Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian walked in the vegetable field, looking at several young seedlings that had been bitten off, feeling anxious and angry. The appearance of rats is obviously a hidden danger, especially at the critical moment when crops have just sprouted. Thinking of how much effort he and his neighbors have put in to make this wasteland come alive, but now it is facing threats because of these annoying rats, Li Xiangqian's heart is full of helplessness and annoyance.

"We can't let the rats ruin our hard work." Li Xiangqian secretly made up his mind that he must take some measures to protect this hard-earned field. However, he did not have much experience in how to deal with these rats. This made him hesitate and he didn't know where to start. He kept thinking about the rats in his mind. He recalled that when he was a child in the countryside, his grandfather often set some mousetraps or spread some poison bait around the granary to prevent rats from damaging the grain. Perhaps he could try these methods. But he was worried that there were many children in the courtyard. If they accidentally touched the mousetrap or ate the poison bait, it would be bad.

This thought made Li Xiangqian feel conflicted. On the one hand, he wanted to solve the mouse problem as soon as possible, but on the other hand, he was afraid of accidental injuries. He tossed and turned, thinking about safer and more effective methods, but he couldn't find a suitable solution for a while. Li Xiangqian got up tired from a sleepless night and walked to the wasteland to continue checking the crops. Sure enough, several young seedlings were bitten off last night, which made him even more anxious. He looked around and saw Lao Wang busy not far away. He decided to ask this experienced neighbor to see if he could find a solution.

"Good morning, Lao Wang!" Li Xiangqian walked forward, trying his best to hide his irritation, and greeted him.

"Good morning, Xiangqian, what's wrong?" Lao Wang put down the shovel in his hand, looked up at Li Xiangqian, obviously noticing something wrong with him.

"Alas, recently we found that mice came to steal the crops we planted. Several newly sprouted seedlings were bitten off. It's really annoying." Li Xiangqian sighed and told Lao Wang the situation truthfully.

After hearing this, Lao Wang frowned and said, "Oh, this won't do. Once mice come to our house, there will be more and more of them. We have to find a way to solve the problem quickly." "I know we have to solve it quickly, but I think there are children in our yard, and it's a bit unsafe to put mousetraps and poison bait. Do you have any good ideas?"

Lao Wang pondered for a while and said, "You are right. Safety is indeed a problem. When we encountered this situation before, we sometimes used some traditional methods, such as sprinkling chili powder around the crops or hanging some mint leaves. These smells can keep mice away."

Li Xiangqian's eyes lit up. This was a good idea. It would not hurt anyone and could also have a certain repelling effect. He immediately decided to give it a try. "Good idea. I'll go get some chili powder and mint leaves and sprinkle them around the crops tonight to see the effect."

Lao Wang nodded and added, "Also, you can patrol more often at night. Rats are usually active at night. If we pay more attention, we will always be able to find a way."

Li Xiangqian patted Lao Wang on the shoulder gratefully. "Thank you, Lao Wang. You really helped me a lot. I will prepare these things right away and try them tonight."

The next day, Li Xiangqian went to a nearby store as soon as he had some free time to buy some chili powder and dried mint leaves. He also found a few old jars and filled them with these things, ready to scatter them around the fields at night. He was secretly looking forward to whether these traditional methods would work. The courtyard gradually became quiet, but Li Xiangqian was not tired at all. He carried the jars filled with chili powder and mint leaves and carefully scattered them around the fields, trying to leave no gaps. After doing this, he cheered up again and prepared to stay at the edge of the field all night to prevent the mice from making trouble again.

The night was dark and the breeze was blowing, bringing bursts of coolness. Li Xiangqian wrapped his coat tightly, holding a stick in his hand, and stood vigilantly at the edge of the field. He knew that this might be a long battle, but he was willing to do everything to protect the crops he had worked so hard to grow.

Time passed by little by little, and the surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional sound of insects. Li Xiangqian dozed off several times, but he woke up quickly, constantly reminding himself not to let down his guard. He held the stick tightly in his hand and stared at the direction of the crops without blinking, for fear of missing any movement.

Just when he was about to let down his guard, he suddenly heard a slight rustling sound coming from the direction of the crops. Li Xiangqian suddenly became nervous, and his hand holding the stick was slightly sweaty. He held his breath and carefully approached the direction of the sound, trying not to make any noise.

As he got closer, he saw a small black shadow moving quickly among the crops. It was the target he had been waiting for - a mouse. Li Xiangqian's heart tightened. He knew this was a good opportunity that he couldn't miss. He suddenly raised the stick and swung it at the mouse.

The stick hit the ground with a dull sound, and the mouse was frightened and fled in all directions, eventually disappearing into the darkness. Li Xiangqian stood there, feeling annoyed. Although he failed to hit the mouse, at least he scared it away. He knew that this was not the end, and the mouse would definitely come back.

Li Xiangqian stood by the field for a long time until he could no longer hear any noise. He then breathed a sigh of relief, packed up his things, and dragged his tired body back to the house. This night's watch was only a temporary solution. The rat problem had not been completely solved, and a protracted war was inevitable.

The next day, Li Xiangqian got up early and checked the field. Fortunately, the drive last night seemed to have worked, and no new bites were found. Li Xiangqian breathed a sigh of relief, but he also knew that he couldn't take it lightly. Lao Wang's words were still ringing in his ears, and he decided to continue to spread chili powder and mint leaves and arrange more night patrols.

On this day, he called together several neighbors who were willing to help. After some discussion, they decided to take turns patrolling at night to ensure that the crops would no longer be damaged by rats. Li Xiangqian looked at these neighbors who were willing to help with gratitude, and his heart was filled with emotion. Everyone's joint efforts can not only better protect the crops, but also make him feel the warmth and strength of the Siheyuan community.

In the following nights, Li Xiangqian and his neighbors took turns patrolling. The rats did become less active, but they still appeared occasionally. In order to completely solve this problem, Li Xiangqian began to consider longer-term countermeasures. He thought that perhaps he could make some simple traps, combined with chili powder and mint leaves, to form a multi-defense strategy. As long as he could find a safe and effective way, this field would be well protected.