Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He was silent for a while, and finally spoke: "Xiao Zhao has been acting strange recently. I feel like she's avoiding me. Every time I ask her, she avoids me, and doesn't talk to me much when she comes back. Do you think this is a bit strange?"

Xu Damao stopped drinking his soup and remained silent for a few seconds, as if pondering Li Xiangqian's words. He put down the bowl, wiped the corners of his mouth, and said seriously, "You said she was hiding from you. Is she hiding something from you? This kind of thing is the most annoying thing between husband and wife."

Li Xiangqian's brows were tightly locked, and his eyes were somewhat empty: "I don't know. But when I saw her today, she seemed to be avoiding me all the time, unwilling to tell me what she was doing. If she didn't say anything, I couldn't force her, but that silence really made me uncomfortable."

"Is there no communication between you and her?" Xu Damao asked in a serious tone, "You are her husband, why don't you try to have a good chat with her? No matter what the problem is, you have to talk it out."

Li Xiangqian turned his gaze to Xu Damao, feeling an unknown irritation in his heart: "I have tried, but she always avoids it, and I don't want to put too much pressure on her. You know, there must be some space between husband and wife, right?"

Xu Damao seemed to hear the helplessness in Li Xiangqian's words. He sighed softly: "I understand, I understand. The relationship between husband and wife is really a delicate one. You can't force her, but you can't let her go either. But sometimes, the problem is often because the distance between you is getting farther and farther. Don't you think so? Maybe it's time to put aside those concerns and have a frank talk."

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath and slowly lowered his head. Xu Damao's words seemed to hit the nail on the head, directly touching the deepest pain point in his heart. He understood that there was indeed a lack of real communication and understanding between him and Xiao Zhao. Even the two closest people may unconsciously begin to alienate each other and start to use silence instead of words. This is the problem - they have lost their initial frankness, and the distance between their hearts has quietly widened.

He whispered, "I know. I know I should take the initiative to communicate and break the silence, but I'm also afraid that once I open that door, what I see will no longer be what I expect."

Xu Damao nodded with a complicated look in his eyes. "You are right. Many times, we are more afraid to face the facts and would rather live in a state of self-comfort. But sometimes, facing the truth is the beginning of solving the problem."

Li Xiangqian's heart was churning. Yes, perhaps he should really face these problems and face his wife Xiao Zhao's possible concealment and evasion, instead of once again choosing to give up communication and continue to suffer in his own world.

Seeing that he had been silent for a long time, Xu Damao patted his shoulder gently and said, "It's okay, don't worry. The process of solving a problem is not easy, but as long as you don't give up, you will see the light one day."

Li Xiangqian raised his head with a complicated look in his eyes. Xu Damao's words made him feel a little bit of strength from the bottom of his heart. Yes, no matter how difficult the problem is, no matter whether the ending can be what he wants, he should at least face it bravely instead of choosing to escape.

He took a deep breath and nodded slightly: "Thank you, Xu Damao."

Xu Damao smiled and continued to drink his soup. "Don't thank me. Let's talk after we finish eating."

When Li Xiangqian returned home, his heart was still churning. Although Xu Damao's words calmed him down to some extent, his inner anxiety and uneasiness never dissipated. Tonight's mutton soup did not bring him the relief he imagined, but made him more aware of his alienation from Xiao Zhao and the increasingly unspeakable gap between them.

He pushed the door open and walked into the room. The familiar environment made him feel a little strange. The silence in the air seemed to be frozen. Nothing happened, but everything was quietly changing. Li Xiangqian sighed secretly and turned to close the door. He thought that today's incident might be an opportunity to restore some lost communication between him and Xiao Zhao.

However, when he walked to the sofa and prepared to sit down and rest for a while, his eyes unconsciously swept to the old leather bag on the coffee table. The bag was originally a gift for him and Xiao Zhao when they got married, and it has been with them for many years. Li Xiangqian habitually opened it, wanting to take out the change inside and check the condition of his wallet.

However, when he opened the bag, his heart sank - the money in the bag was gone.

He froze, his fingers suspended in mid-air, as if he was fighting against this fact. There were only a few faded banknotes left in his bag, and the change that was originally used to pay for miscellaneous small bills had long disappeared. The original amount of cash was enough for him to pay for these daily expenses, but now, only a few scattered banknotes were left.

Li Xiangqian's heart was suddenly filled with nameless anger, as if a fire was rising in his chest. His breathing became rapid, and after a few seconds of being stunned, he suddenly stood up and almost roared at the empty space in the room: "Who did it?"

He quickly walked to the bedroom, rummaging around, his eyes eagerly scanning every corner, with countless thoughts intertwined in his mind. His thoughts became unusually clear and urgent at this moment: Xiao Zhao must know something, or did she discover something, or even -

"Could it be that she took it?" Li Xiangqian's heart was shocked. This thought made his heart suddenly tighten, and he almost wanted to question her loudly.

However, his reason quickly stopped him. Xiao Zhao was not the kind of person who would do such a thing easily. She was always introverted and down-to-earth. If it was really her who did it, Li Xiangqian didn't even dare to imagine what would happen next. The contradictions and pain in his heart had reached the point where he couldn't control himself, and if things were really as he thought... it would be even more heartbreaking.

His mind raced, trying to find any clues, any reasonable way to explain it all. However, whenever he thought carefully, he could not find any other abnormal signs except the missing money in the purse. Xiao Zhao did not behave strangely. She still maintained her usual lifestyle and did not show any signs of nervousness or anxiety.

The more he thought about it, the angrier and more irritated he became. Finally, he threw the pillow on the sofa to the ground with a fierce shake of his hand. The sound echoed in the silent room, as if he was venting his inner anger at the endless uncertainty.

He stood in the middle of the room, his eyes fixed on the wallet on the coffee table, as if everything in it was laughing at him.