Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Just as he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a slight rustling sound, as if something was quietly moving outside the courtyard wall. Li Xiangqian's heart tightened, and he immediately pricked up his ears to listen carefully. The sound was intermittent, very much like the sound of a snake sliding. However, this time he was no longer as panicked as he was at the beginning, but tried to keep himself calm.

"Maybe it was the wind..." He muttered to himself, trying to convince himself not to be too nervous. But deep down, the uneasiness was still lingering, as if some dangerous aura was gradually approaching, making his heart tighten.

He quietly walked to the gate and looked out, trying not to make any noise. The ground outside was quiet, with only the moonlight shining on the ridges, casting a few blurry shadows. His fingers trembled slightly, and his eyes carefully scanned every corner around him, trying to find the source of the sound.

"Xiang Qian, what are you doing?" Suddenly, his wife's voice came from behind. Li Xiangqian was startled. Then he turned around and found his wife standing at the door with concern in her eyes.

"Ah... nothing, I just wanted to see if there was any movement around." Li Xiangqian smiled and forced himself to look relaxed, but he felt a little annoyed in his heart that his wife saw this scene.

His wife came forward, gently pulled his sleeve, and whispered, "You should go to bed early. Stop worrying about it. You should go and discuss it with other people in the village tomorrow. You can't do it all by yourself."

Li Xiangqian nodded, feeling the warmth in his wife's hands, he felt a little relieved. Her concern comforted him a little, at least at this time, there was someone by his side, so he would not be completely alone.

"I understand. I will definitely go find someone to discuss it tomorrow. Let's ignore these things today." Li Xiangqian patted her hands gently, nodded, and walked into the house as she wished, intending to rest early.

The next morning, the morning light shone through the window into the house. Li Xiangqian woke up from a restless sleep, his mind still lingering with the fatigue of the previous night. He walked to the kitchen and decided to fry an omelet for breakfast. Although there were not many ingredients at home, this simple meal could make him feel a little calm in the morning, as if all his troubles could slowly dissipate with the delicious aroma.

He beat two eggs and gently stirred them into a golden liquid, but his eyes were a little erratic, and his mind was still not completely free from the snake shadow last night. The egg beater in his hand kept turning with his movements, and the egg liquid rippled in the bowl, just like the countless tangled thoughts in his heart, ups and downs, difficult to calm down.

His wife came over and saw him concentrating on beating eggs. She asked, "Xiang Qian, why did you get up so early? Didn't you say you wanted to get more rest last night?"

"It's okay, I'm used to it. I always wake up early in the morning." Li Xiangqian smiled and responded as if nothing had happened. He knew his wife was concerned about him, but he didn't want her to notice his inner irritability, so he buried his thoughts in his heart.

He poured the egg liquid into the pan. The oil at the bottom of the pan sizzled with the high temperature, emitting bursts of fragrance, which instantly warmed the whole room. Watching the egg liquid in the pan slowly solidify, Li Xiangqian's mood also relaxed with the fragrance.

"Uncle Zhang, please stop struggling. The ground is so cold that it can freeze you to the bone." Li Xiangqian said, but he did not try to dissuade him. He knew that Uncle Zhang was just like him. He could not sleep not because of the cold weather, but because he was worried about something.

The two dug silently, chatting about random topics as they dug. Uncle Zhang talked about his youth, saying that in the past, there were many people in the village but little land, but everyone was able to survive, relying on a spirit of not admitting defeat. Li Xiangqian nodded as he listened, but he felt more and more heavy in his heart. No matter how hard it was in the past, it wouldn't be as hard as it is now, right?

As the day was about to dawn, Li Xiangqian's cloth bag was finally filled with some messy plant tubers and grass roots. Uncle Zhang also dug some things. Although the harvest was not much, it was better than nothing. The two dragged their tired bodies back to the courtyard. The gate creaked open, and the first ray of sunlight in the morning poured in, shining on their pale faces.

"Xiang Qian, what should we do next?" Uncle Zhang put down the cloth bag in his hand and looked at Li Xiang Qian, his eyes full of expectation and anxiety.

The early morning sunlight shone through the dilapidated window frames of the courtyard and onto the bluestone ground, faint but desolate. When Li Xiangqian returned to the yard, he was already exhausted. The harvest in the bag was not abundant, but at least it was something edible. He stood at the gate of the yard, took a breath, and watched the people in the yard getting up and moving around. There was a complicated look on his face - a little tired, a little ashamed, and a little uneasy. He didn't expect that his frequent night outs during this period would attract the attention of some people.

What he didn't notice was that He Yuzhu was carefully hiding in the dark at the corner of the alley not far behind him. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Xiangqian's every move, with doubt and a little dissatisfaction in his eyes. Ever since he found out that Li Xiangqian always went out alone at night, He Yuzhu's heart felt like a cat's claw, and he became restless. He didn't think Li Xiangqian would do anything shameful, but in such a difficult day, any abnormality would be magnified into a question, or even a hidden danger.

"Xiang Qian, where have you been going mysteriously lately?" He Yuzhu couldn't help but ask one afternoon.

Li Xiangqian was just stunned for a moment, then forced a smile: "I didn't go anywhere, just walked around to see if I could find something to eat." After saying that, he lowered his head and fiddled with the small shovel in his hand, and said no more.

This attitude made He Yuzhu more suspicious. He was not a talkative person, but the difficulties during this period had made everyone in the courtyard extremely sensitive. Li Xiangqian's silence was like a stone, pressing on He Yuzhu's heart. He secretly made up his mind that one day he would find out what Li Xiangqian was doing.

So, when Li Xiangqian put on his coat again that night and quietly opened the gate, He Yuzhu was already waiting in the dark. He followed him not too far away, carefully hiding in the shadows, and his footsteps were very light. Li Xiangqian didn't notice anyone behind him at all, and he just focused on getting on with his journey.

He Yuzhu was also thinking: Where is he going in the middle of the night? Is he really going to look for some wild vegetables? But this road doesn't seem to be heading to the reed marsh.

Following along, He Yuzhu saw Li Xiangqian walk into a wasteland, squat on the ground and start digging something. He didn't dare to get too close, but just hid behind a tree and squinted his eyes to observe. Under the dim moonlight, he saw that Li Xiangqian's movements were skillful and focused, as if he had done it several times before.