Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian nodded, bought two small packets of seeds, and asked some planting tips. The old lady carefully told him that onions like sunlight, the soil should be soft, and watering should not be too frequent, otherwise the roots will easily rot. These words made Li Xiangqian feel at ease, and he took the seeds home with full expectations.

After returning to the courtyard, Li Xiangqian stood in the middle of the yard, looked around, and wondered where to plant the onions. He thought about it and felt that the land near the south wall was the most suitable. There was plenty of sunshine and the soil was soft, which was a good place to plant onions. So he found a hoe and a shovel and started to turn the soil. These tools were borrowed from his neighbor, Lao Huang. When Lao Huang heard that he wanted to plant onions, he happily agreed.

"Xiang Qian, this is a good idea. Let's grow some vegetables in the yard so we don't have to go to the market every day." Old Huang smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, Old Huang, since we have nothing else to do anyway, growing something can add some life to this courtyard." Li Xiangqian replied, but he was thinking in his heart that if the onions were grown well, he could exchange them with Old Huang's family for other vegetables when the harvest came.

The hoe hit the ground again and again, turning up the soft soil. As Li Xiangqian worked, he thought about his life after planting onions. Although his movements were a little unfamiliar, he was full of energy. The air in the courtyard gradually became filled with the smell of soil, and sweat slid down his forehead, but he didn't care at all. He just wanted to level the land as soon as possible so that he could sow the seeds.

After a lot of hard work, the soil was finally turned. Li Qianqian squatted on the ground and picked up a handful of soil. He felt a slight moistness between his fingers, which made him very satisfied. The land was fertile enough and the sunlight was just right. The onions would definitely grow well. He carefully sprinkled the onion seeds into the soil, then gently covered it with a thin layer of soil, and then took a pot of water from the kitchen and slowly poured it on the seeds he had just planted.

"I hope you will sprout soon." He looked at the ground and prayed silently in his heart.

From then on, every morning and evening, Li Xiangqian would go to the yard to water the onions. When the weather was good, he would even squat on the ground and stare at the land for a long time. As the days passed, the onions finally began to sprout. The tender green shoots poked their heads out of the soil, like a group of newborn babies, weak but full of vitality.

"It's out!" Li Xiangqian shouted excitedly to his neighbor Lao Huang.

Old Huang poked his head out of the house, saw the new green, and laughed: "Great, Xiang Qian, it seems your planting skills are not bad!"

Li Xiangqian also smiled, but he knew in his heart that this was just the beginning. Next, he had to keep an eye on the weather and water. Although onions are easy to grow, if you are not careful, they may rot or fail to grow.

During this period, subtle changes have taken place in the courtyard. With the addition of a patch of fresh green in the courtyard, everyone would involuntarily glance at Li Xiangqian's vegetable patch when they came in and out. Aunt Zhang was a resident of the east wing, and she usually loved to plant some flowers and plants. When she saw Li Xiangqian planting vegetables, she would often come up to chat with him.

"Xiang Qian, your onions are growing well! They will be beautiful when they bloom!" Aunt Zhang said with a smile while waving the fan in her hand.

Li Xiangqian wiped his sweat and replied with a smile: "It's still early, Aunt Zhang. It's just beginning to emerge and it's still a long way to go before the harvest."

"Don't be so modest. As long as you grow good crops, it's good. Our yard needs young people like you to work on it. Otherwise, it will be too lifeless." Aunt Zhang's words were full of praise.

Li Xiangqian smiled and said nothing more. Indeed, most of the residents in the courtyard were quite old, and there were not many young people like him. Everyone was busy with their own things, and it was rare for anything big to happen. It was just a small quarrel between neighbors. But now, because of the onions he planted, the people in the courtyard had more things to talk about, and the atmosphere seemed to be a lot more relaxed.

As the days passed, the onions grew slowly under Li Xiangqian's careful care. Watching their changes every day, Li Xiangqian always felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. The onion leaves gradually turned from light green to dark green, and the roots slowly swelled, and you could vaguely see their future maturity. This made Li Xiangqian excited, as if he saw a good harvest. He was particularly happy when he thought that he would be able to pick these onions with his own hands and make delicious dishes with them soon.

However, things don't always go smoothly. One night, Li Xiangqian was getting ready to go to bed when he heard a rustling sound in the yard, as if something was crawling on the ground. He frowned, put on his coat, pushed the door open and walked out. The dim moonlight in the yard sprinkled on the ground, and it was silent all around, with only a slight sound coming from the onion field. Li Xiangqian was startled, and when he got closer, he saw that it was a wild cat digging in his onion field!

"Hey, get out of here!" Li Xiangqian shouted in a low voice and waved his hand to drive the cat away.

After the wild cat disappeared into the darkness, Li Xiangqian still stood there, frowning slightly. The onion field in front of him had been messed up by the cat, the soil had been dug up in a mess, and the tender leaves of several onions were lifted up and fell crookedly on the ground. Li Xiangqian squatted down, feeling a little annoyed.

"Damn cat, why did it choose my onion field?" he muttered under his breath, feeling annoyed.

He carefully buried the dug onions back into the soil, trying to be gentle, for fear of breaking the tender leaves. Seeing the plants he had taken great care of destroyed like this, he felt an inexplicable pain. He had carefully watered each onion, and they had grown slowly from tender sprouts to now, just like the little hopes in his life. This hope was suddenly destroyed, and he couldn't help feeling a little lost.

Back in the house, Li Xiangqian lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. The image of the onions being dug up kept appearing in his mind, and he felt restless. Onions may seem insignificant, but in Li Xiangqian's heart, they represent a simple satisfaction. Onions are not only an important ingredient for daily cooking, but also a plant with healing effects. Li Xiangqian knew that onions are rich in vitamins and minerals, especially its antioxidant ingredients, which can improve immunity and prevent some diseases. Whenever he thought of this, Li Xiangqian felt that what he was growing was not just vegetables, but a healthy lifestyle.

"Onions are easy to grow, but they are also fragile. If you don't pay attention, they may be destroyed." He thought to himself. In fact, he was not only worried about the onions, but also worried about the peace and comfort in his life, afraid that this little hope would be shattered by reality.