Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian took a quick look at the market and became even more alert. He whispered to He Yuzhu, "We have to find a reliable buyer first. We can't just make a move and not attract attention."

He Yuzhu nodded and followed him through the crowd, scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes. Li Xiangqian's heartbeat quickened and his palms began to sweat. He knew that there couldn't be any mistakes in all this. If they were not careful, they might be targeted.

The middle-aged vendor's eyes were like a sharp knife, and he quickly looked at Li Xiangqian. The vendor's shrewd eyes revealed a bit of caution, but at the same time, there was a glimmer of greed. He did not rush to answer Li Xiangqian, but turned his head slightly and looked around, as if to confirm whether anyone else was paying attention to their conversation. Then, he lowered his voice very low, with a hint of temptation: "Do you have any food?"

Li nodded, feeling nervous. He knew that this moment was crucial and that any carelessness would lead to trouble, but he had no other choice. The corn in his arms was his last bargaining chip. If he couldn't sell it successfully today, life at home would become even more difficult. He tried to stay calm and whispered, "A little bit, not much, I want to see if I can change it for some money."

The vendor's eyes brightened, but his expression remained calm, as if he was deliberately hiding his inner greed. He nodded slightly, motioning Li Xiangqian to move closer: "Okay, follow me, I'll take you to a quieter place, and we can talk."

Li Xiangqian hesitated for a moment, and quickly calculated the possible consequences in his mind. He knew that exchanging corn for money was already a risky decision, and now he had to go to a secluded place to discuss it, which was naturally risky. But the vendor was obviously a man who had seen the world, and a rash refusal might arouse the other party's suspicion, which would be even more unsafe. He glanced at He Yuzhu beside him, and He Yuzhu understood and nodded slightly, indicating that he would keep an eye on it at any time.

The vendor led them around the main street of the market and into a secluded alley. The alley seemed extremely quiet, with only a few cats rummaging through the garbage for food and occasional low meows. Li Xiangqian's heartbeat quickened and his palms began to sweat slightly. Every step seemed to be towards unknown danger. His mind kept warning him to be vigilant, but he also understood that things had come to this point and it was too late to retreat.

Finally, they stopped in front of a dilapidated courtyard gate. The vendor pushed open the creaking wooden door and whispered to Li Xiangqian: "Come in, there's no one inside, let's talk here." His tone seemed casual, but Li Xiangqian could sense that there was some kind of instability hidden behind this casualness.

He Yuzhu frowned and hesitated at the door for a moment, but quickly followed in, ready to deal with any emergency at any time.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, and it was obvious that no one had taken care of it for a long time. The walls were covered with moss, and the glass of several broken windows had long been cracked, through which one could see the dim house inside. The vendor turned around and looked at them, revealing a forced smile: "Okay, let's talk here. Take out your corn and let me see it."

Li Xiangqian gently unwrapped the package in his arms, still nervous. He felt that the air around him seemed to be suffocating. The vendor stared at the corn in the package without blinking, and when he saw the golden kernels, a trace of greed and excitement flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed his emotions.

"Yeah, it looks real." The vendor nodded, his tone calm, but the desire in his eyes was clear. He took a step closer and gently fiddled with the corn kernels with his fingers, as if evaluating something.

At this moment, Li Xiangqian suddenly felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere behind him. He saw a few unfamiliar figures appear at the entrance of the alley and slowly approach them. He Yuzhu also keenly noticed the difference and immediately tensed up, with a hint of alertness in his eyes.

"Go forward, be careful, something is wrong." He Yuzhu warned in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the approaching figures.

Li Xiangqian's heart suddenly tightened. He knew that something was wrong.

Just as he was about to take back the corn package, the strangers approached quickly. One of the sturdy men stepped forward, stretched out his hand to grab Li Xiangqian's shoulder, and pushed him hard. He took a few steps back and almost fell to the ground.

"Hey, what kind of business is this? You have grain but you didn't tell your brothers?" The man's voice was hoarse, with a hint of teasing and threat. Several of his accomplices immediately surrounded him with unfriendly eyes, as if they had already set their eyes on the corn in Li Xiangqian's arms.

Li Xiangqian's heart sank suddenly, and he immediately realized that he had fallen into a trap. The vendor had set a trap from the beginning to the end, and he had no intention of doing business with them normally. This group of people had been waiting here for a long time, ready to snatch the corn.

He Yuzhu immediately stood in front of Li Xiangqian, clenched his fists, and glared at these people: "What do you want to do? We are here to do legitimate business, not to deliver food to you!"

The burly man laughed, his voice full of sarcasm: "A legitimate business? In this day and age, food is life, and you still want to follow the rules? Brothers, get started!"

Before he finished speaking, those people rushed forward and pounced directly on Li Xiangqian and He Yuzhu. The situation got out of control in an instant. He Yuzhu fought back with his fists, but the other side had more people and was strong. Although He Yuzhu was brave, he could not defeat the combined forces of these people. Li Xiangqian tried his best to protect the corn package and wanted to retreat to a safe place, but he was soon grabbed by the collar by two people and pulled hard. The package was torn apart in an instant, and the corn was scattered all over the ground, and the golden grains rolled to the ground.

"Ah!" Li Xiangqian shouted, watching the corns fall to the ground, feeling desperate. He knew that the corns were his family's last hope, but now, they all fell into the hands of these people. His chest seemed to be pressed down by a huge rock, and he could hardly breathe.

He Yuzhu struggled desperately and knocked down one man with his fist, but was then hit hard in the abdomen by another man, and he bent over in pain. Those people took the opportunity to rush forward and snatched all the corn packages from Li Xiangqian, then quickly evacuated and disappeared at the end of the alley.

Li Xiangqian collapsed on the ground, his chest heaving violently. He looked at the scattered corns on the ground, his mind was blank. At that moment, he felt that all his efforts and plans had vanished in an instant. Those corns were what he had placed all his hopes on, but now they were looted by a group of robbers.