Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Yeah." Li Xiangqian nodded, a helpless smile on his face. "Sometimes, when I recall things from the past, I always feel more at home."

The cashier glanced at him with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, but didn't say much. He silently gave him the change.

Li Xiangqian took the change, looked down at the small biscuit box, and couldn't help but feel a little silent. He paid and walked out of the store. The wind outside was still biting, lifting his clothes at the collar, and the cold quickly invaded his body. He clenched the biscuit box in his hand, but his heart did not feel warm at all. Instead, he felt that the box of biscuits was like a heavy burden, pressing on his heart.

He walked a few steps and suddenly stopped, looking at the empty street ahead. The air was filled with moisture and there was silence all around. Even the barking of dogs in the distance seemed particularly far away. Li Xiangqian couldn't help but feel a little confused. He wondered why he chose to buy cookies at this moment. Was he really trying to find some long-lost comfort, or was he trying to use these small actions to distract himself from his anxiety about his daughter's disappearance?

Li Xiangqian's eyes unconsciously looked towards his home, and the uneasy feeling in his heart rose again. His steps were a little hesitant, and the street in front of him seemed to become longer and longer, like an endless road, deeply swallowing his consciousness. That familiar home, that home that was once full of laughter and joy, was now shrouded in an inexplicable silence.

He lowered his head again and looked at the cookie box in his hand. Suddenly, he realized that the thing in his hand seemed to have become the only thing he could rely on during this period of time. Perhaps, this was just his reliance on some kind of warmth in the past, or a simple behavior he used to comfort himself. But all this could not answer the deepest questions in his heart, nor could it bring him the sense of security he needed most.

Just then, he heard a light sound of footsteps. Li Xiangqian raised his head and saw Song Wen coming from the other end of the street. She looked a little tired, and it was obvious that she had been looking for a long time. Her eyes lit up when she saw Li Xiangqian, but then became a little heavy.

"Where have you been?" Song Wen walked up to him, her tone a little nervous.

Li Xiangqian did not answer immediately, but looked down at the cookie box in his hand. He was still in a complicated mood, even a little stunned. Song Wen looked at him, seemed to notice the confusion in his heart, reached out and patted his shoulder gently: "What's wrong, still can't find her?"

Li nodded and suddenly choked up: "I don't know what to do. Where did she go? Why can't I find a clue?"

Song Wen's eyes flashed with a complex emotion. She did not answer immediately, but felt the deep helplessness in his eyes. The silence of the two made the coldness in the air more obvious.

"Li Xiangqian," Song Wen said in a low and slow voice, "I know you are very confused now, but we can't just be anxious, we have to calm down."

Li Xiangqian looked up at her with a trace of confusion in his eyes: "Calm down? How can I calm down? She is my daughter. She disappeared. Is it all I can do to calm down?"

Song Wen looked at him deeply and said slowly: "We have to find her. We can't let panic dominate everything. Now is not the time to be anxious, but to take action."

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, and a trace of determination flashed in his eyes. He looked at the cookie box in his hand, and his emotions seemed to be torn apart by some force. Suddenly, everything became insignificant. His daughter was what he needed most, and was the only thing he cared about.

He tightened the cookie box in his hand, turned around, and said firmly: "Let's go find her. We must find her."

Li Xiangqian walked in front, and Song Wen followed closely behind him, their steps were even and silent. The street was still quiet, with a few car lights occasionally breaking the silence, but most of the time, the sound of the wind on the street corner was the only company. Li Xiangqian seemed to have a knot in his heart, and this knot was not small, gradually becoming heavier like a snowball. His eyes involuntarily looked forward, but he didn't see anything special. There were only empty streets, a few weak street lights, and his own figure gradually sinking into the darkness.

Although they had already started the search, Li Xiangqian's heart did not get the slightest comfort. Every unsolved question, every undiscovered clue, was like an undercurrent in his heart, stirring up the calm waters. Why did his wife look so calm? Her eyes, her voice, her expression, as if nothing had happened. Li Xiangqian couldn't help but wonder, is it true that she is as normal as she said? Or, is there no "big thing" at all, and he is just worrying too much?

He smiled self-deprecatingly and looked down at the tip of his shoe. His wife's words, "She may have just gone to a friend's house, don't worry too much," sounded so relaxed, as if she was talking about a trivial matter. Li Xiangqian once believed it, truly believed it, because he hoped so much that all this was just a small misunderstanding, a loss of contact that was not a big deal. Deep in his heart, he also longed for nothing to happen, for his daughter to return home safely, and for life to return to the calm and stable state it had been before.

"Li Xiangqian, what's wrong with you?" Song Wen's voice broke his thoughts. He raised his head and saw his wife looking at him with a little concern in her eyes, but more of confusion.

He forced a smile, "Nothing, just thinking about something."

"You have been so silent, there must be a lot of things in your heart that you haven't said, right?" Song Wen walked closer, her tone was calm, but there was a hint of concern that could not be ignored.

Li Xiangqian's heart sank. He didn't say anything, but quickened his pace. He didn't want to talk about this with his wife, because he knew that he was troubled by a vague doubt in his heart. If he continued to think about it, he might not even be able to tell whether he wanted to find the truth or just a ray of light in this dark world that he was unwilling to accept.

He suddenly realized that perhaps he had begun to distrust his wife's words. The nonchalant tone and the calm expression made Li Xiangqian a little shaken. He originally thought that as long as he listened to her explanation, he would be able to feel at ease, but now, he began to question the authenticity of those words.

He didn't dare look directly into Song Wen's eyes, and lowered his head to look at the road under his feet. The street lamp above his head emitted a faint light, the grass on the roadside was a little messy, and the air was still filled with moisture.