Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

There was a kind of confidence in her words, as if she had already figured out the rules of life and could always deal with everything easily. Li Xiangqian knew that Jia Zhang's lifestyle was like this, simple, direct, and full of her almost unignorable energy. She didn't think about so many complicated emotions, nor did she dwell on the past. She had never experienced that kind of deep anxiety and uneasiness, and perhaps she simply couldn't understand his state of mind at the moment.

Li Xiangqian turned his eyes away from the noodles and looked out the window at the dark night sky. The air was getting colder and colder, and the wind blowing in through the window made him feel a chill. He suddenly felt that he seemed to be really tired, not physically tired, but mentally burdened. The trivialities of life, unsolved problems, and suppressed emotions had already dragged him into an abyss from which he could not extricate himself.

His eyes fell on the bowl of noodles again. The empty, cold noodles seemed to laugh at him silently. Just like himself, on the surface, nothing seemed to have happened, but in fact, everything was slowly settling down until it finally became insignificant, and even made people reluctant to touch it again. The feeling of being abandoned was like something important in his life - stolen money, unsolvable difficulties, and unsolved mysteries - slowly becoming cold and no longer important.

Seeing that he stopped talking, Jia Zhang frowned, "What's wrong with you today? Why do you look so worried? I made noodles for you, but you couldn't even eat them. Or did I do something wrong?"

Li Xiangqian smiled, forcing a smile, "No, it's not that you did something wrong, it's just that I've been a little upset recently. Maybe you're right, I'm tired."

"Upset? You're always upset. Can you relax a little? Life is like that. It's no big deal." Jia Zhang said as she picked up a bottle of wine on the table, poured a glass and handed it to Li Xiangqian. "Come on, drink some wine and relax."

Li Xiangqian took the wine glass and shook it gently a few times. The wine in the glass fluctuated slightly, making a slight clash sound. He looked up at Jia Zhang and was suddenly stunned. Her face was still carefree, as if nothing could bother her. Her personality was like that bowl of noodles, simple and direct, but with a kind of unthinking confidence. And he seemed to always be facing some incomprehensible dilemmas and could not escape.

Li Xiangqian sighed softly, picked up the wine glass, and drank it down with a gulp. The bitterness and temperature of the wine did not seem to bring any comfort, but made his stomach slightly uncomfortable. The heat of the alcohol spread along his throat, but in his heart, there was no warmth. He suddenly realized that he had become accustomed to this kind of fatigue, accustomed to wandering in these inexplicable predicaments, not knowing how to get rid of it.

"How is it? Are you feeling better?" Seeing that he had drunk some wine, Jia Zhang's eyes softened a little, as if she was expecting him to be able to regain that relaxed state.

"Potato sprouts, potato sprouts, it's really not easy at all." He whispered to himself.

Xu Damao's voice suddenly came from the side of the yard: "Li Xiangqian, what are you worried about?"

Li Xiangqian turned around and saw Xu Damao walking out of the yard, wiping the dirt off his hands with a smile on his face. Xu Damao had been his neighbor for many years. Although he was straightforward and a little impulsive, he was also honest and liked to help others, especially Li Xiangqian.

"Oh, Xu Damao, you're here." Li Xiangqian smiled slightly. Although he knew that Xu Damao always liked to run around enthusiastically, he couldn't help but feel a little comforted when he saw him. "I was just wondering if your potato seedlings can grow better?"

Xu Damao was stunned, obviously not expecting Li Xiangqian to suddenly bring up these things. After thinking for a while, Xu Damao grabbed the straw hat beside him and walked to Li Xiangqian: "Don't worry, Li Xiangqian, I will definitely take care of my potato seedlings for you." He put on a confident look and looked up at the sky: "However, I have to go to your side to see if there are some places that need to be repaired."

Li Xiangqian smiled softly: "How bad can your craftsmanship be? I won't feel at ease if you don't go and take a look."

Xu Damao snapped his fingers and said, "I'll go right away. I happen to be free today, so I'll go to your place."

Li Xiangqian nodded: "Then thank you for your help."

The two walked side by side to Li Xiangqian's yard, passing a small green flowerbed. Although Li Xiangqian's yard is not big, it can be seen that it has been carefully maintained, and there is a warm atmosphere of life in the yard. In the middle of the yard is a small vegetable plot. The potato seedlings have just sprouted, and the green leaves are facing the sun and trying to stretch upwards, as if greeting this new day.

"Look, this is my potato seedling." Li Xiangqian stopped and pointed at the fresh green. "You look good, but..."

"But what?" Xu Damao stood nearby and looked at it carefully for a while. "It looks like it's growing well. What's the problem?"

Li Xiangqian hesitated, but still said, "I always feel that the potato seedlings are not growing as expected. The leaves in some places are smaller than others. It may be a soil problem or it may be affected by the climate."

Xu Damao bent down and twisted his fingers in the soil: "Well, the soil is OK, and the moisture is just right." He pondered for a moment, then reached into the soil and felt around. "Li Xiangqian, the problem is not the soil. The root system of your potato seedlings is well developed. Instead, the water and sunlight may be uneven. You see, the seedlings here are growing slowly because they are blocked by the big tree next to them and there is not enough sunlight."

Li Xiangqian was silent for a moment, looking down at the potato seedlings, as if thinking about what Xu Damao said. The big tree would indeed block the sunlight from this piece of land at certain times, and where the potato seedlings were located, there was very little sunlight almost every afternoon. Perhaps this was the reason for the uneven growth.

"What should we do then?" Li Xiangqian looked at Xu Damao, his eyes revealing a bit of helplessness and hope.

Xu Damao slapped his thigh and said, "That's easy. Let's move these potato seedlings to a new location where they can get some sunlight." He made a simple gesture and said, "I'll do it right away and tidy it up for you tomorrow."

"Don't mess around. My vegetable garden is not a joke." Li Xiangqian was stunned and quickly reminded.

Xu Damao laughed: "Don't worry, I understand! I'll arrange it right away."