KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 ― An elderly Singaporean cleaner at a hawker centre won over the internet after she offered to buy drinks for two patrons upon seeing one of them sweating profusely from eating a bowl of chilli ban mian.
In a Facebook post, Andrew Wong said their encounter began when the cleaner had wanted to remove the serving tray from his table but he stopped her as he needed it to return the cutlery to the cleaning station.
“She told me that won’t be necessary because she will clean the table after we are done.
“It will be even more troublesome for her to push the trolley to the tray return station and send the used cutlery to the cleaning station.”
Saying that she had remarked that she works fast, Wong said when the cleaner passed by their table again, she stopped and mumbled something in Hokkien about buying a drink.
“I thought she was asking if we could get her a drink.
“I am all ready for that but when I asked what she would like to drink,” to which she replied that she wanted to buy them a drink instead and had paid for it.
“Do you want a cold drink?” the cleaner had asked Wong, to which he lied to her saying they did not drink while eating.
By the time he finished his meal, the young man was sweating profusely.
“I ran to her and asked “Aunty, do you mind if I ask you something. Did you want to buy me a drink because you saw me perspiring, in agony?”
“She broke into a hearty laugh and nodded her head. We looked at each other and had a good laugh, then bid farewell.”
Wong promised the cleaner that he would come back to see her again.
“She told me she works there every evening and if I do come by, say hello.”
Saying he was humbled by the turn of events, Wong said his heart was touched by the cleaner's big heartedness to strangers.
Wong's post had since received 6,700 reactions and had been shared 5,500 times.
