Hong Daming is a positive and generous man. As his coffee shop and house number are both "118", the people around him gave him the nickname of "118" (or 要要发), much to his delight. Together with his wife, Liu Meimei, he makes a living by running the coffee-shop, and are well known in Tiong Bahru. Whenever someone is in need, they would always seek Daming for help.
His family lives in a 3-room flat, which was built in pre-war years, above the coffee shop. He has 4 children. The children are named Hong Shunfeng, Hong Shunshui, Hong Jinzhi and Hong Yuye.
Having 6 people living in a 3-room flat is cramped-up enough, yet he also rents out a room to "Ah Niang", a middle-aged man whose original name is Li Weiliang. Weiliang studied fashion design in France, but circumstances led him to simply run a stall in 118's coffee-shop, selling dumplings with the recipe that his mother left for him.