Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian did not think of a way. He had learned some simple planting and wild collection from the elders in the village in his early years. With this little skill, he barely maintained the life of his family of three. But this was not a long-term solution. He looked at those people in the yard who were in a worse situation than him, and felt as if a knife was twisting his heart. Especially Aunt Xu's grandson Xiao Fuzi, his eyes were sunken due to hunger, and his eyes were full of desire when he looked at the adults, but he never dared to say that he was hungry. He was so sensible that it made people feel distressed.

That night, Li Xiangqian lay on the kang, the wind outside the window was getting stronger and stronger, as if urging him to do something. The plight of every household in the yard was like a huge rock pressing on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. He stared at the roof for a long time, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, and a bold plan was outlined in his mind.

The next morning, just after dawn, Li Xiangqian went out with a worn-out cloth bag on his back. He did not tell anyone about his plan, but said he was going out to see if he could find something. After walking a few miles along the path, he came to a piece of abandoned land. This land used to be a barren land that no one in the village wanted. The soil was dry and hard, and the grass and trees were sparse, but he remembered that there used to be some wild grass growing here. The old man said that although these grasses were not good-looking, they were edible and could be used to make something like porridge.

He squatted on the ground and carefully used his hands to dig through the withered grass. Sure enough, he found a few dry plants that still had roots. He skillfully dug them up with a small shovel and then put the weeds he dug into a cloth bag. By noon, he had already harvested a lot of things in his bag. Although these things looked insignificant, they were the hope of a full meal in his eyes.

Back at the courtyard, he showed the weeds to Aunt Xu and taught her how to clean, chop, and boil them to make a thick weed porridge. Although the porridge didn't taste good, the aroma attracted other neighbors. Everyone was surprised that the weeds were edible and that they felt warm in their stomachs after eating them. Someone tentatively asked Li Xiangqian if he could teach them how to find the weeds, and he agreed without hesitation.

From that day on, Li Xiangqian took the men in the yard out to look for edible weeds and tree roots. He taught them everything he knew without reservation, and even tried to dig some more remote wastelands to find food resources that might be overlooked. He also taught them how to open up small plots of land in the yard and plant some crops with short growth cycles, such as radishes and cabbages.

As time went by, the yard gradually became more lively. Although the sadness on the adults' faces had not completely disappeared, they had more hope for life. The children were no longer listless all day, but began to chase and play in the yard. Although they were thin, they had smiles on their faces.

But Li Xiangqian knew that this method of relying on gathering and simple planting was not a long-term solution. He began to think about how to use limited resources more effectively, and even thought about trying to get some scraps or discarded food in the factory. One day, he overheard several workers outside the factory canteen talking about a reed marsh near the factory, where there were many fat fish and shrimps, but because of the dangerous terrain, people nearby did not dare to approach easily.

Hearing this, Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat. Although the reed marsh was dangerous, if he could catch enough fish and shrimp, he could alleviate the urgent need in the yard. He decided to take advantage of the weekend to go there alone to find out. When he left, he quietly took the old harpoon and a homemade fishing net left to him by his father.

It was dusk when they arrived at the reed marsh. The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the water, making it sparkle. However, danger was hidden under this beautiful scenery. The depth of the reed marsh was unknown, and one could fall into the quagmire if not careful. Li Xiangqian gritted his teeth, held the harpoon tightly in his hand, and moved forward tentatively step by step. He observed the movement in the water and slowly approached a shallow beach. Suddenly, a fat fish jumped out of the water. He was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and stabbed the harpoon hard, and hit it with one shot! The fish was more than a foot long. He was ecstatic and carefully put it into the cloth bag, and continued to look for more prey.

After a night of hard work, he returned to the courtyard with a bag full of fish and shrimp. The people in the courtyard were shocked by the lively fish and shrimp, and their eyes were full of desire, but no one dared to ask for them. Li Xiangqian saw this and said with a smile: "Don't be polite, everyone, these are for the people in our courtyard. Let's make a pot of fish soup together, and the children can finally have a good meal."

That night, the smoke from the cooking stove in the courtyard was particularly thick, and the fish soup in the pot was boiling, and the fragrance filled the whole yard. The children drank from their small bowls with red faces, and the adults also showed a rare satisfied smile. Li Xiangqian looked at all this and felt a sense of steadiness that he had never felt before.

The courtyard was silent at night, with only the wind occasionally hitting the windows, making a slight "click" sound. Li Xiangqian sat on the kang, holding a small wooden stick in his hand, constantly scratching on the ground. His eyes were solemn, as if he was thinking about something, or as if he was trapped by some thoughts. The small oil lamp beside him flickered weakly, making his face look even thinner and more resolute.

These days, he always has a lingering feeling of irritability in his heart. Famine did not go away because of a few pots of wild grass porridge or a few times of fishing. The smiles on everyone's faces were fleeting, and they turned back to the worry about the next meal. Aunt Xu said that Xiao Fuzi started coughing again at night these few days, and the sound sounded weak like a cat's cry, as if he was afraid of disturbing the adults' rest. As for Uncle Zhang, his wife fell ill, probably because she ate too many cold things. Such things happened one after another, and Li Xiangqian felt more and more uncomfortable the more he thought about it, as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest.

"Xiang Qian, why don't you take a break and stop working so hard." His wife advised him quietly while mending his worn-out clothes. There was a hint of fatigue and helplessness in her voice, but more of it was heartache.

"Rest?" Li Xiangqian's voice was low and hoarse, but it was filled with an irrepressible stubbornness. "We can rest, but we can't rest from hunger. These days, I've watched those children in the yard, and I don't even have the energy to cry. Xiao Fuzi is like that, can you bear to see him..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly clenched the stick in his hand, and his throat seemed to be stuck, and his voice stopped abruptly. He lowered his head and stared at the ground, his fists clenched tighter and tighter, and his knuckles turned white.