Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He sat at the table with the freshly fried eggs in his hand, but the food in front of him made him lose his appetite. Qin Huairu's words kept appearing in his mind, as if reminding him that everyone in the yard was watching his every move. This made him even more uneasy. Although the "concern" mentioned by Qin Huairu seemed harmless on the surface, the meaning behind it made him alert.

"Are they really waiting to see me laugh?" Li Xiangqian couldn't help but think of this. He knew that everything he was doing was under the watchful eyes of the people in the yard. Whether it was the potato seedlings or his efforts to find water, nothing could escape the eyes of others.

There were several families living in the yard, and the relationships between them were sometimes good and sometimes bad. Some made a living by doing handicrafts, while others relied on some connections to get more food. Especially Aunt Feng in the east wing, her family lived a relatively comfortable life, and she always got more food than others. Li Xiangqian knew that Aunt Feng's son-in-law worked in the grain station, so she could get some extra food from her son-in-law every time. This made other people in the yard quite jealous, but everyone knew it. After all, at that time, getting more food could help you live a few more days, so who would dare to offend others?

Although Li Xiangqian is simple and honest, he is not stupid. He knows very well that at this critical moment, whoever can get more food will have a better life. So he secretly planned how to get more food for his family. In the factory, he usually gets along well with others, and occasionally helps his colleagues run errands. Gradually, he became familiar with Lao Hu, the custodian of the factory. Lao Hu is a greedy person who is in charge of the allocation of food quotas. If he can get along well with him, he may be able to get some extra food from him.

So, one day, when there were not many people in the factory, Li Xiangqian took some cigarettes and alcohol to find Lao Hu and chat with him. Lao Hu looked at the cigarette handed by Li Xiangqian and understood what he meant, and the two hit it off. Lao Hu hinted that if Li Xiangqian could show more "intent", he would not mind giving his family more benefits when distributing grain. Li Xiangqian was secretly happy, but he did not dare to show it on his face, and just agreed lightly. So every time grain was distributed, Lao Hu would secretly give Li Xiangqian a few more kilograms of rice and flour. Although the amount was not large, it was a great favor to Li Xiangqian's family.

However, gradually, people in the courtyard began to notice that Li Xiangqian's family seemed to have more food than others. First, Uncle Wang in the west wing muttered, "Why do the Li family have such a big appetite? We can't even eat enough in a day, but they can still make white flour buns." This sentence attracted the attention of many people, especially Aunt Liu who lived in the south room. She was always a person who liked to stir up trouble. When Aunt Liu heard this, she immediately made a plan in her mind. She knew that Li Xiangqian and Lao Hu were close, so she thought about whether she could take the opportunity to get some from Lao Hu.

So, one day, when no one was around in the courtyard at night, Second Aunt Liu went to visit Li Xiangqian's house and tried to test him in words: "Old Li, your family has been doing well recently. I see that you have rice and flour every day, which is better than most people in our courtyard." Li Xiangqian was shocked, knowing that the news had spread, but he didn't want Second Aunt Liu to know too much, so he evaded the question and said: "No, no, it's just that Xiuying knows how to live, and she usually saves a little."

Aunt Liu did not give up easily. She continued with a smile: "Oh, don't be modest. I am not an outsider. If there is anything good, you have to think of our old neighbor." Li Xiangqian finally understood what Aunt Liu meant. He smiled helplessly and said: "Aunt, our family doesn't have so many connections. But sometimes the factory issued a little more food coupons, and Lao Hu took care of it a little. That's all."

When Aunt Liu heard this, she had an idea in her mind, and then she said directly: "Old Li, let's not beat around the bush. I see that your family is doing well, and was thinking that if you have any connections, you could take me along. We are all neighbors." Li Xiangqian knew that Aunt Liu was not easy to get rid of, so he promised to keep an eye on her when he had the chance.

But before long, the conflicts in the courtyard became more acute. Since Aunt Liu got some information from Li Xiangqian, other people in the courtyard seemed to have sensed something. Everyone felt that Li Xiangqian's family seemed to have used some "backdoor", so all kinds of rumors spread secretly. Especially Master Zhou from the north house, who didn't have much contact with Li Xiangqian's family, but he had been dissatisfied with the food distribution for a long time, so he took the opportunity to vent his anger on Li Xiangqian.

During a dinner party in the courtyard, Master Zhou, under the influence of alcohol, suddenly slammed the table and said, "Life is becoming more and more hopeless. How come we, who have worked all our lives, are not as good as those who flatter others?" Although he did not name anyone, everyone knew who he was referring to, and the atmosphere became tense for a while. Li Xiangqian's face changed, and he was angry, but he did not want to confront Master Zhou head-on. He knew that in this courtyard, once the relationship between people became strained, life would become more difficult.

However, it didn't take long for the incident to turn into an open confrontation. One morning, several strangers suddenly came to the yard, wearing the same uniform, saying they were going to investigate the food supply problem. Li Xiangqian was stopped by these people as soon as he went out. They walked straight to his house and conducted a detailed inspection of Li Xiuying's food coupons and household registration books. It turned out that Master Zhou reported Li Xiangqian, claiming that he obtained extra food through improper means.

Li Xiangqian was in a state of panic, wondering if anything would happen. The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became tense, and the neighbors stood in the yard to watch the excitement. Some of them looked happy, while others were worried. Especially Aunt Feng, she knew that if Li Xiangqian's affair was confirmed, her "connections" might also be exposed, and she was even more anxious.

After the investigation, Li Xiangqian felt like a heavy stone was weighing on his heart. Although he went to work as usual during the day and kept a normal look on his face, every night when he lay in bed, he would start to think over and over again about the situation when those people checked in the yard. Those cold eyes, the sound of grain bags being turned over during the search, and the neighbors whispering in the corner, all took root in his heart. Li Xiuying was no longer as relaxed as before. Every day when she saw her neighbors, the smile on her face seemed to be a little more stiff.

"Xiuying, should we be more careful?" Li Xiangqian whispered to his wife one night while sitting on the edge of the bed.