My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 71 - 69 Tolerance is not indulgence without principles

Chapter 71: Chapter 69 Tolerance is not indulgence without principles

"Welcome!"

The vegetarian restaurant looked clean and tidy. It was mealtime, and about a dozen diners were eating in the dining hall, so it seemed the business was doing well.

Meng Lang looked around and then sat down opposite an old man who was eating.

The old man gave Meng Lang a puzzled look. With so many empty seats around, why share a table?

"Hello, guest. What would you like to eat?"

A waitress approached and handed over a menu.

Meng Lang glanced at it and pointed to the section titled "Signature Dishes."

"A portion of golden taro, a portion of seasonal vegetables, and a bowl of rice."

"Okay."

After returning the menu to the waitress, Meng Lang smiled at the old man opposite him.

"Old man, do you eat here often?"

The old man was taken aback. This young man sure was forward.

"Yeah! My spouse passed away early. When I don’t feel like cooking, I often come here. The taste is quite good, and importantly, vegetarian food isn’t greasy, which is suitable for an old person like me."

Meng Lang glanced around and indeed, most of the patrons at the vegetarian restaurant were middle-aged or elderly.

"Is that so? I feel the same way. Nowadays, most restaurants outside use too much salt and oil, not to mention all those additives. Eating vegetarian should be a bit safer."

"This young man is quite sensible, not like my grandson who always likes to eat takeout.

What crayfish, what spicy hot pot—the news has reported on them. How can that kind of hygiene be acceptable!"

"Right, you’re saying what’s true."

The old man opposite seemed to be quite talkative, and the two chatted happily, each taking their turn.

It wasn’t long before the waitress who had taken the order came over with a tray of dishes, including two dishes and a bowl of rice.

"Guest, your order is ready."

"Wait a moment!"

The waitress who was about to turn away looked puzzledly at Meng Lang.

"Is there anything else you need?"

Meng Lang didn’t speak. He rolled up his sleeves, picked up a spoon, and stirred in the golden taro a bit before turning over a small green object.

He couldn’t help but sigh internally.

My friend, it looks like you haven’t been blown away by the wings of my little butterfly yet.

Having confirmed the "golden 24-hour" principle, Meng Lang held the spoon up to the startled waitress’s face.

"Could you explain what this is?"

"My goodness! That’s a huge fly!" The old man opposite already exclaimed, drawing everyone’s attention over.

"This... this..."

The waitress was dumbfounded and momentarily lost for words.

"What’s going on?" At that moment, the portly owner who had been working on accounts behind the cash register came over, alerted by the commotion.

Without needing anyone to explain the situation, as soon as he saw the large green-headed fly in the spoon, Boss Huang knew what was happening.

His mouth twitched, and his plump, greasy face turned toward Meng Lang. Seeing that he looked like a freshly graduated young man dressed in ordinary clothes, he instantly felt a measure of disdain.

"Sorry, guest. We will replace it with a new dish immediately."

"Replace it, and that’s it?" Meng Lang looked at him as if he was both smiling and not smiling.

Boss Huang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Guest, our kitchen is very clean, and nothing like this has ever happened. Where this fly came from, as business owners, we’d rather not investigate in-depth.

However, if the guest is trying to blackmail us, I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place!"

Hearing Boss Huang say that, the eyes of the onlookers began to change when looking at Meng Lang.

After all, it was a common occurrence on the news and in videos.

Furthermore, Boss Huang had promptly admitted the mistake and offered to replace the dish.

Most people, adhering to the traditional concepts of "keeping the peace" and "spare others when possible," might choose to let it go.

But this young man was being unyielding, and immediately, many people began to side with Boss Huang.

"Hey! Boss, don’t talk nonsense. I’ve been sitting right opposite this young brother the whole time. As soon as the dish was served, he found the fly. He wouldn’t have had the time to tamper with it.

If you don’t believe it, you can ask this waitress who served the food."

Before Meng Lang could respond to the owner’s remark, the old man opposite couldn’t bear it.

After all, finding a fly in the food at the same restaurant was quite the turn-off, and it had spoiled his appetite. And now, the restaurant owner was actually trying to blame him.

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the waitress.

"This..." The waitress stammered, obviously finding it neither right to speak nor remain silent.

How would she know that the guest, who hadn’t even taken a bite, had found the fly as if he were the Prophet, right in front of her eyes.

Especially with an old man across the table who had witnessed everything, which made her unable to even attempt a lie.

The owner immediately realized the situation might be truly unfavorable for him, but his face betrayed no fear as he pointed to the corner of the ceiling.

"Young man, my shop is equipped with surveillance cameras. If you are trying to scam us, once we review the footage and it shows wrongdoing, we’ll have to let the police handle this matter."

Anyone who preferred to avoid trouble and didn’t want to stir things up might just have to curse their bad luck and leave.

But... who asked you to offend my brother?

"You have surveillance? That’s great, let’s check the footage right away."

After saying that, Meng Lang casually picked up his phone and took several close-up shots of the fly, and then photographed the receipt as well.

