Chapter 158 Tired Smile

The staple food of Li Xiaohu is the main food of the family, especially for the growing Li Xiaohu, who needs adequate nutrition. Every night, Li Xiangqian would toss and turn in the silent night, thinking about how to solve the problem of food.

One night, Li Xiangqian sat in a corner of the room, looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, and a bitter feeling rose in his heart. He knew that the resources in the courtyard alone could not sustain for too long. He decided to go out of this small world and find more food. This decision made him excited and uneasy. The outside world was unknown to him and full of dangers, but he had no choice.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian told Chen Meilan his thoughts. Chen Meilan's eyes were filled with worry. She held Li Xiangqian's hand tightly and said in a trembling voice: "Xiangqian, the situation outside is not like here, you must be careful. Xiaohu and I will wait for you to come back."

Li Xiangqian nodded, patted the back of Chen Meilan's hand, and comforted her: "Meilan, don't worry, I will come back safely and bring back enough food. Our family will be fine." When saying this, Li Xiangqian's tone was firm and gentle, as if this could calm Chen Meilan's uneasiness.

After bidding farewell to his family, Li Xiangqian carried a simple bag and walked out of the gate of the courtyard. He decided to try his luck in several nearby villages and towns, where he might be able to find some food. As he walked along, the scenes he saw along the way made him feel even more depressed. The once prosperous streets were now full of depression, the people all had sad faces, and the vendors' calls were much less frequent.

After walking for most of the day, Li Xiangqian arrived at a small town. The market in the town was still open, but there were few things for sale. Li Xiangqian walked into a grocery store, and the owner saw him with a hint of vigilance in his eyes: "Big brother, is there anything I can help you with?"

Li Xiangqian took out a few silver dollars, put them on the counter, and asked, "Boss, do you have any food for sale?"

The shop owner shook his head and sighed, "Brother, to be honest, grain is more valuable than anything else right now. There is nothing to sell. Even if there is, it is priced sky-high."

Li Xiangqian's heart sank, but he did not give up and continued to ask: "Is there any place nearby where I can buy food?"

The shopkeeper thought for a moment, pointed to the east end of the town, and said, "You can go to the warehouse over there. I heard there are some grains there, but the price is definitely not cheap."

Li Xiangqian thanked the shopkeeper and walked towards the warehouse. When he reached the door of the warehouse, he saw several people guarding the door. They were all burly and had sharp eyes. Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, walked forward, and said politely: "Brothers, I want to buy some food. Is it convenient?"

The leader looked Li Xiangqian up and down and said coldly, "We have food, but you have to be able to afford the price."

Li Xiangqian knew that the key to negotiation was to remain calm and polite. He took out all the silver dollars and said, "Are these enough?"

The man took a look at the silver dollar, frowned, and said, "It's not enough, but since you're here to buy it sincerely, I'll give you some." After that, he motioned to the people around him to take out a bag of wheat.

Li Xiangqian took the wheat and felt a little relieved. He knew that this bag of wheat could not solve the problem in the long run, but at least it could temporarily relieve the hunger of his family. With this food, Li Xiangqian set out on the road home.

Along the way, Li Xiangqian had mixed feelings. Although he had bought food, he knew it was just a drop in the bucket. He had to come up with a more long-term solution to find a more stable source of food for his family and the neighbors in the courtyard.

It was already evening when they returned to the courtyard. Chen Meilan's eyes moistened when she saw Li Xiangqian return safely: "Xiangqian, you are finally back!"

Li Xiangqian handed the wheat to Chen Meilan, hugged her gently, and said, "Don't worry, Meilan, this is just the beginning. I will definitely find more food, and our family will be fine."

In the following days, Li Xiangqian continued to think of ways every day. He heard that there was a large granary in a village to the west, where he might find more food. He decided to go and investigate in person. Before leaving, he and Chen Meilan discussed the plan carefully. Although Chen Meilan was worried, she still chose to support her husband's decision.

Li Xiangqian once again packed his bag and set off on the road to the western village. Along the way, he met many people who were struggling for a living like him. They asked each other for news and shared limited information, hoping to find a glimmer of hope. Li Xiangqian deeply felt the hardships and helplessness of the people, but also saw the warmth of mutual support from them.

The village to the west was much farther than Li Xiangqian had imagined. It took him two full days to get there. The village was filled with a strong smell of fireworks, and it seemed that many people were busy. Li Xiangqian asked around and found that the large granary in the village did exist, but the granary was extremely strictly guarded, and it was not easy to get in.

Li Xiangqian did not act rashly. He decided to stay in the village first and carefully observe the movement of the granary. After a few days, he found that the granary had guards taking turns every day, but the guards at night were relatively lax. So he decided to sneak into the granary on a dark and windy night to see if he could find an opportunity.

That night, Li Xiangqian quietly approached the granary, trying to avoid the guards' sight. He held his breath, moved lightly, and was extremely careful with every step. Finally, he found a corner that was not noticed by the guards and climbed over the granary wall quietly.

After entering the granary, Li Xiangqian quickly found piles of grain bags. The sight before him made him both excited and nervous. He knew he had to act quickly and not delay. He found some smaller grain bags, put as much as possible into his bag, and then quickly left the granary.

Back in the village, Li Xiangqian's heart was beating fast. He knew that this operation was extremely risky, but he had no choice. For the sake of his family and the neighbors in the courtyard, he had to take this risk. With the food, Li Xiangqian quickly left the village and set out on the road home.

When Li Xiangqian stepped into the gate of the courtyard again, it was already dawn. Chen Meilan saw that he was covered in dust and hurried forward to greet him: "Xiangqian, how did you get into this state?"

Li Xiangqian showed a tired smile and handed the food to Chen Meilan: "The food we brought back this time should be able to last for a while. We have to find a way to solve the food problem permanently."