Chapter 1 — My Neighbors Think I'm a Fat Goat

My neighbor's hot pot restaurant just opened, I brought my whole family to support, but when it was time to pay, I was stunned. “Four people, 2472 yuan.” I thought I heard wrong, but the neighbor said eloquently: "Our place is charged 618 yuan per person." Look at her bossy face and slashing customers. I was so angry that I burst out laughing. I didn't argue with her, I paid fairly, but only made one request: "Issue an invoice, clearly stating all items in detail." She thought I had given up, so she proudly gave me the bill. I took the bill and turned out the door, turning around to make a complaint... 01 "Hello, a total of 2,472 yuan." The waiter is a young man. She looked like a relative of the landlady, speaking with an untrained arrogance. The movement of my husband, Cao Minh, to take the phone stopped. He raised his head to look at me, his eyes full of questions. I was also stunned. Behind the cashier counter, my new neighbor Luu Le, also the owner of the restaurant "Luu Ky Tran Pham Hot Pot", was walking up smiling. She wore a tight red cheongsam, exquisite makeup, and a large jade ring on her hand. “Miss Tran, how is my hot pot delicious?” She smiled and asked, her eyes passed me again, falling on the phone held up in my husband's hand. Cao Minh forced a smile: "Miss Liu, is this... a miscalculation? We didn't order many dishes." The smile on Luu Le's face faded a bit, but her enthusiasm remained. She picked up the bill and made an exaggerated "oh wow" sound. “No mistake, 2472 yuan.” She pointed to a small line of text below the bill, printed smaller than a sesame seed. "Our restaurant charges by serving, one serving is 618. There are four people in your family, my son has already waived the odd number for you. Isn't this the price to calculate?" Cao Minh took a deep breath of cold air. My mother also stopped comforting her child and looked at Luu Le in disbelief. "Per capita? One head is more than six hundred yuan?" My mother's voice trembled a bit. Luu Le's smile disappeared completely. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her body leaned back slightly, and used her critical eyes to evaluate us. "Uncle, you can't say that. We call this a high-class custom hot pot, the ingredients are all transported by air, the hot pot broth is an exclusive recipe. Eating is classy, understand?" Her tone carried the tone of teaching life from above looking down. I looked at her red lipstick-covered mouth. I remember half a month since she moved here, every day she brought fruit and cakes to knock on my door. "Miss Tran, you're finally here. It's a strange country for me to be here alone. We'll have to go back and forth more often in the future." "Miss Tran, my new hot pot restaurant is right downstairs. Once it's opened, you and I will definitely bring the whole family to support! I'll give you a deep discount!" That face and the scornful face before him gradually overlapped. The fire in my heart "flared" and burned straight to the top of my head. Cao Minh pulled my sleeve and lowered his voice: "Stop it, Tran Thu, don't argue with her, pay it back, consider it a waste of money to avoid disaster." I could see the humiliation and the attitude of wanting to get along and be noble in his eyes. My mother also hugged my son, her face was red, obviously angry to the point of speechlessness. Luu Le looked at my family's reaction, the corner of her mouth revealed a sarcastic look. "Miss Tran, I'm not telling you, as a human being, you have to have a broader perspective. Today's opening day, I originally planned to count you as a VIP, with a ninety-eight percent discount. If you think it's expensive, that's fine." With that tone of hers, it was as if we were poor relatives who had never seen anything in life and had no money to eat. I laughed. It's not a cold laugh, but it's really absurd, extremely angry, but instead laughing out loud. "Okay." I took out my phone and opened the payment software. Cao Minh looked at me in surprise. On Luu Le's face, the proud look of a winner appeared. Perhaps she thought I was being swayed by her words and was prepared to endure the loss and admit my bad luck. “Which code to scan?” I asked. “This side.” She pointed to the QR code on the counter, her tone became enthusiastic again

