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A number of residents and merchants in Woodlands got lucky recently after they won thousands of dollars betting on four numbers provided by a lion dance troupe in their HDB estate on Feb. 5, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The biggest winner amongst the punters was the owner of a salon, who reportedly took home S$8,000.

What happened

According to a Chinese media reader who tipped Shin Min off, the customary dragon dance performance was held at an apparel shop located in block Block 303 at Woodlands Street 31.

Lion and dragon dance performances are usually held in the wake of the Lunar New Year as the belief is that it will bring in good fortune.

The reader shared that the shop celebrated Chap Goh Mei — the 15th day of the Lunar New Year to mark its end — with merchants and residents on Sunday, Feb. 5.

A banquet was hosted and dragon dance troupes were invited to perform in front of the store.

After the lions "plucked the green", a ceremony in which the performers would typically reach out to a basket filled with red packets and vegetables, they placed four numbers, "0770," in front of the shop using mandarin oranges, pineapple skin, Chinese onions, and bananas, reported Shin Min.

Later that night, punters were amazed to find out that the number combination "7070" was the first prize for 4D on Feb. 5, albeit a permutation of the numbers provided by the lion dance troupe.

Merchants and residents nearby won

According to Shin Min, at least three merchants and members of the public who stayed in the HDB estate managed to bet and win 4D prizes after betting on permutations of the "0770" number.

The biggest winner amongst them was an owner of a salon in the neighbourhood, whose surname is Lin (hanyu pinyin).

Lin told Shin Min that while she did not participate in the apparel shop's celebration on Feb. 5 because she was busy at work, her friend shared the numbers with her after watching the lion dance performance and asked her to bet on 4D together.

The pair selected the system entry — computer-generated permutations of "0770" number — and ended up winning S$8,000.

Lin said she felt very lucky and happy, and she also treated her colleagues to a meal to celebrate her win on Feb. 7, reported Shin Min.

Another lucky winner was a cashier whose surname is Liao (hanyu pinyin).

Liao told Shin Min that she bet on a few combinations of the numbers for more than S$5 and was overjoyed when she was able to take home more than S$1,000 in the end.

She also added that she heard some other merchants in the neighbourhood were able to win even more, around S$10,000 to S$20,000, because they had bet more.

The third winner interviewed by Shin Min shared that he was just passing by the vicinity when he chanced upon the numbers.

He then shared them with his family and friends, and many of them ended up winning a prize and were very happy, reported Shin Min.

First prize number combo sold out within hours

However, not everyone was able to bet on the numbers given out by the lion dance troupe and win money.

According to the owner of a clock shop in the neighbourhood, the first prize number combination was already sold out by the time he learnt about the numbers and arrived at the pools opposite him to make a bet.

He shared with Shin Min that the combination for the first prize was sold out at around 12:30pm, only two hours after the performance.

The clock shop owner further speculated that his purchase was unsuccessful because too many people who watched the performance went and bet on the various permutations.

While the five combinations he ended up betting on did not win any prizes, the shopowner said he would nevertheless like to congratulate his neighbours who did.

Celebrating Chap Goh Mei a tradition at the estate

The cashier who won the lottery also informed Shin Min that the owner of the apparel store would host a banquet to celebrate Chap Goh Mei every year, and it was only put on hold during the pandemic.

This year is the first year the owner is bringing back the tradition, and they managed to bring good fortunes to others.

However, when Shin Min visited the apparel shop, the owner did not want to comment further on the celebrations or the lion dance performance.

The past Chap Goh Mei was a joyful one for many.

For example, a couple decided to tie the knot and host their wedding banquet at a kopitiam in Bukit Merah.

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Top images via Shin Min Daily News