Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"That's right. A widow and a bachelor, if they work together for a long time, maybe they can really succeed."

These words inadvertently reached Li Xiangqian's ears, and he immediately felt mixed emotions. He didn't hate Qin Huairu, but he also knew that he didn't want to be the center of gossip. In such a courtyard, everything would be infinitely magnified, especially things between men and women.

"What does she mean? If she is really interested in me, why doesn't she say it clearly? But if not, why does she always look for me?" Li Xiangqian pondered over it in his mind, but still couldn't find the answer.

That evening, Li Xiangqian was trimming his onions in the yard when he heard familiar footsteps. Qin Huairu came again, carrying a small cloth bag with a few fresh celery leaves vaguely visible inside. When she approached, she still had that gentle smile on her face, as if this was just an ordinary visit.

"Xiang Qian, are you busy? I just bought some fresh celery and thought you might like it, so I brought some to you." Qin Huairu said softly, with an almost intimate tone in his words.

Li Xiangqian glanced at the celery in her hand, feeling helpless. He really didn't want to accept her kindness anymore. This frequent contact made him feel a little troubled. He knew he couldn't go on like this, and he had to find an opportunity to make his position clear, so as not to make things more complicated.

"Huai Ru, please don't bother me." He tried to speak calmly. Although he was a little impatient, he didn't want to be too direct in order to avoid hurting the other person's face. "You usually take good care of me. I have a lot of things at home. I really don't need anything."

After hearing this, Qin Huairu's eyes flashed with disappointment, but she quickly regained her composure. She pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Xiang Qian, you are being too polite. We are all neighbors, and it is normal to help out or send some food. It is not a bother or no bother."

Li Xiangqian forced a smile, but his mind became more and more determined: he couldn't let this situation continue. Even if Qin Huairu didn't say anything clearly, her behavior had already attracted the attention of others. If this continued, the aunties in the courtyard would definitely make up more rumors, and eventually both him and her would be in the spotlight.

"Huai Ru," he stopped what he was doing and looked at her seriously, trying to appear sincere and gentle, "I know you mean well, but as neighbors, it's better for us to keep some distance. After all, you are raising a child alone, and I am also a single man. If we interact too frequently, I'm afraid people will gossip about us."

As soon as he said this, Qin Huairu's smile froze. She lowered her head, as if thinking about something, and raised her head after a moment, her eyes were a little complicated: "Xiang Qian, are you afraid that I will cause you trouble?"

"No, it's not a problem." Li Xiangqian waved his hands quickly, his tone a little hurried, but he had to make it clear, "It's just that there are many people in our yard who talk a lot, so it's inevitable that they will say something irrelevant. I think you don't want others to point fingers at you because of these things."

Qin Huairu was silent for a moment, the smile on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by a faint helplessness. She sighed and whispered: "I understand, Xiang Qian. Don't worry, I won't embarrass you again."

After saying that, she turned around, picked up the bag of celery, and left silently.

Li Xiangqian looked at her from behind, and he felt a little sorry, but at the same time he felt relieved. He knew that he had made a difficult but necessary decision. If he didn't make his attitude clear, the relationship between him and Qin Huairu would become more and more blurred, and eventually fall into an irreversible situation. Although he felt a little sympathetic towards her, he knew better that he couldn't make things complicated because of this sympathy.

"It's not easy for her either." Li Xiangqian sighed inwardly. It was indeed very hard for Qin Huairu to support the family and raise several children alone. She might just want to find someone to rely on, someone who could share the burden of her life. But Li Xiangqian knew that he was not the right person.

In the next few days, if Qin Huai didn't take the initiative to look for him again, she would still be busy in the yard, and occasionally greet him when they met, but her warm attitude seemed to be restrained. Li Xiangqian felt a little relieved, but also a little inexplicably lost. After all, her proximity once made his life more lively, but now it has returned to its original loneliness.

One afternoon, Li Xiangqian was trimming onion leaves in the yard when he suddenly heard the laughter of children next door. He looked up and saw Qin Huairu's children playing around her. She looked a little tired, but her eyes were gentle, as if all the hardship had been washed away at this moment.

"It's really not easy for her." Li Xiangqian sighed again in his heart, but at the same time reminded himself not to get involved in unnecessary troubles out of sympathy. His life has calmed down now. He grows onions and occasionally goes to the market to buy some fresh ingredients. Although his life is simple, it is fulfilling. This peaceful life makes him feel at ease, instead of getting involved in other people's stories and becoming the protagonist of rumors.

In the evening, Li Xiangqian sat at the table, eating the dinner he cooked, thinking back to the past few days. Although he kept a distance from Qin Huairu, he knew in his heart that this distance might not be able to completely prevent the spread of rumors. Neighborhood relations in the courtyard were always complicated, and he could not control how others viewed him. But at least, he could control himself from doing things that might cause more misunderstandings.

"I'd better live my life honestly." He said to himself silently.

Li Xiangqian sat on a rattan chair in the courtyard, a cigarette in his mouth, looking at the onions in front of him that had begun to grow well. He felt a little satisfied, and all the hard work of watering and fertilizing these days was not in vain. However, thinking of dinner, especially the light onion scrambled eggs and onion mixed cold dishes he had eaten in the past few days, Li Xiangqian felt a little worried. Although he grew the onions himself and felt a sense of accomplishment when eating them, he always felt that it was missing a little taste when every meal relied on it as the main ingredient.

"If there is some chili, it will be more flavorful." He muttered to himself, recalling the spicy and flavorful chili fried onions he had eaten before. Since moving into the courtyard, he gradually simplified his meals and saved a lot of money, but every time he thought of the strong spicy aroma, his heart itched.

Today is the weekend, so I have some free time.