Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He squatted down, gently stroked the tender green leaves, and felt the pulse of life. This closeness to nature made him feel unprecedentedly relaxed and helped him find his inner balance again.

After finishing all this, Li Xiangqian felt a little tired, but this tiredness was mixed with satisfaction. He returned to the house, put the notebook back into the wooden cabinet, and closed the cabinet door. Standing under the dim light, he felt a long-lost peace. He knew that he still had to face a lot of real pressure, and occasionally stopping and giving himself some time to do what he liked was a kind of adjustment to life.

It was late at night, and Li Xiangqian sat back on the old wooden chair and looked up at the sky. The stars were still twinkling, as if smiling at him. He silently told himself that no matter how busy life was or how uncertain the future was, he had to learn to find his own fun on this land and do something he really wanted to do.

Such a night made Li Xiangqian feel unprecedented tranquility. Listening to the chirping of insects in the distance, he silently planned in his heart that he must take some more time tomorrow to take good care of his beloved vegetable garden. Maybe he could also try some new planting methods this summer, not for anything else, just for his own wish.

In this quiet night, Li Xiangqian finally found his inner balance. He decided not to let himself be overwhelmed by daily chores and responsibilities, but to find some fun for himself in his busy life and do something he really wanted to do.

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, feeling the peaceful air, and was filled with expectations for the future. Although the road ahead was still full of unknowns, he knew that as long as he could find a little happiness in every day, the hardships of life would not be so unbearable. Li Xiangqian woke up earlier than usual. It was still light, he got up, put on his clothes, washed up, and walked out of the house. The air still had the coolness of the night, and he took a deep breath, thinking about today's work arrangements.

He walked into the yard and looked at the fields in the distance. Suddenly, he felt uneasy. He had been very busy these days. Although he tried his best to keep the fields hydrated, he always felt that something was not done well. He decided to go to the fields immediately. After all, it was summer and the weather was unpredictable. The crops in the fields needed special care.

Li took a step forward and walked quickly towards the field. The morning light was just breaking, and everything was quiet, with only the sound of his hurried footsteps echoing in his ears. When he walked to the edge of the field and looked down at the land under his feet, his heart suddenly sank.

The soil in the field seemed unusually dry, and tiny cracks had begun to appear on the surface. Li Xiangqian reached out and grabbed a handful of soil, feeling the dryness. His heart suddenly tightened, and he was filled with tension and regret.

"Why is it so?" Li Xiangqian said to himself, frowning. He knew that this kind of dryness was extremely bad for the growth of crops, especially in this season, when drought could easily lead to reduced yields or even withering of crops. Anxiety suddenly surged in his heart, and all his plans and hopes seemed to hang on this piece of dry soil.

He quickly looked around the field and found that more than one place was so dry. Almost the entire field lacked water. It was obvious that the watering in the past few days did not fully meet the needs of the crops. He squatted down and carefully observed the crops and found that their leaves began to wilt and the leaf edges curled up.

"We have to find a way to replenish water quickly, otherwise all these crops will be ruined." Li Xiangqian was secretly anxious, and he quickly thought about what to do next. He knew that if he didn't solve this problem in time, all his efforts in the past period of time might be in vain.

Li stood up and walked towards the well not far away. The well water had always been his main source of water for irrigating the fields, but he had obviously underestimated the severity of the drought in the past few days, and the frequency and amount of watering were not enough. Now, he had to speed up and replenish water for the crops in the fields without any further delay.

Arriving at the well, Li Xiangqian quickly began to draw water. His movements were more urgent than usual, and sweat began to seep out of his forehead. Although it was still early, he felt a heavy pressure on his heart. The heavy bucket was pulled up, and he poured it into the kettle and hurried back to the field.

While watering, he kept observing the changes in the soil. The water was quickly absorbed by the dry and cracked land, but Li Xiangqian knew that this amount of water alone was far from enough. He had to continuously add water to restore the moisture of the soil and ensure the growth of crops.

As time went by, Li Xiangqian kept pumping water and watering the fields, feeling extremely anxious. He didn't know how long the drought would last, nor whether he could restore the crops in the field within a limited time. With every bucket of water he poured, he hoped to see changes in the soil, but the dry land seemed to need more water to be alleviated.

Just when he was concentrating on watering, Zhang Ergou suddenly appeared at the edge of the field. Seeing Li Xiangqian busy working alone, he hurried over. "Why are you busy so early alone?" Zhang Ergou asked with concern, with a bit of confusion in his eyes.

Li Xiangqian looked up at him, stopped what he was doing, and said, panting, "The land is too dry. The crops can't stand it. I have to add water quickly, otherwise it's over."

Zhang Ergou frowned upon hearing this, looked down at the soil under his feet, and immediately understood Li Xiangqian's worries. "Oh, this won't do, we have to get more water quickly, otherwise this drought will really harm these crops!" He was secretly grateful to Zhang Ergou for coming to help in time. The two of them stopped talking and immediately went their separate ways. Zhang Ergou continued to get water, while Li Xiangqian focused on watering the driest plots. He knew that this fight against drought required him to do his best and not slack off. The sun gradually rose, and the temperature in the air began to rise. Li Xiangqian and Zhang Ergou kept shuttling back and forth in the fields, their clothes soaked with sweat, but they had no time to rest. They had only one thought in their minds, which was to restore moisture to the ground before the crops completely withered.

However, Li Xiangqian could not calm down. Although they had tried their best, the threat of drought still loomed in his mind. He did not know what would happen next, nor did he know whether this sudden drought would continue. Every crop in front of him was like a string in his heart, stretched tight. Once it broke, all his hopes would be shattered.

After pouring the last bucket of water, Li Xiangqian finally stopped his work, stood by the field, and gasped.