Huang Yiliang and chicken rice auntie feud explained: Here’s what happened and who’s who

Huang Yiliang’s dispute with his chicken rice stall neighbour has snowballed, escalating into an assault that saw the former actor-turned-hawker get sent to the hospital.

Why is the pair arguing in the first place? And what caused Huang to be attacked outside his stall on Mother’s Day?

With Huang’s assistant, Ms Yeong, recently revealing her side of the story and more details coming to light, Stomp unpacks who’s who in this fiery clash.

The three parties involved

Firstly, the main character: Huang Yiliang. In 2021, the 64-year-old former actor was sentenced to 10 months’ jail for assaulting an employee and fined $3,000 for colliding with a cyclist three years later.

Putting the past behind him, Huang went on to become a fishmonger and hawker. He opened Old Fisherman stall at Circuit Road Hawker Centre in MacPherson in February this year, selling seafood dishes.

His neighbour is a chicken rice stall owned by 50-year-old Enah. Having operated her stall for over ten years, she has been described by fellow hawkers as “blunt”.

Ms Yeong is Huang’s 50-year-old part-time assistant, who began working at the stall in March.

What started it?

The eye of the storm is an apparent misunderstanding stemming from Huang’s arrangement with his stall assistant in between shifts.

When Ms Yeong previously worked full-time, the seafood hawker told The Straits Times he had offered to let her nap in his living room during the stall’s closure between 2pm and 4pm. Huang rested in his room, and the pair would return to the hawker centre to prepare for dinner service.

After some time, Ms Yeong converted to working part-time as she could not cope with the demands of the kitchen. She subsequently stopped going to Huang’s flat.

According to Ms Yeong, Enah had struck up a conversation with her during lunch about a month ago, where the assistant mentioned she had previously rested at Huang’s in the afternoon. The chicken rice stall owner then asked in Mandarin if the pair “had slept”.

Assuming she meant whether they had had a nap in the afternoon, Huang’s assistant replied “yes”.

Huang then reported hearing from multiple hawkers that Enah was allegedly spreading rumours about an improper relationship between him and his assistant, claiming the pair had been “sleeping together”.

May 6: First argument video surfaces

Huang and Enah clashed in early April, shown in a five-second clip posted on Reddit. When Stomp first spoke to the pair on May 7, a day after the video first surfaced, both declined to reveal the cause behind their shouting match.

The chicken rice stall owner said Huang barged into her food preparation area, shouting aggressively and pointing at her. He then “slandered” her by accusing her of having multiple relationships with the male friends she regularly hangs out with outside her stall. Enah then demanded a public apology from Huang.

In response, Huang said the woman’s accusations were “fabricated”, and said he felt “confused” about the situation.

In an interview with Chinese news outlet 8world on May 9, Huang revealed the argument occurred as Enah had been pestering him constantly about his relationship. Enah denied this in the same video, claiming Ms Yeong had told her the former actor wanted to “hug and kiss her”.

Ms Yeong categorically denied any romantic relations with Huang in an ST article on May 11, saying: “I want to make it clear that there is nothing going on between Yiliang and me.”

May 10: The assault

On the evening of May 10, Huang was allegedly assaulted by Enah’s husband.

Ms Yeong told ST that the chicken rice stall owner had tapped on her shoulder and asked her to go to the table outside her stall at about 5.30pm.

A 37-second video uploaded on May 12 shows Enah telling Ms Yeong to sit down, promising she will not hit her. Another male voice, possibly Enah’s husband, also assures that nothing will happen to her and not to be scared of Enah. The video was uploaded on the Facebook page of Enah Hainanese Chicken Rice Circuit Road Blk 79.#01-30, and TikTok account @limyongmui5.

“I was worried as I did not know what she wanted and if there was going to be more trouble. I was not keen to speak to her,” Ms Yeong said.

The female stall owner then demanded Ms Yeong to “clarify the situation” by stating she did not hound Huang daily about their relationship, adding it was an “unfair” accusation.

The video racked up over 95,800 views on Facebook before it was deleted. The same clip on TikTok, which is still available, has been viewed more than 283,900 times with 429 comments. Ms Yeong later said she did not know she was being recorded.

Huang then emerged from his stall. Seeing his assistant at the table and knowing she did not wish to speak to Enah and her husband, he instructed her to return to the stall and continue preparing food.

The seafood hawker then alleged the couple began shouting to disperse the queue outside his stall. When Huang stepped out again, he was hit on his right ear from behind, causing him to fall forward. He was then assisted to a table and subsequently conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Though he was not bleeding, Huang said his right ear and jaw hurt. He was discharged a few hours later.

After the incident, Enah told 8world she and her husband knew they were wrong for hitting Huang, and called the police themselves. She proceeded to defend her husband’s decision, rhetorically asking what a husband would do if his wife was scolded.

May 11: After the assault

In a phone call with Stomp on May 11, Enah confirmed her husband had punched Huang. Police confirmed that a 60-year-old man who assaulted Huang was assisting with investigations.

She did not elaborate about the altercation, saying she had lodged a police report and would leave the matter to authorities.

When ST asked why she uploaded the videos, Enah said she wanted “to let the public see”, and if she had not done so, others would have.

The viral video of Enah confronting Ms Yeong had left the assistant distraught. Feeling she was forcibly thrown into the limelight, Ms Yeong said she was considering resigning.

Huang stated he had no intentions of relocating his stall, and would continue to run his business even without an assistant.

What are neighbours saying?

Multiple hawkers told Lianhe Zaobao that Enah had a history of butting heads with other stall owners, with one saying the chicken rice stall owner’s personality clashed with Huang’s outspoken nature. Separately, neighbouring stall owners described Huang as “friendly” to Shin Min Daily News.

One female stall owner, who declined to be named, added that Enah had complained about the smoke from the satay business previously occupying Huang’s stall area.

An anonymous dish collector at the same hawker centre added that Enah occasionally made demands to clean or arrange plates in a certain way.

Enah revealed to Stomp that she maintained a cordial relationship with Huang, with both rarely speaking to each other.

Huang had previously told ST that his neighbour bore a hostile attitude towards him ever since he took over his stall. He claimed she had scolded him and his plumber for the dust generated by renovations, saying it affected her business.

He then added that he plans to “draw the line” with his neighbour and hoped the row would end soon so he could return to business as usual.

Have something to say? Join in!

Show all comments