Chapter 91 Ramen Shop 3: Chopsticks
Your fingers paused slightly.
—The three of you have been eating for so long, and you haven't gotten any extra chopsticks. Why is there an extra set?
As for the so-called restaurant rules (which are also the general dining rules in Japan):
1. The restaurant will provide disposable chopsticks. Customers are free to choose to use either the restaurant's wooden chopsticks or disposable chopsticks.
2. If you drop your chopsticks during your meal, you can ask the staff for new utensils, but you cannot offer to replace them yourself.
These rules are reasonable and are tacitly understood. After all, many traditional restaurants in Japan are very particular about the use of tableware, especially small ramen shops like this, where it is considered polite to use a pair of chopsticks until the very end.
But now... there's an extra pair of chopsticks on your table for no apparent reason.
The veins in your temples throbbed; your anger was about to reach its peak.
You thought back carefully and realized that after the incident with the side dishes, the waiter hardly came near the area again. Besides, all three of you were using your chopsticks very carefully, and no one dropped any. So, who put this extra pair of chopsticks here?
You glanced at the tables around you.
Sure enough, the other diners' tables only had their own cutlery, without any extra chopsticks.
There's just one more table for you.
Can't you just take the chopsticks back? But shouldn't you first explain why you have an extra pair of chopsticks here? There are no security cameras here to prove your innocence.
If you were the liquidator, why would you do this? How can the rules be altered to make it easier for people to fall into the trap?
Does touching chopsticks constitute a violation? Is not using new chopsticks considered wasteful?
After the recent incident with the side dishes, the "warmth" between you and the staff has been completely shattered, and they are unlikely to stand up for you or speak on your behalf.
Should we remain unchanged for now and respond to all changes?
You thought about it, but you still couldn't just ignore this pair of chopsticks.
"Xiao Dong, Xiao Mei...did you get your own chopsticks?"
Xiao Dong took a bite of the char siu and casually replied, "Yeah, I took it myself when it was served upstairs."
Xiaomei nodded as she slurped her noodles, "Yeah, don't restaurants always let customers get their own chopsticks?"
They didn't seem to notice the extra chopsticks!
You coughed softly and frowned: "That's strange... Where did these chopsticks come from?"
Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei's gazes were drawn to the pair of chopsticks, and they both paused in surprise.
Xiaomei blinked, somewhat confused: "Huh? Wasn't it already on the table?"
Xiao Dong hesitated for a moment: "Yeah, wasn't it just now..."
She paused halfway through her sentence, her expression gradually becoming uncertain.
really.
—Were their memories altered?
The chopsticks appeared so naturally that they "mistakenly" for them to have been there from the beginning, when in fact they were quietly placed there later.
It's also possible that some of your actions were judged as "dirtying the chopsticks," which is why the new chopsticks were placed here so naturally and entered your memory.
Yes, if you were the liquidator, instead of changing the major rules, you would start here, change the judgment, and then gradually guide the changes towards more subtle rule shifts.
For example, if you accidentally put your chopsticks on the table during an argument, it can be considered as "dirty".
But who can be sure? The chopsticks are placed on the table because they follow the rule of "dirty chopsticks should be replaced with new ones," but that doesn't mean that the staff will tell you that using new chopsticks in this way is correct.
Ha, who knows? You don't know either.
This time, the liquidators' offensive was even more intense.
Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei carefully observed your expression. You told them to eat first, and that the most important thing was to quickly get rid of all these unnecessary things.
Pick up the large bowl of ramen, and instead of using chopsticks, you eat most of the ramen by half-drinking and half-swallowing it, leaving only a small bite, so as to maintain the "dining" state and be able to get up and leave at any time after finishing.
Now you can think more calmly.
If you obediently follow the rules and switch to these chopsticks, you might be drawn into "another layer of rules"; but if you don't use chopsticks at all, you're really at a disadvantage. You don't like this feeling.
So, how do you counter this trap?
After a moment of contemplation, you suddenly realized something:
No matter how the liquidators tamper with the rules, there is a loophole that cannot be concealed.
You smiled slightly, picked up the extra pair of chopsticks, twirled them lightly between your fingertips, and then looked up in the direction of the shop assistant.
"Hey, these chopsticks..." you deliberately raised your voice, "Did you put them on the table beforehand, or were they just delivered?"
The shop assistants froze abruptly.
They simply couldn't answer!
If they answer "it was placed in advance", then the question arises - when did the restaurant start preparing two sets of chopsticks for customers in advance?
If they answer "it's newly delivered," then you didn't ask for a replacement chopstick, and the extra chopstick seems out of place and unnecessary!
If the chopsticks are dirty, who can prove it?
You notice that one of the shop assistants flinched and avoided your gaze.
You raise the corners of your mouth to the perfect angle, then loosen your grip, letting the chopsticks fall onto the table with a "clatter."
"Oops, I dropped my chopsticks."
You said it with a smile.
Then, looking at everyone, you added defiantly:
"Should I... get another pair?"
As soon as these words were spoken, a certain "constraint of rules" in the air suddenly loosened for a moment.
You hear—
From a corner, a very faint, grinding sound seemed to come from.
You didn't turn back, but you already knew:
—You've ruined the liquidator's trap!
The other party was clearly angered by your keen observation.
You take a deep breath, put down your chopsticks, and glance at the manager who is still standing at the kitchen door.
He still didn't interfere, but this time, you noticed a hint of bitterness in the corner of his mouth.
He knows that you have won this battle against the rules once again.
But this game... is far from over.
You were too tolerant before, which allowed others to take advantage of you.
