Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

The cold wind at night was as sharp as a needle. Li Xiangqian walked quickly on the path in the field. The soil under his feet was a little slippery due to the night dew. He was holding an old lantern. The light swayed slightly with his steps, reflecting the expression on his face. His eyes sometimes stopped on the crops in the field, and sometimes looked at the darkness in the distance. What he was thinking about was the weather change just now - the wind suddenly became stronger, and the temperature seemed to be lower than the previous few days. Will the crops be cold tonight?

He quickened his pace, and the light of the lantern danced on the ground, casting a swaying shadow. However, he did not notice that an equally vague shadow was quietly following him in the distance. That person was He Yuzhu, the village carpenter. He was always busy on weekdays, but for some reason, he had been paying special attention to Li Xiangqian's whereabouts recently. He did not say anything, but just followed from a distance, watching Li Xiangqian's every move.

Li Xiangqian walked to the edge of the field, squatted down, and touched the leaves with his hands. There was a thin layer of dew on the leaves, but no frost. He breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and inspected the area. These days, he went out every night to check on the crops, and in order not to worry his family, he went out quietly every time. But he didn't expect that these "nocturnal" actions would arouse the curiosity of others.

"What on earth does this kid want to do when he comes out so late every day?" He Yuzhu thought to himself. He scratched his head and squinted his eyes, as if trying to see clearly what Li Xiangqian was busy with. But the night was too dark, and from this distance, he could only vaguely see Li Xiangqian squatting on the ground.

"Humph, he's probably up to something." He Yuzhu sneered, but he was a little hesitant. He didn't believe that Li Xiangqian would do anything big, but he felt that this man was very strange recently, always doing things in the village that others couldn't think of.

Li Xiangqian didn't notice anyone following him. He squatted beside a pile of dry grass, reached out and moved it, and found that the soil under the dry grass was still moist. He nodded and secretly made a note: "I have to bring some more grass to press down the soil tomorrow, so that the ground temperature can be maintained."

His thoughts drifted away. The conversation with Uncle Wang during the day echoed in his mind again, especially the sentence "Don't push yourself too hard", which was like a stone hitting his heart. Yes, he knew that he was working too hard, but when he thought about the whole village's hopes on the crops in the fields, he couldn't let it go. Especially his mother's wrinkled face, every line seemed to be engraved with the hardship of the years.

"Xiang Qian, why are you so stubborn?" He shook his head, as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was blaming his persistence in not wanting to stop.

He Yuzhu quietly moved closer, hid behind a tree, and held his breath. He saw Li Xiangqian stand up, touch the soil on the ground, and then walk to the other end of the field. He was more and more puzzled: "Is it necessary to come to see what he planted in the middle of the night? What is this guy doing?"

At this moment, Li Xiangqian suddenly stopped, turned around, and seemed to be looking around. He Yuzhu was startled and quickly hid behind a tree, fearing that he would be discovered. But Li Xiangqian just glanced around, then bent down to check the crops, muttering softly: "The soil here is a bit dry, I have to fetch more water tomorrow."

He Yuzhu heard it clearly, and his heart was shaken. He had never seen anyone so dedicated to farm work, even to this extent. The villagers said that Li Xiangqian was a hard-working young man, but in his opinion, this man was a little too hard-working. He Yuzhu thought of how he had been idling away these years, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He scratched his hair, quietly stepped back a few steps, and dared not get closer.

After finishing his inspection, Li Xiangqian stood up, stretched, and let out a long breath. He looked up at the sky, which was sparsely populated by stars and a hint of coolness in the air. He knew that although such weather could preserve the seedlings, it also meant that the weather was getting colder and there might be frost next.

"Frost... we have to find a solution quickly." His brows furrowed again, and an indescribable anxiety surged in his heart. Even though the crops were growing well these days, he dared not relax. The slightest mistake could make all the efforts go to waste.

He Yuzhu watched Li Xiangqian walking away with the lantern, feeling inexplicably complicated. He gritted his teeth, stood up, gently patted the dirt off his trouser legs, and secretly made a decision: "Tomorrow... I have to ask him if he can help me."

Early the next morning, Li Xiangqian had just returned to the field carrying water when he saw He Yuzhu standing at the edge of the field with his arms folded across his chest, a faint smile on his face.

"Brother He? Why are you here?" Li Xiangqian put down the bucket, wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes full of confusion.

He Yuzhu snorted and walked forward: "What else can I do? You're doing this every day, and it makes me itchy, and I'm wondering if I can lend a hand."

Li Xiangqian was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Brother, don't you usually not care about these farm work? Why are you interested today?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Just say whether I will help you or not." He Yuzhu pretended to be impatient, but his eyes were serious.

Li Xiangqian immediately understood a little bit and nodded quickly: "Help, of course! With you here, my job is much easier." He grinned, but felt a little emotional in his heart. Although He Yuzhu didn't say it, he knew that this man must have been touched by his persistence, so he took the initiative to come over.

The two of them started working together. While working, Li Xiangqian patiently explained to He Yuzhu the situation of these crops, from how to water them, how to protect them from the cold, to the techniques of covering the ground with grass. He Yuzhu was a little careless at first, but as he listened, he began to take it seriously.

"Xiang Qian, I think your method is really effective." He Yuzhu wiped his sweat, his tone full of admiration.

Li Xiangqian smiled, lowered his head and continued to spread the grass, but said: "Brother, this work in the field sounds simple, but it is difficult to do. We can't count on God to show mercy, we have to rely on ourselves."

He Yuzhu was stunned when he heard this, then nodded. He suddenly felt that Li Xiangqian in front of him was much more calm and mature than he had imagined. This man had an indescribable tenacity, like a seedling in the field, which could grow tenaciously even after experiencing wind, frost, rain and snow.

As He Yuzhu approached the field, Li Xiangqian subconsciously felt uneasy. He lowered his head to carefully check the crops in the field, but he caught a glimpse of a figure swaying in the distance. The path in the field was narrow but straight. From a distance, He Yuzhu's sturdy figure appeared particularly clear under the swaying lights.