Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Just as he was searching, he suddenly heard a low "rustling" sound. His heart tightened, the hoe in his hand paused slightly, his heartbeat accelerated, and a trace of cold sweat oozed out of his forehead. He held his breath, slowly raised his head, and stared at the direction where the sound came from, as if waiting for something. He was nervous and expectant, as if this moment would determine his fate.

The sound was getting closer and closer, as if some creature was slowly approaching. He clenched the hoe, his palms were full of sweat, and his knuckles were a little white. He knew that no matter what he saw next, he had to face it calmly, otherwise all his efforts would fail. At this moment, a figure suddenly emerged from the grass, and the familiar gray-black snake body slowly circled in front of him, staring at him coldly, as if confronting him.

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions. The snake was still in the field, as if it had never left. His sense of taboo once again surged into his heart, as if the existence of the snake was an invisible curse, an irresistible force that trapped him in the field and prevented him from escaping easily.

"What do you want?" Li Xiangqian muttered to himself, staring at the snake's cold eyes, as if asking it a question. He knew the snake would not answer him, but he could not suppress this silent question in his heart. The snake was still coiled on the ground quietly, its tail swaying slightly, as if waiting for something.

Li Xiangqian stood at the edge of the vegetable field, staring at the land silently. A trace of hesitation flashed through his mind, and he looked around the vegetable field with a serious look. During this period of time, his strange encounter with the snake had made him feel deeply taboo, but he also knew that if he continued to live in such a fearful way, his vegetable field would sooner or later be invaded by unknown creatures. So he decided to buy some rat poison and completely clean up the hidden dangers that might attract snakes and other creatures in the surrounding area.

Thinking of this, Li Xiangqian couldn't help but shudder. Over the years, he has always been a farmer who relies on nature and has never thought of poisoning living things. He is used to relying on his own labor and the land to maintain the rhythm of life. But now he finds that his state of mind is gradually being pushed to a limit, and even he himself begins to feel unfamiliar. In order to completely regain control of the vegetable field, he finally decided to take such a measure, even if those familiar neighbors knew about it, they would be quite surprised.

That evening, Li Xiangqian was walking back to the yard with a small bag of newly bought rat poison in his hand, feeling very complicated. The bag of powder was not very heavy, but it gave off a faint pungent smell that made him feel uncomfortable. He looked down at the bag and thought to himself, "This medicine should be useful, right?" But then he had some doubts, wondering if he was too nervous. Just for the shadow of a snake, he chose such a drastic method.

Back in the yard, he placed the rat poison in the corner, but he was a little worried. He decided to spread the poison in several corners of the edge of the ground the next morning, especially in those places where weeds were overgrown and easy to hide. In this way, those places where rats and debris were piled up might be gradually cleaned up, which would indirectly reduce the possibility of snakes appearing.

That night, Li Xiangqian suffered from insomnia again. He lay in bed, thinking about the snake and its cold gaze, as if it was always watching his every move in the dark. The moment he closed his eyes, the image of the snake reappeared, even with a kind of cold smile, as if mocking his helplessness and meaningless struggle. Even though he kept comforting himself and told himself that tomorrow's arrangement would solve everything, he still couldn't calm down completely.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian got up early and prepared to spread rat poison. However, as he was carrying the poison powder to the vegetable field, he heard familiar footsteps. It was He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu stood behind him, looking at him with a puzzled look: "Xiangqian, what are you doing? Why are you going to the field with a bag so early in the morning?"

Li Xiangqian was startled by the sudden sound, and quickly hid the bag in his hand behind his back, forcing a smile and saying, "Nothing, just weeding and spraying some medicine to repel insects."

He Yuzhu glanced at him disapprovingly, and said with a half-seriously half-sincerity smile: "Xiang Qian, you've been really abnormal recently. In the past, you were reluctant to spray pesticides on this land. You are the person who believes in nature the most in our village. What's wrong now? Are you thinking of spraying pesticides?"

Li Xiangqian's face turned slightly red, and he laughed dryly and defended himself in a low voice: "Nothing has changed. There are just too many rats in the fields recently. I really have no choice but to spread some pesticides to prevent the vegetables I worked so hard to grow from being ruined."

He Yuzhu frowned and stared at him suspiciously: "Xiang Qian, we are brothers, just tell me what's the matter. I see you are absent-minded these days, who can't see it? Are you really going to such great lengths to prevent rats?"

When He Yuzhu asked this, Li Xiangqian suddenly felt uneasy, as if all his inner taboos had been dug out. He looked down at the bag of medicine powder in his hand, was silent for a while, and finally sighed softly, revealing some of his concerns: "Zhuzi, actually... that snake makes me feel a little taboo, I always feel that it will come back. Isn't this because I am afraid that if something goes wrong again, it will affect my harvest."

He Yuzhu was slightly stunned, then showed an expression of understanding. He patted Li Xiangqian's shoulder and said with a helpless smile: "Alas, Xiangqian, you just think too much. It's just a snake, just drive it out, why are there so many taboos? Just do what you need to do, don't let a snake make you suspicious."

Li Xiangqian nodded, accepting He Yuzhu's comfort on the surface, but he still couldn't let it go in his heart. He looked at the powder in his hand, with a complicated look in his eyes. Although He Yuzhu's words made sense, his inner taboo still existed, and the image of the snake still lingered in his mind. He knew that this was not only to deal with the rats, but also to suppress the lingering fear in his heart in this way.

"Hey, don't worry about it this time. I'll buy you a drink later. I'll take care of the farm stuff myself." Li Xiangqian tried to send He Yuzhu away easily, but his eyes dodged unconsciously. He Yuzhu looked at his expression, with a hint of worry in his eyes, and seemed to have noticed something.