You deliberately gave the shop assistant a provocative look, tapped your fingertips lightly on the table, and repeated yourself in a relaxed and casual tone:
"I dropped my chopsticks, so should I... get a new set?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Unlike the pain and fear you experienced before when the distorted rules were questioned, exposed, and corrected, at this moment, you can feel that the liquidators here are angry.
You ruthlessly saw through the trap she set, and even used it as an excuse to trample on her rules.
But you're not planning to stop there.
Since they're so persistent, let's see what happens!
Take a deep breath. This liquidator is no ordinary person, so you're not just breaking the rules, you're using them—turning the traps she's laid into her noose!
Looking at the extra chopsticks that had been brought back again, you reached out to the waiter once more, your tone tinged with curiosity: "By the way, when did this restaurant start offering 'free extra cutlery'?"
The shop assistants' expressions changed slightly.
They exchanged a glance, as if waiting for someone to answer.
But you didn't give them a chance to stall, instead pressing them relentlessly: "Even though I dropped the chopsticks, I didn't say we had to use new ones."
Yes, since you're unsure about both the previous and current rules, fine.
This is a small, family-run shop where locals have a lot of say. Even if you don't have the ability to settle accounts, you can still use your status as a customer to force the staff to admit something.
Didn't the side dish segment already prove that?
"If the restaurant didn't offer this pair of chopsticks to us, then what are they?"
"You insist on giving me new chopsticks because you feel you have to replace old tableware whenever it gets dirty, right?"
"Even in the most unreasonable circumstances, you still have to replace it with a new one, right?"
You hold up the new chopsticks and throw them on the ground again: "Ugh, they're dirty again."
Once a rule is changed, it must operate under some kind of "reasonableness." Once someone exposes its true nature, it will create contradictions—and these contradictions will lead to the rule's backlash!
When you were ordering the side dishes, the clerk casually dismissed it with "red bean paste with bouillabaisse," and you didn't want to argue further. But now you're determined to go against her.
—You can go even further and completely break down the rules!
You casually stood up, breaking the silence in the store, turning the volume up even louder, as if afraid the store manager, who was pretending to be dead, wouldn't hear you, and put on a "suddenly realized" smile:
"That said, this rule that chopsticks 'must be replaced' applies to all tableware, right?"
"What is dirty? Is it only what falls on the ground? But if I don't use chopsticks, won't you wash them? Does that mean you assume all tableware that has been touched is dirty?"
The moment you said that, the shop assistant's expression turned even uglier.
After all, if you insist on understanding it that way and even proclaim it aloud, then—that's certainly true!
Keep pushing forward, don't give them a chance to breathe.
Suddenly reaching out, Mo casually swept his hand across the table, deliberately touching Xiao Dong's chopsticks with his fingertip, then raised his eyebrows:
"Oops, I bumped into her by accident... According to the rules, shouldn't her chopsticks be replaced too?"
Xiao Dong was stunned, completely unaware of your intention, but she immediately cooperated with you, nodding: "Ah, right?"
You smiled again and turned to the shop assistant: "Could you please bring over another pair?"
—You need to make them admit the logical necessity of this rule so that they can't refute it!
But instead of stopping, you enforced the rules even more extremely.
You suddenly turn around, your gaze sweeping over the tray the waiter is holding, and a meaningful smile appears on your face:
"By the way, when you were serving the food just now, did your hand touch the plate?"
You tilted your head, asking with "simple doubt":
"According to the rules, all tableware that has been touched must be replaced, right? Does that mean... all the plates you just served need to be replaced?"
"How about... we replace all the chopsticks, bowls, and spoons in the whole store?"
The air was deathly still.
You can sense that the liquidators are desperately trying to hold back, but the rules have been cornered by you!
"Since the rules are in place, everyone has to follow them, right?"
"These chopsticks were placed on the table by you, but we didn't request a replacement. Doesn't that mean you broke the rules?"
You looked at the clerk: "When you were clearing the dishes, you bumped into my bowl, so wasn't that...?"
You chuckled: "So you can't even eat the whole bowl of noodles?"
—The rules have been pushed to their limits and can no longer function.
It was originally just a trap to hunt you down, but you expanded it, pushed it further, and pushed it to the limits of unsustainable logic.
You finally heard me—
From a corner, a short, agonizing scream rang out!
You didn't look back, but you knew that this smug liquidator had finally suffered the consequences.
This is a male voice, and it sounds somewhat familiar.
He tried to hunt you, but you cornered him in a logical dead end, and he was ultimately devoured by the collapse of the rules!
You hear a dull "bang," as if something has been pulled into a dark space. Then, the eerie whispers and oppressive feeling completely disappear.
You looked down at the chopsticks on the table and calmly picked up your own.
—The extra pair of chopsticks is gone.
You felt a jolt in your heart, and the corners of your mouth turned up slightly.
You won.
This time, it wasn't just passive defense; it completely took advantage of the rules altered by the liquidators, causing the rules to backfire on themselves!
You look up at the bar. The manager is still standing there, quietly watching you, a faint smile on his lips.
His eyes held a complex expression, as if he already knew you would win, yet he seemed to be pondering a deeper meaning.
You finish the last mouthful of ramen, put down your chopsticks, and look at Xiaodong and Xiaomei.
You stand up, pick up your wallet, and say, "Let's go."
As you step out of the ramen shop, the air on the street feels much fresher than before.
But you know, this game isn't over yet.
You slowly tightened your grip on the thing in your pocket—
You just quietly took a hair from the table.
That was the only remnant left on the seat when the "rules collapsed."
—Things belonging to the liquidators.
You know what it's like when a liquidator is completely dead, so they don't just disappear like this.
The other person is still playing hide-and-seek with you.
But you won't let him go again.
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Author's Note: The next chapter will conclude, and the chapter after that will lead into a new instance!
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