Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian's fingers tightly grasped the phone, and the tension and anxiety in his heart almost made him unable to speak. He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm, "Xiao E, can we meet?"

Lou Xiao'e on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, as if she had noticed something, and then she asked softly, "What happened? Where are you now?"

Li Xiangqian frowned and tried to make his voice steady: "I'm at home, nothing special, it's just... I need to talk to you."

"What do you want to talk about?" Lou Xiao'e's tone was slightly alert. Li Xiangqian knew that her intuition was always sharp, and perhaps she had already sensed some strange emotions in his heart.

"I have some things I need to sort out now. Maybe you know something about the situation." Li Xiangqian paused, realizing that he couldn't continue to be vague. "I want to ask, have you noticed any changes in Xiao Zhao recently?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a while, and then Lou Xiao'e's voice came slowly: "What did you say? What happened to Xiao Zhao?"

"Something seems to be wrong with her. When she came back today... I thought she was a little strange." Li Xiangqian's tone revealed anxiety. "She always avoids me and doesn't tell me the truth. And now I have some doubts that she is hiding something."

Lou Xiao'e did not respond immediately, and the phone fell into silence. Li Xiangqian could feel that Lou Xiao'e's eyes might be looking directly at him through the other end of the phone. He knew she was thinking, and after a moment of silence, Lou Xiao'e spoke: "Why do you feel that she is hiding something from you? Is there something you don't understand, Li Xiangqian?"

Li Xiangqian's heart was shocked, as if he was hit by some complex emotions again. He felt that he could finally talk about it: "I... I found bugs on my scalp. I have never seen them before. She seemed reluctant to talk to me about these things. Moreover, she went out for a long time today, and kept avoiding my questions when she came back." He took a deep breath, "Do you know what Xiao Zhao has done recently? Is she hiding something from me?"

Lou Xiao'e was silent for a moment, then she sighed softly, as if she had made a decision. Li Xiangqian could hear her voice gradually becoming low: "Li Xiangqian, don't you feel it yourself? You also said that she hasn't talked to you for a long time. She is avoiding you, maybe not entirely because of what happened outside, but more because of some problems between you two."

Li Xiangqian was stunned, and his thoughts were torn apart at this moment. The reason why Xiao Zhao avoided him might not be just the troubles from the outside world, but because of the rift between them - this thought made him stunned for a moment. Xiao Zhao was becoming more and more distant and less willing to talk to him. Could it be that there was a problem in their relationship?

"Do you know how she feels?" Lou Xiao'e continued, "She has been a little depressed recently, but you may not have noticed. Between you, it's not just the external troubles, but more likely that your relationship has become distant, Li Xiangqian."

Li Xiangqian hung up the phone, but the confusion in his heart had not yet dissipated. Lou Xiaoe's words were like a knife, piercing the pain point deep in his heart. He knew that there was a crack in his relationship with Xiao Zhao, but he had never faced it. Perhaps, he had tried to cover up these problems with busyness countless times, immersed in the trivialities of land investment and daily life, and ignored the changes in Xiao Zhao's heart. However, those few words on the phone today were like a flash of lightning, illuminating the dark corner deep in his heart.

He wanted to go find Xiao Zhao and have a good talk with her, to find out what she was hiding from him. But as soon as this thought came to his mind, he suppressed it. Xiao Zhao's alienation made him feel heavy, and his mood at the moment was not necessarily any better. His mind was full of complicated thoughts, how could he have the energy to talk to her? He needed an outlet at this moment, a place where he could calm down a little.

Li Xiangqian looked down at his still tightly held phone, and did not make any decision for a long time. His eyes fell on the phone screen, but he did not take any action. After thinking about it, he suddenly remembered Xu Damao. Xu Damao, a well-known character in the courtyard, always seemed to appear in various bad moments and bring some unexpected comfort.

Li Xiangqian sighed softly, and a rare sense of peace gradually rose in his heart. He called Xu Damao.

"Hello?" Xu Damao's rough voice came from the other end of the line, "Li Xiangqian? What's wrong?"

"Xu Damao, are you free tonight? Let's have a drink and a meal together." Li Xiangqian's voice was a little suppressed, but he knew that he needed a friend at this moment, a kind of companionship that did not require too many words.

"You kid, you want me to drink mutton soup?" Xu Damao's tone was filled with a sense of ease that was hard to ignore. "Okay, okay, wait, I'll be there soon."

Li Xiangqian smiled, and he felt relieved. Although Xu Damao's response was brief, it was direct and generous as usual, which made Li Xiangqian feel a little relieved. Perhaps this was the simplicity and sincerity he needed most at this moment.

Soon, Xu Damao opened the door and walked into Li Xiangqian's room. He was wearing a faded jacket, his hair was a little messy, and there was mud on his shoes, but his casual look made Li Xiangqian smile softly. Xu Damao looked at Li Xiangqian's expression and raised a sly smile: "What's the matter? What's bothering you today?"

Li Xiangqian did not answer immediately, but waved his hand gently, "Let's go and drink mutton soup."

Xu Damao did not ask any more questions. He knew that Li Xiangqian was a calm person and not someone who would easily show his emotions. Since he had spoken, Xu Damao naturally did not ask any more questions. He patted Li Xiangqian on the shoulder and said, "Okay, I'm hungry now. Let's go and have some soup."

The two walked to the familiar little shop on the corner. The smell of mutton soup was already floating in the air, making people's mouths water. Li Xiangqian sat down, and Xu Damao sat casually opposite him, picked up the bowl, and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

Li Xiangqian looked at him unconsciously, the complex emotions in his mind still not dissipated. When Xu Damao lowered his head to drink soup, he suddenly said: "What's wrong? You seem absent-minded recently. What difficulties have you encountered?"

Li Xiangqian was silent for a moment, his eyes still fixed on the mutton soup in the bowl. Suddenly, he didn't know where to start. His wife Xiao Zhao's affairs, his recent irritability, and the bugs on his scalp, all these problems were intertwined, like an invisible rope, tightly strangling his heart.