Isn't time passing just a little too fast?

This time, he specifically bought some millet and corn grits at the grain store, planning to improve the diet of the little fish and the chicken and give them a change of pace. He couldn't always let them eat steamed buns made of coarse mixed flour; that would be far too extravagant.

Besides, their living standards might gradually decrease in the future. For instance, once they had sweet potato vines or rotten potatoes, those might end up being used as feed.

There still needed to be a clear distinction in the lifestyles between the master and the little creatures he kept. Otherwise, how could superiority be demonstrated?

The little hen had been woken up by the commotion and was currently stretching out its neck to look at Duan Chengliang. Duan Chengliang neatly placed the basin of rising dough aside and covered it with a damp cloth.

He walked over to the little hen's wooden trough and took a look inside—well, it was quite a hearty eater, as the bowl was actually empty. So, he replenished the bowl with corn grits mixed with millet. The little hen stretched its neck to inspect the food and immediately started eating with great delight.

Seeing it eat so happily, Duan Chengliang felt quite pleased and went to fetch some fresh water in a bowl for it. Just as he was about to tease the six little carp, he suddenly stopped mid-turn.

"Huh? That's not right. Why hasn't the chicken pooped? Eating without excreting isn't right either." This was a serious matter. Eating, drinking, excreting, and sleeping were just as important for a chicken as they were for a human.

He carefully inspected the area all around from top to bottom and indeed found it spotless, without a single trace. It had been quite a while, and after eating that much, it should have gone. Yet, there was simply nothing.

He checked the little hen's condition. It looked very healthy, quite content, and showed no signs of discomfort. Surely it wasn't constipated?

Sigh, what kind of life was he leading, having to worry every day about whether a little hen was constipated.

Full of doubt, Duan Chengliang abandoned his earlier plan, stood watching the little hen eat, and cast glances toward its rear end from time to time. His expression and gaze were as sleazy as they could possibly get. The crucial part was that he was staring so eagerly.

Ah, it happened. Finally, after all that anxious waiting, he saw the little hen actually relieve itself, but the waste matter vanished almost in the blink of an eye.

Truly impressive plus. It seemed the space possessed many more practical wonders and functions waiting for him to slowly understand and explore.

Completely satisfied, Duan Chengliang reached out and patted the little hen on the head.

Speaking of which, this little hen had a genuine affection for him and wasn't afraid of him at all. Seeing his hand reach over, it actually stretched its head closer on its own initiative, and even seemed to thoroughly enjoy it when Duan Chengliang gently stroked it.

This was really turning into a pet.

When he scattered grain into the small pond, the little fish ate with equal enthusiasm. Duan Chengliang had an illusion that the little fish seemed to have grown a bit larger, splashing and stirring up an even greater commotion in the tiny pond.

Before winter arrived this year, the original owner had bought a dozen cabbages in total, most of which were stored in the cellar of the backyard. Of course, now that he had the space, keeping them in the small storage room was undoubtedly the most suitable option, but he couldn't move them all over at once. Otherwise, with too many curious eyes around and people constantly coming and going from the cellar, a shortage of a dozen cabbages would surely stir up a minor storm.

Therefore, he had only placed three cabbages in the small storage room for now. Come to think of it, the original owner really didn't know how to manage a household. With winter fast approaching, at least the three essential staples should have been prepared, yet aside from those few cabbages, there wasn't a single radish or potato to be found, let alone anything else. He had been living in such a makeshift, utterly shabby manner.

It made Duan Chengliang almost salivate just looking at the dozen or so sprouting potatoes he had recently received as a reward.

Never mind. If vegetables were scarce, he would just eat more meat.

After feeding the little hen and the six little carp, and setting the dough to rise, Duan Chengliang returned to the blacksmith's room and busied himself. He stewed a whole ribbonfish and stir-fried a pan of pork slices with braised cabbage.

