Customer gives ex-actor Huang Yiliang S$50 angbao & chicken essence to support him after discharge from hospital
"I didn't expect her to give me S$50," Huang said.
Photos from Shin Min Daily News.
Many customers turned up at former actor Huang Yiliang's seafood stall at Circuit Road Hawker Centre on May 12 to show their support, two days after he was allegedly struck on the back of his head during a confrontation with his neighbouring hawker and her husband.
Recent incidents
The 64-year-old was first spotted arguing with the owner of the adjacent chicken rice stall on May 7.
The altercation reportedly stemmed from rumours that Huang and his female assistant had been "sleeping" together.
He denied these allegations, saying he had simply offered to let his assistant rest at his home near the food stall.
Tensions flared again on May 10, when Huang was allegedly hit from behind near his right ear by the chicken rice seller's husband.
He was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and discharged later the same day.
First day back at work
When reporters from Chinese-language daily
Shin Min Daily News visited Huang's stall at around 7pm on May 12, the first day it reopened after his discharge, they were greeted with long queues and customers taking photographs outside the stall.
Huang was seen taking orders, handling payments, cooking, and calling out queue numbers, keeping up the pace until nearly 10pm.
He was working alone without his assistant that day.
He told
Shin Min that he had decided to offer only crab bee hoon that evening given the difficulty of managing operations by himself, selling around 10 servings before closing.
Looking for an assistant
A sign placed in front of Huang's stall read: Urgently looking for an assistant.
Huang explained that he had intended to take on two assistants, one for the morning shift and one for the evening shift, but had only managed to hire one so far,
Shin Min reported.
Given angbao and chicken essence
According to
Shin Min, one woman said her family had originally planned to visit the stall on Mother's Day but the incident had disrupted their plans.
She returned on Tuesday night with chicken essence, as well as an angbao containing S$50 for Huang.
"I didn't expect her to give me S$50," Huang said.
Another diner said they had arrived at around 4pm and were third in the queue.
"We came to support Huang Yiliang, and we even took a photo with him. The food was delicious and worth it," he said.
Another diner, who declined to be named, said she waited an hour and a half for her crab bee hoon.
"It was really delicious," she said.
Assistant speaks out
Separately, a video circulating online showed Huang's female assistant being confronted by the operators of the neighbouring chicken rice stall.
The footage, posted on the chicken rice stall's social media pages, showed the assistant being asked to sit down near Huang's stall while the chicken rice stall operators pressed her to address the rumours, saying the situation was unfair to the lady chicken rice seller.
The point of contention appeared to be about previous rumours and who started them.
Speaking to
Shin Min on Tuesday, the assistant said she felt she was being pressured into making a confession, but chose to stay silent.
"I'm not afraid of her. I just need time to recover from the incident. I only took a break for one day and will return to work as usual. If she continues to harass me, I will call the police," she said.
