Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian didn't say anything, but just nodded. He knew that he couldn't hide his little thoughts from Qin Huairu, but he also knew that if he didn't ask her to help, it would be difficult for him to do things well by himself.

Qin Huairu was silent for a moment, and finally sighed: "Xiang Qian, I understand what you mean. To be honest, this matter is not small. But I can't watch the people in the hospital starve like this." She raised her head and said in a more serious tone, "But you have to listen to my arrangements and don't do it alone again."

Li Xiangqian felt relieved after hearing this and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I'll listen to you."

Li Xiangqian sat in Qin Huairu's hut, staring at the tubers and grass roots covered with dirt on the table. It was as if a gate had been opened in his mind, and the rush of thoughts made him stunned for a moment. He looked at the things in front of him, and his ears seemed to ring with the crying of the children in the yard not long ago, and the sighing of the old man under the eaves. The hunched and tired figures in the yard were like a series of blurred pictures, constantly flashing in his mind, pressing his chest.

He remembered that day when the old lady looked at the thin porridge in the pot, stirred it feebly with a spoon, and comforted her grandson: "It will be ready soon, wait a little longer, and you can eat it when it thickens." But how could the thin porridge in the pot be thicker? The skinny child held the broken bowl and looked at the pot eagerly, his eyes full of hunger and expectation. That look has always lingered in Li Xiangqian's mind.

"Xiang Qian, what are you thinking about?" Qin Huairu's voice suddenly pulled him back from his thoughts.

Li Xiangqian raised his head and found Qin Huairu sitting opposite him, looking at him with a little doubt in his eyes. He blinked, touched his forehead with his hand, and whispered: "Nothing, just thinking, when will this kind of day end..."

Qin Huairu sighed slightly, stretched out his hand to push the tubers aside, leaned back in his chair, and said with a little more helplessness: "Who doesn't hope that life will get better? But right now, all we can do is to get through it. Xiang Qian, you have this intention, which shows that you are a responsible person, but you also have to understand that no matter how capable you are, you can't handle the affairs of the entire yard alone."

This sentence was like a needle that pierced Li Xiangqian's heart. He lowered his head, rubbed his knees unconsciously with his hands, and spoke in a low voice as if he was talking to himself: "I know... but sometimes, seeing everyone starving like that, I feel so uncomfortable. I just think that if I can do something, it's better than doing nothing, even if it can only help a little."

Qin Huairu looked at his depressed look and felt bad. She knew Li Xiangqian's character and was a hard worker, but he was always too hardworking and always took all the responsibilities on his shoulders. Such a man was admirable, but also distressing.

She was silent for a while, then suddenly stood up, walked to the stove, and took out a worn-out can from the corner. She patted the can with her hands, turned around and handed it to Li Xiangqian: "Look, what is this?"

Li Xiangqian took the bottle and looked inside. There was some black powder inside. He frowned and looked up and asked, "What is this?"

"It's made from ground wild grass roots." Qin Huairu said calmly, "I also dug these things up in the fields a few days ago. I thought about cooking them, but the taste was too hard to swallow. Later, I tried drying them, grinding them, and mixing them with some wild vegetable leaves to make pancakes, and they were barely edible."

Li Xiangqian was immediately excited when he heard this: "Really? This is a good idea! As long as it can fill my stomach, it doesn't matter if it tastes bad."

"But the problem is, there is too little to dig." Qin Huairu shook his head, with a hint of helplessness in his tone, "It's just me, and I can only grind this much flour in a day. This stuff is very light, and it looks like a lot, but if I really eat it, it's not even enough for two meals."

"There is strength in numbers!" Li Xiangqian's eyes suddenly lit up, and he tightened his grip on the can. "Sister Qin, you're right. It's definitely not enough just for the two of us. But what if we can get everyone in the yard to move? If we all dig and grind together, won't we be able to store more food?"

"That's what you said, but it's not that simple." Qin Huairu frowned and said slowly, "First, this place is not a secret. If too many people know about it, it will inevitably cause scramble. Second, some people in the courtyard are cunning and talkative. Once things get out, I'm afraid it will cause trouble."

Li Xiangqian felt nervous after hearing this. He knew that Qin Huairu was right. Although most people in the courtyard were honest, there were some who had their own agendas. If they were not careful, a series of problems would arise.

"Then...why don't we find a few people we can trust first?" Li Xiangqian said seriously, "It's easier to control with fewer people, and we can test the effect. Once we figure out the route, we can slowly spread it out."

Qin Huairu did not answer immediately, but lowered her head to think. She tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, her eyes wandering, as if she was weighing something. After a long while, she finally raised her head and looked at Li Xiangqian firmly: "Okay, I can help you with this. But there is a condition."

"What conditions?" Li Xiangqian was stunned and asked quickly.

"You have to listen to my arrangements." Qin Huairu said in a serious tone, "This matter cannot be messed up from beginning to end. Who should know and who should not know, how to divide the work, how to preserve, all must be according to my instructions."

Li Xiangqian nodded without hesitation: "Okay! I'll listen to you."

"Okay, that's settled then." Qin Huairu smiled, and the fatigue on her face seemed to have dissipated a little. "Starting tomorrow, I'll take you to find a few people to try your hand at. Remember, we have to do it step by step, and we can't be impatient."

Li Xiangqian went out early in the morning with his tools on his back, a worn cloth bag on his shoulder, and his steps seemed a little unsteady. The sound of the wind last night seemed to still linger in his ears, mixed with the faint sound of footsteps, which made him unable to sleep well all night. Although he repeatedly told himself that it was just his illusion, the uneasiness in his heart could not be shaken off.

When he reached the edge of the field, it was just daybreak and the surroundings were strangely quiet. Even the birds that had been roosting in the trees all year round were nowhere to be seen. This field had been abandoned for a long time, overgrown with weeds, and exuded a damp earthy smell. Li Xiangqian stood at the edge of the field, looked around, and confirmed that there was no one around, then he carefully bent down and began to dig the soil with the tool in his hand.

His hands moved mechanically and skillfully, but his ears were like fully stretched strings, capturing all the movements around him. The breeze blew, the grass rustled, and he shuddered several times, and his hands couldn't help but pause. He looked up at the bushes in the distance, as if the shadows there made him feel something was wrong.