Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Since you don't want to give up, let's try some old-fashioned methods. The rules left by the older generation can sometimes come in handy."

When Li Xiangqian heard this, a glimmer of hope ignited in his eyes, and he asked nervously, "What old method? Uncle Tiezhu, tell me, as long as it can save this piece of land, I'm willing to try any method."

Wang Tiezhu nodded, his eyes deep, as if recalling something. He paused, then slowly said: "Sometimes, the disease in the land cannot be cured by simply applying fertilizer and turning the soil, and other means must be used. The old people have a saying called 'waking up the land', which means that the land sometimes 'falls asleep', and we have to find a way to 'wake it up'. But this job is not easy, and it requires some special preparations. If you are willing, I can help you, but I need your cooperation."

"Wake up?" Li Xiangqian frowned, obviously he had never heard of such a term, but at this moment he didn't care about these new concepts. As long as there was a way, he was willing to give it a try. He nodded heavily, looking at Wang Tiezhu expectantly, "Uncle Tiezhu, I will do whatever you say."

Wang Tiezhu saw Li Xiangqian's firm attitude, and a trace of relief flashed in his eyes. His tone softened a little: "Well, since you are willing, then I will help you. However, this matter cannot be rushed. It takes time to prepare, and you have to be sincere and not be careless at all."

Li Xiangqian's anxiety eased a little, but he still felt a little nervous, which came from the fear of the unknown. He didn't know what this "awakening" was going to do, nor was he sure if this method would really work. But he knew that there was no other choice now.

The sky had turned completely gloomy, and the heavy clouds were like a black curtain covering the courtyard. The courtyard gradually fell into silence, with only a few distant dog barks coming intermittently, adding a bit of weirdness to the atmosphere. Li Xiangqian stood in the middle of the courtyard, his eyes unconsciously sweeping around everything, with mixed feelings. He suddenly had a strange feeling, as if this courtyard was gradually becoming unfamiliar, and everything was no longer as familiar as before.

He looked back at the potato field, and a complex emotion surged in his heart. It was once a place where he had placed countless hopes, but now it seemed like an irreversible defeat. Li Xiangqian suddenly felt a little regretful. Why did he pick up the stone in the first place? Why didn't he pay more attention? But regret was meaningless, and he could only grit his teeth and face reality.

"Okay, Uncle Tiezhu, when do we start?" Li Xiangqian forced himself to suppress the uneasiness in his heart and tried to make his tone sound firm.

Wang Tiezhu lowered his head and thought for a while, then finally said, "I'll go prepare some things tomorrow morning. Don't be idle tonight. Go back and clean up this piece of land thoroughly, get rid of all the rotten potatoes, and don't leave any residue. Remember, you have to do it cleanly tomorrow, otherwise it will be difficult to wake up the land."

Li nodded forward. Although he felt heavy in his heart, he moved quickly. He picked up a shovel and began to clean up the rotten potatoes in the field. These should have been the fruits of his good harvest, but now they have become a pile of worthless mud. He shoveled the potatoes into a tattered straw basket one by one, and his mood became heavier with the smell of rot.

As the night deepened, Li Xiangqian was the only one busy in the courtyard. Blisters gradually formed on his hands, but he didn't care. He just mechanically repeated the actions of shoveling and cleaning. Every time the shovel pierced the soil, the damp and heavy touch made him feel an indescribable oppression, as if this piece of land no longer belonged to him, but had become something he could not control.

Finally, the rotten potatoes in the field were almost cleared. Li stood up straight, looking at the empty land in front of him, with a complex feeling of loss in his heart. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and gradually turned his eyes to the black stone in the corner. The stone glowed faintly in the darkness, as if it had life and was watching him.

"What on earth is this stone..." Li Xiangqian couldn't help but wonder again. He didn't dare to think about it anymore, so he quickly put the stone aside and went back into the house.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian was awakened by a shrill bird call. It was still dark, and the courtyard was shrouded in a faint gray mist. The damp and cold air came in through the cracks in the old window, making him shiver. He rubbed his sleepy eyes. He had been busy until very late last night, and cleaning the potato field had consumed most of his energy. The faint pain in his hands had not completely dissipated.

But he dared not neglect it. Today was a critical day. Wang Tiezhu had promised to help "wake up the earth", so he had to do his best. Li Xiangqian simply washed his face, put on an old coat, and hurried into the yard.

The yard was silent, with only a few sparrows jumping on the fence. The potatoes that were cleaned last night were piled in the corner, emitting a faint stench, reminding Li Xiangqian of the failure he had just experienced. But his heart was not completely despair, but rather a hint of expectation. Even though he did not understand the ancient practice of "awakening the earth", at the moment, he was willing to grasp any glimmer of hope.

After a while, Wang Tiezhu arrived on time, carrying an old bamboo basket in his hand. In it were some things that Li Xiangqian could not quite understand, some plant roots and some things that looked like talisman paper. Li Xiangqian looked at the bamboo basket in confusion, and could not help but feel a little hesitant and uneasy. These looked like things that only the old people in the village would use, and seemed to carry an ancient sense of ritual.

"Uncle Tiezhu, what do you use these things for?" Li Xiangqian couldn't help but ask.

Wang Tiezhu gently put down the bamboo basket, looked up and glanced at the layout of the courtyard, with a calm expression on his face, as if he had rehearsed it countless times in his mind. Then he turned around and said softly: "These things are used to 'call back the soul' of the earth. According to the old rules, we have to make the earth 'live' again. The energy in the earth was suppressed before, and now we have to wake it up. These things are prepared for this."

Li Xiangqian felt a little nervous when he heard this, but he couldn't say anything to refute. After all, this was the only way at the moment, and he could only pin all his hopes on Wang Tiezhu. He nodded, suppressed his doubts, and motioned Wang Tiezhu to continue.

Wang Tiezhu started to act. He took out a bundle of thin ropes and carefully laid them around Li Xiangqian's potato field, muttering something in his mouth, as if he was whispering something to the land.