Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian had a plan in mind, but he said helplessly, "Brother Dongxu, although Yuzhu has a bad temper, he is reasonable. Besides, everyone knows that he is upright. If we bring him here, everyone will think that this matter will be fairer. Look at the situation. The matter of the old Liu family has already become a big deal. It would be better to let Yuzhu come here to preside over justice."

Jia Dongxu listened and thought about it for a few seconds. He felt that what Li Xiangqian said made sense. He Yuzhu had a good reputation in the courtyard. Although he had a bad temper, he was an upright person. If he really stood up to help calm the situation, perhaps the situation could be calmed down. Thinking of this, he reluctantly nodded.

"Okay then, this matter is quite serious anyway, I'll go get him." After saying this, Jia Dongxu turned and walked towards He Yuzhu's house.

Li Xiangqian watched Jia Dongxu leave, but he was secretly delighted in his heart. Things were developing step by step in the direction he expected. He had already understood He Yuzhu's character and knew that this person hated others playing tricks. Once he knew that there was something wrong with the Liu family, things would only escalate further.

The discussion in the crowd gradually quieted down, and everyone's eyes began to focus on Li Xiangqian. He still maintained that gentle smile, like an unintentional bystander, but in his heart he had already planned his next move.

Not long after, Jia Dongxu came back with He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu was tall and walked with a sense of vigor, as if he had sensed the tense atmosphere in the yard. Seeing the crowd gathered together, he frowned and said in a somewhat impatient voice: "What's the matter? Jia Dongxu told me that you were arguing about food. Whose family has a problem?"

When they heard He Yuzhu's words, everyone rushed to him and began to tell their stories. Some said that the Liu family had taken grain that they shouldn't have, some said that there was something fishy going on at the grain station, and some suspected that the Liu family had made some shady deals in private.

He Yuzhu frowned even more when he heard this. He hated this kind of trickery, especially in the distribution of food. The people in the courtyard were not rich to begin with, and everyone was barely getting by on the rations. If someone really did something tricky, it would be a serious betrayal to the others.

He glared at the wife of Old Liu's family, walked up to her and asked, "Mrs. Liu, you have to explain this to everyone! Why is your family's rice better than others? We all follow the rations, how come your family can get so much good food?"

The daughter-in-law of the old Liu family was immediately asked and her face turned red. She twisted the corners of her clothes helplessly with her hands, her lips trembling, and she couldn't speak for a long time. She knew in her heart that the current situation was very unfavorable to their family, but no matter how she explained, no one would be convinced.

Li Xiangqian stood aside, quietly observing He Yuzhu's expression. He knew that once He Yuzhu became suspicious of the Liu family, the situation would deteriorate further, but he was not in a hurry to intervene. Letting things develop on their own was the most effective means.

Sure enough, He Yuzhu's questioning put the Liu family in a complete dilemma. The onlookers echoed one after another, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Mrs. Liu could no longer hold on, and she argued in a trembling voice: "Brother Yuzhu, this is really a misunderstanding! This rice was sent by my relatives, and we really didn't take more from the grain station!"

"Relatives?" He Yuzhu sneered, obviously not believing this explanation. "If relatives are so good, why don't they give some to everyone? Are your relatives gods? Can they easily get good rice? I think we need to investigate this matter from the beginning."

Seeing that the situation was developing in an even more unfavorable direction, Li Xiangqian suddenly spoke up: "Yuzhu, Jia Dongxu just said that the distribution was fair. As for what Sister Liu said about the relatives sending rice, we can't completely disbelieve it. Otherwise, don't worry, calm down first, there will always be an explanation for the matter."

There was a soothing force in his words, as if he was speaking for the Liu family, but in fact, it made more people begin to doubt how deep the water behind this was. Especially for a person like He Yuzhu, the more he heard someone speak for the Liu family, the more he felt that there was something wrong.

He Yuzhu's eyes widened, and he said impatiently, "Xiang Qian, don't speak for them! This kind of thing is obviously problematic, and we can't just brush it off."

Seeing He Yuzhu's firm attitude, Li Xiangqian knew it was time to add fuel to the fire. He nodded and said helplessly, "That's fine. Since everyone thinks there's something wrong with this matter, why not go to the market and ask. The grain trading in the market has been quite active recently, maybe someone knows more inside information."

As soon as these words came out, He Yuzhu was really interested. He thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he nodded and agreed: "Okay! Let's go to the market and take a look. We can't just let this go."

As the situation became increasingly tense, Li Xiangqian began to plan another plan. He had not had enough food recently, especially since the allocations in the yard were getting smaller and smaller. He could not survive for long with the existing quotas. He thought of the bags of corn he had stored in the backyard. He had obtained these corns through private channels earlier. With the current rising grain prices, if he could sell them at a good price in the market, it might temporarily alleviate the family's difficulties.

However, it is not easy to sell corn at the market. There are spies watching the market, and if you are not careful, you will be reported. He knows that if he is caught, not only will the corn be gone, but his future quota may also be affected. But now the situation is urgent, he has to take the risk.

Back in his own courtyard, Li Xiangqian walked into the backyard and pushed open an old wooden door. Inside were several bags of dried corn. He stood there, staring at the food, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. This was his family's most precious resource. He could earn a lot of money by taking the risk of selling it, but if he failed, the loss might be even greater.

"But I don't have any other choice right now." He sighed inwardly.

He carefully packed the corn into several sacks and covered them with a layer of tattered cloth, making them look like ordinary household sundries. He decided to quietly transport the corn to the market at night and find a familiar vendor to dispose of it in a low-key manner.

Li Xiangqian knew that this operation had to be extremely cautious and no one could find out. He decided to ask Jia Dongxu for help because Jia Dongxu was familiar with the people at the grain station and had many connections, so he could cover up some troubles for him.

The sky gradually darkened, and the people in the courtyard returned to their respective houses one after another. Li Xiangqian took advantage of the darkening night, walked to Jia Dongxu's door, and knocked gently.

Jia Dongxu opened the door and saw Li Xiangqian, looking a little surprised: "Xiangqian, it's so late, what's the matter?"