Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian frowned slightly and looked at a corner of the yard. There was a pile of grain there. It was some wheat, rice and grains purchased from outside. After the autumn harvest every year, the elders in the yard would store the grain in the warehouse to prepare for the needs of winter and spring. Food is the lifeblood of the family and the most basic guarantee of life. However, the pile of grain was already broken into pieces. Many of the grains had been scattered in the yard, and some were even blown away by the wind.

Li Xiangqian felt uneasy. He walked to the pile of grain, squatted down, and gently moved the scattered grains with his fingers, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

This food was originally saved for the livelihood of the family. Every grain carries the sweat of labor and a year's hard work, but now, it is wasted in such a ridiculous situation.

There was no one else in the yard except him. Li Xiangqian stood up, walked slowly to the water tank in the yard, took some water and poured it on the scattered grains. The water drops wet the ground, mixed with the fine grains, as if silently telling of the irreparable loss. In his heart, a voice that almost everyone ignored emerged - grain should not be wasted. It is a gift from the earth, a harvest after hard work, and the hope and expectation of generations.

Not everyone in this yard knows how to cherish this precious treasure.

Li Xiangqian's thoughts drifted back to that morning not long ago, and the discordant scene that took place in the courtyard.

That morning, Li Xiangqian had just gotten up and was about to go to the yard to trim the branches of a few old locust trees. He happened to hear a noisy sound coming from the yard. He put down his tools and walked out of the door, and saw his mother standing in the middle of the yard, frowning and arguing nervously with the family.

Next to his mother, Li Xiangqian's younger brother Li Guoqiang was shouting, "Mom, I've already found the food, no problem!" He shook the torn bag in his hand, his tone a little impatient, "If you waste food again, our family will really have nothing to eat!"

But the mother still insisted on her opinion: "How can you say that? Look at these grains, why are they all moldy! What should we do? I don't care, just go and clean them up quickly, don't delay any longer!"

Li Guoqiang obviously did not understand his mother's worries. He said with disdain: "If it's moldy, just throw it away. There's not much anyway, so it won't be much wasted. Our family is not as poor as before. We have plenty of food. It's normal to throw away some if we can't finish it."

Hearing this, Li Xiangqian's heart suddenly sank. He knew that his younger brother Li Guoqiang had always been careless, not meticulous, and sometimes even irresponsible. His words made Li Xiangqian even more dissatisfied. Every grain of food in the family was the fruit of hard work, and even a small loss would have an impact on the life of the entire family.

"Can food be wasted?" Li Xiangqian asked coldly, breaking the tense atmosphere in the air.

The younger brother pouted and ignored him. The mother frowned and turned to look at Li Xiangqian, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes: "Your brother is just like that. He always thinks that since our family is rich, we can waste everything. Do you think that we can waste food in our courtyard like we did before? In those years, our family had a hard time and we had to save every grain of food."

Li Xiangqian nodded, and after a moment's silence, he slowly spoke: "This is not a question of waste or not, but every grain of food carries hard work and hope. We must not forget those difficult times, and we cannot squander it just because our lives are a little better now."

The younger brother obviously didn't understand what Li Xiangqian said. He frowned with a hint of disdain in his eyes: "You are worrying about nothing. Anyway, as long as you can eat enough and fill your stomach, that's enough."

Li Xiangqian was filled with anger. He took a deep breath and said more firmly: "Every grain of food is not taken for granted. It represents a responsibility, the tradition and expectations left by our parents. Even if we live a good life, we must not forget the hard times we had."

Li Guoqiang turned impatiently and went back into the house, while his mother said nothing more, watching Li Xiangqian standing alone in the courtyard. The courtyard wall was very high, and the sunlight shone down, making the courtyard seem still, with a heavy atmosphere in the air.

After that day, although Li Xiangqian tried his best to persuade them, the mentality of the family members did not completely change. His younger brother still believed that it would not cause any harm if there was more food, and although his mother was a little worried, she could not change Li Guoqiang's view. Everyone in the courtyard seemed to live in their own world, and the communication between them became less and less, and the disputes increased.

What makes Li Xiangqian most anxious is the pile of wasted food in front of him. They are so silent, and their existence seems to tell Li Xiangqian that every detail in life cannot be ignored. Behind every grain of food is a history and a responsibility, and they should not be abandoned or wasted.

Li Xiangqian stood in the middle of the yard, staring at the pile of scattered grain, feeling irritated. He had never been so angry with He Yuzhu as he was now. He Yuzhu was a neighbor in the courtyard, a young man who lived next door. He was originally a hard-working worker, down-to-earth, and honest, but in recent months, Li Xiangqian felt more and more that He Yuzhu was no longer the simple and unpretentious young man he remembered.

Especially what happened last night, which made Li Xiangqian unable to calm down. Last night, Li Xiangqian had just finished dinner and was about to go to the yard to get some fresh air, when he suddenly heard a discordant sound coming from next door. It was He Yuzhu and his mother arguing. Li Xiangqian stopped involuntarily, leaned against the door frame of his yard, and eavesdropped on the conversation.

"If you say I'm not doing a good job, I won't do it anymore!" He Yuzhu's voice was angry and impatient. "I'm already exhausted outside, and when I get home I still have to let you nag me. There's no shortage of food, so who cares about these things!"

"How can you talk like that, kid? Can we waste food if we don't need it?" He Yuzhu's mother's voice was trembling, and she was obviously trying her best to suppress her anger. "How can we not cherish these grains? Do you know... You don't know!"

"What do you know!" He Yuzhu retorted angrily, "You know how there is a shortage of food at home! It's time now, stop using these old-fashioned things to criticize me!"