"You..." the chubby boss finally realized he was dealing with a tough customer.

Seeing Meng Lang act so nonchalantly, the surrounding diners began to doubt the hygiene of the restaurant.

"Boss Huang, we’re all regulars here, and finding a fly in the food requires an explanation from you."

"No wonder I always get diarrhea after eating here!"

"We come to this vegetarian restaurant thinking it’s somewhat healthier, right? Turns out all crows under the sky are equally black."

"How can we even eat this meal? I’m not eating!"

"I’m never coming back here!"

Hearing the dissatisfied murmurs of the diners, the chubby boss started sweating on his forehead.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our restaurant’s hygiene is definitely not a problem, there might be some misunderstanding here!"

"Since there’s a misunderstanding, why don’t we go to the kitchen and see for ourselves? Seeing is believing after all!" Meng Lang suggested.

The boss’s face stiffened.

Was the state of his own kitchen’s hygiene something he could just casually show off?

His tone immediately softened a lot.

"Young man, you see, you haven’t even eaten your food. Our restaurant is willing to offer some compensation, and we’ll waive this bill. How about we just forget about this whole matter, what do you say?"

"Sure, compensate me 1000, and we can let it go," Meng Lang nodded.

"What? 1000?"

Not only was the boss stunned, but many diners also looked at Meng Lang in surprise.

"Oh my, just opens his mouth and asks for a thousand, is this young man here to extort money?"

"This seems a bit excessive, after all, the food hasn’t even been eaten."

Seeing that public opinion wasn’t entirely on his side anymore, the chubby boss suddenly got his mojo back.

"Young man, aren’t you going a bit too far? Don’t think we’re easy to bully. We could sue you for extortion!"

"Heh," Meng Lang just chuckled.

"According to the Food Safety Law, Article 148, if a producer makes food that does not meet food safety standards or a seller knowingly sells food that does not meet food safety standards, consumers can demand compensation for damages in addition to a settlement amount that is ten times the price of the goods.

If the additional compensation is less than 1000 yuan, it shall be compensated as 1000 yuan.

Thus, my request is both reasonable and legal.

If you disagree, then I can call the Food and Drug Administration at 12331. However, by then, your restaurant’s problem might not be settled with just a 1000 yuan compensation."

Meng Lang had taken what the boss had said and returned it back to him in a different form.

The boss was left dumbfounded. Was this guy... well-prepared?

Meng Lang then turned to look at the diners around him.

"Everyone, our nation has been upholding a thousand-year cultural tradition. Faced with seemingly trivial matters, we often choose to keep the peace, to downplay the issue, to forgive, and to ignore if it doesn’t concern us.

By doing this, we please others at our own expense.

This is our kindness and compassion, but it shouldn’t be an excuse for businesses to skirt responsibility.

If nobody speaks up, and nothing is penalized, will these businesses ever consider how to improve food hygiene? Can we still enjoy safe and delicious food when dining out?

Many of our elders have weak digestive systems. It might be bearable to get an upset stomach from ordinary food, but what if it leads to gastric cancer one day? Who will be responsible then?

We can be tolerant, but tolerance must not be an indiscriminate indulgence!"

Hearing Meng Lang’s words, everyone in the restaurant began to ponder.

"The young man speaks the truth!" The old man sitting opposite was the first to express support.

"Yeah, is it because we’ve been too tolerant that food safety has continued to be a major issue?"

"Who’s to say it isn’t? Like that melamine-tainted milk powder incident, aren’t many companies still doing fine? Sigh!"

"Those unscrupulous merchants should be heavily fined to teach them a lesson!"

Meng Lang nodded.

"It seems everyone has realized the dangers of indulgence. Uncles and aunties, if you encounter such situations in the future, remember, be sure to take photos and preserve the evidence, just like I did just now.

That includes foreign objects in the food, as well as proof of purchase..."

Watching the scene almost turn into a "Consumer Law Public Forum," the chubby boss felt incredibly frustrated.

Today’s loss appeared to be assured.

"Fine! I’ll pay!" the boss gritted his teeth and admitted defeat.

Meng Lang looked at him and suddenly smiled, "Boss, I’m not here for the money, but to remind you. A gentleman loves money and takes it in an honest way.

How about this, if you can agree to one condition, we’ll forget about the 1000 yuan."

The boss was startled, thinking the other party was going to make more trouble and immediately became alert, "What condition?"

"Heh..."

...

Watching a group of chefs and waitstaff sweating profusely as they conducted a major cleanup in the kitchen, Meng Lang had a satisfied smile on his face.

"Do... do you find it satisfactory?" the boss asked, gasping for air and holding a rag, with his sleeves rolled up.

"Hmm! It’s quite satisfactory."

The boss forced a smile, "You’re not after money, so why put us through all this trouble?"

Meng Lang gave him a glance, walked out of the kitchen with his hands behind his back, and without looking back, left one last remark.

"If one’s own room is not swept, how can one sweep the world, eh?"

The boss: "..."