Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

To the east of the yard lived Old Man Wang, who was over 60 years old. After retirement, he spent all day wandering around the yard. His biggest hobby was growing flowers and plants. Li Xiangqian had seen Old Man Wang plant various flowers and plants in his flower pots. Although the yard was not big, Old Man Wang made his small plot of land look like a small garden. Li Xiangqian thought that maybe Old Man Wang would support his idea of ​​growing onions.

So one day, Li Xiangqian took advantage of the fact that Old Man Wang was watering the flowers and approached him. He asked tentatively, "Old Man Wang, you have planted these flowers very well! I also want to plant something in the yard. Can you make some space for me?"

When Old Man Wang heard this, he squinted at Li Xiangqian, slowly put down the kettle in his hand, clapped his hands and said, "Little Li, planting things is a good thing, but what do you want to plant?"

Li Xiangqian scratched his head and said a little embarrassedly: "I want to grow some onions. My home is not big, so I want to find a place to try."

When Old Man Wang heard this, he grinned and said, "Onions? That's a good thing. It's easy to grow and saves time. Okay, if you really want to grow them, I'll make some space for you. But you have to promise me that when the onions grow, you'll give me some, haha!"

When Li Xiangqian heard this, he was delighted and nodded repeatedly: "That's right, whatever you say is fine!"

In this way, Li Xiangqian and Old Man Wang reached an "agreement". Old Man Wang was willing to give up a small area of ​​his land near the wall for Li Xiangqian to grow onions, on the condition that he would give him a share of the onions when they grew. Li Xiangqian was overjoyed, thinking that he could finally start growing onions. He began to think about where to buy onion seeds and also planned to look up planting techniques to try to grow them successfully in one go.

However, this matter did not go as smoothly as he imagined. Although Old Man Wang was willing to give up a piece of land, this piece of land was close to the corner and the light conditions were not good. Li Xiangqian began to worry whether the onions could grow well. After all, onions need plenty of sunlight. If they are always planted in the shade, they may not grow good fruits. So he fell into a new trouble.

In the courtyard, the best sunlight position is undoubtedly the open space in the middle, but that space has long been occupied by all kinds of debris. Especially in Aunt Zhang's house, Aunt Zhang's old cabinets have long been piled in the middle of the yard, becoming a topic of complaint after dinner. Li Xiangqian has looked at those debris several times, thinking that if he could move these things away and free up a sunny place, his onions will definitely grow big and round.

But the problem is that Aunt Zhang is not easy to deal with. Aunt Zhang is a widow with a hot temper and a loud voice. She quarrels with neighbors at every turn. Her pile of old cabinets has been in the yard for many years, and no one dares to move them. Li Xiangqian knew that if he rashly asked Aunt Zhang to move the cabinets, he might cause a lot of trouble.

After much thought, he decided to find an opportunity to have a good chat with Aunt Zhang. So one afternoon, Li Xiangqian went to the market to buy some fresh vegetables, thinking of finding an excuse to send some vegetables to Aunt Zhang and mention growing something in the yard. When he returned to the courtyard, he knocked on Aunt Zhang's door and said with a smile: "Aunt Zhang, I just bought some fresh vegetables from the market and sent some to you. See if you like them."

When Aunt Zhang saw that it was Li Xiangqian, she was a little surprised, but she still took the dish with a smile on her face: "Hey, Xiao Li, why are you so polite today? What's the matter?"

Li Xiangqian waved his hands and said, "Nothing. I just thought that there are no fresh vegetables at home recently, so I went to the market for a walk and thought of bringing you some."

Although Aunt Zhang was happy, her eyes still had a hint of vigilance. Li Xiangqian noticed it. Her slightly raised eyebrows and the faint smile on her lips made him realize that this act of delivering food must be more than that in Aunt Zhang's eyes. She was a sensitive person. In a closed environment like a courtyard, every little action would cause others to speculate, or even be on guard.

Li Xiangqian was a little nervous for a moment, thinking about how to bring up the topic of growing onions, but he was afraid that if he spoke too directly, Aunt Zhang would think he had ulterior motives. After all, it was not easy for her to move those dilapidated cabinets that had been piled up in the yard for so long.

Aunt Zhang carried the vegetables into the house, turned around and looked at Li Xiangqian, her tone gentle but somewhat tentative: "Young man, why did you suddenly remember to bring me vegetables today? If you have anything to say, just tell me, and we shouldn't hide things from each other as neighbors." She smiled, but her eyes were looking at Li Xiangqian carefully, as if she wanted to read something from his eyes.

Li Xiangqian's heart tightened slightly, thinking that although Aunt Zhang's words were ordinary, it seemed like she was waiting for him to speak. After hesitating for a moment, he scratched his head casually and said with a smile: "It's nothing big, I was just thinking about the land in the yard. I was thinking about whether I could grow something so that it would be convenient for me to eat vegetables at home. I heard that onions are easy to grow, so I want to try it." After he finished speaking, he secretly observed Aunt Zhang's expression, fearing that she would refuse immediately.

Aunt Zhang narrowed her eyes slightly and was silent for a moment. Her eyes drifted to the pile of debris in the middle of the yard, and then looked at the cabinets that had been piled up for many years. She obviously knew what Li Xiangqian was thinking. She didn't speak immediately, but looked at him thoughtfully, as if weighing this proposal.

Li Xiangqian's heartbeat quickened a little, and the nervousness made him feel dry in the mouth. He even wondered if the onion he just mentioned was a bit abrupt. He was not sure whether Aunt Zhang would agree. After all, those cabinets were already a common presence in the yard. If he suddenly asked to clean them up, it might be troublesome for her. After thinking it over, he felt that he still had to say a few more words, so as not to let Aunt Zhang think that he was just trying to move around.

"Aunt Zhang," Li Xiangqian coughed lightly and continued, "I plan to grow some onions this time, thinking that I can stir-fry some pork belly. You know, pork belly is delicious with onions! Onions are sweet and the meat is fragrant. My mother loved to do this when I was a child. If I can grow some onions of my own, I will cook it and you can come and try it."

As soon as these words came out, Aunt Zhang's expression was obviously relaxed. A smile appeared on her lips, and it was obvious that Li Xiangqian was interested. Stir-fried pork belly with onions, this dish undoubtedly aroused her appetite. When Aunt Zhang was young, her family was also poor, and it was not easy to have a meal with meat. The combination of pork belly and onions mentioned by Li Xiangqian obviously reminded her of some good times in the past.

"Oh, fried pork belly with onions..." Aunt Zhang smacked her lips thoughtfully and said with a smile, "This is really good stuff, so fragrant! I also ate it when I was a child, it tasted really good." Her eyes softened, and she was obviously moved by this dish.