Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

The next morning, Li Xiangqian woke up earlier than usual. He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze, his mind still reverberating with the conversation he had with Xu Damao last night. Although Xu Damao's words were straightforward, they were like a key that opened a tightly closed door in his heart. He knew that he couldn't continue to be so decadent. He had to get his life back on track.

"Let's start with a little bit." Li Xiangqian muttered to himself, sat up, and rubbed his messy hair. The sunlight from the window shone through the half-closed curtains, shining on his face, bringing a hint of warmth. Suddenly, an idea popped up in his mind: It's time to buy something new for myself.

He opened his closet and found that there were only a few pairs of socks left, and most of them were badly worn, with some even having holes in them. He sighed and thought, "I really should tidy up a bit." So he changed his clothes, packed up a bit, and went out.

Gradually, more and more people came to the street, and shops opened one after another. The hawking sounds added a bit of vitality to this morning. Li Xiangqian walked into a small department store. The store was simply furnished, but the shelves were filled with various daily necessities. He went straight to the socks section and started to choose.

"Hello, do you need any help?" A young female clerk came over with a professional smile on her face.

Li nodded and pointed to the socks on the shelf: "I want to buy a few pairs of socks, better quality."

"Okay." The female clerk smiled and skillfully took a few pairs of socks from the shelf. "These are popular recently. They are made of cotton, comfortable to wear, and suitable for daily wear."

Li Xiangqian took the socks and touched the material, feeling that they felt good. He picked out a few pairs of black ones, two pairs of gray ones, and finally hesitated for a moment before picking up a pair with a simple pattern.

"This pair is a little special." The female clerk saw him pick up the patterned socks and said with a smile, "Young people like this kind of design. It looks more lively."

Li Xiangqian looked down at the simple geometric pattern on his socks, and felt a little complicated. He always liked low-key style, and this kind of patterned socks might have seemed a bit exaggerated to him in the past, but at this moment, he thought it was okay to change the style.

"These are what I'll take." He nodded and handed the selected socks to the salesgirl.

"Okay, please wait, I'll check out for you." The female clerk took the socks and quickly started working at the checkout counter.

Li Xiangqian stood aside, his eyes unconsciously scanning other shelves in the store. He saw many customers selecting goods, some concentrating on comparing prices, while others casually browsing. He suddenly felt that such an ordinary daily life was actually quite good, at least it made people feel at ease.

"The total is fifteen dollars." The female clerk's voice brought him back to reality.

Li Xiangqian took out his wallet and handed over a twenty-dollar bill. He took the change and the bag of socks and nodded to the female clerk: "Thank you."

"Welcome next time!" The female clerk smiled and watched him leave.

After walking out of the store, Li Xiangqian felt relieved. He carried the bag and walked slowly down the street, feeling the warmth of the sun on his body. Although it was just a pair of simple socks, it made him feel that there was a little more happiness in his life.

When he got home, he couldn't wait to open the bag and take out the new socks one by one. He picked a pair of black socks and replaced the old socks that were a little worn out. When the new socks wrapped around his feet, he felt a long-lost comfort and satisfaction.

"This is good." He looked down at the socks on his feet, and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corners of his mouth.

He sat on the chair, lifted his feet and looked carefully at the pair of socks with geometric patterns, with some anticipation in his heart, wondering when he could try to wear something of this style. Perhaps, this was also the beginning of a change.

Just as he was thinking, Xu Damao's voice came from the yard next door again: "Xiang Qian, what are you doing? Why is it so quiet today?"

Li Xiangqian smiled, stood up and walked to the door: "Nothing, just came back from the street and bought some things."

"What did you buy?" Xu Damao looked curiously at the bag in his hand.

"Socks." Li Xiangqian shook the bag and said in a relaxed tone, "You can't always wear them out."

"Oh, you really know how to enjoy life." Xu Damao laughed, "You have good taste. You can't save money on socks. They have to be comfortable to wear."

"You're right." Li Xiangqian nodded, but he secretly sighed in his heart: The little things in life can sometimes make people feel the long-lost warmth.

"Family has been having some difficulties lately." Xu Damao sat down and sighed, "Actually, the child's tuition is due tomorrow, and I'm a bit stuck here. I'm really sorry to trouble you, but I don't have any other choice." As he said that, he looked at Li Xiangqian awkwardly.

Li Xiangqian was shocked when he heard this. He didn't know the situation at Xu Damao's home, but he was obviously very anxious when he heard what he said. He knew that Xu Damao was a very self-respecting person, and he must have really reached a certain point to ask him for help.

Li Xiangqian hesitated for a moment, then sighed: "Okay, how much? How much do you need?"

Xu Damao looked at Li Xiangqian with a hint of gratitude on his face: "Three hundred yuan. Can you do me this favor?"

Li Xiangqian felt heavy-hearted. Three hundred yuan was a lot of money for him now. His wallet was lost before, and his life was already tight. Now he had to lend it to others. Although he knew Xu Damao was in urgent need of help, he still felt uneasy. Especially with Cuilan, he hadn't completely solved the problem. Now with the loan, he felt like he was walking on a tightrope and would fall if he wasn't careful.

"I'm a little short on money right now, can you wait a moment?" Li Xiangqian tried his best to make himself look less embarrassed. "I just have something to do here, I can give it to you after I sort it out."

Xu Damao was a little stunned, obviously not expecting Li Xiangqian to say that, but then he nodded: "It's okay, it's okay, I'll wait." He sat on the sofa, looking a little uneasy.

However, today seemed different. He put down the bowl in his hand, turned around and walked into the house. The house still maintained that deserted look, as if only time knew how to flow here. The wind blew outside the window, rustling the bamboo in the yard, and the leaves and branches collided with each other, making crisp sounds.