By Celine Chee

The ceiling fan hummed lazily as it spun overhead of the elderly couple, swirling the stale air within their old flat in between photo frames, statues of Chinese gods and fancy China. The frames held memories of their long lives — the moment their only son graduated from university, a grand achievement for an immigrant couple who had only barely established their lives in the little red dot. And even grander was framed in the moment that their son had gotten married and settled down into a flat of his own, surrounded by smaller frames of his childhood and youth that had begun to yellow at the edges, matching the yellowing walls of their flat.

The television continued to ramble news headlines to Ah Gong, who looked at it with an unfocused gaze, his hand absent-mindedly fanning himself with his thin singlet as he lounged on their cushioned-lined wooden sofa.

"Tsk," Ah Po muttered as she swatted his legs off of half of the cushions so that she could sit down next to him, still dressed in flowery pyjamas, armed with the fresh stack of newspapers that had been stuffed into their gate. Just another typical Singaporean morning for this one elderly couple.

Until their landline rang, its shrill sound piercing through the humming and muttering of white noise. The newspapers fluttered onto the coffee table as Ah Po pushed herself off the sofa with a lengthy groan, picking up the phone receiver and cutting short its screeching, returning the house to the hum it had before.

"Hello?" she breathed, wondering who could be calling at this time of the day.

She stood at the phone, frozen in place, for what seemed like a long time, until even Ah Gong refocused his gaze from the television to give her a quick glance. He opened his mouth to call out, but was answered by the thudding of the receiver on the floor.

Everything after that was a blur until the babbling of a baby broke through their stupor. A baby. Their baby. Their grandson. They had only barely just learned his name a few months ago. They had only just taken care of him over the weekend, cooing and tickling him such that his laughter brought the only new sound to their peeling paint and hung in the air above them like the comfort of the setting sun. And now, in the redness of his cheeks, the fine sliver of black hair that lined his head, to the tight grip of his stubby fingers that now held one finger of both Ah Gong and Ah Po, he was all that was left of their son and daughter-in-law. In eyes that creased the same way, in the same upturned button nose, and in the folds of his dimples.

The doctor said nothing of their losses, for their grief was palpable in the encompassing greyness of the hospital corridor that surrounded them, as though it were a great beast that had swallowed them whole into the very depths of its bleak stomach, the silence broken only by the quiet weeping of an elderly couple and the babbling of a baby.

The flat opened its arms to the dazed couple, now with an additional bundle of blankets in Ah Po's embrace. Aside from whatever sparse stock of baby essentials they had from only occasionally helping out with caretaking, the flat had nothing else fit for a baby. It had been worn over the years into a retirement home for elderly people, and it was no place to be for such a sudden injection of youth.

As Ah Po gently laid the sleeping babe on their shared bed, Ah Gong hobbled over to their cupboard and crouched down to reach deep inside, pulling out an old biscuit tin that had begun to rust at the tips. He opened it with a thunk to reveal wads of cash hidden within. They both looked despondently at the rolls left inside.

"Only got this much left leh," Ah Gong sighed.

"We still got some money in the bank and CPF, right?" Ah Po replied.

Ah Gong scoffed. "You think enough meh?"

Ah Po clicked her tongue in annoyance and elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to wince in pain.

"What?" Ah Gong said.

"He's your grandson!" Ah Po said, voice rising.

"You think I don't know ah?" Ah Gong almost bellowed, and they both quickly shut their mouths and looked at the baby. He yawned and blinked awake, tiny hands reaching out through the many folds of its swaddle. Ah Po tenderly offered a finger, and he eased under her touch.

Ah Po's voice softened. "At least our Xiao Rui is very strong, right? Strong, strong boy. Just like your father." At the mention of their son she sighed, looking towards Ah Gong, who had been watching the whole exchange pensively.

"Ah Gong ah," Ah Po continued. "Let's open shop again. You know we need the money for Rui. What we have won't be enough for him. And what if we fall sick? We need to do this."

"Can or not?" Ah Gong retorted. "We are not young anymore. Then who will look after him when we are there?"

"We bring him to the shop with us lah," Ah Po said breezily.

Ah Gong waved his hand dismissively, turning away. "Siao ah! It's so dangerous, crowded and noisy!"

Ah Po's face fell as she slouched down next to the bed as baby Xiao Rui continued to fidget in his swaddle. The pregnant pause hung between them as Ah Gong continued to watch Xiao Rui, the dust drifting down as a slight breeze blew in from the window. He shuffled over to place a wizened hand on Xiao Rui's tiny head, gently smoothing out his hair, marvelling at how his entire head fit right in the palm of his hand.