Cooking so many dishes at once meant that no matter how big his appetite was, he certainly couldn't finish it in a single meal. Fortunately, he could store the leftovers in the small storage-room space and take them out to eat whenever he didn't feel like cooking.

Duan Chengliang's culinary skills were basically on par with those of a film set cafeteria cook. Whenever the crew was small, he would occasionally moonlight as the camp chef, though he possessed no real culinary talent to speak of. He could only say he was relatively satisfied with his own cooking; he could get the food cooked, and the flavor generally suited his own palate.

Take today's ribbonfish, for example, which he had deliberately pan-fried in lard and then simmered over low heat. After tasting a piece, he was beyond satisfied, feeling it was an absolute peak performance that surpassed his usual culinary limits.

With the dishes cooked, he first ate a few pieces of fish to line his stomach. He couldn't stay in the space forever, or time would stand still and the dough outside wouldn't rise properly. Thus, he stepped out of the space and returned to his east wing room outside.

Busy with all these tasks, time truly flew by. Before he knew it, the sky outside had grown dark. It seemed he had spent quite a while just watching the little hen. A faint doubt lingered in his mind—did time pass just a little too quickly inside?

Across the courtyard, in Yan Bugui's home, it was just about time for dinner.

The atmosphere at the dining table tonight was somewhat oppressive. Mostly, Yan Bugui's face looked terrible, resembling the expression of someone who spotted a ten-cent coin on the road, bent down to pick it up, only to have a gust of wind blow it away just in time for a passing child to snatch it up.

The pitch-black little corn-flour buns, paired with salted mustard greens without even a drop of sesame oil, tasted completely flavorless. With such a depressing dining environment on top of that, the moods of the whole family seated around the table soured instantly.

Normally, Yan Cheng.jie would avoid such a situation at all costs, hurriedly shoving those two small corn buns into his mouth, gulping down some water, and making a quick escape.

However, today he had no choice but to brace himself under immense pressure and speak up with a request.

After hesitating for a long time and stealing numerous glances at Yan Bugui, Yan Cheng.jie finally mustered up his courage and said, "Dad, can you give me a few yuan? I want to buy some things and go to the backyard to visit the Second Uncle."

Yan Bugui blinked and looked at Yan Cheng.jie as if he were an idiot. He thought to himself that this boy must have had his head caught in a door panel; otherwise, how could he utter such unhinged nonsense?

Because of Duan Chengliang's bicycle, he was already in a foul mood, and hearing Yan Cheng.jie's words only made him more irritated.

"What do you want to do? Why give you money to buy things for Liu Haizhong? Why don't you buy things for me?"

Yan Cheng.jie nervously pressed his lips together, swallowed hard, secretly pumped himself up again, and finally spoke up once more. "Dad, have you forgotten? Wasn't there my fault in the Second Uncle getting injured? At the time, he explicitly said in the workshop that he wouldn't let me anywhere near the forging equipment again. I figured, how could that possibly work? I still want to get ahead, so I thought I'd drop by his house, say a few nice words, and smooth things over. Maybe once his anger subsides, I can still take part in the upcoming technical grading next year. Don't you think that makes sense?"

"Bullshit. What were you doing earlier? Now you remember to go say nice words and smooth things over. Can you calculation-obsessed little brat actually calculate anything properly? You have to anticipate things beforehand so you don't end up at a loss. If you only try to fix things after the trouble has already happened, aren't you just taking a loss? You can go if you really want to, but there's no money. If you want to bring gifts to his house, don't you still have a few yuan in your pocket? Use that, don't ask me. I couldn't care less about your petty troubles. Anyway, when the technical grading comes around next year, you're handing over twenty yuan a month to the household. It was all calculated for you to get graded; you can't let your own blunder ruin the overall living standard of the whole family."

This was truly infuriating. Not only did he fail to get any money, but he was going to lose another five yuan out of his own pocket. Touching his empty stomach and recalling that terrifying, hazardous moment in the forging workshop the other day, Yan Cheng.jie felt a chilling desolation in his heart.