Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

But he finally shook his head helplessly and sighed softly: "Okay, then call me if you need anything. I'm worried that you won't be able to untie this knot in your heart, and don't be scared into getting sick."

After He Yuzhu left, Li Xiangqian stood silently by the vegetable field, looking down at the powder in his hand, feeling mixed emotions. He finally decided to sprinkle the powder in the corners around the vegetable field, trying to alleviate his taboos and rebuild his confidence in the field. He carefully sprinkled the powder in those dark and overgrown areas, with precise and careful techniques, fearing that it would fall where it shouldn't.

When everything was arranged, Li Xiangqian stood in the middle of the vegetable field, his eyes flickering slightly, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that this method might not be effective immediately, but at least he had done what he could and buried the anxiety in the soil. He clapped his hands, looked up at the morning sun, and seemed to feel much more relaxed.

However, when night fell, Li Xiangqian sat in the yard, looking at the gradually darkening twilight in the sky, and his mood became heavy again. Although he had already spread the medicine, the taboo feeling did not completely dissipate. He knew that fear and taboo were not so easy to dispel, especially when it was already rooted in the heart, any action seemed to be just a superficial cover-up.

That night, Li Xiangqian tossed and turned, the image of the snake flashing in his mind from time to time, as if it was staring at him silently, with a power that he could not explain. Even though he knew it was just the fear in his heart, he still couldn't sleep. He closed his eyes and tried to relax himself, telling himself that everything was arranged and there was nothing to worry about. However, deep in his heart, the snake seemed to still be lingering there, like a ghostly shadow that could not be shaken off.

Li Xiangqian was standing in the yard, looking down and pondering whether the medicine he had just sprinkled would really work. Suddenly, a familiar sound of footsteps came from a distance. It was Xu Damao. Li Xiangqian looked up and saw Xu Damao walking towards him with a worried look on his face. This expression was not common on Xu Damao's face. Li Xiangqian couldn't help but feel a little curious and raised his eyebrows slightly, wondering what kind of problem Xu Damao had encountered that made him look so worried.

Xu Damao walked up to Li Xiangqian and saw him looking at him. He sighed heavily and sat down on the stone bench in Li Xiangqian's yard. He muttered with a worried look on his face, "Hey, Xiangqian, why is this so difficult? Farming is more troublesome than anything else. It's really not a job for humans."

Hearing this, Li Xiangqian laughed in his heart but pretended to be serious on his face and asked, "What's the matter? Damao, what's wrong with you? I've never seen you so worried." He knew that Xu Damao was a shrewd and calculating person in his daily life. To make him so worried, he must have encountered some difficult troubles.

Xu Damao snorted, glared at the vegetable field in the distance, and said with gritted teeth: "It's all about my field! You know, for some reason, there have been big bugs in my field these few days. No matter what vegetables I plant, the leaves are eaten to pieces in a few days. I'm so worried! I've been looking forward to the harvest with great difficulty, but now it's all ruined!"

After listening to this, Li Xiangqian nodded, with a hint of understanding on his face. There seemed to be a lot of problems in the fields recently. Not only did he encounter snakes, but Xu Damao's fields also had problems. Thinking of this, Li Xiangqian couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy, thinking: "It seems that everyone's fields are not peaceful." So, he whispered to comfort him: "Da Mao, don't be too anxious. Who of us who farm has not encountered insects? We just have to find the right way, otherwise it will only get worse."

Xu Damao waved his hands irritably and said with a wry smile, "I don't know yet? But I've tried several methods and none of them worked! I spread the medicine, but they popped up again two days later. These bugs are really annoying me!"

Li Xiangqian thought for a moment and seemed to have an idea in mind. He cleared his throat and said firmly, "How about this, Damao? In my opinion, you should not use ordinary pesticides first. Try to sprinkle some chili powder and lime powder, mix them and sprinkle them on the edges of the ground and on the leaves. This method is not too strong, but it can scare away a lot of small insects. The most important thing is that it will not harm the land or crops."

Xu Damao perked up immediately after hearing this, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes: "Chili powder? Does this stuff work? This is the first time I've heard of it."

Li Xiangqian nodded, with a hint of certainty in his tone: "You also know that peppers are very irritating, and insects are most afraid of these pungent things. Add lime powder, and the pores of some small insects will be blocked, and they dare not approach easily. Although our method is not a high-tech method, it is simple and effective, and it will not destroy the nutrients in the soil."

Xu Damao listened and nodded slightly, obviously quite confident in this method. With a gleam of hope in his eyes, he kept saying, "Okay, okay! Go ahead, your idea is still great! I'll go buy some chili powder and lime powder and try this folk remedy later!"

Li Xiangqian felt a little relieved when he saw his excited face. He gently patted Xu Damao on the shoulder and whispered, "Don't be in a hurry to spread it. Be careful when spreading it. Don't spread too much at once. Sprinkle it on a few places on the edge of the ground first to let the insects slowly retreat. Then spread it gradually inwards. This way it will be safer."

Xu Damao nodded heavily, his eyes full of trust and gratitude. He held Li Xiangqian's hand and said with emotion: "Xiangqian, you really helped me a lot! I feel relieved. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know what to do. I was so worried that I couldn't sleep well these days."

Li Xiangqian smiled and said casually, "We are all neighbors, so it's only natural for us to help each other. If you have any ideas in the future, you might as well teach me. I haven't been very well these days, and I just spread some rat poison to prevent snakes from coming."

Xu Damao raised his head in surprise, a trace of confusion on his face: "Eh? Snakes? You also encountered snakes in your field? I heard that snakes have appeared in the fields of several neighbors recently. Could it be that there are snake nests hidden around the fields?"

Li Xiangqian's heart tightened, but he forced himself to remain calm and said lightly, "It's nothing, I just run into one occasionally, it's scary, I was afraid the snake would come back, so I thought of putting some rat poison to see if I could drive it away."

Xu Damao nodded thoughtfully, patted Li Xiangqian on the shoulder and said, "Then you should be careful too. Snakes are elusive and it will be troublesome if you encounter one. Why don't we clean up the grass in the field together after I finish my work these few days, and maybe we can avoid this trouble."