Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian continued to work on his farm every day while thinking about these plans. He knew that solving the rat problem would take time and patience, but he was willing to give it everything. Because this piece of land was not only his personal achievement, but also a symbol of the joint efforts of the entire courtyard and the hope for everyone's future life.

Li Xiangqian sat on the edge of the bed, feeling extremely heavy-hearted. Although the harassment from rats has decreased in the past few nights, it does not mean that the problem has been solved. He knew that the neighbors had high expectations of him, especially after he took the initiative to lead everyone to cultivate the wasteland, everyone was watching him. Li Xiangqian felt an invisible pressure, fearing that if he failed to handle the rat problem, he would become a laughing stock.

"I can't let everyone down, and I can't make a mistake over such a small matter." Li Xiangqian secretly said to himself. He recalled that when he was a child, he was laughed at by his friends because he didn't do his job well. The feeling of embarrassment and shame is still unforgettable. It is this mentality of not wanting to be a laughing stock that makes Li Xiangqian more determined to handle the matter well.

He thought of many ways, and even considered asking more experienced farmers for advice, or going to the market to buy some new mouse-catching tools. But after these ideas circled in his mind, he rejected them one by one. He was worried that if he rashly adopted some methods he was not familiar with, it would be counterproductive and make the situation worse. So he decided to continue to use traditional methods as the main method, supplemented by some of his own improvements, and gradually experiment to see if he could find the most effective solution.

That night, Li Xiangqian stood in front of the window, looking at the courtyard outside, which was already asleep, and kept thinking about various possible solutions in his mind. Suddenly, he had an idea and thought of borrowing the cat in the yard to patrol near the fields. Cats are natural enemies of mice, which may scare away those daring mice to a certain extent. Li Xiangqian began to ask around who had a cat and planned to borrow one to give it a try. He first found Aunt Zhang's house, which had a yellow cat that looked quite smart.

"Aunt Zhang, can you lend me your cat for a few days? There have been a lot of mice in our fields recently, and I thought the cat might be able to help." Li Xiangqian asked tentatively, feeling a little nervous, wondering whether Aunt Zhang would be willing.

Aunt Zhang agreed readily when she heard this: "Why not? We can't let mice destroy the things in our fields. I'll lend you my little yellow cat! But you have to keep an eye on it and don't let it get lost."

"Don't worry, I will take good care of it!" Li Xiangqian was delighted and thanked him quickly.

So that night, Li Xiangqian brought the cat named Xiao Huang to the edge of the field. The cat seemed to be very interested in the surrounding environment and kept sniffing between the crops. Li Xiangqian secretly hoped that with the presence of the cat, the mice would not dare to act rashly.

As the night deepened, Li Xiangqian took Xiao Huang to patrol the field, and then found a relatively comfortable place to sit down and keep watch. Xiao Huang squatted beside him, occasionally pricked up his ears, and scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes. This made Li Xiangqian feel a little relieved, thinking that the situation might be better tonight. The night wind blew across the field with a little coolness. Li Xiangqian leaned against the tree trunk, his eyelids a little heavy. But every time he was about to doze off, Xiao Huang would always prick up his ears sharply, and Li Xiangqian would be refreshed.

Just when Li Xiangqian thought everything was fine, Xiao Huang suddenly let out a low "meow" and quickly crouched down, staring at the front. Li Xiangqian immediately became alert and looked in the direction of Xiao Huang's sight. Sure enough, he found a mouse quietly poking its head out from the weeds, seemingly observing the surroundings.

"Xiao Huang, go!" Li Xiangqian whispered the order, although he knew the cat didn't need his command.

Xiao Huang rushed out quickly, and his agility amazed Li Xiangqian. The mouse obviously did not expect that its natural enemy would suddenly appear. It fled in panic and tried to get back into the hole, but it was too late. Xiao Huang pounced on it with lightning speed, bit the mouse, and ended its life neatly.

Li Xiangqian breathed a sigh of relief and walked forward. Seeing that the mouse was no longer moving, he felt relieved. This was the first time he had actually caught a mouse recently, which gave him an inexplicable sense of accomplishment, and the weight on his heart seemed to have lightened a lot.

He lowered his head and stroked Xiao Huang's head, praising him: "Well done, Xiao Huang! Thanks to you tonight."

Xiao Huang seemed to understand Li Xiangqian's praise, and wagged his tail proudly, then continued to patrol the fields. Li Xiangqian finally relaxed, and he sat back in his original place to continue his night watch.

That night, the mice did not appear again. Perhaps they felt threatened by Xiao Huang's presence. Li Xiangqian was secretly happy, thinking that he had found an effective method. He decided to borrow one or two cats tomorrow morning and let them take turns guarding the edge of the field. In this way, the mouse problem could be completely solved.

The next day, Li Xiangqian told everyone about his experience last night, and the neighbors agreed with him. Li Xiangqian borrowed more cats and arranged a watch schedule. Each cat received special care, and everyone took turns to feed and look after them. The whole courtyard seemed to be involved in a battle with mice, and everyone had a responsibility.

As the cats took turns to guard the field, the number of mice gradually decreased, and the crops in the field returned to normal growth. Li Xiangqian was in a better mood, and he felt that he had not only protected the land, but also won more trust and support from his neighbors. His decision and efforts were not in vain, and everyone saw it, which made him feel full of accomplishment.

A month later, the fields were full of life, the seedlings were thriving in the sun, and the traces of mice had almost disappeared. Standing by the field, Li Xiangqian was filled with pride and satisfaction as he watched the fields gradually become lush after the joint efforts of him and his neighbors. He knew that he had not only successfully solved the problem of mice, but also proved that he had the ability to lead everyone to achieve more goals. Li Xiangqian still kept his attention on the fields. He did not take it lightly, but continued to be vigilant. He knew that as the initiator of this project, he must continue to be committed and persistent as always to ensure ultimate success. And every time he saw the crops swaying gently in the wind, his heart was filled with endless hope and motivation.