A young Chinese man had his front teeth punched out when he was brutally attacked by a dumpling shop owner who accused him of pouring too much vinegar on his meal.
The incident happened in Jiangsu province in eastern China, when the man, who would add the condiment to wonton dishes every time he dined at the eatery, did the same on December 13.
However, this time the owner took exception, angrily warning: “You’re not allowed to add vinegar,” and smacked the face of the young man who then stood up.
A waitress intervened, trying to prevent the confrontation from escalating.
“You consume too much vinegar every time you come here, so it’s best if you don’t come back,” she said.
“Get out of here, get out of here,” the owner shouted.
Although clearly shocked, the young man remained calm and invited the owner to take a seat while he finished his meal. But that further provoked the owner who started to push his customer.
“I’m the owner. You must get out when I ask you to,” he bellowed.
He grabbed the man in an attempt to throw him out, but paused when he realised he had not paid, and ordered him to settle the 10-yuan (US$1.4) bill.
The young man did not fight back but when he bumped into the owner on his way out, he further enraged the man.
He ran off down the street, but the owner caught him and violently attacked him, inflicting several injuries, including knocking out some of his front teeth.
Police are investigating the incident and it has caused widespread anger on Chinese social media, attracting more than 113,000 comments.
Unsurprisingly, many criticised the shop owner.
“The owner is too stingy,” one commenter wrote.
“It’s so scary. That poor young man,” another said.
“How come the owner is so grumpy?” One asked.
“Who would risk life to dine at that eatery? Surely, it’s just a matter of time before it closes down,” another shocked viewer who watched the video wrote.
Stories about conflicts between proprietors and customers often get posted on China’s social media platforms.
In April, a mother in Beijing angered the Chinese public because she bullied the owner of a small grocery store into not selling sugary snacks to children.
In 2016, a cafe owner in southern China was forced to eat a cockroach by a customer who said he found it in his plate of fried noodles.
The customer demanded 5,000 yuan (US$700) compensation, but the owner suspected it was a scam and refused to pay him, swallowing the cockroach instead.