Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Why is it so hard to keep what I worked so hard to earn?" He felt sad.

The next day, Li Xiangqian went to the melon field early in the morning to work. Although he was still upset about the watermelons that were destroyed by mice a few days ago, he knew that complaining was useless and life had to go on. He picked the melons, carried them, and sorted them. He did every step carefully and meticulously, as if he wanted to use this work to temporarily forget his worries.

After finishing his work in the melon field, he returned to the yard, which was quiet. But just as he put down his tools and was about to go into the house, he suddenly heard someone calling him, "Xiang Qian, come over here, we have something to talk about!"

Li Xiangqian turned around and saw that it was Yi Zhonghai who lived in the courtyard. Yi Zhonghai was quite old and was a respected "old man" in the courtyard, who often managed the affairs of the courtyard. Although they didn't usually get too close, Li Xiangqian always respected him, so he hurried over to greet him.

"Uncle Yi, what's the matter?" Li Xiangqian asked with a smile, wondering if he had done something inappropriate and made the uncle unhappy.

Yi Zhonghai did not have his usual friendly attitude. Instead, he frowned and said with a tone of accusation: "Xiang Qian, I heard that your watermelons are gone these past two days. It's not stolen by rats, but someone did it on purpose, right?"

Li Xiangqian was stunned, and his brows knitted involuntarily: "Someone did it on purpose? Uncle, what do you mean by that? I saw that the melon was gnawed by a rat, it doesn't look like it was done by human."

"Alas!" Yi Zhonghai sighed heavily, his face becoming even gloomier. "Xiang Qian, I've been involved in a lot of things in the yard. I've seen all kinds of people over the years. I said your watermelon was eaten by rats, but it doesn't sound like a big deal. Are you afraid to tell the truth? Maybe you didn't keep a good eye on it, so someone stole the watermelon?"

Li Xiangqian felt a surge of anger when he heard this, but he tried his best to suppress it, not wanting to argue with his elders: "Uncle, I'm watching over the melons every day, and the yard is not big, so how could anyone steal them? If you don't believe me, just come to my house and take a look. The bite marks are clearly visible."

Yi Zhonghai snorted coldly, showing no sign of backing down: "Xiang Qian, we are all from the same courtyard, and I don't want to cause you any trouble. But I heard that you went to the market to sell corn a few days ago, and how come the corn was gone when you came back? Did you sell the grain and then lied that it was robbed?"

Li Xiangqian suddenly felt as if his heart was hit by a heavy hammer, and his whole body trembled violently. He stared at Yi Zhonghai with wide eyes, and his voice unconsciously raised: "Uncle! Where did you hear that? I was really robbed that day, and even Jia Dongxu knew about it. How could I lie!"

The anger in his heart suddenly surged up. He worked hard, and it was bad enough that his food was robbed. Now he was suspected of lying? Li Xiangqian felt that this was a great injustice. He was overwhelmed with emotions and felt a tightness in his chest.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, as if he didn't want to listen to his explanation: "Xiang Qian, I don't want to say much, but recently many people in the courtyard have mentioned what you said, and everyone is talking about it. I'm asking on behalf of everyone, after all, this is related to the atmosphere of our entire courtyard."

Hearing this, Li Xiangqian suddenly understood that it was not just Yi Zhonghai's opinion, but other people in the yard were also talking about him behind his back. Thinking of this, his heart suddenly turned cold, and he felt mixed emotions. He had always been honest and dutiful. Although he had a plain relationship with the people in the yard, he had never done anything out of line. How did he suddenly become the target of public criticism?

He couldn't help but sound a little annoyed: "Uncle, what you said is wrong! I never thought of lying, let alone deceiving anyone. I, Li Xiangqian, am innocent and would never make up a story for a few corns!"

Yi Zhonghai was obviously a little surprised by his reaction. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Don't get excited. I'm not saying that you must have done something wrong. It's just that there are so many holes in the yard and everyone is watching. If you want to prove yourself, you have to convince everyone."

Li Xiangqian was so angry that his face turned red after hearing this. He knew very well that once the rumors in the yard spread, no matter how much he explained, it would be useless. People's words are scary, and the more he talked, the more likely others would feel guilty. "What's going on? I just want to earn some food with my own strength, but why do I become the object of suspicion?" He felt extremely uneasy.

At this moment, Jia Dongxu heard the quarrel and came out of the house. Seeing the scene in front of him, he quickly stepped forward and interrupted: "Uncle Yi, aren't you saying too much? I saw with my own eyes that day when Li Xiangqian came back from the market, his face was pale. The corn was really stolen, not him."

Li Xiangqian felt warm in his heart. Finally, someone stood up to speak for him. He looked at Jia Dongxu gratefully. But Yi Zhonghai obviously didn't believe it completely. He frowned and said, "Dongxu, you heard it too. I'm not doubting anyone. You know what's going on in the courtyard. I'm old now. I can't let the courtyard be in chaos."

Jia Dongxu stood up for Li Xiangqian and said hurriedly, "Uncle, this matter is actually very simple. If you don't believe me, let's go to the market and ask around to see if anyone knows what happened that day. You can't suspect someone based on a few rumors."

Yi Zhonghai thought about it and softened his tone a little: "Okay, since Dongxu said so, I won't say anything more. But Xiang Qian, you have to understand that there are many people in our courtyard and they are all gossipy. You have to be careful when doing things."

After he finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai turned and left. Li Xiangqian stood there, unable to calm down for a long time. He felt complicated, angry and helpless. "How did it become like this?" He felt extremely wronged, but in this courtyard, the words of everyone were more powerful than his own truth.

Jia Dongxu patted Li Xiangqian on the shoulder and whispered to him, "Xiangqian, don't take it too seriously. This is how it is in our courtyard sometimes. Rumors are inevitable. Just know that you have done nothing wrong."

Li Xiangqian forced a smile and nodded, but his heart was still heavy. He was not only burdened by life, but also by the suspicion and cold eyes of the people around him. "I have to prove myself and let everyone know that I am innocent." He made up his mind secretly. Although he still felt confused, he knew that retreating at this moment would only make others more suspicious of him.

That night, Li Xiangqian lay in bed, his mind replaying the conversation of the day. He couldn't understand why he was involved in such rumors, as he was just a hard-working person.