Fang Qiao replied, "Yes," and seeing Aunt Cheng walking straight towards the door, she asked, "Auntie, are you leaving? Won't you stay for dinner before you go?"

"I'm not eating. My whole family is waiting for me to come back and cook."

The atmosphere was a bit cold. Feeling a little embarrassed under Fang Qiao's gaze, Aunt Cheng scratched her head and tried to make conversation again: "Tomorrow is Laba Festival. Fang Qiao, don't forget to get up early tomorrow morning to cook Laba porridge. Soak the beans in advance and cook them a little longer. The old lady's teeth aren't good, so if you don't cook them enough, she won't be able to chew the beans. When it's done, add some brown sugar that I brought today. It will taste better if it's sweeter."

She went on and on, and Fang Qiao replied, "I know."

"It's good that you know, it puts my mind at ease. It's getting late, I'm leaving now." Aunt Cheng chuckled twice, "No need to see me off."

Even so, Fang Qiao still saw her to the door and politely asked her to stay, "Auntie, it's getting dark outside. Why don't you stay here tonight instead of going back?"

"No, no, I have things to do at home. The whole family can't do without me." Aunt Cheng waved her hand, turned and left. Her figure gradually disappeared into the deep darkness.

Fang Qiao closed and locked the door, then returned to the kitchen.

Cheng Baidong also came over from the main room. As soon as he entered, he said to Fang Qiao, "Grandma is eating in the room. I'll take it to her."

Fang Qiao hummed in agreement, divided the food into two bowls, placed them on the table, put a pair of chopsticks on top of the bowls containing the food, and then placed the cornbread on top of the chopsticks.

Cheng Baidong returned after delivering the food to the old lady, carrying a bowl in each hand. Fang Qiao had also set the food on the table.

The food was all ordinary, except for one dish of deep-fried small silver fish.

The small silver fish are fish that grow in this space, and their flesh is rich in spiritual energy, making them good for pregnant women and children. What's even more amazing is that the steamed fish is incredibly tender and melts in your mouth. After being fried, it becomes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, bursting with fresh and juicy flavor. Compared to steaming, Fang Qiao immediately fell in love with the fried method.

Moreover, Fang Qiao had always thought there were no living creatures in the space, but later realized that it was because she hadn't been to many places.

According to Cheng Baidong, if she kept circling around the big mushroom bushes, she wouldn't see any living creatures in the space even if she stayed in the same spot for a hundred years.

Because that is the entrance to the space, only ordinary plants and low-level spiritual herbs grow there.

Living things generally live in the depths of space.

The space does allow living beings to enter and exit, but Fang Qiao's soul strength is too low to withstand it. With more training, he will still have the opportunity to bring living beings into the space in the future.

As for how far into the future that is... well, that remains to be seen.

The Fang family doesn't have a rule about not talking while eating or sleeping; people can talk freely at the dinner table without it affecting their meals at all.

After finishing a crispy fried silver fish, she casually asked Cheng Baidong, "What did Auntie come here for today? Don't tell me she just wanted to bring us two ounces of brown sugar?"

"Of course not, we have plenty of brown sugar at home." Cheng Baidong didn't hide anything and told Fang Qiao frankly, "It's to plead for the people over there."

They said my father couldn't get a decent meal at the brick factory canteen and hadn't eaten a proper meal in a month, becoming skin and bones from hunger. They also said Cheng Yajun's ankle had been swollen on and off for a month since I hit him with a pebble that day, and he'd had several fevers; if left untreated, he'd be disabled. They begged me to be lenient and let them go so they could go home for the Laba Festival.

Fang Qiao's eyelids twitched, and she looked at him nervously, asking, "Did you agree?"