Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Xiang Qian, everyone in our yard is a family. How can we let you do it alone? If you go to dig things in the future, I will go too. With more people, we can always dig more." He Yuzhu's tone was firm.

Li Xiangqian smiled bitterly and patted him on the shoulder: "I can't stop you with your temper. But you have to listen to me and don't do anything rash." There was helplessness and gratitude in his eyes.

That night, He Yuzhu set out with Li Xiangqian. They walked and talked, and the atmosphere was more relaxed than before. He Yuzhu laughed at himself while digging: "If I had known that I could earn some food from this, my skills would have been useful!"

That night, the wind was even colder, rustling the sparse dry grass on the wasteland. The moonlight was weak, like a thin veil, shrouding the world around in a hazy shadow. Li Xiangqian and He Yuzhu, one in front and one behind, carried hoes and cloth bags, stepped on the low grass and slowly moved towards the depths of the wasteland in the distance.

"Xiang Qian, do you think there are really more things under this wasteland?" He Yuzhu asked in a low voice, looking around through the darkness. It's not that he didn't believe it, but he was always a little scared in his heart, as if he vaguely felt that there was something wrong with the atmosphere tonight.

Li Xiangqian didn't even turn his head, but just waved his hand: "Don't talk nonsense, we'll have to try to find it. We haven't dug through this piece of land yet, maybe there's something there." His tone was unquestionable, but his pace quickened a bit. He felt a little uneasy, but he knew that missing a night of digging might mean that the children would have one less full meal tomorrow.

The two men worked hard, and not long after, Li Xiangqian's hoe hit a hard object. He was slightly startled, and then his movements became faster. He squatted down and carefully dug up the soil with his hands, and suddenly found a strange-shaped tuber, which was larger than any he had dug before.

"Yuzhu, come and have a look!" Li Xiangqian called out in a low voice, with a hint of surprise in his tone. He Yuzhu came over and looked down, with an excited look on his face.

"Such a big piece, it can be used as a meal!" He Yuzhu lowered his voice, his eyes shining. He squatted down, took Li Xiangqian's hoe, and wanted to continue digging, but just after two shovels, he heard a slight cough in the distance.

The sudden sound made the two of them freeze at the same time. They looked at each other, with a bit of surprise and vigilance in their eyes. Who would be in this wasteland in the middle of the night? This sound didn't sound accidental.

Li turned his head to the direction where the voice came from and whispered, "There's someone there. Be careful."

He Yuzhu suppressed his panic and pretended to be calm: "No matter who it is, we haven't done anything bad, so it's okay even if we bump into each other. You keep digging, I'll go take a look."

"No." Li Xiangqian stopped him, his voice low but full of unquestionable determination, "If it's one of those hot-tempered people around here, it will be difficult for both of us to escape. Take the things and retreat first."

The two men quickly tightened the cloth bag and prepared to evacuate, but before they took a few steps, a familiar figure slowly walked towards them from a distance under the dim moonlight.

"Forward?" The man asked with a hint of doubt, but more of surprise, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Li Xiangqian was stunned, and his heart sank. He didn't expect that the person standing in front of him was actually an old man in the yard. He was an old man with gray hair and a straight back. He didn't talk much, but he was very majestic. Li Xiangqian suddenly felt his hands and feet were a little stiff, and he didn't know where to hide the tubers he dug out.

He Yuzhu obviously didn't expect this, and blurted out: "Uncle, why are you here too?"

The old man slowly walked a few steps closer, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them and the dirt on the ground, his face darkening, "Are you still asking me? I want to ask you two, what are you doing here in the wasteland with hoes in the middle of the night? You can hide it from the women and children in the yard, but can you hide it from me?"

Li Xiangqian opened his mouth but couldn't say anything for a while. He was filled with mixed emotions: shock, panic, and a little annoyance. He had always avoided talking about these things with people in the hospital, fearing unnecessary trouble, but tonight he was caught by an old man.

"I'm not... I'm..." He Yuzhu hesitated, his mind racing, trying to find an excuse to get away with it.

"Don't hesitate." The old man's voice was steady, but he was intimidating without being angry. "If you hide something from everyone, it means that it is not fair. I don't want to ask anything else, I just want to know, is it safe for you to dig these things?"

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath and clenched the cloth bag in his hand. He knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he said frankly: "Uncle, these things are all wild tubers dug out of the soil. I've tried them, they're edible, not poisonous."

The old man stared at him, his eyes seemed to reveal some unspeakable emotions: "Have you tried it? What if it is poisonous? If something goes wrong, can our hospital still hold on?"

Li Xiangqian gritted his teeth and whispered, "Uncle, I know you care about us, but in this situation, we can't just wait to die. If I don't try first, what will happen to the children in the yard? Look, even Xiao Shitou is so thin that he can't stand steadily."

The old man was silent for a while, and the lines on his face seemed to be deeper than usual. His eyes swept across the dug-up land and fell on Li Xiangqian: "You are really brave. But Xiangqian, the people in our courtyard are supported by the collective. Can you bear this kind of thing alone?"

He Yuzhu interrupted, "Uncle, it's right to move forward! He is also doing this for the good of the hospital. You know, it's not easy to dig this thing out, and everyone wants to dig more."

"I know." The uncle's tone softened, but his brows were still furrowed. "But have you ever thought about it? This kind of work cannot be hidden. Sooner or later, more people will know about it. By then, will it be a good thing or a bad thing?"

Li Xiangqian was shocked. It's not that he hadn't considered this, but every time he thought of the skinny children and elderly people in the yard, his hesitation would be suppressed. He lowered his head and said in a low and firm voice: "Uncle, I don't regret it. As long as it can help everyone have more food, even if it's a bad thing, I'm willing to take the responsibility."

The old man sighed deeply, with a complex look in his eyes. He looked at Li Xiangqian's hands covered in dirt, and then at his thin face, as if he was struggling with something in his heart. Finally, he spoke: "Since you have made up your mind, from now on, this matter can no longer be hidden. You have to let everyone in the hospital figure out a solution together. It is not a skill for one person to work hard, and it is the right way for everyone to work together."