How Can Someone This Old Still Choke While Eating

“Ugh…” Ye Liangchen suddenly clutched his stomach, inhaling sharply through his teeth.

He felt as though his insides were churning violently.

“Crap, drinking too much milk tea can really upset your stomach. Damn… this is intense, it’s coming right to the edge…”

He glanced around, then, clutching his stomach, hurried toward the ditch at the end of the alley.

He had just stepped in when he quickly retreated, picked up a brick from the ground, smashed it, and grabbed two broken pieces. After checking their size, he rushed back into the ditch.

By the time Long Aotian and Hu Yuying arrived, the alley was empty, with no one in sight.

Back at her doorstep, Hu Yuying checked the lock. The keyhole wasn’t blocked, and there were no signs of forced entry.

“He was definitely here just now,” Hu Yuying whispered.

“Maybe he left after realizing he couldn’t get in?” Long Aotian suggested, looking toward the other end of the alley.

The alley had entrances on both the east and west sides, allowing people to come and go from either direction.

They had entered from the west and hadn’t encountered anyone. It was possible that the others had left through the east entrance.

Hu Yuying nodded, agreeing it was likely.

She opened the door and stepped inside. “Big brother, come on in.”

Long Aotian thought it over and decided it was fine. If those people dared to come back, he could still go out and reason with them.

So he followed her inside.

It was an ordinary small courtyard.

There was a main room, a kitchen, and a bathroom in the southeast corner of the yard.

The courtyard looked a bit old, but it was clean and tidy, making it feel cozy overall.

Hu Yuying placed the groceries she had bought into the kitchen.

She lifted the bamboo curtain of the main room. “Big brother, come inside. I’ll pour you some water.”

Hearing her call, Long Aotian entered the main room.

The room wasn’t small, with two bedrooms—a common layout for houses with courtyards.

Hu Yuying poured two glasses of water and placed them on the coffee table. Then, feeling a bit awkward, she said, “Big brother, have a seat. I’ll turn on the fan for you.”

She had never expected anyone to visit her home.

Hu Yuying’s home was clean—literally clean.

There were no snacks, no fruits. The coffee table was bare except for an open book and some unfinished homework.

This was her first time hosting a guest, and she wasn’t sure what to do.

After pouring the water, she didn’t know what else to say.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

“Um, big brother, you haven’t had lunch yet, right? Let me cook something for you. You can try my cooking,” she offered.

It was lunchtime, and she figured Long Aotian probably hadn’t had time to eat at the market.

“No need, I’m not hungry,” he said, just as his stomach growled loudly.

The room was so quiet that the sound was unmistakable.

Hu Yuying glanced at Long Aotian discreetly.

She found him looking back at her, equally embarrassed. Their eyes met, and they both burst out laughing.

“Well, I guess I’ll take you up on that offer,” Long Aotian said sheepishly.

“No problem, big brother. You’ve been helping me, so it’s the least I can do. I’ll make it quick,” Hu Yuying replied, her steps light as she headed to the kitchen.

In the fridge, she found some green bell peppers, two tomatoes, and four or five eggs.

After some thought, she decided to make two dishes: stir-fried green peppers with pork and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

They say children from poor families grow up fast, and that was certainly true for Hu Yuying.

She had been helping with simple meals like porridge since she was very young.

By middle school, while her peers were still figuring out how to make instant noodles, she was already a proficient cook.

So these two dishes were practically her specialties.

“I didn’t expect you to be so skilled in the kitchen,” Long Aotian remarked as he watched her cook.

Hu Yuying, her eyes sparkling with amusement, replied, “I cook for myself a lot, so I guess I’ve gotten used to it.”

Long Aotian had wandered into the kitchen.

Sitting alone in the living room had made him restless, so he decided to see if he could help.

But it seemed Hu Yuying was far more adept at cooking than he was.

Seeing him look around, unsure of what to do, Hu Yuying chuckled. “Big brother, why don’t you go sit inside? It’ll be ready soon.”

Realizing he couldn’t be of much help, Long Aotian wandered back into the main room.

Watching him lift the bamboo curtain and duck into the room, Hu Yuying couldn’t help but smile even more.

Having a guest over for the first time wasn’t as bad as she had imagined. He wasn’t picky, nor did he look down on her humble home.

Feeling motivated, Hu Yuying cooked with extra enthusiasm.

Soon, both dishes were ready, and the rice was perfectly steamed.

She washed the bowls and chopsticks several times.

Since she lived alone, she didn’t use many utensils, and some had been sitting unused for a while.

After serving Long Aotian a generous portion of rice, she brought the dishes into the main room.

“Big brother, lunch is ready.”

“It smells amazing,” Long Aotian said, standing up to take the bowl of rice.

“There’s another dish,” Hu Yuying added, bringing in the stir-fried green peppers with pork.

“Try it and see if you like it,” she said.

Before his unexpected journey to this world, Long Aotian had lived frugally and endured hardships.

He wasn’t picky—even a simple bowl of rice would have been enough for him.

He scooped some of the tomato and egg sauce onto his rice, took a big bite, and couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. “Delicious.”

Seeing him eat so heartily, Hu Yuying felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

“Don’t just stand there grinning. Eat with me,” Long Aotian said, pushing the stir-fried green peppers toward her.

“You, you eat it. I’ve got enough here,” Hu Yuying stammered, her mouth still full of rice.

“Enough? You need to eat more meat to build up your strength. Look at how thin you are—middle schoolers have more meat on them than you.”

Hearing this, Hu Yuying instinctively glanced down at herself.

“Eat up. Get yourself in good shape, and you’ll leave those who bullied you speechless.”

She peeked at Long Aotian. “Do guys really like girls with good figures?”

“What are you talking about? Do I look that shallow to you?” Long Aotian shot her a mock glare.

Hu Yuying quickly shrunk back, thinking to herself that Long Aotian, with his good looks and kind personality, couldn’t possibly be shallow.

“I like girls no matter their figure.”

Pfft!

Cough, cough…

Hu Yuying choked on her food, coughing uncontrollably.

“You’re such a klutz! How can you choke on your food at your age?” Long Aotian patted her back gently and handed her a glass of water.

After taking a sip, her throat finally felt better.

She glanced at Long Aotian, her face flushed—whether from the coughing or something else, it was hard to tell.