Finally, Ah Gong sighed. "Okay, okay. Later I ask around if got any stalls for rent. Maybe at the hawker centre or the coffee shop nearby. Then? Sell what?"

Ah Po straightened up, her eyes brightening. "My laksa and your rojak, of course, what else? You still remember last time got so long queues from your pushcart? Of course we must sell rojak."

Ah Gong rolled his eyes and waved his hand again in front of Ah Po's face. "Aiya, that was so long ago. I haven't made rojak in a while already. But your laksa… can lah, can."

"Of course can," Ah Po puffed her chest out with pride. "Every time Seng came back to visit, he would… he would always ask for a bowl of laksa…" Her voice drifted away as tears began to well up in her eyes. Ah Gong sighed, but he moved closer to Ah Po, placing a hand over hers, and she gave him a shaky smile.

And so, the pair later found themselves in front of a shuttered hawker stall, holding a baby chair in between them. They are flanked by a prawn noodle stall run by a duo of young adults, peering at them curiously from behind their signs, and a Malay food stall handled by a single makcik. Ah Gong and Ah Po looked at the stall from top to bottom.

"Well," Ah Gong cleared his throat. "That's all we can get for now. We still owe some deposit, but thankfully Ah Wong managed to bargain for me."

Ah Po nodded. "Let's get to work then."

They rolled up the shutters and got to work. It was a busy morning of what seemed and felt like fast-paced cooking action — chopping vegetables, boiling soup stock, setting up cutlery — all while also preparing milk for Xiao Rui, and keeping him preoccupied with a shaking toy.

Letting out a long sigh of exhaustion, the pair finally took a breather and sat at a nearby table just in front of their stall. Ah Po rocked Xiao Rui's baby chair absentmindedly, too physically tired out to focus on anything, and Ah Gong fanned himself with a folded-up newspaper.

It was the calm before the storm at the hawker centre, and a lone patron approached the stalls, scanning the food options available. Ah Gong bolted to his feet and shuffled to his stall as quickly as his sandals could take him, hands trembling in excitement and anticipation. It had been decades since he had last cooked food for anyone outside of his family. But he would still remember how any diner's face would light up upon eating his food. Was it about to happen again so soon?

The patron gave him a friendly smile and a brief nod, but his gaze had already passed Ah Gong by, looking over at the next stall, then the next, as he moved on. Deflated, Ah Gong hobbled back over to the table and chairs where Xiao Rui was, sitting down heavily, his hands on his knees. Ah Po waved a hand in comfort.

"It's okay, it's not lunch hour yet," she said. Ah Gong only nodded tiredly in response. But then Xiao Rui awoke, crying loudly, and their stall neighbours looked over in concern as Ah Po bustled to get milk prepared, and Ah Gong fanned him with the newspaper.

The lunch crowd started to stream in, the hawker centre bustled with more activity, with crowds and groups of people milling about in between the stalls and tables, with hawkers yelling out orders and opportunistic birds swooping in to swipe scraps and crumbs.

Ah Gong and Ah Po's stall soon saw some customers that came by, and Ah Gong served them zesty rojak and piping hot laksa, as Ah Po continued to rock Xiao Rui's baby chair, hoping that the chatter of patrons was enough of an ambient sound to lull a full, sleepy baby to dreamland.

But Ah Po worried about Ah Gong in the stall, as wives often do, and she could not clearly see him from behind rows of cutlery, sauces, and ingredients. So she called out over the noise, instinctively turning Xiao Rui's chair away, as though the slight angle would diminish the projection of her voice. "Need help or not?"

She could barely catch Ah Gong's muffled response in the midst of the clanking of kitchen utensils. "No need, no need." He dished out another serving of rojak to an eager customer, and called out to the one behind, "What you want?"

Ah Po shook her head. Ah Gong was always needlessly stubborn like this, refusing help, wanting to shoulder the burden all by himself. She looked from his shaking hands to Xiao Rui's sleeping face in the baby chair. She stood up and gently pulled up the blanket around Xiao Rui's arms, then huffed as she made her way towards the stall, pushing Ah Gong further inside as she nodded to the next customer and took their order and payment. Ah Gong tutted but said nothing, instead opting to keep his hands busy with tossing rojak or scooping out yet another bowl of laksa soup.

Through the busyness of the lunch rush, Ah Gong and Ah Po began to develop a rhythm, just like the days of their youth when they ran their pushcart together. Ah Po's heart swelled with fondness as she reminisced on those days working next to Ah Gong, passing him bowls, collecting money, and then eating together by the roadside once they had sold out.

