‘air jagung’ at the traffic light.
“When I gave him the drink, he said it was delicious and wanted to order some for his students — I’m so grateful.
“I believe that rezeki (providence) is far-reaching. If I do something good for others, it will come back to me,” the eldest of four siblings said.
