Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

The onions soften under high temperature and gradually release their sweetness. Mixed with the fat from the pork belly, the aroma is simply irresistible.

"This taste..." Li Xiangqian couldn't help swallowing.

Then, he thought of his father. When he was a child, his father always liked to give him slices of meat for this dish at the dinner table, saying that boys should eat more meat to grow strong. At that time, a bowl of pork belly fried with onions, a simple combination, was the main dish on their dinner table. His father fried the onions just right, soft but not mushy, with a natural sweetness, and the pork belly was fried fragrant but not greasy. Every time he ate this dish, Li Xiangqian felt that he had all the satisfaction in an instant.

"If my father were still alive, he would definitely like the onions I planted." Li Xiangqian felt a little nostalgic, but then he smiled bitterly. His father had been gone for many years, and he lived alone in this old courtyard. Although his life was dull, he felt that this onion field seemed to add a lot of color to his days and made him feel the long-lost vitality.

The next day, just after dawn, Li Xiangqian went to the market as usual to buy pork belly in advance, so that when the onions grow a little bigger, he can make the long-awaited pork belly fried onions. Walking in the bustling market, various hawking sounds came one after another, and the air was mixed with the aroma of vegetables and cooked food. He walked to the butcher shop, and the stall owner was a young man who cut the meat skillfully. As the knife went up and down, the pieces of meat were neatly placed on the chopping board.

"Hey young man, give me a pound of pork belly with a more even mix of fat and lean meat." Li Xiangqian said.

The stall owner looked up at him and replied with a smile, "Okay, please wait a moment." As he spoke, he deftly cut off a few pieces of suitable pork belly, wrapped them up and handed them to Li Xiangqian.

Li Xiangqian was quite satisfied when he received the meat. He could already imagine the sizzling sound of the meat in the pot. When he returned to the courtyard, the sun was already high in the sky. Li Xiangqian was holding the bag of fresh pork belly in his hand, and he was a little impatient. He stood in front of his house, looking at the onions that were growing more and more lush, and his heart was full of anticipation.

Time passed quickly. Li Xiangqian took good care of the onions every day, watering, weeding, checking the soil moisture, and even taking another look at them before going to bed at night. Until one day, he found that the onions had begun to become full, like a big fist, and exuded a faint fragrance. He knew that the time had come.

That evening, Li Xiangqian decided to pull out a few onions and make a dish he had longed for: pork belly and onion stir-fry. Looking at the onions he had just pulled out, with strong roots, plump and round heads, and shiny green leaves, Li Xiangqian felt an indescribable sense of pride. What he planted was not just a vegetable, but the fruit of his own efforts and expectations.

"I can finally taste the onions that I grew myself!" He couldn't help laughing, his heart full of anticipation.

Back in the kitchen, Li Xiangqian skillfully sliced ​​the pork belly into thin slices, his movements revealing a long-lost calmness. He lit the hot pot, and when the hot oil in the pot emitted thin white smoke, he gently put the pork belly into the pot. As soon as the meat slices entered the pot, the fat quickly dissolved, making a "sizzling" sound, and the fragrance immediately spread, and the whole kitchen was instantly filled with a rich meaty aroma. Li Xiangqian held the spatula and stir-fried it carefully, his eyes focused, as if time had been frozen at this moment.

"Almost done." He looked at the meat slices in the pot, which had turned golden and filled with the aroma of meat, and quickly poured in the onion slices he had cut.

After the onions were put into the pot, they quickly softened under the high temperature and blended perfectly with the aroma of the pork belly. Li Xiangqian smelled the familiar smell, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his heart was filled with a long-lost satisfaction. This is not only an expectation of taste, but also a sense of control over his life. In the past few months, he started with a pack of inconspicuous onion seeds, experienced planting, care, weather changes, and the game with nature, and now finally ushered in the harvest time.

After a few stir-fryings, the sweetness of the onions and the fat of the pork belly were thoroughly mixed together, and the aroma was so fragrant that Li Xiangqian felt that his stomach had long been restless. He picked up the pan and poured the fried pork belly and onions into the plate, and the aroma became stronger. The familiar color and taste instantly brought him back to his childhood, as if he saw himself sitting at the dinner table, waiting for his father to pick up food.

"I'm going to have a satisfying meal today!" he thought to himself, and couldn't wait to pick up a piece of meat and a slice of onion and put them in his mouth.

The pork belly melts in the mouth, the aroma of fat spreads in the mouth, the sweetness of the onion is just right, with a hint of spiciness, perfectly neutralizing the greasiness of the meat. Every bite is a pleasure, Li Xiangqian couldn't help but close his eyes and immerse himself in this long-lost home-cooked dish. This taste was once the warmest taste in his memory, and now it is created by him.

After finishing the meal of fried pork belly with onions, Li Xiangqian leaned back in his chair contentedly, savoring the familiar taste. The sweetness of onions mixed with the aroma of pork belly made him feel calm and satisfied. However, this tranquility did not last long, as some strange things that happened in the past few days began to emerge in his mind, especially about Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu had recently appeared in front of him in the courtyard, intentionally or unintentionally. Her smile was always a little too gentle, and her words were full of ambiguous temptations. She often passed by his door, and sometimes even knocked on his door on the pretext of something, and sent him a dish she cooked, or took some things that were not used at home, smiling and saying that they were "extra" and asked him not to be polite. This overly enthusiastic attitude made Li Xiangqian feel a little confused.

"What on earth does she want to do?" Li Xiangqian wondered to himself.

Qin Huairu was a well-known smart woman in the courtyard. She had been a widow for many years, and it was not easy for her to live in this courtyard with several children. Everyone knew that her situation was difficult, but she had always been strong and independent, and never showed any weakness. However, during this period, her attitude towards Li Xiangqian seemed to have changed, from cold courtesy to closeness now. This change made Li Xiangqian feel inexplicably uneasy.

"Could she be interested in me? No, that's unlikely." Li Xiangqian frowned. He was just an ordinary worker. He didn't have much money and there was nothing particularly attractive about him. How could a woman like Qin Huairu be interested in him? But her repeated approach seemed unusual.

That evening, Li Xiangqian was watering the onion field in the yard when Qin Huairu came again. She walked up to him with a basket of washed clothes in one hand and a small plate in the other, smiling.