Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Every harvest carries a hope. And those rice fields and wheat fields that have never been abandoned year after year seem to be the endless foundation of the Siheyuan, supporting the life and destiny of every family.

Li Xiangqian's father often said, "Food is the root. If the root is not strong and the ground is not stable, how can we talk about wealth and stability?" Li Xiangqian always remembered his words clearly. When he was young, he did not understand the deep meaning of this sentence. He always felt that his father's words were too old-fashioned and even a little pedantic. But now, standing in front of this pile of wasted food, he finally understood the importance of it.

The grains are the product of years of hard work. The growth of each grain is a long and difficult process. From sowing to harvesting, it has to go through wind and rain, sun and rain. Which moment is not full of hardship? However, these grains are kicked, trampled, and even thrown aside by children as toys, without any respect at all.

Li Xiangqian thought of his parents, the old neighbors who had passed away, and the people who had worked and sweated with him. They had also struggled, cultivated and harvested together on this land. Each bag of grain symbolized their hard work and efforts, but now these efforts were so easily discarded.

He felt a surge of anger, but it was soon replaced by a deep sense of helplessness. The children did not understand the significance of the food. They only knew the golden color and the harvest. However, to them, it seemed to be just an ordinary scene, or even an insignificant existence. As an elder, Li Xiangqian knew the weight of this, but he could not make these young lives truly understand.

Li Xiangqian stood beside the pile of scattered grain, his anger rising like a thunder in his chest. He instinctively clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from excessive force, as if he was suppressing an emotion that was about to explode. Everything in front of him made him more irritated, especially He Yuzhu's attitude, which made him unbearable.

"I said, food can't be wasted!" Li Xiangqian's voice echoed in the empty yard, low and oppressive, like a heavy stone pressing on his heart. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he looked at He Yuzhu standing on the other side of the yard, his anger almost overflowing.

He Yuzhu had his back to him, still lazily leaning against the old locust tree at the gate, holding an old pipe in his hand, seemingly unaffected by Li Xiangqian's anger. The smoke slowly rose and spread in the air, like a layer of light mist, surrounding him. He smiled faintly, with a hint of contempt in his eyes, as if he didn't take Li Xiangqian's blame to heart at all.

"Can this be called a waste?" He Yuzhu's voice was lazy, as if he didn't feel the tension at all. He finished his cigarette in one breath, exhaled a cloud of white smoke, and narrowed his eyes slightly, as if thinking about something: "It's okay for the children to play, it's all food for the family, how can it be wasted?"

Li Xiangqian's anger suddenly increased, and he could hardly suppress it. He felt an unknown depression surging from the bottom of his heart. He Yuzhu in front of him seemed to be deliberately provoking him. He knew clearly that the pile of food was precious, but he pretended not to understand and let the children trample it under their feet without caring.

"Are you trying to say that this is not your family's food?" Li Xiangqian's voice was a little cold, his eyes were as sharp as a knife, staring straight at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu was irritated by his gaze, but he still tried to remain calm and curled his lips, "Don't take it so seriously. There's plenty of food. Even if some is wasted, what's the big deal? Maybe in a couple of days, I'll go to the market and sell a few bags and earn a few cents."

Li Xiangqian felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if the few coins had pierced his heart. He Yuzhu's tone, attitude, and even his "casual" appearance made him extremely impatient and angry. Li Xiangqian knew very well that He Yuzhu had always been like this over the years - treating life and everything at home with an attitude of "it doesn't matter" and "it doesn't matter". Unlike his father's generation, who were strict, He Yuzhu lived too easily, as if all the difficulties and responsibilities had nothing to do with him.

"Do you know what food is worth?" Li Xiangqian's voice was already trembling. He couldn't help but approach He Yuzhu step by step. The suppressed anger in his heart could no longer be calmed down.

He Yuzhu glanced at Li Xiangqian, then smiled and said indifferently: "What do you know? Maybe we can sell this pile of food someday, or give it to someone else, and we can get it back anyway." He shrugged, with a hint of impatience in his eyes: "You are always so rigid and don't know how to enjoy life."

Li Xiangqian's eyes were slightly red, and the anger deep in his heart almost reached its peak. He suddenly reached out and grabbed He Yuzhu's shoulders, his tone suppressed and heavy: "Enjoy life? Look at these grains, each of them has taken so much effort, and each ear of wheat is the result of a season of hard work. Do you know how difficult it is to harvest a bag of wheat? Do you know how long the seeds have been silent in the soil before waiting for this day?"

He Yuzhu was pulled violently by Li Xiangqian, his face changed slightly, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure, smiled, and shook off Li Xiangqian's hand: "Don't get excited, don't get excited, they are all trivial matters. You are so serious, what does it matter if the children play?" His tone was relaxed, as if he was completely unaware of the frivolity and disrespect in his words.

Li Xiangqian felt a surge of anger in his heart. He took a deep breath and tried to suppress his anger, but he still felt a little breathless. He Yuzhu's words not only made him angry, but also made him feel deeply disappointed. He and He Yuzhu were brothers. They grew up together, cultivated the land, fetched water, and faced the wind and rain together. But now, He Yuzhu seems to have become so strange. His attitude and his view of things are completely different from the self who struggled for his family's life back then.

Li Xiangqian knows that the gap between him and He Yuzhu is not just the difference in years and experiences, but also the huge difference in their views on life and responsibility. He Yuzhu has a relaxed and casual attitude towards life, and seems to always feel that his life can be spent easily, and everything can be perfunctorily dealt with by saying "it doesn't matter". However, Li Xiangqian knows that this attitude will eventually make him lose the most fundamental things step by step - sense of responsibility, respect, and sincerity towards things.