Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"You..." He Yuzhu's mother's voice suddenly choked. Li Xiangqian could hear that she was emotionally broken, and her voice became a little trembling, "You have to know that not everything can be thrown away casually, especially food... Why don't you think about how we had to carefully preserve every grain of food when we lived like that in the past, for fear of wasting even a penny?"

"I know, you've said it so many times, that's enough!" He Yuzhu was obviously impatient, and his voice became more and more urgent, "Don't say anymore, just do it, if you don't want to do it, forget it, anyway, I'm not in the mood to care about these things!"

When Li Xiangqian heard this, his heart suddenly sank. He knew that He Yuzhu's words were not just an argument with his mother. He had obviously developed aversion and resistance to these traditional concepts in his family. The disdainful and contemptuous attitude made Li Xiangqian feel deeply uneasy. This was not just an abandonment of a family, but a departure from a way of life and the hard work of generations.

He took a deep breath, came to his senses, walked back to the yard, and stood beside the pile of scattered food. He felt that his mood was getting worse and worse, angry, disappointed, and a sense of indescribable powerlessness.

The argument just now made Li Xiangqian's anger unable to dissipate. He didn't understand why He Yuzhu had such an idea. Even if he lived a rich life, he should understand the value of every grain of food. It was not only the value of food, but also the continuation of family tradition and the testimony of generations of hard work.

He looked down at the ground, but scenes from the past emerged in his mind. When he was a child, the family conditions were not good. Li Xiangqian's parents always lived frugally and were reluctant to waste even the water in the pool. Grain was treated as a treasure. If a grain was dropped, his mother would give him a serious warning. Every autumn harvest season, his father would take the whole family to the fields to harvest the full grains of rice and wheat. After the harvest, bags of grain were stored in the warehouse next to the yard. At that time, he and his younger brother Li Guoqiang would sneak to the warehouse, stand next to the high pile of grain, secretly taste the fresh grains of rice and wheat, and secretly enjoy the sweetness brought by the harvest.

These memories were as clear as yesterday in Li Xiangqian's mind. But now, as he looked at the scattered grains in front of him, he became more and more anxious. He stood there, feeling as if he had lost all control of the courtyard.

What made him even more angry was He Yuzhu's words "not much will be wasted". This sentence pierced Li Xiangqian's heart like a knife. Every grain of food, even if it was just a seemingly insignificant bit, represented countless efforts and hard work of the family. Waste, not only wasted food, but also disdained the family and all the hard work of the ancestors.

Li Xiangqian knew that this was not just a dispute about food, but on a deeper level, it was a clash of values ​​and a complete opposition between past and present lifestyles.

His thoughts went back to yesterday evening. At that time, he was about to enter the house and sit down to read quietly for a while. But he suddenly heard a noise outside the door. It was the voices of He Yuzhu and his mother, and the content of the dispute was also about food. He Yuzhu seemed to completely not understand his mother's painstaking efforts, and did not understand why a small loss of food would cause such anxiety and anger. He shook his head in disappointment, and what surged in his heart was not only anger, but also an indescribable sense of powerlessness.

How he wished that everyone could be respectful of food like in the past, and cherish every grain of rice and wheat like when they were young. But now, this cherishment seems to have been forgotten in the cracks of time.

Suddenly, Li Xiangqian heard footsteps coming from the gate of the yard. He turned around and saw He Yuzhu passing by the gate of his house, with his head down and hurried steps. Li Xiangqian suddenly felt an inexplicable emotion in his heart.

He walked to the gate of the courtyard, and when he saw He Yuzhu about to pass by the gate, he stopped and said directly: "Yuzhu, do you have time?"

He Yuzhu hesitated for a moment, glanced at Li Xiangqian, and said impatiently, "What's the matter?"

Li Xiangqian stared into his eyes. His tone did not show anger, but was a bit heavy. "I didn't say anything about what happened last night, not because I didn't care, but because I didn't want to argue with you. But you have to understand that food is not just food, it is a symbol of every bit of labor and responsibility. I know you are living a better life now, but we can't forget those years... Do you understand?"

He Yuzhu sneered, with a flash of disdain in his eyes: "It's easy for you to say that. Anyway, there is enough food at home, who really cares about these things."

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, and became even more angry, but he did not continue to argue. He lowered his head and silently looked at the grain in the yard, his eyes gradually becoming sad. He knew that no matter what he said, He Yuzhu would never understand this kind of awe and sense of responsibility for grain, and this was not just a family problem, but a change in the entire era and the entire society.

Li Xiangqian stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching He Yuzhu's hurried departure, and the uneasiness in his heart did not subside at all. There was a chill in the air, and gradually, this chill also penetrated into his heart. The tranquility in the courtyard seemed to be broken. He took a deep breath, turned around and walked into the house. He knew that although his conversation with He Yuzhu just now did not achieve the expected effect, it was just a superficial conflict. What really bothered him was the behavior of his wife Li Mei.

Li Xiangqian was getting more and more depressed. He had been feeling uneasy since he found out that the food was missing last night. It was not until the morning that he learned from Li Mei that she had secretly distributed some of the food. She explained that the food was given to several poor families in the next village. Li Xiangqian had never thought that his wife would make such a decision, and he had never expected that she would distribute the food that was supposed to be kept for the winter without consulting him.

Li Xiangqian walked into the house and saw Li Mei busy in the kitchen. She was light and had a tired look on her face. She didn't seem to notice Li Xiangqian's arrival. Li Xiangqian stood at the door, watching her busy back, feeling a little tangled. Usually, Li Mei was a gentle and kind woman. She never acted impulsively and always put her family first. But today's situation puzzled Li Xiangqian. He didn't know why Li Mei made such a decision without telling him, nor why she was so eager to share the food at home.