Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Hearing Liu Haizhong's words, Li Xiangqian finally breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time he felt an invisible pressure. This meant that many of his previous efforts might be in vain, and more importantly, restoring this land might be much more complicated than he imagined.

Li Xiangqian walked out of Liu Haizhong's yard, thinking about the advice he had just heard and pondering his next plan. Although Liu Haizhong's words made him understand the problems of soil fertility and fertilizer, the current problems were far from being solved. In particular, the problem of water sources had been a headache for him for a long time.

Recently, the weather has been dry and there has been little rain. His land is about to crack. The soil rots because of too much water, but now it is as dry as stone. The soil condition has changed drastically. This bad weather makes him very anxious. He can't do anything about it as he sees the situation on the land getting worse and worse.

"Water source, water source..." Li Xiangqian kept repeating in his mind. He knew that if there was no sufficient and clean water source, no matter how much he cultivated the soil and applied fertilizer, it would be in vain. In previous years, he could still rely on the small canal nearby to irrigate the land, but this year the canal was almost dry. Several old farmers in the village also complained that the water source was particularly tight this year and many fields were facing water shortages.

Li Xiangqian couldn't help but feel panic in his heart, as if he was shrouded by an invisible pressure. He knew that he had to find a new water source, otherwise all his efforts would be in vain.

After returning to his yard, Li Xiangqian stood at the edge of the field, silently looking at the cracked soil, his heart filled with heavy thoughts. He repeatedly thought about what to do next. Suddenly, a person popped up in his mind - Xu Damao.

"Yes, Xu Damao is a cunning guy who is well-informed. Maybe he knows where to find a new water source." Li Xiangqian thought, and a glimmer of hope suddenly ignited in his heart. Although Xu Damao is cunning, he usually relies on his wide network of contacts and knows a lot of people, so he is also well-informed. He decided to go to Xu Damao to ask if he could get any useful clues from him.

That afternoon, Li Xiangqian went straight to Xu Damao's house. He was a little nervous, not knowing whether he could get anything out of it this time, but he had no other choice. After knocking on the door a few times, Xu Damao came out soon, holding a cigarette in his hand and with his usual smile on his face.

"Hey, Xiang Qian, you come to me again so soon? Didn't we just talk yesterday? You really worry a lot." Xu Damao said with a playful smile.

Seeing this, Li Xiangqian didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Da Mao, I came here today to ask you if there is any way to get a new water source. You know the drought is severe this year, and my land is about to crack due to lack of water."

Hearing this, Xu Damao raised his eyebrows, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He blew out a smoke ring, looked at Li Xiangqian with a hint of amusement, and said, "Oh, Xiangqian, you really have good taste! You know what, there really is such a thing recently."

Li Xiangqian's heart moved, and he immediately asked, "Oh? What's the matter? Tell me quickly."

Xu Damao took a puff of his cigarette and smiled mysteriously, "I heard recently that someone dug a new well in the suburbs with a large amount of water, which is specially used to supply several nearby fields. No one paid attention to that place at first, but later someone discovered that there was a hidden river underground with very good water quality. But..." He paused here deliberately, as if whetting Li Xiangqian's appetite.

Li Xiangqian couldn't help but get anxious, and hurriedly urged: "But what? Hurry up and tell me!"

Xu Damao smiled and finally said, "However, not everyone can get water from that place now. If you want to use the well water, you have to go through a guy named Lao Zhou. Lao Zhou has a weird temper and relies on connections for everything. Do you understand?"

Li Xiangqian was a little nervous when he heard this. He knew that the so-called "relying on connections" usually meant spending money or some other price. His current financial situation was not good, and he was already very tight on money. He had just spent a lot of money on He Yuzhu's biological fertilizer a few days ago. How could he have extra money to "take care of" Lao Zhou?

He quickly thought about it in his mind, and his face became a little hesitant: "What conditions does Lao Zhou want?"

Xu Damao saw Li Xiangqian's concerns, patted his shoulder in a casual manner, and said with a smile: "Oh, don't worry. Although Lao Zhou has a strange temper, he is not unreasonable as long as someone introduces him and gives him some consideration. How about this, I will help you build a bridge, you go meet him first, and we will talk about whether the negotiation is successful or not later."

Li Xiangqian thought for a moment, thinking that he had no other choice now, and he really needed water, so he nodded: "Okay, Damao, I'll trouble you to help me with this matter."

Xu Damao laughed and waved his hand: "It's a small matter, leave it to me. But remember, Lao Zhou is not easy to deal with, you have to be polite when you see him and say nice things."

Li Xiangqian nodded to show that he understood, but he felt that this matter was not that simple. But now that things have come to this, since the first step has been taken, he can only take it one step at a time.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian followed Xu Damao to a wasteland outside the village. This was the edge of the suburbs, not far from the village, and the air was filled with the smell of soil and weeds. From a distance, he saw a few wooden stakes standing next to a small mound, surrounded by a simple fence. There was a small well inside the fence, and several people were busy around it, putting buckets of water into the well from time to time.

"It's here." Xu Damao pointed to the well and whispered to Li Xiangqian.

Li Xiangqian looked in the direction he pointed. There was a middle-aged man next to the well. He was wearing old work clothes and had a serious look on his face. He held an iron rod in his hand and directed the workers to work from time to time. The man looked very dignified, with traces of time on his face, and he looked like he had been exposed to the wind and sun for many years.

Xu Damao leaned close to Li Xiangqian's ear and whispered, "That's Lao Zhou. I'll take you there later. Be careful and don't make him unhappy."

Li Xiangqian nodded, feeling a little nervous, but more excited. After all, if he could get this well water, his land would be saved.

Approaching the well, Xu Damao raised his hand and greeted Lao Zhou enthusiastically: "Hey, Lao Zhou, what are you busy with lately?"

Old Zhou raised his head, glanced over coldly, and nodded in response. Xu Damao continued with a smile: "Let me tell you, this is my friend Li Xiangqian. Recently, there is a shortage of water in the fields, and he wants to get some water from your well. Do you think you can be flexible?"