Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Lou Xiao'e sighed, "Don't be anxious, calm down first. Or you can think about it carefully, does she have other relatives and friends who visit her? Or, has she mentioned anything special recently?"

Li Xiangqian closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He recalled everything that had happened recently, but he couldn't come up with any clues. His mind was in a mess, as if all his memories were mixed up.

"No." He whispered, his tone revealing helplessness, "She didn't say anything. I really don't know where she would go."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, and then Lou Xiao'e's voice became softer: "Xiang Qian, don't worry. If it doesn't work, we can go look for it somewhere nearby tomorrow. You should take a rest now, and don't push yourself too hard."

Li Xiangqian nodded, but his throat seemed to be blocked by a stone, and he couldn't say a word. He hung up the phone, sat back in his chair, covered his face with his hands, and his heart was full of fatigue and helplessness.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian's eyes were bloodshot and he looked exhausted. He hadn't slept all night, and his mind was full of Cuilan's figure and various possibilities. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see her walking alone on the deserted street, or worse - these thoughts haunted him like a nightmare, keeping him awake all night.

It was just dawn, and he couldn't wait any longer, so he put on his coat and walked out of the house. The yard was quiet, with only a few early sparrows chirping among the branches. He walked out of the yard and walked aimlessly along the street, thinking about what to do next.

Not long after he walked, he suddenly smelled the rich aroma of mutton soup. The smell made him stop abruptly, and his stomach growled. He realized that he hadn't eaten a single bite since last night.

"I can't go looking for someone on an empty stomach." He whispered to himself, then walked towards a small restaurant not far away.

When he opened the door, hot air mixed with fragrance hit him in the face. There were not many people in the restaurant, only a few workers who got up early sat in the corner drinking soup and chatting. Li Xiangqian looked around and his eyes fell on a table by the window, and he saw Xu Damao.

Xu Damao was holding a bowl of mutton soup and eating it with big mouthfuls, a hint of oil hanging from the corners of his mouth. He looked up and saw Li Xiangqian, and was stunned for a moment, then smiled and waved at him: "Hey, isn't this Xiangqian? You're out for a stroll so early?"

Li Xiangqian hesitated for a moment, but eventually walked over and sat down. He ordered a bowl of mutton soup, sighed and said, "I didn't sleep last night, so I came out to relax."

Xu Damao raised his eyebrows and asked vaguely while biting a piece of mutton: "What happened? Did you have a fight with your sister-in-law?"

Li Xiangqian shook his head, picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup. The warm taste made him feel a little better. He put down the bowl and whispered, "Cui Lan went out yesterday and hasn't come back yet. I looked for her all night and didn't see her at all."

Xu Damao was stunned for a moment, then put down his chopsticks, with a look of surprise on his face: "How could this happen? Have you asked where she usually goes?"

"I asked, but I didn't see anyone even at her cousin's place." Li Xiangqian sighed, frowning, "I really don't know where she went. I feel like I'm being scratched by a cat."

Xu Damao touched his chin, his eyes showing a little more thought: "This matter is indeed a bit strange. Isn't my sister-in-law usually very stable? How could she suddenly disappear?"

Li Xiangqian didn't say anything, he just lowered his head and drank his soup. His heart was full of mixed emotions, including worry about Cuilan and self-blame. He felt that he had failed to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and didn't even know what happened to his wife.

Seeing his worried look, Xu Damao patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry, maybe sister-in-law was just delayed by something. Think about it again, has she mentioned anything special recently? Or is there any place she often goes to?"

Li Xiangqian shook his head and said in a low voice: "No. When she left, she didn't say where she was going. She just took a basket and said she was going to look for her cousin. But she hasn't come back yet."

Xu Damao frowned, as if he also felt that something was wrong. He picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup, then pondered, "How about this, let's split up and look for her later. You go to the places she's familiar with, and I'll ask the neighbors to see if anyone has seen her."

Li Xiangqian raised his head and looked at Xu Damao with a trace of gratitude in his eyes: "Da Mao, thank you this time. We always quarrel with each other, but you can still help me this time, it's really..."

"Hey, don't say those polite words." Xu Damao waved his hand and grinned, "No matter how much we quarrel, we still have to help each other at the critical moment, right? Sister-in-law is usually very nice to me, I can't just stand by and watch."

Li Xiangqian nodded, but he felt a little complicated. He and Xu Damao did not get along well, but at this moment, his attitude made him feel a little warm, and also made him realize that at this time, it was better to have one more person to help than to be anxious alone.

After finishing their soup, they went their separate ways. Li Xiangqian asked every store along the street. Every time Cuilan's name was mentioned, his heart seemed to be tightened by an invisible hand. He was both looking forward to and afraid of hearing the answer. But every time he got a shake of the head or "I don't know", his anxiety increased little by little.

By the afternoon, his legs were weak and his forehead was covered with beads of sweat. He leaned against a tree by the roadside, wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, and felt exhausted and helpless: "Where did he go? It's been half a day and there's no news."

At this moment, his cell phone suddenly rang. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and saw Xu Damao's name on the screen. He quickly answered the call and asked anxiously, "How is it? Any news?"

Xu Damao's voice came from the other end of the phone, with a hint of excitement: "Xiang Qian, I just heard from the market that someone said they saw my sister-in-law! She seemed to be heading east."

Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat, and his hand holding the phone trembled slightly: "East? What is she doing there?"

"I don't know about that." Xu Damao said, "But I heard that she seemed to be carrying a basket by herself and walking in a hurry."

Li Xiangqian walked eastward at a brisk pace, feeling anxious, hoping to find Cuilan, but also worried that it was just an empty clue. His mind kept flashing through the possible whereabouts of Cuilan, but he could not grasp the clue. The flow of people on the street gradually increased, and he shuttled through the crowd, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, and the hustle and bustle of the ears was in his ears.