Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He watered them or pulled out the weeds next to them. His neighbors also saw this and would occasionally joke with him when they passed by his yard: "Xiao Li, I never thought you would be so capable one day."

Li Xiangqian always smiled and nodded, but he felt something strange in his heart. This onion garden seemed to have become a part of his life, making him feel less lonely. Especially when the green onion seedlings swayed gently in the wind, Li Xiangqian felt that his life was gradually changing with the growth of these plants.

Sometimes, Li Xiangqian would stand in the yard, looking at the onion seedlings growing well, and recalling the time when he was a child watching his grandfather farming in his hometown in the countryside. At that time, he always thought farming was a boring thing, but he didn't expect that he was doing it now, and he actually thought it was not bad.

However, the process of growing onions was not smooth sailing. A few days later, Li Xiangqian suddenly found that the leaves of several onion seedlings began to turn yellow and looked a little withered. He panicked and didn't know what to do. After thinking about it, he went to Old Sun's house again and told him about the situation.

After listening to him, Old Sun nodded and said, "The onion seedlings have turned yellow. I guess it's because you watered them too much, or it's been too hot these days and they don't have enough air. Don't rush to water them when you get home. Loosen the soil first to let them breathe. Onions are not afraid of dryness, but they are afraid of moisture. You have to remember that."

Following Old Sun's instructions, Li Xiangqian returned to the yard, squatted on the ground and looked at the gradually yellowing onion seedlings, feeling uncomfortable. These seedlings seemed to have established some kind of tacit understanding with him since they first sprouted. Every morning, watching them grow taller and their leaves gradually become thicker, he felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment. But now, their withered and yellow appearance seemed to be complaining to him, which made Li Xiangqian feel regretful.

He carefully used a spade to lightly loosen the soil, as if he was treating something fragile, fearing that he would accidentally damage the fragile seedlings. Then, he stopped watering and just watched them carefully every day, waiting for them to recover. Although he was a little anxious, he knew that he could not be impatient at this time and could only wait patiently.

In the evening, Li Xiangqian lay in bed, still thinking about the situation of the onion seedlings. He thought about what Old Sun said over and over again, wondering if he had done something wrong. It was going smoothly at the beginning, why did it suddenly go wrong? He couldn't help but blame himself, thinking that he might still lack the talent for farming.

"Growing onions is so troublesome. I don't know how Old Sun and his colleagues have been doing this for their entire lives." Li Xiangqian sighed and smiled self-deprecatingly.

However, as time went by, the onion seedlings did improve. The yellow leaves gradually regained some greenness. Although they were not as vibrant as at the beginning, they finally stopped getting worse. Li Xiangqian was relieved to see this, and it also made him more determined to grow and take good care of these onions.

A few days later, Li Xiangqian came home from get off work and walked into the yard when he suddenly smelled a familiar aroma - Aunt Zhang next door had started stewing meat again. The rich aroma of pork belly instantly aroused his appetite. Li Xiangqian usually didn't have any special requirements. He just cooked to save trouble, either stir-fried some vegetables or cooked a bowl of noodles. He didn't pay much attention to the food. However, when this aroma drifted into his nose, he suddenly had a new idea.

"If I can stir-fry pork belly with the onions I grow myself, it will definitely taste good, right?" He stood in the yard, gently stroking the onion seedlings. Thinking of this thought, he suddenly felt that these onion seedlings had added another layer of meaning.

Stir-fried pork belly with onions, this dish he had eaten at home before, it was simple but tasted especially good. He remembered that when he was a child, his mother often used fresh onions to stir-fry the pork belly that had just come out of the pot, the sweetness of onions and the aroma of meat mixed together, that taste has always remained deep in his memory. Thinking of this, Li Xiangqian's mouth corners couldn't help but slightly rise, and he actually felt a little bit of anticipation in his heart.

From that day on, he took better care of the onions. Almost every day when he got home from get off work, the first thing he did was to check on the onion seedlings to make sure they were all safe. Slowly, the onion seedlings grew taller, their leaves became more lush, and their stems became thicker, as if responding to his efforts.

One day, he pulled out a few weeds in the yard, looked up at the sky, and suddenly realized that the onions were ready to be harvested. He was excited, as if he had accomplished something great, and immediately went to the market to buy a piece of fresh pork belly. He planned to make a dish of pork belly fried with onions by himself, taste the fruits of his labor, and feel the difference between the taste of the onions and the taste in his memory.

After returning home, Li Xiangqian carefully pulled the onions out of the ground, washed them, and cut them into thin strips. Looking at the onions he had planted himself, a sense of pride welled up in his heart. A few months ago, these onions were just a few inconspicuous seeds, but now, they have become a delicacy on the table, which is gradually in line with his previous vision.

He first cut the pork belly into slices. After the oil in the pan was heated, the slices of pork were put into the pan, making a sizzling sound. The aroma of the oil immediately filled the whole kitchen. The slices of pork gradually became golden and shiny, and the aroma became stronger and stronger. As Li Xiangqian was frying the slices of pork, he thought, this aroma is really nostalgic, as if the dish made by his mother has come back to him.

"For this stir-fried pork belly with onions, it's not enough to just have the aroma of the meat, it also needs the sweetness of the onions," he said to himself.

When the meat slices were almost done, he poured the chopped onions into the pot and stir-fried them for a few times. As soon as the onions were put into the pot, they were immediately covered with meat oil and exuded a unique sweet fragrance. Li Xiangqian gently turned the ingredients in the pot with a spatula, watching the onions gradually soften and become transparent. A familiar aroma came to his nose, making him swallow his saliva.

"This tastes good." Li Xiangqian thought with satisfaction, his eyes lit up. Although this was just a simple home-cooked dish, he felt satisfied. This was not just a dish, but more like a dialogue between him and life. The first time he planted onions, the first time he fried them by himself, were all condensed in this pot of simple ingredients.

He filled a bowl of rice, placed the fried pork belly and onions on the table, sat down, carefully picked up a piece of onion and meat, and put it in his mouth. The sweetness of onion and the aroma of meat mixed together, and the familiar taste instantly filled his taste buds. Li Xiangqian closed his eyes, as if he was back in his childhood, back to the scene at the dinner table, when his mother smiled and urged him to eat quickly.