Chapter 157 Temporary Comfort

The winter of that year was particularly cold, with the wind blowing on people's faces like a knife. Famine had already begun in Beijing, and food supply was tight. The cries of street vendors gradually became rarer, and more people could be heard sighing helplessly and hungry people wandering the streets.

The people in the courtyard were not immune. Several families lived in Li Xiangqian's courtyard. They usually looked after each other and lived a stable life. But now, whether they could have a full meal every day became their biggest headache. As the backbone of the courtyard, Li Xiangqian had a heavier burden on his shoulders. He often stood alone in the courtyard in the dead of night, staring at the starry sky, thinking about how to lead everyone through this famine.

The layout of the courtyard is intricate, with the front and back yards each having their own characteristics. Li Xiangqian lives in the east wing of the front yard. The room is not big, but it is well organized. In a corner of the room is an old wooden box containing several antiques and some books inherited from his ancestors. These things are rarely used, but now he has begun to consider whether he should take them out to exchange for some food.

Li Xiangqian's wife, Chen Meilan, is a gentle and virtuous woman. She gets up early every day to make breakfast for the whole family. Although there is a shortage of food now, she can always find ways to make some simple but delicious meals to bring a little comfort to the family. Li Xiangqian and Chen Meilan's son, Li Xiaohu, just turned eight this year and is in the growth period. Looking at his son's increasingly thin face, Li Xiangqian's heart hurts as if it were cut by a knife.

Early in the morning, Li Xiangqian just walked out of the door and saw Uncle Liu from next door pacing in the yard. Uncle Liu is a retired old worker. When he was young, he worked in a factory and was very healthy. But now, he looked worried. Li Xiangqian went up to him and said, "Uncle Liu, what's on your mind?"

Uncle Liu sighed and said, "Go forward, life is so hard. My wife has been sick these days, and the hospital doesn't have any medicine. What can I do?"

After hearing this, Li Xiangqian frowned and said, "Uncle Liu, don't worry, let's find a solution together. I'll go get some medicine right away. Please let Auntie rest more and don't worry about getting angry."

After that, Li Xiangqian walked out the door and headed straight to the medicine shop at the entrance of the alley. On weekdays, this medicine shop is the busiest place in the alley, with various medicinal materials piled up and the aroma of medicine filling the air. But today, the entrance of the medicine shop was deserted, and the boss was sitting listlessly behind the counter. As soon as Li Xiangqian entered the door, the boss looked up at him and asked, "Brother Li, what's the matter?"

Li Xiangqian bowed and said, "Boss, my uncle Liu's wife is sick. Can you give her some medicine?"

The boss sighed and said, "Brother Li, it's not that I don't want to help you. For the past half month, the supply of medicinal materials has not been able to keep up. The medicine that can make it through has been sold out. There is really no extra medicinal materials left."

Li Xiangqian's heart sank, but he was not discouraged. He asked again: "Is there any other way, or any folk remedy, to cure Auntie?"

The boss thought for a while and finally said, "There is a way. You can try it. I heard that there is an old Chinese doctor outside the East City. He is very skilled in medicine, but his medicine is expensive, and you have to bring the medicine to him yourself."

When Li Xiangqian heard this, a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. He quickly thanked his boss and hurried back to the courtyard. He found the few silver coins and old things left in the house, took these items with him, and prepared to exchange them for some medicinal herbs.

Walking on the street, Li Xiangqian felt an unprecedented depression. Most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed, and the occasional shops that were open were empty, with not much goods. There were more and more beggars on the roadside, many of whom were ragged, with sallow faces and eyes full of despair. Li Xiangqian quickened his pace, fearing that if he was any later, he would not be able to find the old Chinese doctor.

Outside the East City is a dilapidated old town, where most of the houses are low-rise bungalows, the road is bumpy, and there is garbage and debris everywhere. Li Xiangqian asked along the way and finally found the residence of the old Chinese doctor in a secluded alley. It was a simple thatched cottage with a sign hanging outside the house with four big characters "Xuanhu Jishi".

Li Xiangqian knocked on the door, and it creaked open. An old man with white hair appeared in front of him. The old man's eyes were bright and full of wisdom. Li Xiangqian bowed respectfully and said, "Old sir, an elder in my family is sick, and I came here to ask you to see him."

The old man nodded and motioned Li Xiangqian to go inside. The house was simply furnished with an old wooden table, a few chairs, and a few medicine cabinets in the corner. The air was filled with a strong aroma of medicine. The old man asked Li Xiangqian to sit down, listened to him talk about Aunt Liu's condition, and then carefully diagnosed it.

After the diagnosis, the old man wrote a few prescriptions and said, "You can go to the nearby pharmacy to get these herbs. Go home and boil them according to the prescription. You should feel better in three days."

Li Xiangqian thanked him and left the old doctor's hut with the prescription. In the next few days, Li Xiangqian followed the old doctor's instructions and carefully boiled the medicine. Aunt Liu's condition really got better, and the people in the courtyard finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the shadow of famine did not dissipate, but weighed more and more heavily on everyone's heart. Every family in the courtyard was struggling to survive, and life became more and more difficult. Li Xiangqian knew that these prescriptions and a little bit of stored food were far from enough, and he had to come up with a more long-term solution to maintain everyone's life.

One late night, Li Xiangqian stood in the yard again, looking at the starry sky. Suddenly, he had an idea and thought of a possible solution - he decided to mobilize everyone to grow vegetables together. Although the space in the courtyard was not large, every household had some open space. If everyone worked together and made reasonable use of these open spaces, they might be able to grow some vegetables to alleviate the pressure of famine.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian called together several leaders in the courtyard to discuss this idea. Everyone expressed their support. So, they split up and went to look for seeds, tools, and planning planting areas. Li Xiangqian led the team and started turning the soil, loosening the soil, and sowing seeds.

When spring comes, the small vegetable garden in the courtyard gradually takes shape. Tender green sprouts poke their heads out of the soil, bringing new hope to the whole courtyard. Everyone takes turns to look after the vegetable garden every day, watering, fertilizing, and weeding, and they are very busy. Although the process is hard, everyone has a long-lost smile on their face.

The vegetable garden in the courtyard brought temporary comfort, but as the days passed, Li Xiangqian's worries did not dissipate. No matter how many vegetables there are, they cannot replace grain.