Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Relatives?" Li Xiangqian pretended to think, frowning slightly, as if he was trying to find a reasonable excuse for her, but in his heart he was thinking about how to steer things in his favor. He knew that exposing Lao Liu was not the goal at the moment, but to push the flames of this struggle into the hearts of more people in the yard.

"Hey, don't worry." He turned around and faced the neighbors who were watching, posing a fair attitude. "We all know that food is scarce. But some families do have ways to get some extra food from outside, and we can't blame them. It's just that we can't help but feel unbalanced, right? After all, everyone lives on rations, and suddenly seeing someone's food is more abundant than ours, everyone will feel uncomfortable."

These words seemed to be persuasion, but in fact they pushed the neighbors' emotions to a higher point of tension. Sure enough, several neighbors nodded and the discussion became louder. Li Xiangqian watched the situation gradually develop in the direction he expected, and he felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart, but he did not show it, and still maintained a calm and composed attitude.

"But, Brother Xiang Qian," another young neighbor, Xiao Li, couldn't help but speak up, "We all know that food is hard to come by. Who has the ability to get rice from outside? Look, Mrs. Liu said that a relative gave it to her. Why don't we have such a relative? Why can their family have more than us?"

As soon as these words came out, voices echoed from the crowd around them. It was obvious that many people had similar questions in their hearts. The face of the daughter-in-law of the old Liu family became more and more ugly. She pursed her lips and looked more nervous and uneasy.

Li Xiangqian smiled secretly, this was exactly the effect he wanted. He raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to calm down, and then whispered: "Xiao Li, what you said does make sense. But, is it possible that we are wrong about this matter? Mrs. Liu also said that the rice was given by a relative, maybe their family does have some connections, we have to seek truth from facts."

"But..." Xiao Li wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Li Xiangqian with a smile.

"However, since everyone thinks that something is not right, why don't we find someone who knows more about this matter to ask. Hasn't Jia Dongxu been working at the grain station? He should know more clearly." Li Xiangqian changed the subject and mentioned Jia Dongxu casually.

When everyone heard Jia Dongxu's name, they immediately quieted down. After all, Jia Dongxu worked at the grain station. Although he was not very friendly, he had some knowledge of grain distribution. If he could come forward to explain, perhaps the dispute could be resolved. But some people knew that Jia Dongxu didn't care much about such things. He always cared more about his own interests.

Li Xiangqian looked at the onlookers and continued, "I think it would be better to let Jia Dongxu judge the matter so that everyone can feel at ease. You wait, I'll go call him." After saying that, he quickly walked towards Jia Dongxu's house.

As soon as he arrived at Jia Dongxu's door, Li Xiangqian calmed down a little, took a deep breath, and thought about his next words. He knew that Jia Dongxu was stubborn and selfish, but he liked to show off in front of others. He had to say this matter just right so that Jia Dongxu would be willing to get involved, instead of being disgusted or shirking it.

The knock on the door echoed in the silent courtyard for a few times, and after a while, the door was opened by Jia Dongxu. There was a bit of impatience on his face, and it was obvious that he was still busy with his own things.

"Xiang Qian? What's the matter?" Jia Dongxu looked at him sideways, with a condescending tone in his voice.

Li Xiangqian smiled and lowered his voice and said, "Brother Dongxu, something happened in the yard. Everyone is a little dissatisfied with the distribution of food and is arguing. I think you have the most experience in this kind of thing. Why don't you go and talk to everyone and see how to convince them?"

Jia Dongxu frowned after hearing this, and was obviously somewhat reluctant to be involved in such a dispute. He didn't like to meddle in other people's affairs, especially in such situations where it was easy to offend people. But thinking of the fact that he always needed to maintain a certain prestige in the courtyard, he hesitated.

Li Xiangqian saw his concerns and quickly added, "Brother Dongxu, don't worry. Everyone just wants to know whether the grain issue is fair or not. No one will make things difficult for you. Besides, this is an opportunity for you to show yourself. After all, you work at the grain station. Who has a better say than you?"

Jia Dongxu weighed the pros and cons in his mind. Li Xiangqian's words really hit his soft spot. He liked to appear important among his neighbors, and he also liked people to ask him these "professional" questions. After thinking for a moment, he finally nodded: "Okay, I'll go over and take a look and explain it to them clearly."

Li Xiangqian was secretly delighted, knowing that this step had been successful. Once Jia Dongxu spoke, the dispute would continue to escalate, and it would depend on how he could use this disturbance to lead the matter to a larger level.

He led Jia Dongxu back to the courtyard, and the crowd quieted down when they saw Jia Dongxu coming. Jia Dongxu put on an unfathomable look, slowly walked to the center, cleared his throat, and raised his hand to ask everyone to be quiet.

"Everyone, stop arguing and listen to me." As soon as he finished speaking, everyone pricked up their ears, waiting to hear what he would say next. Li Xiangqian stood aside, calm on the surface, but in his heart he had already begun to plan for the next situation.

Jia Dongxu looked around and said slowly, "As for the distribution of food, as everyone knows, it is indeed tight recently. However, all rations are calculated per person, and there will be no exceptions. If you think someone got too much, there must be a reason."

At this point, Jia Dongxu glanced at Lao Liu's daughter-in-law with a hint of teasing. "However, some people may get some extra food through other means, which is also possible. However, everyone still has to follow the rules and don't think about taking shortcuts."

His words were ambiguous, neither directly accusing the Liu family nor defending them. This attitude made the atmosphere in the courtyard even more subtle.

When Jia Dongxu heard Li Xiangqian mention He Yuzhu, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes. He and He Yuzhu had a good relationship. Although they were not close, they often interacted with each other, especially in the context of food shortages. They also exchanged gossip from time to time. However, Li Xiangqian's proposal this time made him a little worried.

He Yuzhu has always been a straightforward person with an impulsive personality and is ruthless in his words. If he is involved, Jia Dongxu is afraid that things will become more complicated, especially with the sensitive issue of food. "Yuzhu?" Jia Dongxu frowned and said to Li Xiangqian in a low voice, "He has a hot temper. If we ask him to come, this kind of thing may not be solved properly, but it will easily intensify the conflict."