A Tribute to the Yakult Auntie

In 2020, after finishing work in Sengkang, I encountered a Yakult auntie in the elevator. During the pandemic, seeing her working so diligently deeply moved me. Following the principle of doing one good deed a day, I bought a bottle of Yakult from her in the elevator. Although everyone was wearing masks at the time, as I looked at her, I could sense that despite the hardships she had endured in life, she remained passionate about living.

A few days ago, I saw a news report about a 70-year-old Yakult auntie who was robbed while delivering goods in a lift. She was punched in the head by the assailant and succumbed to her injuries a week later in the hospital.

Originally, the auntie was supposed to travel overseas with her children the next day. Yet, on the night before the trip, she was still diligently completing her work. Even when she travelled abroad, it was never for more than a week, so she could quickly return to continue delivering Yakult to her customers.

Auntie became a widow at the age of 33 and single-handedly raised her three children through sheer grit, juggling three jobs. She completed her A-levels but gave up her dream of becoming a teacher. To afford tuition for her children, she even cleaned the house for their tutor.

When I saw the photo in the news, my intuition told me she was the same warm and spirited Yakult auntie I had encountered in the elevator four years ago. At the time, I thought she resembled my grandaunt in her younger days—such a small frame yet filled with immense resilience and an unyielding spirit. As I read the news, an overwhelming sense of regret surged in my heart. The crime scene was just two blocks away from the housing estate where we had met.

Auntie, if it truly is you, may you be free from fear and find peace and joy:

May you attain rebirth in the Pure Land,
And transcend suffering and sorrow.
Amitabha, Amitabha.