Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Just as he reached Aunt Li's door, he heard a slight cough coming from inside the house. Li Xiangqian felt nervous and knocked on the door. Aunt Li's weak voice came from the house: "Who is it?"

"Aunt Li, it's me, Xiang Qian. I came to see you." Li Xiang Qian said as he pushed open the door and walked into the house.

Aunt Li sat on the kang, looking a little pale, holding a cup of hot water in her hand. When she saw Li Xiangqian coming in, she forced a smile and said, "Xiangqian, you're here again. Come and sit down. It's warm in the room."

Li Xiangqian felt sad when he saw Aunt Li's expression. He put the sweet potato on the table and asked, "Aunt Li, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Aunt Li waved her hand and said, "It's nothing. I'm just old and it's cold. Go ahead and do your thing. Don't worry about me."

Li Xiangqian knew that Aunt Li didn't want him to worry. But looking at Aunt Li's thin face, he couldn't put his mind at ease. He walked to the kang and sat down, saying softly: "Aunt Li, don't hide it from me. Have you not eaten well recently? Didn't we agree that if we have any difficulties, we should tell everyone and not bear it alone?"

Aunt Li sighed, her voice a little hoarse: "Alas, Xiang Qian, it's not that I don't want to say it, but everyone in the yard is in the same situation. Everyone is saving food. I can still make do with my old bones. I can't always cause trouble for everyone."

Li Xiangqian felt even worse after hearing this. He knew that Aunt Li said this not out of selfishness, but out of consideration for everyone. However, it was precisely because everyone thought this way that everyone kept the problem to themselves, preferring to bear it themselves rather than burden others.

After leaving Aunt Li's house, Li Xiangqian paced slowly in the yard, feeling heavy in his heart. He thought that most people in the courtyard had reduced their rice consumption and relied more on porridge and some cheap grains. Even if someone could occasionally eat a delicious meal of rice, they would never show off, but carefully avoid letting others notice, so as not to cause unnecessary psychological fluctuations.

Li Xiangqian recalled a small incident that happened in the yard a few days ago. At that time, Xiaobao was playing in the yard and accidentally mentioned that his family had a bowl of white rice at noon that day. Unexpectedly, several children standing nearby immediately surrounded him, their eyes full of surprise and envy. Xiaobao was unintentional at first, but seeing everyone's reaction, he immediately lowered his head and didn't say another word. After returning home, he even secretly told his mother not to make white rice anymore in the future, because he didn't want others to think that their family was better off than others.

"What kind of hunger are people enduring?" Li Xiangqian felt bitter, knowing that if this sentiment continued to spread, everyone in the courtyard would become increasingly isolated and helpless. As a member of the courtyard, Li Xiangqian felt that he had a responsibility to do something.

At night, Li Xiangqian lay in bed tossing and turning. He thought about the familiar faces in the yard, and each one of them emerged in his mind. Wang Sao, Xiaobao, Aunt Li, Old Zhang... Their expressions and eyes all revealed the hardships of life. Every conversation and every look between them reminded him that the food problem was far from being solved.

He suddenly thought of a way that might make everyone's life easier. This idea gradually took shape in his mind. The next morning, Li Xiangqian got up at daybreak. He planned to gather a few old neighbors of the Siheyuan to discuss his idea. After all, the affairs of the Siheyuan were not something he could decide alone. The fundamental way to solve the problem was for everyone to work together to find a solution.

He first went to Uncle Wang's house and knocked on the door. Uncle Wang opened the door wearing an old coat. Seeing that it was Li Xiangqian, he smiled and said, "Xiangqian, what do you want to talk to me about so early in the morning?"

Li Xiangqian nodded and said, "Uncle Wang, I have an idea that I would like to discuss with you and everyone else. Can we invite Old Zhang and Aunt Liu to gather under the big locust tree in our yard?"

Uncle Wang saw that he looked serious, so he didn't ask any more questions. He just nodded and said, "Okay, you go first, I'll go call them."

A few minutes later, several elderly people in the courtyard gathered under the locust tree. Li Xiangqian looked at them, took a deep breath, and said, "Dear uncles and aunts, as you all know, many families in our courtyard have not had enough food recently, especially those elderly people living alone and single-parent families. Although we have collected money to buy some food before, I found that some people would rather save money than talk about their difficulties with others because they are embarrassed. This cannot go on!"

Aunt Liu listened, nodded and sighed: "Xiang Qian, what you said makes sense. I also noticed that the children have lost a lot of weight during this period."

Old Zhang smoked a cigarette and frowned as he said, "So what good ideas do you have? Let's think about it together."

Li Xiangqian had already made a plan, so he said, "I wonder if we can collect the food from the courtyards and let everyone eat together? Just like the big pot meals in the past, whoever has something can bring it out, so that some people won't go hungry and some people won't have to barely survive. As for those families who can't afford to buy food, they can also take turns to go to each family to get a meal. Let's talk about it, is this feasible?"

After a moment of silence, Uncle Wang spoke first: "This is a good idea! This way everyone can have a hot meal, especially the children, who are growing up and cannot afford to go hungry."

Aunt Liu also nodded: "Yes, I think it's okay. Xiang Qian, you take charge of this matter, we will all listen to you."

Hearing everyone's support, Li Xiangqian felt warm in his heart. He knew that although this was only a temporary solution, it would at least allow the people in the courtyard to no longer suffer from hunger in this cold winter. Since everyone agreed, he decided to take action immediately. That night, Li Xiangqian put up a sign in the courtyard of the quadrangle, which read "Big Pot Meal Big Family Plan: Anyone who has surplus food or who has difficulties can come here and we will overcome the difficulties together!"

The next morning, Li Xiangqian started to get busy. He first had to prepare a container large enough to cook rice, so that he could meet the needs of all the people in the courtyard. He remembered that he had a large water tank at home, which was usually used to store water. Now it was perfect for cooking rice. Thinking of this, he immediately went to the storage room and started to clean the water tank.

The water tank had not been used for a long time, and there was a lot of dust and debris inside. Li Xiangqian took a brush and a rag, squatted on the ground and scrubbed it carefully. He thought to himself that if this water tank could be used, it might help a lot of people this winter. After he cleaned the water tank, he felt a sense of accomplishment. Although it was just a small thing, it made him feel that he was doing something meaningful for the entire courtyard.