Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Xu Damao seemed a little flattered when he heard this. He didn't expect Li Xiangqian to come to him on his own initiative. He usually liked to show off his little experiences, so he was naturally a little proud when he heard someone came to ask for advice. However, he also knew that Li Xiangqian had encountered a lot of troubles recently, so he nodded and agreed: "Okay! Anyway, I don't have anything important to do recently, it's good for us to discuss it together."

Li Xiangqian went to He Yuzhu's house again. He Yuzhu was reluctant at first, after all, he and Li Xiangqian had a bad relationship before, especially in the fertilizer issue, he had dug a hole for Li Xiangqian. However, seeing Li Xiangqian coming to ask for advice so actively, He Yuzhu felt a little ashamed, so he said coldly: "You want me to help? I see you are doing pretty well yourself, aren't you?"

Li Xiangqian knew that He Yuzhu had some grievances, so he didn't explain much and said directly: "We are all from the same courtyard, so how can we hold grudges for a long time? I am in trouble now, and I thought that if everyone helps out, maybe we can find a solution."

He Yuzhu glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, but finally did not refuse. He sighed and said, "Okay, since you said so, I'll go and take a look and see if I can help."

After Li Xiangqian invited He Yuzhu, Xu Damao, Li Ergou, Qin Huairu and others together, everyone sat in the middle of the yard and exchanged greetings with each other. Then the discussion officially began.

"The problems on our farm are really not trivial," Li Xiangqian spoke first, his voice a little heavy, but his words still revealed a firmness, "During this period, problems with the farm have popped up from time to time, sometimes it's water, sometimes it's fertilizer, it really makes people feel uneasy. I called everyone here today just to listen to your opinions and see if there is anything I haven't thought of."

When everyone heard what Li Xiangqian said, they looked at each other for a while. Xu Damao spoke first: "I do have an idea. Xiangqian, didn't you say that the leaves are turning yellow? I've heard people say that this may be related to poor air permeability of the roots. Should we loosen the soil in our land?"

Li Xiangqian frowned upon hearing this: "Loosen the soil? I really didn't think of this before, but the weather has been dry recently, and I'm afraid the moisture in the ground will be lost more easily."

Xu Damao waved his hand: "That's not necessarily true. Loosening the soil can sometimes retain moisture. The key is not to make the soil too compacted, otherwise the roots of the seedlings won't grow."

He Yuzhu sat aside, his eyes flashing with disdain, but he still interrupted, "I think the problem is not entirely about loosening the soil. Didn't you say before that the water quality of the water pump is not bad? But good water does not mean suitable. I heard that the mineral content of groundwater may be high, which will affect the absorption of seedlings. You have to test it, don't just look at whether it is clear or not."

Li Xiangqian nodded and secretly took note of He Yuzhu's words in his heart. Although the other party's attitude was stiff, the suggestions he made did make sense.

It was a small potato field, planted by Li Xiangqian after months of hard work. He had hoped to survive the winter with these potatoes, and even save some to sell to the market. Although the courtyard in front of him was not big, it was the foundation of the Li family. Several generations of people have lived here, and Li Xiangqian is no exception. He is the only man in the family. His parents died early, leaving behind this courtyard and some thin fields. He does not have many other skills, and farming has become one of the few ways for him to make a living.

But this year was different. The potatoes that Li Xiangqian had planted with great effort all rotted in the field. He had been expecting to harvest them, thinking that he would be able to dig up the golden potatoes in a few days and store them for the winter. However, an autumn rain a few days ago seemed to have completely changed everything. The rain penetrated the soil, turning the originally slightly dry land into wet and muddy, and there seemed to be some ominous smell hidden in the soil.

Li squatted forward and gently pushed aside the soil with his fingers. When he touched the potatoes, he felt a slippery and rotten feeling on his fingertips. The potatoes had already turned black and rotten, giving off a sour and smelly smell. He frowned and tried to find a few that could be saved, but no matter where he turned, the result was the same - the potatoes were completely rotten.

"Why is this happening?" Li Xiangqian muttered to himself, his voice filled with endless fatigue and confusion. He didn't understand why all the potatoes this year had rotted in the fields. Before planting, he had carefully selected the potato seeds, carefully tended the fields, and even watered and fertilized them carefully, just as the elders had taught him. But the result was like this.

At this time, there was a slight sound of footsteps in the yard. Li Xiangqian looked up and saw his neighbor, Lao Liu, slowly approaching. Lao Liu was the oldest man on the street, well-informed and experienced in farming.

"Xiang Qian, why haven't you been seen these days? I was wondering if you had a good harvest and were busy transporting potatoes." Old Liu greeted him with a smile, but his pace slowed down. Seeing the gloomy look on Li Xiang Qian's face, he seemed to realize that something was wrong.

Li Xiangqian gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "What are you collecting, Uncle Liu? They are all rotten, not a single one is left."

Old Liu's face darkened immediately. He walked to Li Xiangqian's side and lowered his head to look at the soil in the ground. "What's going on? Is it all rotten?"

Li Xiangqian nodded weakly, wielding his hoe to dig up more soil, revealing more rotten potatoes. "Look, they are all like this. I don't know how they went bad."

Old Liu squatted down, reached out and picked up a piece of rotten potato peel, put it in front of his nose and sniffed it, frowning, "This...is not normal, there is not much rain this year. Did you use pesticides when you planted it?"

"It's raining, it's raining," Li Xiangqian said hurriedly, "According to the method you taught me before, the potatoes were processed before they were planted. The soil was turned over and fertilizer was used. But in the end... they all rotted."

Old Liu stood up, stroked his beard and thought for a while, then sighed, "Go ahead, it seems like this is just some bad luck. This year, there seems to be some problems with this piece of land, not just yours. I heard that several potato growers nearby have encountered the same situation."

Li Xiangqian was stunned. "What? Are all the others rotten too?"

"Yes, I heard about it when I went to town the day before yesterday," Old Liu nodded. "I don't know what happened this year, but a lot of people's crops are not right. Some of them didn't grow after germination, and some of them were like yours, all rotted when they were about to be harvested. Some people said that there was something strange wrong with the soil this year, and some people said that the rainwater was mixed with poison. Anyway, the situation this year is abnormal."