Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He wanted to say something, to drive away this inexplicable anxiety from his heart, but his steps stopped involuntarily. Realizing that he was still wandering in the same place, Li Xiangqian couldn't help but feel a little confused. He subconsciously touched his stomach and felt a sense of emptiness, as if he hadn't eaten anything for a long time. At this time, he almost stopped paying attention to the old man selling chestnuts, but began to think about whether he should find something to eat, or where to find some food.

Winter always makes people feel depressed, especially in this kind of courtyard, where food is becoming increasingly scarce. Almost every family in the old courtyard is not rich, and daily food has become a luxury. Li Xiangqian has never left here. When he was young, the courtyard was lively, and almost every household had food reserves, so they didn't have to worry about food in winter. But as time went by, the food reserves of every household gradually ran out, and even vegetables became a luxury, and meat was even rarer. Every time they came back from the market, almost everyone returned empty-handed, holding a few scattered ingredients, and returned to the courtyard to slowly figure out how to survive this cold season.

All this seemed to have subtly changed Li Xiangqian's mentality. He began to become more cautious and lonely, especially in this cold winter. The shortage of food made him feel uneasy almost every day. Today, he seemed to be in that predicament again.

"Don't you think you should eat something?" the old man suddenly spoke, his tone revealing a meaningful concern.

Li Xiangqian unconsciously raised his head to look at him, and his heart skipped a beat. The old man seemed to have never left him, and his eyes stayed on his face with a hint of awareness. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, but his eyes became deeper, as if they could penetrate all his inner thoughts.

"I'm not hungry." Li Xiangqian answered mechanically, with an unnatural tremor in his voice.

The old man smiled softly, and there seemed to be some mystery in that smile that he couldn't interpret: "Not hungry? Are you afraid of having nothing to eat?"

Li Xiangqian's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, as if the words had stabbed his heart. He looked at the old man and suddenly realized that the old man selling chestnuts had seen through his anxiety and predicament. In this old alley of the quadrangle, it seemed that there was nothing to hide, and no one could even escape from the shadow of loneliness. His eyes could not help but become blurred, wanting to get some comfort from the old man, some strength to rely on, but he found himself standing in this narrow alley, still lonely and helpless.

"Do you want food?" The old man spoke again. His tone was still gentle, but with a power that Li Xiangqian could not resist.

"I..." Li Xiangqian opened his mouth, but couldn't speak. He suddenly realized that he didn't have many choices. The food reserves in the entire courtyard were already very little, and he was no longer able to cope with the difficulties of this winter on his own.

"If you want something, I can help you." The old man said, not seeming to be anxious to wait for Li Xiangqian's answer. That warm smile appeared on his face again, as if everything seemed natural.

Li Xiangqian's heartbeat quickened, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead. He took a deep breath and realized that he was not without options. At least... he shouldn't let this stranger control his thoughts. He should stop and think carefully about what to do.

Li Xiangqian's heartbeat became faster and faster, as if he was oppressed by some invisible force. He stood at the narrow alley, his eyes still fixed on the old man selling chestnuts, and the smile on his face seemed to be out of tune with the cold air around him. The smell in the air became stronger and stronger, the aroma of chestnuts, the old man's smile, and even the wind in the alley, as if constantly approaching him, trapping him in this unknown vortex.

He suddenly realized that he was no longer just facing an old man selling chestnuts, but was facing a kind of silent crisis. He could feel that crisis slowly permeating every inch of space around him. Every second of stagnation, every eye contact, made him unable to breathe. He suddenly felt a little lost, powerless and depressed.

"Don't you think it's time to make a decision tonight?" The old man's voice once again broke Li Xiangqian's thoughts. The tone was still gentle, but it sounded like an order.

Li Xiangqian couldn't help but look up. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm, but he couldn't get rid of the question that kept circling in his mind: What do I really want?

"What are you thinking about?" The old man did not wait for Li Xiangqian to answer, but asked on his own. The meticulous concern in his eyes made Li Xiangqian unconsciously have deeper suspicion.

At this moment, a sudden commotion broke the deadlock between the two. Li turned his head sharply and saw a group of people coming from the other end of the alley. Their figures were blurry and heavy. Through the slight mist, he could barely see that they were holding something in their hands, as if they were busy breaking something. When he got closer, he could see clearly that they were breaking corn. Each of them held a few unpeeled corn cobs in their hands, and they were quickly and mechanically breaking off the plump corn kernels. The outer husks of the corn had been peeled off, and the corn kernels were as white as snow, shining slightly.

Li Xiangqian's heart was shocked and his eyes were unconsciously drawn over.

Those people who were breaking corn were tall and in tattered clothes, as if they were coming from afar. Their movements seemed unhurried, but they were a habitual calmness that had long been formed after years of baptism. They didn't speak, but gathered together in silence, occasionally whispering a few words while breaking corn.

One of the old men, with a haggard face and deep wrinkles, was breaking a large corn cob into small pieces with extremely fast and precise movements. Li Xiangqian recognized him. He was from a nearby town and once lived in the courtyard, but as time passed, he had moved away for a long time. Li Xiangqian was not unfamiliar with the old man. He remembered that when he was a child, he would always see the old man with the children in the yard planting and harvesting corn. At that time, the yard was still full of vitality, and the shortage of food did not oppress everyone like it does today.

"Look at the way they pick corn." The old man suddenly whispered in Li Xiangqian's ear, his voice low and hoarse. "The corn kernels are plump and heavy, but they have long lost the power to grow."

Li Xiangqian frowned slightly and looked at the old man's eyes full of doubt.