Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian knew that he alone could no longer support the lives of all the people in the courtyard. He had to come up with a new way to keep everyone alive. So he began to look for opportunities to talk to other people in the courtyard, trying to get some inspiration from them.

"Xiang Qian, you have lost a lot of weight recently." That day, he started chatting with Mrs. Zhang next door. Mrs. Zhang asked with concern while busy with needlework.

"It's okay, I'm just a little worried recently." Li Xiangqian smiled bitterly and changed the subject, "Mrs. Zhang, do you have any way to save food?"

Mrs. Zhang was stunned for a moment, then sighed: "We have saved everything we can, and we eat less when we can. The children are sensible and don't make a fuss. But even so, the rice jar is empty. Alas, there is really nothing we can do."

Li Xiangqian felt a pang of pain as he listened. What he heard from Mrs. Zhang was not only the food crisis, but also a sense of powerlessness and anxiety about the future. Mrs. Zhang's eyes no longer had the brilliance of the past, and her once nimble hands now seemed a little weak.

He nodded silently and left Zhang's house. Along the way, her words echoed in his mind again and again. Li Xiangqian realized that the relief food from outside was no longer enough to maintain life in the courtyard. The famine continued, and the people in the courtyard were getting weaker and weaker. He had to come up with a more effective way to enable everyone to be self-sufficient in this difficult time.

One evening, Li Xiangqian was wandering in the yard, thinking about his next plan. Suddenly, he noticed a small abandoned vegetable garden in the corner of the yard. It used to belong to the Liu family, but after they moved away, the land was left uncultivated. Li Xiangqian had an idea: this land could be used to grow some vegetables. Even if it was not much, it could make up for the lack of food.

He immediately took action and called a few neighbors who were still strong enough to start cleaning up the vegetable garden. Everyone was a little skeptical at first, but seeing Li Xiangqian's determination, they also started to work. Clearing weeds, turning the soil, and applying fertilizers, although they were already exhausted, thinking of the hope that this piece of land might bring, everyone gritted their teeth and persevered.

"Xiang Qian, can we really grow anything?" A young neighbor raised his muddy hands, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked with some doubt.

"We must believe in ourselves," Li Xiangqian said firmly. "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we can't give up."

Li Xiangqian knew that this vegetable garden was not enough to solve all the problems, but he hoped that this action could bring some confidence to everyone. In the years of famine, confidence and hope were more important than anything else. He even thought that if conditions allowed, he could ask other people in the yard who could still move to join the labor, help each other, and strive to produce more.

Late at night, Li Xiangqian returned to his room and lay on the hard bed. He felt physically exhausted, but a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. This vegetable garden may not be able to fill everyone's stomach, but it symbolizes a possibility, a hope for self-help.

He closed his eyes, and the faces of his neighbors appeared in his mind. Their eyes were no longer filled with despair, but with a hint of expectation. This expectation might be Li Xiang

In the dead of night, Li Xiangqian sat under the dim light, looking at the handful of rice in his hand, feeling mixed emotions. This was the rice he had brought back from the city with great difficulty, and the quantity was so scarce that it made him feel distressed. He knew that such fragrant rice had become a luxury for the current residents of the courtyard. Looking back on the past, everyone could sit together and eat a meal of steaming hot rice. Those were such ordinary and happy days. But now, the shadow of hunger looms here, and the fragrant rice has become an unattainable dream.

Li Xiangqian sighed and carefully put the rice grains into the rice bag. These rice grains cannot be taken out easily. They are the life-saving straw of the courtyard house and must be used at the most critical moment. Although he knew that everyone was hungry now, he knew that if all the rice was divided now, they might not last more than a few days. Thinking of this, Li Xiangqian felt as heavy as a stone in his heart. He did not dare to tell anyone about the existence of these rice grains, because he knew that in the face of hunger, anyone would become unpredictable.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian got up early to check on the progress of the vegetable garden. The air in the yard was cool and fresh, and dewdrops sparkled on the broken bricks and tiles, as if the courtyard was still full of vitality. However, Li Xiangqian knew that behind this vitality were endless difficulties and struggles. He walked through the corridor and came to the vegetable garden, where he saw several neighbors who had already started to work, clearing the land and preparing for sowing.

"Xiangqian, good morning!" Mrs. Zhang looked up and saw Li Xiangqian, revealing a tired smile.

"Good morning, everyone got up really early." Li Xiangqian responded with a smile, but he felt a little heavy inside. He knew that everyone got up so early to work not only for farming, but also because they were too hungry to sleep.

"Xiang Qian, can anything be grown on this land? I'm never sure." Mrs. Zhang said worriedly while digging the soil.

Li Xiangqian knew that this was not only Mrs. Zhang's question, but also everyone's concern. In the courtyards today, almost no one can eat a delicious meal of rice. Most people can only survive on porridge and a small amount of wild vegetables. Even so, these are becoming less and less, and no one knows how long they can hold on.

"Mrs. Zhang, we must believe in ourselves," Li Xiangqian replied in a firm tone, "Although it is difficult now, we cannot give up. As long as there is a little hope, we cannot fall down."

"Oh, Xiang Qian, you're right. But sometimes I really don't know how to go on. Seeing the children crying because of hunger, I feel sad as a mother." Mrs. Zhang's voice was choked with sobs. She stopped the work in her hands and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Li Xiangqian felt nervous and walked up to pat Mrs. Zhang on the shoulder: "Mrs. Zhang, I know it's not easy for you. It's not easy for anyone, but we can only grit our teeth and hold on. Things will get better when the vegetables in the field grow."

Mrs. Zhang nodded, said nothing more, and continued to work. But her thin figure and calloused hands were deeply engraved in Li Xiangqian's heart. He knew that these vegetables alone were far from enough for everyone to survive this disaster. He had to find more food and take more action.

That evening, Li Xiangqian went out again, and this time, he decided to try his luck somewhere farther away.