It was so overwhelming, it was as if the bitterness that had just happened had never happened. "Ting" sound, payment successful. 2472 yuan. I looked at the number on the phone screen, my heart cold. "Go slowly, Ms. Tran, come by often in the future!" Luu Le's voice is so sweet it's sickening. I didn't move. I raised my head and calmly looked at her. “Boss Liu.” “Yes, Ms. Tran, what's wrong?” “Issue invoice.” Luu Le was stunned for a moment, then smiled indifferently: "Out, of course out. What's the name?" "Individual." I said, “Also, I have a request.” “Say it.” "On the invoice, all dishes, including hot pot sauce, dipping sauces, detailed items and unit prices, are clearly printed for me. One item cannot be missing." The smile on Luu Le's face stiffened. 02 Luu Le's eyes flashed, her arms that were folded in front of her chest also dropped. "Miss Tran, what do you mean? We are all set meals, calculated by portion, so what details?" Her tone started to become wary. I didn't pay attention to her question, just repeated my request again. "Consumers have the right to request merchants to provide invoices and detailed consumption statements, this is a provision of the law. If you cannot export, or refuse to export, I can now call the Market Surveillance Administration to see how they will determine this behavior." My voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly transmitted into her ears. The young employee next to the cashier, who was also her nephew, had a slightly pale face and secretly pulled Luu Le's sleeve. Cao Minh stood behind me, the words he intended to advise me were swallowed back, just quietly looking at me. Luu Le's face was sometimes red, sometimes white, just like a color palette. She stared at me, with anger and confusion in her eyes, but more anger because she felt offended. Perhaps she never thought that a woman who looked gentle and elegant would not respect her like that. Struggle for about half a minute. There were already customers at other tables looking towards us. Luu Le took a deep breath, a stiff smile appeared on her face. "Export, why can't it be exported? Ms. Tran came here for the first time, she didn't understand the rules of our shop, it's okay. Tieu Kiet, go, give the invoice to your aunt Tran, she will print the details as she wants!" She almost gritted her teeth as she said the last few words. The young man named Tieu Kiet seemed to be pardoned. He immediately crawled behind the counter and frantically worked on the computer. The printer makes a "squeaking" sound, spitting out a long sheet of paper. Luu Le grabbed the bill, didn't even look at it, directly slapped it on the counter, and pushed it in front of me. “Miss Tran, here you go, are you satisfied this time?” Her tone was filled with impatience and eagerness to send the god off. I picked up that bill. Very long. Above is a detailed list of all kinds of dishes. “Australian snowflake beef belly, one portion, 388 yuan.” “Hand-pounded shrimp balls, one portion, 188 yuan.” “Top class book, one piece, 228 yuan.” …… I took a quick look, the prices were unreasonably high, and there were many dishes we didn't order at all. For example, "special grade wild mushroom tray, 498 yuan", on our table there was clearly only a portion of enoki mushrooms of several tens of yuan. To collect the total price of 2,472 yuan, she really racked her brains to think of a way. Very good. The evidence is clear. I carefully folded the bill and put it in my pocket. "Thank." I turned around, pulled Cao Minh, and said to my mother: "Mom, let's go home." From beginning to end, I never looked at Luu Le again. Walking out the door of the hot pot restaurant, the cold wind blew from outside, my nerves that were always tight just slightly relaxed. Cao Minh let out a long sigh. “It scared me to death, I was really afraid you'd argue with her right there.” My mother was also still afraid: "What kind of neighbors are so dark, this is not opening a shop, this is robbing money! Thu Thu, why did you ask for that paper just now? The money has already been paid, can you still ask for it back?" I didn't say anything, just guided them to a somewhat deserted corner, then took out my phone. Cao Minh saw me unlock the screen and open the calling interface, his face changed. “Tran Thu, what... what are you going to do?” I didn't pay attention to him, my fingers quickly pressed m

A series of numbers on the screen. The phone connected very quickly. “Hello, this is the consumer complaint hotline of the Market Supervision Administration. How can I help you?” A gentle female voice came from the receiver. I looked at the "Luu Ky Tran Pham Hot Pot" restaurant in front, with bright lights, a sparkling sign, and a calm voice as I opened my mouth. “Hello, I want to report a restaurant.” "The restaurant's name is 'Luu Ky Tran Pham Hot Pot', the address is..." "The content of the complaint is related to price fraud, false advertising, and not clearly listing prices." I took out that invoice and read each item above to the staff on the other end of the line. Cao Minh stood next to me, his mouth parted, but in the end he still said nothing. I didn't stop after hanging up the first phone call. I continued to make a second phone call. “Hello, tax hotline.” "Hello, I am reporting a hot pot restaurant, suspected of issuing invoices in two books, the amount on the invoice and the actual amount is seriously different, there is an act of tax evasion and tax evasion." Then came the third. “Fire prevention and fighting denunciation hotline.” “Hello, I am reporting a hot pot restaurant, the emergency exit is blocked by debris, the fire extinguisher is expired, there is a serious safety risk.” Just now in the shop, when they weren't paying attention, I quickly glanced over. These problems are clearly exposed, basically unbearable to examine. After making three phone calls in a row, I stopped. Putting the phone away, I felt the anger in my heart finally release. I said to Cao Minh and my mother: "Let's go, let's go home." My mother, still in shock, followed me bewilderedly. Cao Minh suddenly pulled me back. He looked at me, asked in a low voice: "Tran Thu, you... when did you know these things?" I looked at him and said faintly: "The rules are written there, it's just that we usually forget to use them." Luu Le thought he had a firm grip on me, thought I would be like most people, choosing to be patient because of the so-called "neighborhood love". She's wrong. She saw my politeness as weakness. So I will use the way she despises the most and the way she can't resist the most to tell her that rules are the toughest weapon in the adult world. 03 When you get home, close the door and block out all the noise outside. My mother took the child to take a bath. In the living room, only Cao Minh and I were left. The atmosphere is a bit heavy. Cao Minh poured me a cup of warm water, put it in my hand, then sat down on the sofa opposite me, wanting to talk again. “Say anything.” I took a sip of water, moistening my slightly dry throat. "Tran Thu," he considered each word, "isn't it a bit... too cruel for you to do that?" I put down the glass of water and looked at him. "Evil?"