Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Jia Dongxu stood at the door, frowning slightly, obviously confused by Li Xiangqian's sudden request. He narrowed his eyes, as if trying to figure out Li Xiangqian's intention. "Where did you get this corn from?" He asked in a low voice, looking a little alert.

Li Xiangqian had expected him to ask this question. He remained calm on the surface, but was thinking quickly about how to respond. If he didn't answer this question well, Jia Dongxu might be suspicious and even unwilling to help. He knew that Jia Dongxu was always cautious and selfish, and he would think twice before doing anything that might involve risks.

"Brother Dongxu, don't worry. This corn is the remaining food rations of my family." Li Xiangqian smiled slightly, with a flattering tone, "I know that the price of food in the market has risen sharply recently, and my family can't afford it anymore. I want to exchange some money now to ease the situation at home."

He didn't say too many details, fearing that the more he said, the less Jia Dongxu would believe him. The simpler and more direct it was, the more likely Jia Dongxu would think it was a small problem and would not cause more trouble.

Jia Dongxu was silent for a while, as if he was weighing the risks and benefits of this matter in his mind. Logically speaking, Li Xiangqian's family did have some food in stock, which was not too strange. Moreover, Jia Dongxu always knew that Li Xiangqian was smart and cautious, and never did anything without confidence.

"How do you want me to help you?" Jia Dongxu finally spoke, still with some hesitation in his tone.

Li Xiangqian was delighted, knowing that this was a good sign. He leaned forward a little and whispered, "It's not a big deal. I just want to secretly transport the corn to the market at night, but you know, there are spies in the market, and I'm afraid I can't do it alone, so I want you to help me keep an eye on it and see if there's anything wrong. If something really goes wrong, you have connections at the grain station and can help me settle it."

After hearing this, Jia Dongxu's eyes flashed with a shrewd light. He could see that Li Xiangqian's plan was indeed thorough, and he only needed to provide a little help to reap some benefits. Thinking of this, Jia Dongxu relaxed his guard a lot.

"Okay, since you trust me so much, I'll help you this time." Jia Dongxu finally nodded, with a smug smile on his face.

Li Xiangqian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately showed a grateful expression: "Brother Dongxu, it's all thanks to you! After this is done, we must have a couple of drinks!"

After the two discussed the details, the night deepened and the whole courtyard gradually became quiet, with only a few houses still turning on dim lights. Li Xiangqian quietly moved a few bags of corn to the back alley, while Jia Dongxu watched the surrounding movements not far away.

Everything seemed to be going well. Li pushed the old cart full of corn forward and walked along the dark path towards the market. The wind blew through the streets at night, making a low whistling sound, adding a touch of chill to the night.

However, just as he was about to approach the entrance of the market, several figures suddenly rushed out from the corner of the street. These people moved swiftly and rushed towards Li Xiangqian without saying a word. Li Xiangqian was caught off guard and his heart suddenly tightened. Before he could react, he felt a huge force attacking from behind, and the whole person was pushed and staggered.

"Stop! Don't move!" A hoarse voice sounded in the darkness, full of threat.

Li Xiangqian instinctively wanted to resist, but the other side was so numerous that they had already surrounded him and the cart full of corn. His heartbeat quickened, and his mind was quickly thinking about how to respond. This group of people were obviously coming for his corn, and they did not hesitate, and it was obvious that they had been eyeing this batch of grain for a long time.

"What are you doing? This is mine!" Li Xiangqian lowered his voice and tried to stay calm, but he could no longer conceal his inner anxiety. He knew that resistance was meaningless at this moment, and the most important thing was to save his life.

The leader simply ignored Li Xiangqian and sneered, "Yours? Now it's ours! You dare to do business on this road, you are really not afraid of death!"

Li Xiangqian cursed inwardly. He had heard that there were gangsters controlling the area near the market, but he didn't expect that he would be so unlucky. He was targeted by them as soon as he approached. He tightly grasped the handle of the cart, anxiously thinking about how to get away.

At this moment, several people had already started to take action. They overturned Li Xiangqian's cart without any hesitation. The bags of corn scattered on the ground. The golden corn kernels rolled out from the broken holes, looking particularly dazzling in the darkness.

"These beasts!" Li Xiangqian was furious. Although he knew he couldn't fight them head-on, he couldn't suppress his anger when he saw the food he had worked so hard to save being snatched away. He stared at these people, his body tensed, and his fists clenched involuntarily.

However, the other party obviously did not care about his anger. They quickly dragged several bags of corn to the truck beside them. Their movements were skillful and it was obvious that they had planned it in advance. Li Xiangqian watched the bags of corn being loaded onto the truck, feeling extremely anxious, but he could do nothing.

The leader saw Li Xiangqian's grim expression and taunted him, "Boy, remember this lesson and don't try to do anything bad on our territory. These grains are just our 'protection fee', understand?"

Li Xiangqian gritted his teeth, knowing that the current situation could not be changed, and continuing to resist would only put himself in greater danger. He nodded unwillingly, trying to suppress the anger in his heart: "I understand..."

"Wouldn't everything have been fine if you had done this earlier?" The other party sneered, and then several people jumped onto the truck and drove away.

The street returned to silence in an instant, with only Li Xiangqian standing alone on the roadside. There were some scattered corn kernels on the ground. The night wind blew, rolling up a few dry leaves, as if mocking his embarrassment.

Li Xiangqian stood there, his mood was extremely complicated. Anger, helplessness, and regret all surged into his heart, like a huge rock pressing on his chest, almost making him unable to breathe. He didn't expect that his carefully planned action would be completely destroyed by these gangsters at the last minute.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. At the moment, he had no way out and could only accept this cruel reality. The food was taken away, and the situation at home would only become more difficult. But he couldn't just give up. He knew he had to find a way to deal with the predicament.

"Damn it, I didn't expect that I would be so unlucky." Li Xiangqian muttered to himself, his fists clenched and creaked. He secretly swore in his heart that he must find a chance to take revenge on these people, even if he had to hold back his anger for the time being.