Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his chest, and his breathing became rapid. "Is the world so unreasonable? My corn is gone for nothing?" He tried hard to restrain himself from being overwhelmed by anger, but every time he thought about the situation at home and how he would face the eyes of Li Xiuying and the children when he returned, the pain in his heart was hard to suppress.

At this time, a vegetable vendor in the market seemed to notice Li Xiangqian's abnormality. He walked closer and whispered to remind him: "Brother, don't be impulsive. You can't afford to offend those people. Just admit it. This is how it is here. Whoever has the stronger fist is right. If you chase them, you will only suffer more."

Li Xiangqian turned his head and stared at the man, his eyes full of resentment. He gritted his teeth and asked in a hoarse voice: "Who are they? Is this a place where they can bully people so easily?"

The vegetable seller shook his head and sighed, "These people are a gang of hooligans in the city, and they are used to being scoundrels. Everyone knows that they can't be provoked, so they try to hide if possible. No one wants to meddle in their affairs. If you confront them head-on, they may come after you next time. Not to mention a few bags of corn from your house, no one would dare to say a word if they robbed them."

Li Xiangqian felt mixed emotions after hearing this. He was silent for a while, his clenched fists gradually loosened, his eyes filled with helplessness and bitterness. It's not that he didn't think about resisting, but he knew that he was an ordinary person and had no ability to fight these lawless villains.

Seeing that he had stopped talking, the vegetable seller gently advised him again: "Go back, your family is still waiting for you, don't let them worry. Although the corn was lost, it's good that you are safe."

Li Xiangqian smiled bitterly, nodded, and turned away with heavy steps. His mind was in a mess, and there was only endless loss and frustration in his heart. Along the way, he felt more and more frustrated: "What can I do for this family? I can't even keep a bag of corn, how can I let Xiuying and the children count on me?" This heavy sense of self-blame was like an inescapable haze, shrouding his heart.

Back at the courtyard, it was already dark. Li Xiangqian walked into the gate. The lights in the neighboring houses were off, and the yard was quiet. The moonlight sprinkled on the ground, making it look particularly deserted. He took a deep breath and walked towards his door. Before he opened the door, Li Xiuying had already noticed his footsteps and hurriedly opened the door to greet him.

"Xiang Qian, you're back? Why so late? What did you get in return?" Li Xiuying's voice was filled with anxiety and expectation. She saw Li Xiang Qian's empty hands at a glance, and the smile on her face froze instantly.

Li Xiangqian was stunned for a few seconds, his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't speak for a long time. He lowered his head weakly, and his voice was so low that it was almost inaudible: "Xiuying... corn... was stolen."

Li Xiuying's expression froze, her eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief. She looked at Li Xiangqian hesitantly, as if she didn't understand what he said: "What? Robbed? What happened?"

Li Xiangqian smiled bitterly and told her everything that happened at the market today. His voice was full of regret and helplessness, and his eyes were filled with deep self-blame.

After hearing this, Li Xiuying was stunned and could not say a word. Her face was mixed with anger, pain and disappointment. The bag of corn was their last hope, but now they have nothing. She looked at Li Xiangqian, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions. She understood her husband's helplessness and knew that he had tried his best, but she still could not accept the reality.

"This...what are we going to do in the future?" Li Xiuying's voice was trembling, and she looked helpless and tired. She turned around, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and tried her best to hold back the pain in her heart, not wanting the child to hear it.

Li Xiangqian looked at her thin back, and felt a pain in his heart. He walked over, gently held her hand, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Xiuying, it's all my fault that I can't even protect this little bit of food..."

Li Xiuying shook her head and sighed softly: "Don't blame yourself. Who would have thought that we would run into these scoundrels? Now we can only think of other ways. No matter what, we can't let the children starve."

Li Xiangqian nodded, but he knew that things would get even harder. Without food, life at home would become difficult again. The child was growing stronger every day, and Li Xiuying's body was getting weaker, but he was powerless to change the situation.

Li Xiangqian lay awake all night, his mind racing with thoughts. He kept asking himself: What should I do next? Where can I get more food? When will this situation end? But he couldn't find the answer to any of these questions.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian still tried to stay energetic and dragged his tired body to find work outside. When he reached the gate of the courtyard, he met Jia Dongxu. Jia Dongxu saw that Li Xiangqian looked wrong and frowned and asked, "Xiangqian, what's wrong? You don't look well."

Li Xiangqian forced a smile and waved his hand: "It's okay, I just ran into some trouble when I went to the market yesterday."

Jia Dongxu was stunned when he heard this, and immediately became alert: "What happened? Trouble? Could it be that someone is targeting us?"

Li Xiangqian whispered a brief account of what happened last night. Jia Dongxu frowned more and more after hearing this, his expression serious: "You ran into those hooligans. Alas, these people are really lawless. If anyone in the yard offends them, life will be difficult. Don't go to the market alone again in the future."

Li Xiangqian nodded helplessly and sighed: "Now I don't know what to do. There is no food at home. I don't know how to survive from now on."

Jia Dongxu pondered for a moment and patted his shoulder: "We have to think of a way. Why don't you go to He Yuzhu tonight to discuss it and see if he can give you an idea. You can't handle it alone, you need someone to help you."

After several days of deep contemplation, Li Xiangqian's anxiety and sense of powerlessness did not subside at all. The family was running out of food, and the children's meals were becoming increasingly scarce. Li Xiuying sighed silently in her heart every night, while he kept searching for various possible solutions in his mind. Although Jia Dongxu's suggestion was good, and finding He Yuzhu was indeed a direction that could be tried, Li Xiangqian felt that it would be difficult to completely solve the problem by relying solely on his own strength. Thinking of the arrogant appearance of those people at the market, he became increasingly unwilling. So, he decided to take another step and ask the security department for help.

This idea lingered in his mind for several days, and finally one morning, he gritted his teeth and decided to give it a try.