Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian did not answer immediately, but took a deep breath and said, "Instead of drinking alcohol, how about drinking some mutton soup today?"

Xu Damao was stunned for a moment, then he laughed heartily and said, "Great! Mutton soup is just what I want. Where shall we meet?"

Li Xiangqian thought for a moment and said, "It's at the old place, that little shop. You know it."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Xu Damao hung up the phone directly, while Li Xiangqian put down his phone and walked out the door.

The old place is a restaurant in an inconspicuous alley. The mutton soup there is very delicious, with tender mutton and rich soup. After eating a bowl, it seems that all the fatigue in the body can be dispelled. Li Xiangqian has never set too many expectations for himself, but whenever he encounters troubles, going there to drink a bowl of mutton soup always seems to make him find some peace temporarily.

The lights in the store were dim, the air was filled with the aroma of food, and there were diners sitting in groups of three or four at several tables. Li Xiangqian pushed open the door and saw Xu Damao sitting at a table in the corner, holding a bowl in his hand and gently blowing the hot air on it.

"Are you here?" Xu Damao stood up immediately when he saw him come in, and patted the seat next to him with a smile, "Sit down, sit down quickly. I just ordered two bowls of soup, it should be hot."

Li walked forward and sat down, a smile on his face, "You're always so fast."

"What? Are you anxious?" Xu Damao's eyes were teasing, and he seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with Li Xiangqian's expression.

Li Xiangqian did not answer immediately, but silently took the bowl of hot mutton soup and took a sip. The fresh aroma of mutton mixed with the spices in the soup quickly spread, and the warm feeling spread from the tip of the tongue to the stomach. He closed his eyes and felt the tranquility of this moment.

Xu Damao looked at him, but didn't rush to speak. Instead, he quietly waited for him to speak. Li Xiangqian put down the bowl and looked up at Xu Damao. Suddenly, the irritability that had been suppressed for a long time surged into his heart.

"Something's happened recently," Li Xiangqian's voice deepened a bit, "It's a bit annoying."

Xu Damao smiled and said in a relaxed tone: "What are you upset about, Li Xiangqian? You are not the kind of person who likes to be upset."

Li Xiangqian did not answer, but lowered his head and put the mutton in the soup into the bowl, his eyes slightly wandering. The mutton was tender and the soup was rich, but Li Xiangqian's taste buds seemed to have been eroded by his troubled thoughts, and nothing could make him completely relax.

"Is it Lin Yulan?" Xu Damao finally spoke. His tone was relaxed, but also a bit shrewd. "You are not an ignorant person. Why do you always have no clue recently?"

Li Xiangqian was shocked, and his eyes suddenly became complicated, as if Xu Damao had seen through all his concerns. He took a deep breath and whispered, "Yes, she has been a little strange recently. I feel...she is not the same as before. Suddenly she became a little impatient, as if something was weighing on her heart, and I knew nothing about it."

Xu Damao's eyes flashed with a hint of teasing, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly: "Then you have to ask yourself, have you not cared about her too much recently? Are you always busy with your own things and ignore her feelings?"

Li Xiangqian was stunned. Xu Damao's words were like a slap in the face, making him feel as if he were in a dream. Yes, he was always busy with land affairs and always thinking about future plans, but he forgot that behind these trivial matters, Lin Yulan might have felt lonely for a long time.

He lowered his head, feeling a little heavy. "I just... I don't know how to ask her. You know my relationship with her has always been calm. We don't show our emotions easily, and she never complains to me. I even think she's too strong sometimes."

"Too strong?" Xu Damao frowned. "That's not necessarily a good thing. A woman's strength doesn't mean she can bear everything. Often, they also need someone to care for them and listen to them. You said she's been a little upset lately. Have you ever thought that maybe she has a lot on her mind, and maybe she feels that you no longer understand her?"

Li Xiangqian was stunned. Xu Damao's words were like a stone thrown into the lake of his heart that was already full of ripples. A corner of his heart seemed to be touched, and the bits and pieces of memories began to emerge - every time Lin Yulan came home, she always cooked and arranged everything with a smile; every time she saw him busy, she never complained, and even felt that he was working hard; every time he proposed to make some decisions, Lin Yulan never objected, but always supported silently.

But he only now realized that behind this silent support might be hidden more efforts, which he never really understood.

Li Xiangqian suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt. He raised his head and looked at Xu Damao, his voice a little hoarse: "Am I... too selfish?"

Xu Damao smiled softly, "Be it selfishness or negligence, the important thing is that you realize it now. Not everyone can always keep the same position in someone else's heart, especially when time and change quietly erode those feelings."

Li Xiangqian's emotions slowly settled in the warmth of the bowl of mutton soup, but suddenly exploded when he stood up to pay the bill. He walked to the counter and was about to take out his wallet when his hand stopped. A violent shock in his heart suddenly froze him. His wallet was empty.

He instinctively pulled his trouser pocket and felt it to make sure there was nothing wrong - it was gone, all the money was gone. At that moment, the air seemed to be still, and all the sounds became unclear. He felt as if his soul had been suddenly emptied out, his head was buzzing, his vision became blurred, as if all the blood had been drained from his limbs, leaving only a cold void.

The hand holding the wallet was shaking slightly. Although he knew he couldn't be wrong, he subconsciously opened the wallet and checked it again and again. His heartbeat was extremely violent, and the blood seemed to be rushed into a mess by this sudden situation. He began to doubt his senses. Did he remember it wrong? He clearly remembered that there were 500 yuan in the wallet, and he even withdrew money just yesterday - why was it gone?

"Li Xiangqian?" Xu Damao's voice came from behind, breaking his stiffness.

Li Xiangqian turned around, suppressed the emotions in his heart, looked up at Xu Damao, and said in a cold voice, "The money is gone."

"What?" Xu Damao was obviously stunned for a moment, then frowned, "You mean, your wallet is lost?"

Li Xiangqian did not answer, but silently closed his wallet and lowered his head to touch his trouser pocket, but no matter how he touched it, it was empty. The feeling of anger and powerlessness surged in his heart, and his heart seemed to be pressed down by something, and his breathing became a little rapid. He clearly knew that there was money in his wallet just now, how could it be possible... He suddenly raised his head, and a trace of unbelievable anger flashed in his eyes, as if he had discovered some unknown betrayal.