Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Chen Meilan nodded, her eyes full of gratitude and heartache: "Xiang Qian, you've worked hard. Let's work together to find a solution, and we will definitely be able to overcome this difficulty."

Li Xiangqian knows that this is just the beginning, and he, his family and neighbors will face more challenges and difficulties. But no matter what, he will not give up and will definitely find a way out so that everyone can survive this famine.

In the following days, Li Xiangqian and his neighbors in the courtyard united more closely and continued to look for various ways to obtain food. Li Xiangqian decided to organize everyone to take turns to go to nearby villages and towns to inquire about information and find more food sources. He knew that only by working together could they survive this famine.

Before each trip, Li Xiangqian would carefully plan the route, prepare the necessary items, and repeatedly discuss the safety of the trip with Chen Meilan and neighbors. He no longer traveled alone, but chose to travel with a few trusted neighbors to take care of each other.

Life in Siheyuan was still difficult, but the efforts of Li Xiangqian and his neighbors finally brought some hope. Nevertheless, Li Xiangqian knew that these limited methods were far from enough to completely solve the food problem. He realized that he needed greater support and help, and at this time, he thought of a person - Xu Damao.

Xu Damao is an old friend of Li Xiangqian and also his hometown. When they were young, they worked together in a factory. Later, Xu Damao switched to business and now has a small shop in the city. He lives a relatively well-off life. Li Xiangqian thought that Xu Damao might be able to provide some help. After all, one more person contributing always means one more hope.

That day, Li Xiangqian got up early, packed up his things, and headed for Xu Damao's residence. Along the way, he kept thinking about how to start the conversation. Although they were old friends, it was not easy to ask for help in this situation. When he arrived at the door of Xu Damao's store, Li Xiangqian took a deep breath and stepped in.

The store was very delicately decorated. Xu Damao was busy sorting out the goods. When he saw Li Xiangqian coming in, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Brother Xiangqian, what brings you here?"

Li Xiangqian smiled and bowed: "Da Mao, long time no see. I heard that you opened a store here, so I came to see you."

Xu Damao laughed and greeted him warmly, "Come on, sit down and chat. The store is not big, but it's still okay. By the way, how are you doing recently? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Li Xiangqian felt warm at heart, Xu Damao's enthusiasm made him put aside some of his worries. He looked at Xu Damao and said solemnly: "Da Mao, to be honest, I came to you this time to ask for a favor. We are suffering from famine and food shortage. Life in the courtyard is really hard. I want to ask if you have any connections here, can you help me get some food?"

After hearing this, Xu Damao's smile gradually disappeared and he became serious. He nodded and said, "Move forward, I understand. It is indeed a difficult time now. I also heard that many places are short of food. However, we are brothers, and I will definitely try my best to help."

Li Xiangqian looked at Xu Damao with gratitude, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He knew that this friendship was especially precious in the current predicament. Xu Damao thought for a moment and said, "Xiangqian, let's do this. Although I'm not rich, I can still get some food. I'll send some to you first, and then we'll work together to see if we can find a more stable source of food."

After hearing this, Li Xiangqian hurriedly thanked him: "Da Mao, thank you so much. If it weren't for you this time, I don't know what I would do."

Xu Damao waved his hand and said with a smile: "We brothers don't talk about this. Don't worry, I'll take care of the food. I'll arrange for someone to deliver it as soon as possible."

In the next few days, Li Xiangqian and Xu Damao discussed how to transport the grain. Xu Damao used his connections to find several trusted merchants and purchased some grain through them. Although the amount was not large, it was enough to temporarily alleviate the plight of the Siheyuan.

One evening, several horse-drawn carriages loaded with grain quietly drove into the courtyard. Seeing the grain, the residents in the courtyard smiled for the first time in a long time and thanked Li Xiangqian and Xu Damao. Li Xiangqian finally felt relieved. He knew that although the current difficulties had not been completely resolved, at least they still had hope and a future.

However, Li Xiangqian did not relax. He knew that the long-term solution was to find a stable source of food. After discussing with Xu Damao, he decided to go to some remote villages and towns in person to find more food sources.

Before leaving, Li Xiangqian once again said goodbye to Chen Meilan. Chen Meilan was still reluctant to leave, but she knew her husband's decision very well, so she could only support him silently. She held Li Xiangqian's hand tightly and said softly, "Xiangqian, you must be careful. Xiaohu and I will wait for you to come back."

Li Xiangqian nodded and comforted her softly, "Meilan, don't worry, I will come back safely and bring back more food." After that, he looked at Chen Meilan deeply, turned around and embarked on a new journey.

This time, Li Xiangqian's destination was a relatively wealthy town. It was rumored that there was a big landlord there, and a large amount of grain was stored in the granary. Li Xiangqian knew that it would not be easy to get grain from the big landlord, but he had no other choice.

After several days of trekking, Li Xiangqian finally arrived at the village. The scene in the village was completely different from other places. The houses here were neat and the streets were clean. It seemed that the famine had not seriously affected them. Li Xiangqian asked around on the street and soon found the mansion of the landlord.

The landlord's mansion was magnificent, and there were several guards standing in front of the door, looking majestic. Li Xiangqian was thinking secretly in his heart, how can he successfully meet the landlord and gain his trust. He knew that it would be absolutely impossible to rush in rashly, so he had to think of a foolproof plan.

Li Xiangqian spent a day wandering around the town, observing the movements of the landlord's mansion. He found that every evening, the landlord would walk in the yard with only two followers. So he decided to try to approach the landlord at this time.

In the evening, Li Xiangqian changed into clean clothes, brought some gifts from Xu Damao, and came to the door of the landlord's house. The guard stopped him, and Li Xiangqian said politely: "Brothers, I came from afar and I have something urgent to see your master. Please make some allowances."

The guard glanced at him and said with embarrassment: "Sir, our master is very busy and may not be able to see you."