But a familiar cry shattered through her memories — Xiao Rui had woken up again. He was either hungry or needed a diaper change or both. Flustered, the wad of change she was holding out to the customer gets shoved into their hands as she pushed past them, apologising under her breath. She picked up Xiao Rui, shushing him, checking his diaper, then rushed off towards the toilets, ignoring both the customer and Ah Gong calling out to her, drowned out by the cries of her grandson in her arms.

Once she returned, the rest of the crowd in the hawker centre had thinned and cleared out. Ah Gong was also catching a breather of his own, sitting at the table where the baby chair was. When he caught her eye, he shook his head, and as Ah Po approached him, his grumbling became more and more obvious. Ah Po shot him an annoyed look as she gently placed Xiao Rui back into the baby chair, now calmed down and babbling away again.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Tsk what?" she huffed.

Ah Gong scoffed in reply. "First day only, you make mistake already?"

"What I do?" Ah Po asked.

"Just now the customer told me you gave extra," Ah Gong waggled a bony finger at the extra coins left on the counter. "See? I leave it there to show you."

"Xiao Rui is crying, you expect me to ignore him?"

"Also don't need to rush until like that right? Cry a bit won't die one what." Ah Gong rolled his eyes.

"Xiao Rui is a BABY and our GRANDSON! Why are you talking like that!" Ah Po cried out, her voice rising sharply. Xiao Rui jolted from within his chair, and the two young adults from the stall next door also began to watch them with a mixture of concern and worry on their faces. Ah Gong gave them a warning glance, and they quickly looked away, pretending to busy themselves at their stall.

"Your grandson is going to cry some more if you shout like that," Ah Gong shushed.

"Please don't act like hero lah. First day only also can see you so shag already. How to take care of Xiao Rui?" Ah Po continued angrily.

"That's why I tell you don't bring him here liao, you just stay at home and take care of him," Ah Gong turned away.

"Please lah, if I not here, who help you chop vegetable? Who help you take order?" Ah Po was on a roll, and she wasn't going to stop until Ah Gong finally faced up to his own stubbornness. But talking to him was like trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

"I can do it myself."

"Yeah right!" Ah Po turned away too, both of them looking in opposite directions away from each other, and away from Xiao Rui, who seemed keenly aware of the raised tension, as his babbles sounded as though they had taken on a concerned tone, whimpering, reaching out for his grandparents.

Ah Po saw the two young adults still shooting them furtive glances from their stall, as though still debating if they needed to intervene. They turned away again under her gaze, hiding back in their stall behind the counter, whispering. She looked across Ah Gong, to the plump makcik sitting in front of her own stall on the other side. The makcik appeared to be nonchalantly cutting chillies, but from her actions Ah Po knew that she had also heard what happened, and she tried to avoid Ah Gong's gaze.

Ah Po looked lastly, towards Xiao Rui, offering again her finger to his outstretched hand. He gripped tightly onto her, and cried out happily, drooling down his chin. She gently dabbed him with a handkerchief. As Ah Gong stood up and hobbled into the stall, his steps heavy and his hands curled into fists, her gaze followed him, but he continued to ignore her.

She picked up Xiao Rui from his chair and sat him on her lap. Together, they turned around to look around at the rest of the hawker centre in full view. In between the many interactions she observed - a stallholder called out to a customer for their forgotten change, who returned gratefully; diners cleared their trays and wiped down the tables, leaving a neat pile at the tray return station for the cleaners; diners asking each other if they could share tables.

Ah Po looked thoughtfully at it all, as Xiao Rui drooled on her fingers and gnawed at them with his gums. She chuckled, looking into his big round eyes — the way they both crinkled were the same. But a clattering sound jolted the two of them out of their locked gaze, and they both looked towards the stall where Ah Gong had knocked over the chopstick holder, and chopsticks now lay in a mess on the floor.

Panicked, Ah Po tried to stand up as fast as she could, lifting up Xiao Rui, about to put him back in his chair, but just as quickly, both the young woman and the makcik had also rushed over, hands already outstretched and picking up the chopsticks. The young woman flashed Ah Po a smile.

"Auntie it's okay, I help you to pick up!" she chirped.

With the help of both ladies, neither Ah Gong nor Ah Po even had to move or lift a finger. They gathered up the chopsticks, but the makcik had already snatched the whole bunch and hurried back to her own stall, her voice fading away as she told them she was headed in to rinse the chopsticks through and ensure they were clean before putting them back.

Awkwardly, the young woman gave them both another smile and a tiny wave as Ah Gong thanked her profusely, and she turned back to her own stall.

"Um, girl ah!" Ah Po called out.

