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Chapter 85 Making a Living
Soon, except for a small empty space in front of the table, the rest of the table was piled with food.

While the meat was being grilled, Ye Qing was engrossed in finishing the fried noodles and pork ribs on her plate.

Ai Liang slowly flipped the grilled meat over, while also putting meatballs and vermicelli into the pot to cook.

After Ye Qing finished eating the food in her bowl, she didn't go to get more. Instead, she picked up the tongs and helped Ai Liang flip the meat slices over.

At first, Ai Liang was worried that the atmosphere at the dinner table would be awkward, since she didn't like to talk and always had a cold face.

Especially since they are a man and a woman, they might feel awkward if they don't say something while eating.

But this worry was unnecessary. From the moment Ye Qing put down her chopsticks, she kept guiding the conversation, and once the previous topic ended, she would quickly bring up a new one.

"Why were you standing there like an idiot at the entrance of the alley? People were already walking over and you didn't even run away. If you had gone up there by yourself, you would have just gotten beaten up."

Ye Qing brought up the matter again, took a sip of her drink to moisten her throat, and said, "To be honest, I don't recommend that you help that old man."

This is a suggestion that would surprise most people.

A normal person would call the police after seeing that scene, especially someone like Ye Qing who exudes kindness. It's hard to imagine why she refused to help the vendor.

However, Ai Liang's expression did not change.

He wasn't standing at the alley entrance out of a sense of justice, nor did he intend to save the vendor.

Seeing Ai Liang remain silent, Ye Qing didn't feel embarrassed and continued, "When you see a fruit vendor being bullied by thugs, most people would subconsciously see him as a victim, right? That's a reasonable thought."

Ye Qing propped her head up with her right hand and flipped the grilled meat over as she said, "But that guy is no good. He used to be a fruit shop owner, but somehow he became addicted to gambling. You can guess what happened to him by looking at him now."

"That scumbag not only gambled away all his savings, but also sold his house. He even planned to make his wife work as a hostess. Luckily, with the help of the neighbors, she escaped, otherwise..."

Ye Qing didn't finish her sentence, but one could imagine what would happen to that woman.

She looked at Ai Liang's face, expecting him to show regret after hearing her words, but he remained unmoved, quietly flipping the meat over.

Seeing this, Ye Qing couldn't help but ask curiously, "Don't you have anything to say after hearing this? You almost got beaten up for a scumbag."

"I just happened to be passing by, and I only glanced at it before I got entangled with them. I had no intention of doing anything heroic."

After listening to Ye Qing's account, Ai Liang calmly replied.

"Well, don't say that. You can know a person's face but not their heart."

Ye Qing thought Ai Liang was covering up her poor judgment of character. She laughed and used herself as an example: "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. At first, I felt sorry for him and lent him a few hundred yuan. After I found out about this, I regretted it so much that I wanted to kick him myself."

As she spoke, she picked up the scissors and stabbed them hard into the piece of meat: "Learn from your mistakes. Just be more careful in the future. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

However, Ai Liang gently shook her head and said, "I never thought that merchant was a good person from the beginning."

"Uh, why?"

Ye Qing paused for a moment and asked.

“Those thugs came to him to collect a debt. Few normal people would borrow money from gangsters. If he was set up, he could have gone to the police to resolve it.”

Ai Liang calmly analyzed the situation, using the observation method she had learned from Xia Qiyuan years ago.

"His left leg was crippled and his left little finger was cut off. This is a small warning that some casinos give to their indebted 'meat pigs'. Moreover, he did not choose to fight back when he was beaten. He had a fawning smile on his face, which clearly showed that he was familiar with the thugs."

"In addition, one of the thugs said he was a good-for-nothing who had broken up with his wife and children. Considering the above speculation, I never thought of him as a good person from the beginning."

"Ah this."

Ye Qing opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

This is also a shortcoming of Ai Liang.

Because of her strong abilities, Ai Liang can do almost everything independently without needing anyone else's help.

In addition, Ai Liang had never been around normal people since he was a child, so over time, he became quite detached in his interactions with others.

They were polite, but ultimately lacked warmth and human touch.

"Comparison is the thief of joy," Ye Qing said. What she had intended as a self-deprecating revelation to comfort Ai Liang turned into an embarrassing situation thanks to Ai Liang's reasoning.

"You're making me look really naive back then."

She sullenly picked up the scissors and snipped the ribs in two: "But I'll forgive you for the sake of the barbecue. Let's eat!"

Ai Liang was speechless for a moment; he had only casually mentioned his observations.

Besides... you weren't angry at all, were you?
Ye Qing didn't care what Ai Liang thought. With a wave of her hand, she picked up a row of meat slices with her chopsticks and put them on her plate, but she didn't touch the half slice Ai Liang was on.

Once the meat was cooked, she immediately began to wolf it down. Although she ate quickly, she did not eat in a vulgar way.

After finishing the meat on her plate, Ye Qing put the uncooked meat slices back onto the baking paper.

The fat naturally present in the meat is extracted under high temperature, sizzling as it spreads onto the grill paper.

The bright red slices of meat begin to turn grayish-brown over time, emitting an enticing aroma.

Throughout the meal, Ai Liang's hands were almost constantly busy.

He kept turning the grilled meat, chicken wings, and fish slices, occasionally picking up a few pieces and putting them on his own plate, while most of them ended up in Ye Qing's stomach.

"Let me tell you, to maximize these two hours, it's best to choose more cooked food to eat right away. Secondly, choose more boiled food, it's easier to just pour it into the pot. For grilled meat, try to choose thin slices, so they cook faster. Look at the chicken wings you have, they've been grilling for so long and they're still undercooked."

While devouring the sushi on his plate, Ye Qing shared some self-service tips with Ai Liang that he didn't need.

Ai Liang didn't go to the buffet to fill his stomach; he just wanted to taste the food. However, he didn't argue and just listened quietly.

Ye Qing was panting heavily from the scalding broth in the beef balls when she started to finish the food in the hot pot.

……

After putting the last small cake in her mouth, Ye Qing leaned back in her seat and gently rubbed her stomach. She had enjoyed the meal very much.

In the past, when she ate at a buffet alone, it was difficult to balance eating rice and grilling meat at the same time. However, with Ai Liang by her side this time, she was able to enjoy her meal to the fullest.

"Finally, I've had a full meal... Do you want me to get you some more sushi? You've been helping with the grilling and haven't eaten much, have you?"

While eating, Ye Qing was also secretly observing Ai Liang.

Throughout the meal, he only tasted a couple of bites of each dish, spending the rest of the time grilling meat.

"no need."

Ai Liang softly refused.

(End of this chapter)