Bak kut teh owner dies after 18-hour workdays repaying debts
A bak kut teh stall owner worked 18 hours a day throughout the year to repay over S$100,000 in debt due to the pandemic. Tragically, he died from overexertion, leaving behind his widow to single-handedly carry on the business they had built together from scratch.
Bak Kut Teh owner dies due to overwork
According to Shin Min Daily News, Hong Rong Sheng (name transliterated), 65, and Cai Ju Hua (name transliterated), 66, started “Xin Ming Road Bak Kut Teh” in the 1990s at Kola Food Centre, Blk 36 Sin Ming Road.
When she was younger, Cai Ju Hua was an assistant at the famous “Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh” in Sin Ming Road, working there for over 20 years. The owner was her brother-in-law.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Later, she asked her husband to help out at “Rong Cheng” for a few years, before the couple eventually started their own business.
In a recent interview with SM, Cai Ju Hua said that her husband passed away in the early hours of 10 Jan this year, leaving her to run the stall on her own.
Running the stall despite being ill
She said her husband had been suffering from a cold for three weeks before his passing, but he continued operating the stall as usual.
It was only four days before his death that he could no longer hold on and had to take a break.
“At the time, I was worried about his health, but he told me, ‘Don’t worry, I can live for a few more years.’ Then, around 11pm on 9 Jan, he suddenly said he was having trouble breathing. He was rushed to the hospital and passed away shortly after 5am.”
She said she stayed with her husband at the hospital that night, encouraging him to stay strong and telling him that if she lost him, she would find it hard to keep running the business.
“We have been like a pair of hands for many years, and now that he’s gone, I’ve lost one hand. Although he couldn’t speak then, he squeezed my hand tightly until I promised to do my best to keep the stall running. Only then did he leave peacefully.”
Three years of pandemic losses led to S$100,000 debt
She revealed that the past few years have been very difficult, especially during the pandemic when business dried up, causing losses for three consecutive years.
This drained their savings and even left them with over S$100,000 in bank debt.
She shared that their monthly rent was over S$9,000 and they had one employee earning S$4,000.
However, during the pandemic, their daily sales sometimes was only S$100, which was not enough to cover expenses.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
“My husband worked tirelessly to repay the debt. Before the pandemic, the stall would close for one or two days each month. After the pandemic, we only rested for four days during the Lunar New Year. He left home at 5am every day and didn’t return until 11pm.”
She said her husband did not have hypertension, high blood sugar, or high cholesterol while alive. Before he passed, doctors said he died from overexertion, which weakened his body’s resistance.
She said she knew her husband cared about the stall, so after the funeral, she only took two weeks off before reopening it.
Also read: Bak Kut Teh eatery in Geylang suspended on the day it received S’pore Prestige Brand Award
Bak Kut Teh eatery in Geylang suspended on the day it received S’pore Prestige Brand Award
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
