Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

The youngest son picked up a shrimp with chopsticks and tried to peel it clumsily for a long time without success. He frowned anxiously and said, "Dad, I can't peel it, can you help me?"

"Okay, okay, come here, let Dad peel it for you." Li Xiangqian took the shrimp, peeled it skillfully, and put the shrimp meat into his youngest son's bowl. "Eat it, it's good stuff."

The eldest son saw it and pushed his bowl over: "I want one too!"

"You, learn to peel the shrimps by yourself. Don't always rely on me." Li Xiangqian tapped his eldest son's forehead with a smile, but still took the shrimps and helped him peel them.

Wang Cuihua looked at the happy family, and the fatigue on her face seemed to fade a little. She said softly: "Now that the shrimps are finished, we have to save some. I will make more coarse grains in the next two days to fill our stomachs first."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Li Xiangqian nodded, but secretly thought that he couldn't let his family live in such a tight situation forever. He decided to go to the person in charge of the factory tomorrow to see if he could take on some odd jobs or apply for an advance on his salary.

After the meal, the two children took the initiative to help clear the table, while Wang Cuihua carefully put the remaining shrimp soup into a porcelain jar: "We can heat it up tomorrow to avoid wasting it." Her movements were delicate and careful, and her cherishment for food moved Li Xiangqian for a moment.

It was late at night, Li Xiangqian was lying on the bed, his stomach was warm, but his heart was not completely relaxed. He looked out the window at the moonlight, his mind racing, thinking about how to make his family live a better life, and how to help Yi Zhonghai get rid of those false accusations.

Li Xiangqian's life has been particularly bad recently. He feels like there is a heavy stone in his heart and he can't let it go. In daily life, trivial things can make him angry. When he got up in the morning, the firewood on the stove wouldn't light. He was so angry that he kicked the stove: "This broken stove is always making trouble for me!" Wang Cuihua heard the noise and rushed out of the house: "Xiangqian, what are you doing? You just can't light the fire? Why are you so anxious?"

"Why are you so anxious? It's like this every morning, who wouldn't be anxious!" Li Xiangqian turned around abruptly and slammed the match on the table. The anger on his face was like a summer rainstorm, coming at any time. Seeing him like this, Wang Cuihua sighed and said nothing. She took over his work silently and lit the fire. She knew that he had been angry these days, but she didn't know how to persuade him, so she simply kept silent to avoid making him angry again.

While eating breakfast, the two children also felt that something was wrong with Li Xiangqian. He held the bowl, frowned, and said nothing. The youngest son bravely asked, "Dad, are you unhappy?"

Li Xiangqian raised his head and glanced at the child. He suddenly felt that his temper these days was like a huge rock pressing down on his family. He sighed and forced a smile: "It's okay, eat and don't ask nonsense questions."

But just as he smiled, the depression in his heart came back. After dinner, he paced back and forth in the yard with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the old locust tree on the east wall. The branches of the old locust tree swayed in the wind, and the leaves rustled, as if mocking his incompetence. Li Xiangqian cursed in his heart: "Even a tree is so leisurely, but I live like a machine, running around in a mess!"

He was in a bad mood, so he simply left the yard and prepared to try his luck at the factory. Along the way, he walked fast, looking straight ahead, and when the oncoming neighbors greeted him, he just nodded, not wanting to exchange pleasantries. When he arrived at the factory gate, he ran into Liu Musheng, who was holding a cigarette and chewing candy that he got from somewhere, and asked lazily, "Xiang Qian, what's wrong? You look so pale, did you quarrel with someone?"

"Don't talk nonsense, don't block the way." Li Xiangqian replied unhappily, walked around him and walked into the factory. Liu Musheng was stunned for a moment, frowned and muttered: "Oh, you are so angry, I really don't know who owes you money."

The factory was not busy, but Li Xiangqian could not concentrate on his work. While he was repairing the machine tool, his mind was in a mess, thinking about his family, thinking about Yi Zhonghai, and thinking about how he had worked so hard over the years but had not saved much. The more he thought about it, the more he felt his chest was suffocated, and his hands moved more and more hurriedly. As a result, he was not careful, and the wrench slipped from his hand and fell heavily to the ground.

"Bang!" A loud noise echoed in the workshop, attracting everyone's attention. Li Xiangqian's face became hot, and he quickly bent down to pick up the wrench. A worker next to him asked, "Xiangqian, what's wrong? You seem absent-minded."

"It's okay, my hand slipped." He replied without even looking up, and turned away with the wrench. He knew that he was not in a good state recently, but he could not get rid of the heavy feeling of depression.

During the lunch break, he hid in a corner behind the factory and smoked alone. The smoke rose in the sunlight, and he stared at the gray swirl. He suddenly felt bored: "If I continue like this, when will it end? There is always something missing at home, and there are so many messes in the yard. What am I living for?"

He took a long drag on his cigarette, and suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind. He turned around and saw that it was He Yuzhu. He walked over with a lunch box in his hand, smiling as he walked: "Xiang Qian, what are you doing here? Aren't you going to eat?"

"I have no appetite." Li Xiangqian put out his cigarette, speaking in a light tone.

He Yuzhu sat down next to him and opened the lunch box. Inside were two meat patties and a small bowl of vegetable soup. He picked up a piece of the patty and took a bite, then asked vaguely, "Who are you angry with again? Tell me, I'll see if I can help you relieve your boredom."

"To relieve my boredom?" Li Xiangqian smiled bitterly. "Can you help me sort out the mess at home? Can you clarify the matter about Master Yi?"

"This..." He Yuzhu touched his nose and his smile faded. "You're right. You've been unlucky lately. But no matter what, you still have to eat. How can you have the energy to deal with those things if you don't eat enough?"

"Forget it, I know it myself." Li Xiangqian waved his hand, stood up and walked out. He knew He Yuzhu was doing this for his own good, but the depression in his heart could not be dissipated at all, like a thorn stuck in his throat that he could not swallow no matter how hard he tried.

On his way back from the factory, Li Xiangqian was thinking about what Wang Cuihua had said at noon. Although her tone was calm, her words were full of dissatisfaction: "Xiangqian, what's wrong with you recently? You are annoyed by everything you do, and you get angry even when your child says something. Although it's difficult at home, neither of us is idle, so don't keep holding back your anger."

He didn't say anything back at the time, but just ate his meal in silence, but he felt like he was being pricked by a needle in his heart. He knew Wang Cuihua was right, but he just couldn't control the anger in his heart.