Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian was silent for a while, and a flash of enlightenment flashed through his mind. Although growing vegetables may not meet all his food needs, it can at least relieve some of the pressure. For him now, any action that can bring a little hope is worth trying.

"Okay, in that case, I'll give it a try." Li Xiangqian nodded, and finally felt a little more resolute. His eyes fell on the soil in front of him again, and he decided in his heart: this land must at least be given a chance.

Uncle Liu patted his shoulder, with a hint of relief in his eyes. "Well, start small and don't rush for success. One day, this land will reward you."

Li Xiangqian stood in front of the newly loosened soil. Although he had a firm belief in his heart, his eyes still swept around the surrounding land involuntarily, and the doubts in his heart had not completely dissipated. Just as he was about to lower his head and continue to tidy up the land, Uncle Liu suddenly coughed and made him stunned for a moment.

"Li Xiangqian," Uncle Liu's voice was low and steady, with a hint of concern, but also an imperceptible sense of mystery. "You know, when it comes to farming, passion alone is not enough." His eyes shone through the dim light onto Li Xiangqian's face. His gaze was deep, as if he could see through Li Xiangqian's thoughts.

Li Xiangqian was stunned, and his heart suddenly tightened. On weekdays, although Uncle Liu didn't talk much, every time he spoke, he always made people alert. At this moment, that sense of alertness became stronger and stronger. He subconsciously took a step back, feeling a little depressed.

"What do you mean?" Li Xiangqian's voice was a little tense. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt an inexplicable uneasiness in his heart.

Uncle Liu slowly raised his head, his lips curled up into a seemingly kind smile, but his eyes revealed an elusive deep meaning. "You want to live on this piece of land, aren't you thinking too simply?" His tone was not sharp, but it carried a subtle threat.

Li Xiangqian's heartbeat accelerated involuntarily. He looked at Uncle Liu nervously, not knowing what he was up to. His intuition told him that things were far from as simple as they seemed. At this moment, the air around him seemed to become stagnant, and even the wind became unusually silent.

"I... I don't think it's too complicated." Li Xiangqian swallowed and forced himself to stay calm. "I just want to rely on myself, grow some food, and get through this difficult time." He felt that his words were a little insincere. Although he was a little shaken in his heart, he didn't want to show it easily.

Uncle Liu smiled slightly, but there was a hint of irony and depth in that smile. He did not respond directly to Li Xiangqian's words, but turned around and looked around, his eyes slowly sweeping across the open space, as if he was thinking about something.

"You don't understand." Uncle Liu's voice sounded again, low and slow. "For farming, strength and determination alone are not enough. You need to have vision and patience, and you also need to know that everything you do at this time must be done with caution. Every piece of soil and every blade of grass here can determine your fate."

Li Xiangqian felt a chill in his heart when he heard these words. Uncle Liu's words were not fierce, but every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting him deep in his heart. Li Xiangqian was silent for a moment, frowning slightly, and a sense of uneasiness emerged in his heart. "Uncle Liu, what do you mean? What is not suitable for this land?" He asked tentatively, his tone was a little more nervous than before.

Uncle Liu's eyes flickered, as if he had some reservations, but he soon shook his head and sighed. "I'm not saying you can't plant, but I'm saying you have to think carefully about every step you take. This land does have some problems. You think it's good land, but it's not entirely like that. There's more buried here than just soil."

These words made Li Xiangqian freeze completely. His mind was in a mess, and the tension in his heart became stronger and stronger. Could it be that this piece of land had some secrets that he didn't know about? Could it be that Uncle Liu was not simply trying to persuade him to give up?

"What are you... talking about?" Li Xiangqian's voice became even deeper, as if he suddenly realized that he was deeply trapped, but didn't know where to start to get out of it. "There is a problem with the land, what do you mean? Did something unusual happen here?"

Uncle Liu slowly turned around and stared into Li Xiangqian's eyes, his gaze seemed to see through every fluctuation in his heart. "I told you, farming is not as simple as you think. This place used to be... a not so peaceful place." He paused, as if weighing what to say next, "You know, a few years ago, something happened in this area. Someone... disappeared from this land."

Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat and his face turned pale. He felt the air in front of him suddenly become heavy, as if a huge pressure was enveloping him. "Disappear? What do you mean? What's going on?"

Uncle Liu took a step closer and lowered his voice, as if he wanted to prevent anyone from hearing him. "Don't think that there is nothing on this land now. It can even be considered a wasteland. However, a few years ago, something happened here. Some people, for some unknown reason, suddenly disappeared from this land. No one knows where they went, and no one even found their bodies."

Li Xiangqian was stunned, and his mind was buzzing. He had never heard these words before, and he had never thought that this land might hide such a terrible secret. He felt that he was completely trapped in confusion and fear. Was what Uncle Liu said true or false? Why had no one ever mentioned these things? If it was true as Uncle Liu said, what was the secret behind this land?

He took a step back involuntarily, his body trembling slightly, and his lips turning pale. "You...you mean, there have been disappearances in this area? Where did all these people go?"

Uncle Liu did not answer immediately, but turned and walked to the corner of the wall in the distance, slowly squatting down, as if thinking about something. "These people may have already become part of the land." His words were low and slow, as if he was giving Li Xiangqian a final warning, "I am not trying to scare you, but I am advising you to be careful when facing this land. Many things are not as simple as you think."

Li Xiangqian's thoughts were like a raging storm, and he couldn't calm down for a while. Those missing people, those disappearances without bodies, seemed to be some kind of unspeakable fear, like a net, covering him tightly. The thoughts in his mind began to be chaotic, and a fear he had never felt before gradually surged into his heart.