Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Xiao Zhi happened to run into the yard and saw him holding his stomach. He immediately ran over, grabbed his hand, and asked nervously, "Uncle Li, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

Li Xiangqian gritted his teeth, tried to calm himself down, forced a smile, and said, "Xiaozhi, Uncle Li is fine, just a little uncomfortable in the stomach." He didn't want to scare Xiaozhi, so he reached out and patted his shoulder, "Go back quickly, don't let your mother worry."

Xiao Zhi did not leave, with a hint of stubbornness in his eyes, "Uncle Li, how about I go call my mom, she has some folk remedies that can help you relieve the pain."

Li Xiangqian felt sad. He knew Xiaozhi's good intentions, but he still waved his hand to refuse. "Xiaozhi, it's really not necessary. I just need to rest for a while. You can go back soon."

Although Xiao Zhi was unwilling, he still listened to Li Xiangqian's words and went home. Li Xiangqian forced himself to sit on the chair, closed his eyes, and took a slow, deep breath. He secretly reminded himself that he must not fall down and must not let the He family worry about him anymore. He always felt that he was the one who was responsible for helping others, and he must not cause trouble to others because of his own problems. This sense of responsibility weighed on his heart, making him feel both heavy and invisible, prompting him to grit his teeth and persevere.

However, the stomachache did not show any signs of relief, but instead became worse as the days went by. Sometimes when he was bending over to move bricks on the construction site, he would suddenly feel a sharp pain, forcing him to stop and take a deep breath before continuing. He even began to secretly take some painkillers, hoping to temporarily relieve the pain so as not to be discovered.

Once, his coworker Lao Zhang noticed that he looked unhappy, patted him on the shoulder, and asked with concern: "Xiang Qian, what's wrong? You don't look very happy, are you too tired recently?"

Li Xiangqian quickly waved his hands, "It's okay, Lao Zhang, I'm a strong man. Maybe I didn't sleep well. I will be fine in a few days." He tried his best to hide his discomfort and made up an excuse to get away with it.

But when Lao Zhang saw his sunken eye sockets and pale face, he felt a little more worried. Lao Zhang knew that Li Xiangqian was not someone who would cry out in pain easily, and this look was probably not just fatigue. He thought to himself and decided to ask him again when he had a chance. After all, the work on the construction site was not easy, and if he really had pain, it would only make things worse if he insisted on holding on.

In this way, Li Xiangqian silently suppressed his pain in his heart, trying not to let it affect his daily life. Whenever the pain came, he clenched his teeth and repeatedly told himself: This is only temporary, it will pass after enduring. He clenched the branches of the cucumber seedlings with both hands, and his fingertips almost sank into the tender green leaves, as if he wanted to draw a little strength and comfort from these new plants.

Although Li Xiangqian's health has not been very good recently, in order to let the He family have some harvest as soon as possible, he forced himself to cheer up and continue to focus on the cucumber field in the backyard. He knew that in order for these cucumbers to grow well, watering alone was far from enough, and the nutrients in the soil had to keep up. So he decided to buy some fertilizer and apply fertilizer in time while the cucumber seedlings were still in the early stages to accelerate their growth. In this way, the cucumber seedlings can grow stronger, the branches and leaves will be denser, and the cucumbers can be more and better.

That evening, he took advantage of the break after work and went to the market. After some selection, he bought a bag of fertilizer, which was quite large and expensive. He felt a little pain in his heart for the expense, but he felt a little comforted when he thought that the cucumbers would grow better and bring practical help to the family. When he returned to the courtyard, it was already dark and his stomach was aching again, but he suppressed the discomfort and prepared to apply fertilizer the next day.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian moved the fertilizer to the backyard and carefully put the bag aside, thinking about how to distribute it. Fertilizing is a job that requires skills, especially for newly grown seedlings. Too little will have no effect, and too much will "burn the seedlings." While weighing it, he carefully fiddled with the leaves of the cucumber seedlings, secretly thinking about how to fertilize it for the best effect.

Just at this moment, Xiao Zhi ran out of the house and saw Li Xiangqian squatting on the ground busying himself. His eyes lit up and he walked over and asked curiously, "Uncle Li, what are these for?"

Li Xiangqian raised his head and smiled, then touched Xiaozhi's head. "This is fertilizer, it can make the cucumber seedlings grow faster and stronger. Xiaozhi, today uncle will teach you how to fertilize cucumbers. Can you help me with the work?"

Xiao Zhi's eyes lit up when he heard that, and his little face was full of excitement. He nodded and said, "Okay! I want to help Uncle Li grow vegetables too!" As he said that, he looked eager to try, and squatted beside Li Xiangqian, imitating him and carefully fiddling with the cucumber seedlings.

Li Xiangqian looked at Xiaozhi's serious expression, and his heart softened. He knew that Xiaozhi had no experience in growing vegetables, so he patiently explained and demonstrated, "Come, Xiaozhi, look at me. We need to dig a small hole in the soil first and bury the fertilizer in it, but not too close, keep a little distance to avoid damaging the root system. After fertilizing, cover it with soil so that the cucumber seedlings can slowly absorb nutrients."

Xiao Zhi watched attentively, nodded seriously, and then carefully imitated his movements, dug a small hole in the soil, scooped a little fertilizer from the bag, poured it in carefully, and covered it with soil. He looked at his finished "work" with a proud smile on his face, and looked up at Li Xiangqian, "Uncle Li, am I doing it right?"

Li Xiangqian smiled with satisfaction and nodded, "Yes, well done, Xiaozhi is getting better and better." His praise made Xiaozhi even more excited, and he continued to dig holes and apply fertilizers with great enthusiasm, and was busy and happy.

They were busy in the yard for a long time. When He's mother came out, she saw the two squatting in the cucumber field, sweating profusely. She couldn't help but smile and joked, "You two are really serious about this, you are more serious about it than planting crops!"

Li Xiangqian looked up at her and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, this is the future source of food, so we must take it seriously. We applied fertilizer today, and in a few days, you will see the cucumber seedlings growing stronger and stronger." His tone was relaxed, but he had deeper expectations in his heart. He hoped that these cucumbers could grow up as soon as possible, so that the He family could reduce a lot of burden on food.

Looking at him busying around, He's mother said with emotion: "Xiang Qian, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, we really don't know what to do." Her eyes were full of gratitude. Li Xiang Qian had helped their family so much these days, and she had no way to repay him. She always felt bad in her heart.