Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Where is she now?" Li Xiangqian asked anxiously.

"He left. It seems he went to the back of the market." The stall owner said casually, "You can go and have a look. Maybe you can catch him."

Li Xiangqian hurriedly thanked her, but he became even more anxious. He walked quickly through the market and finally saw a familiar figure at a vegetable stall. Cuilan was bending over and picking up a bunch of green vegetables, and she seemed to be completely unaware of his approach.

"Cui Lan!" Li took a few steps forward, his voice filled with emotions that had been suppressed all day.

Cuilan was startled by the sudden shout. She looked up and saw that it was Li Xiangqian. An embarrassed look suddenly appeared on her face: "Why are you here?"

Li Xiangqian stared at her with a questioning look in his eyes: "Where did you go yesterday? I looked for you the whole day!"

Cuilan lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye: "I... I just came out for a walk and bought some things."

"Wandering around?" Li Xiangqian's voice rose a little, obviously not satisfied with the answer. "Wandering around for a whole day and night? Do you know how worried I was?"

Cuilan pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't speak. She lowered her head and continued to pick vegetables, but her movements seemed a little stiff.

Li Xiangqian was anxious and angry, but seeing Cuilan's expression, he couldn't bear to continue blaming her. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and softened his tone a little: "Cuilan, can't you tell me what's going on? Why did you run out alone?"

Cuilan finally raised her head and looked at him, with a hint of complicated emotions in her eyes: "I just want to be alone for a while, nothing else."

Li Xiangqian felt mixed emotions when he heard this. He felt that Cuilan seemed to be hiding something from him, but he didn't want to push her too hard. He sighed and said, "Okay, let's go home and talk about it."

As the two of them walked out of the market, Li Xiangqian's cell phone suddenly rang. He took out his cell phone and saw that it was his boss calling. His heart suddenly tightened and he answered the phone: "Hello, boss, what's up?"

The boss's deep voice came from the other end of the phone: "Xiang Qian, why didn't you come today? A customer came to see you this morning, and we almost lost the order when you were not here."

Li Xiangqian's face suddenly turned ugly. He quickly explained: "Boss, I'm sorry, something happened at home and I really can't get away today."

"No matter how serious the family matter is, it can't delay work, right?" The boss' tone was a little dissatisfied, "Do you think this job is not important anymore?"

"No, absolutely not!" Li Xiangqian said quickly, his tone full of anxiety, "Boss, please give me another chance, I will make it up to you tomorrow!"

There was silence for a moment on the other end of the phone, and then the man said, "Okay, since you usually perform well, I'll let it go this time. But don't do this again in the future."

"Thank you, boss, thank you!" Li Xiangqian thanked him repeatedly, but his heart was full of pressure. He hung up the phone and sighed deeply, feeling as if he was pressed under a big rock.

Cuilan looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Li Xiangqian gave a bitter smile: "Nothing, it's just that the boss is a little unhappy. I didn't go to work today and almost delayed things."

Cuilan lowered her head, with a hint of apology in her voice: "I'm sorry, it's all because of me..."

Li Xiangqian waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's go home first. We can talk about it when we get back." Although his tone was calm, his heart was full of mixed feelings. He didn't know what to do next.

Li Xiangqian and Cuilan returned to He Yuzhu's house in silence. This was his temporary place to stay. He Yuzhu was a righteous man. Knowing that Li Xiangqian's family was in trouble, he let him stay for a few days without saying anything. But now, the fact that his wallet was lost was like a thorn in Li Xiangqian's heart. His face was gloomy, and he kept thinking about the next response in his mind.

When he opened the door, the room was filled with the aroma of freshly cooked bone soup. He Yuzhu was busy at the stove. He turned around and saw Li Xiangqian coming in. He casually greeted him: "Hey, you're back? Did you find someone?"

Li Xiangqian nodded and said in a low voice: "I found it, but..." He stopped halfway, gritted his teeth, and thought about how to ask for money.

He Yuzhu noticed his strangeness, put down the spatula in his hand, walked over and patted his shoulder: "What's wrong? Looking at your face, it doesn't look like good news."

Li Xiangqian hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke up: "Yuzhu, my wallet is lost, and all the money in it is gone."

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, then frowned: "Lost? Where did you lose it? Didn't you go looking for someone just now? How did you lose your wallet?"

"It was on the road. It might have been stolen." Li Xiangqian's voice was filled with annoyance. "I didn't notice it myself. By the time I found out, it was too late."

He Yuzhu sighed, pulled a chair and sat down, his tone revealing a bit of helplessness: "This matter is really hard to guard against. Don't blame yourself too much. There are many thieves these days, and everyone can be careless sometimes."

Li Xiangqian gave a bitter smile, but he felt even worse. He raised his head, looked at He Yuzhu, and said tentatively: "Yuzhu, I really have no other choice now. Can you lend me some money first? I will pay you back when I have more money."

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment after hearing this. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then sighed: "Xiang Qian, it's not that I don't want to help you. You know, I'm very tight on money recently. The school expenses for the children at home are terrifying. How about this, I'll ask others to see if they can give you some money?"

Li Xiangqian felt disappointed again after hearing this. He knew what He Yuzhu said was true. He had heard that his family was living in poverty. At this moment, he felt that he shouldn't have asked this question, but he also felt helpless. He could only bite the bullet and nodded: "Then thank you, Yuzhu."

He Yuzhu patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry, there will always be a way to solve the problem. I'll go find a few people to ask, you rest here first."

After He Yuzhu left, the room suddenly became quiet. Li Xiangqian sat on the chair, his mind in a mess. His eyes fell on the bowl of hot soup on the table, but he had no appetite. He thought of everything that happened today, Cuilan's indifference, the loss of his wallet, and the boss's dissatisfaction, and a feeling of powerlessness surged in his heart.

"What on earth have I done to myself? How did I end up living like this?" He kept asking himself, but he couldn't find the answer. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and began to sort out his next plan.