Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Ergou, you came at the right time." Li Xiangqian waved his hand, motioning him to come over.

Wang Ergou walked quickly to Li Xiangqian and saw that he was frowning. He asked curiously, "Brother Xiangqian, what's wrong? I saw you busying around in the fields early in the morning. What happened?"

Li Xiangqian sighed, pointed at the watermelon on the ground that had been eaten to the point that only the skin was left, and said in a heavy tone: "Look at these watermelons. Rats stole them again last night."

Wang Ergou squatted down, carefully checked the gnawed watermelons, and shook his head: "Oh, it's true, mice have been making a lot of trouble recently. There are some signs in my vegetable garden too, but it's not this serious yet."

Li Xiangqian nodded, feeling a little anxious: "Yes, there seem to be more mice recently, and a lot of watermelons in the field have been eaten. I'm really afraid that if I don't do anything, all the watermelons will be ruined. Do you think there is any good way?"

Wang Ergou stood up, looked up and thought for a while, then said, "When it comes to mice, conventional methods may not work. You said putting rat poison, but it's easy to kill other things; putting too many mousetraps is useless. How about... let's try using a cat?"

"Cat?" Li Xiangqian was stunned, a little surprised. He had not thought of this method before. Cats are indeed famous for their ability to catch mice, but raising cats in melon fields is a new idea.

Wang Ergou nodded and explained, "Cats are good at catching mice, and they have a wide range of activities. They are more effective in the fields than mousetraps. If you can get a few cats and place them near the melon field, the mice won't dare to approach easily."

Li Xiangqian was a little tempted. Using cats was a good idea. It would not have the side effects of rat poison, nor would it need to be fixed in place like a mousetrap. But the problem was, where could he find a few cats that were good at catching mice?

He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where do you think we can get a cat? There aren't many people in our village who keep cats, and those who do are used to staying at home. I'm afraid they can't be used in the fields."

Wang Ergou touched his chin, his eyes rolled, and suddenly he thought of something, and said with a smile: "Hey, Brother Xiangqian, have you forgotten? Didn't the female cat of Lao Li's family just give birth to a litter of kittens a few days ago? I heard that those kittens are naturally quirky and are especially good at catching mice. I know Lao Li very well, I'll go talk to him and see if I can lend you a few to try."

Li Xiangqian's eyes lit up, and hope suddenly ignited in his heart: "Old Li's cats? That's really good! Okay, if you can help me borrow a few, it will be a great help!"

Wang Ergou smiled and patted his chest: "Leave it to me, Brother Xiangqian, let's try this method first and see if it works. Anyway, cats are flexible and will definitely be better than those rigid mousetraps."

Li Xiangqian was greatly relieved, and his tense nerves relaxed a little. Although he didn't know whether this method could really solve the problem, at least there was hope. For him, this was already a great comfort.

"Okay, then thank you first, Ergou!" Li Xiangqian said gratefully.

Wang Ergou waved his hand and said with a smile, "We are neighbors, it's too formal to say these things. I will go find Lao Li right away, maybe I can get the cats to work tonight."

"Okay, please!" Li Xiangqian finally felt a little relieved. After watching Wang Ergou leave, he patrolled the melon field again, making sure there were no other signs of damage before slowly walking home.

Li Xiangqian dragged his tired body back home. Although Wang Ergou agreed to lend him a cat to catch mice, he still couldn't relax completely. The problem of the melon field was temporarily solved, but the things that happened one after another made him realize that life was far from being so simple. He knew that he was on the edge of the storm, and any disturbance could put him in greater trouble.

The chaos of the past few days has made the villagers panic, especially with the frequent thefts. Many people are talking behind the scenes about who might be the "ghost" in the village. The village has always been full of people and gossips spread like grass seeds, and in a few days they can ferment into a huge storm. Li Xiangqian has always avoided disputes with the villagers because he knows that these rumors are the most difficult to deal with. However, this time, the incident came more suddenly and more difficult than he imagined.

When Li Xiangqian returned to his home, he suddenly saw a group of people gathered outside the yard. The leader was Yi Zhonghai, who was always highly respected in the village. He stood in the crowd, looking at Li Xiangqian with a serious face, as if waiting for him to come back.

Li Xiangqian's heart suddenly sank, realizing that things might not be good. Yi Zhonghai was an elder in the village and a person with a lot of say in the village. Once he showed up, things would be very difficult. Li Xiangqian walked forward quickly, frowning slightly, wondering what had happened.

"Uncle Yi, what's going on? What happened?" Li Xiangqian tried his best to keep his voice calm, but his doubts grew deeper and deeper.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at him coldly, his tone serious: "Li Xiangqian, I was waiting for you here, and since you are here, let's talk it over face to face."

Li Xiangqian's heart suddenly jumped, and he felt something was going to happen. His face changed slightly, and he calmed down and asked, "Uncle Yi, just say what you want to say, why are you like this all of a sudden?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded slowly and gestured to the people standing beside him. They also stepped forward and pointed at Li Xiangqian and whispered. A fat middle-aged man stood up and pointed at Li Xiangqian and said, "I saw with my own eyes that Li Xiangqian was wandering around the village last night. At that time, a few bags of grain had just been lost in our village. He looked sneaky and suspicious!"

When Li Xiangqian heard this, his face suddenly darkened. He was shocked. He didn't expect someone to frame him in public! He didn't go to the village at all last night. He was busy dealing with watermelons in the melon field. How could he have time to wander around?

"You're talking nonsense! I didn't go to the village last night. I was in the melon field!" Li Xiangqian couldn't help but retort, his voice filled with anger. Although he usually had a good temper, he was immediately furious when he was falsely accused.

Yi Zhonghai looked at Li Xiangqian and said slowly: "Li Xiangqian, don't be so quick to deny it. Several people saw you walking around the village last night. A lot of things have been lost in our village, and everyone is very nervous now. You have to tell me clearly where you went last night and what you did."

When Li Xiangqian heard this, he became even more angry. He scanned the crowd around him and found that many people were looking at him with suspicion. This made him feel angry and wronged. He had always been an honest man who had never done anything wrong, but now he was being questioned in public, which made him feel deeply unfair.