Startled, the young woman jumped, before looking back at Ah Po in confusion. Ah Po held out Xiao Rui to her, who mirrored her reaction.

"Can you… help me to carry him for a while ah? I want to help him to tidy up the counter," Ah Po said, jerking her head in Ah Gong's direction, avoiding his incredulous look.

"Oh! Uh… sure?" The young woman opened up her arms, shifting them into different positions, clearly unsure of how to hold a baby. Ah Po only laughed, gestured for her to put them in the same position as she was, then slowly eased Xiao Rui into the young woman's arms. The baby's eyes widened upon the unfamiliar face, but as the woman smiles, so does he.

"Aww, he's really cute," she cooed.

"Of course," Ah Po replied proudly. "He's my grandson."

And so she bustled into the stall, dismissively swatting Ah Gong aside as she began to assist him in preparing the next batch of ingredients and tidying up the counter. The makcik had returned with their whole bunch of chopsticks, now freshly washed, and Ah Po also thanked her profusely as she gratefully took the whole bundle and returned them to their proper place. The makcik only waved their thanks aside, and returned to her own chillies.

Unable to take it anymore, Ah Gong clicked his tongue to get Ah Po's attention. He jerked his head at the young woman. "You gave Rui to a random woman?" he asked incredulously.

"She's our stall neighbour, okay what. She even help you pick up chopsticks. Go take out some more of the laksa leaves."

Ah Gong huffed as he reached for the next bag. "How you know she won't run away?"

"Please lah," Ah Po rolled her eyes. "What is she going to do with him?"

That paused Ah Gong in his tracks as he tried to process and think of a response, but he stayed silent as they continued to work. After a brief while, Ah Po wiped her hands down, and returned to the young woman to find the baby sound asleep in her arms.

A gentle smile bloomed on Ah Po's face. "Wah, fall asleep already. Good job!" She flashed the young woman a thumbs up.

The woman giggled shyly. "Yes, he was very cute. Fell asleep very fast. But auntie, why you bring him here? So noisy and dirty…"

Ah Po could only shrug. "Bopian ah… no one at home to look after him. But thank you for your help." She carefully took the baby back, trying not to wake him, slowly putting him back into the baby chair.

The young woman smiled. "No problem auntie, your grandson so cute, I'm happy to help!" She returned to her own stall, where her male partner grinned and elbowed her, and she hit him in response.

Ah Gong came out of the stall over to the baby chair, scrutinising Xiao Rui's sleeping face. He heaved a sigh of relief, gently patting the baby's head. Ah Po rolled her eyes. "I told you nothing will happen."

Ah Gong kept his eyes on Xiao Rui. "She is still a stranger."

"Stranger cannot become friends meh? Ah Gong ah, we cannot do this on our own." She placed a hand on his arm.

"Says who?" He finally met her gaze.

"Says me!" Ah Po retorted, her grip tightening. "Look at us. We are so tired already, and it's only half a day. Every day from now on like this, how? You look around. Everyone is helping each other. Just now also the makcik and the girl come and help even when we never say anything. They will help more if we ask!"

Ah Gong huffed. "Don't bother people lah. Ownself settle, better."

Ah Po clicked her tongue and smacked Ah Gong's arm, causing him to flinch. "What?" he recoiled, rubbing his arm. "I got say something wrong meh? They have their own things to settle what."

"Busy also they come and help you right? Don't be so stubborn lah," she flicked another hand at him, and he leaned back even further. "Once in a while swallow your pride, also won't die one."

Ah Gong had the decency to look offended, but he kept his mouth shut and shook his head. "Up to you," he eventually said, waving a dismissive hand as he got up and returned into the stall.

Ah Po beamed, looking over at Xiao Rui sleeping peacefully in his chair. As the days went by, she collected and treasured more and more moments in her heart: Ah Gong struggled with a new bag of ingredients, only to be supported by the young man from the next stall rushing over once he saw Ah Po wave over at him; Xiao Rui crying noisily as both Ah Gong and Ah Po had their hands full, but the makcik is already there, cooing at him, preparing his milk.

Their stall had a long queue, and as the diners lined up past the baby chair, each patron sneaked a glance from their phones, and some would flash a smile, others would go further to play peekaboo or pulled funny faces, and Xiao Rui would laugh and laugh as Ah Po looked over with a fond smile. The drinks stall owner nearby handed two cups to the exhausted Ah Gong and Ah Po resting at the table with Xiao Rui, who looked up in surprise, but she only gestured and insisted for them to accept the drinks without payment. An indifferent patron gave sleeping Xiao Rui a glance, and pulled down the shade over his baby chair before looking back to his phone.

Ah Po noticed them all.

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