Uncle James’s fruit stall at Old Airport Road Food Centre has pedigree. Lin Hin has been selling sliced fruit and juice since 1975 and was formerly located at Taman Serasi hawker centre, across from the Botanic Gardens entrance on Cluny Road in Singapore, until it was closed in 2001. Lin Hin was renowned for its soursop juice. A recipe Uncle James’s mother had concocted and perfected.

Many stalls have tried but failed to imitate the legendary soursop juice. Uncle James says the secret lies in the quality of the soursop and the freshness from the lemon he adds at the end. He took over the stall in 2015 after his mother passed away, and runs it with his wife, Qing Xia. The couple work hard. The stall opens 12 hours a day from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week. Sometimes they take a day off.

When he heads home after lunch for a mid-day rest, the stall is managed by Qing Xia. He met his wife through a friend on a business trip to China. He recounts with a gleam in his eye that after a two-and-a-half-year long distance relationship, he decided to fly to China “to bring her back to Singapore”. They were married soon after.

Since relocating to Block 52 Cassia Crescent from Dakota Crescent, getting to the fruit stall from home on his personal mobility device has become an obstacle course. But the longer ride does allow for chance meetings with friends and neighbours. Uncle James is a familiar and friendly face around the estate. He is quick to smile and say ‘hello’, making him instantly likeable.

Squeezing into the small space can be an effort. Uncle James must manoeuvre pass a sugarcane juice extractor on one leg to enter the stall. These actions were made more challenging after losing a leg. He had to have his right leg amputated below the knee after what he describes as a “viral infection”.

Having grown up helping his parents at the fruit stall, Uncle James is no stranger to the rigours of ensuring the freshest produce are prepared every morning. Pineapples, papaya, watermelon, mango, and other tropical delights are deftly peeled and sliced.

Uncle James talks with passion about fruit. He says his high standards for quality was something he learnt from his father. His long relationship with suppliers in Malaysia ensures he gets the best fruit delivered. As a rule, he never keeps cut fruit overnight. Any unsold items at the end of the day are given to the cleaners at the food centre.

There is not a moment’s rest for Uncle James, who on any given day can be seen zipping pass tables and stalls keeping himself busy – whether it is moving seats around or delivering orders. He says he tries to keep the price of his fruit low to cater to low-income residents, many who are regular customers.

The stall has become a second home for the Fun family. Most of their meals are eaten here, and they have developed friendships with other stallholders, including the lady who runs the Muslim stall across from them.

Their 12-year-old daughter spends quite a bit of time at the fruit stall. Like Uncle James when he was a young boy, she sometimes helps her parents out after school.