Jason hugged the bowl and drank down three full bowls in a row, filling his completely empty stomach with thick, hearty congee. By then, his other companions had already started belching from overeating.
At that moment, the head chef patted him on the shoulder and asked, "I heard them call you Jason?"
"Yes, sir. My name is Jason."
"My name is Ma Zhaodi. I'm Asian, Chinese, so my full name is Ma Zhaodi. What's your full name?"
"Jason Todd."
"Hey." The head chef's face lit up. "Was your name inspired by that movie? The big guy named Jason who wore a hockey mask?"
"Sir." Jason didn't dare look Ma Zhaodi in the eyes. Instead, he carefully asked, "Why did you help me?"
"As for that..." Ma Zhaodi thought for a moment before answering, "I wanted to help, and I was able to help, so I did. Besides, I'm guessing I'm not the only person who's helped you."
Jason immediately thought of a woman who looked a lot like a black cat and a man who looked a lot like a bat. His children's gang had indeed received their help. The woman had given them some money, while the man had dealt with many criminals who wanted to hurt them.
"I'm guessing what you really want to ask is why I'm not holding you accountable?"
Jason still kept his head lowered and silently nodded.
"Because you didn't do anything worse in order to survive, Jason."
Ma Zhaodi rubbed his head. "Most people seem perfectly normal in their daily lives. They follow the rules, support themselves, and don't commit crimes. But when they're in dire straits, they're still ordinary people. Naturally, they have weaknesses, and they might cross their own boundaries. The more difficult the circumstances, the harder it is to hold