Siheyuan: Mastery started in the 50s

Wang Qiang lowered his head and fell into deep thought. Xu Damao's words struck him in the heart, and he realized that he might have been drifting with the tide, lacking a clear direction. This drifting made him feel tired and gradually lost his passion for life.

"Then what should I do?" Wang Qiang raised his head, with a hint of confusion and expectation in his eyes.

Xu Damao smiled and patted Wang Qiang on the shoulder. "You don't have to rush to find the answer. What's important is that you give yourself some time and space to think. Try to do something that interests you and try different experiences. Don't rush for success. Life is a process of constant exploration. Only by continuous attempts can you find your own path."

Wang Qiang nodded, and Xu Damao's words comforted him. He knew that he could not find all the answers in one go, but at least he could start exploring and looking for things that would make him feel fulfilled and satisfied.

"Thank you, Brother Damao. Your words made me suddenly enlightened." Wang Qiang said gratefully, and the heaviness in his heart seemed to be relieved a lot.

Xu Damao smiled and shook his head. "You're welcome. We are all neighbors. Feel free to come and talk to me if you have anything. Remember, life is not easy, but as long as you don't give up, you will always find your own light."

The two continued chatting for a while, and Xu Damao told Wang Qiang about some of his experiences when he was young. Although those experiences were simple, they made Wang Qiang feel a little warm. He began to realize that perhaps his life did not need to be so spectacular, as long as he could find his own fun and satisfaction in the ordinary, that was a kind of success.

When Wang Qiang left Xu Damao's house, he felt much more relaxed than when he came. He took a deep breath of fresh air and felt that the depression in his chest had dissipated a lot. He decided that in the days to come, he would follow Xu Damao's advice and try different things to find out what he was really interested in, instead of blindly pursuing things that seemed to give him a sense of achievement but made him feel tired.

Wang Qiang walked out of Xu Damao's house, and his originally relaxed mood suddenly became heavy. He lowered his head, put his hands in his pockets, and walked aimlessly on the path of the courtyard. The feeling of uneasiness and irritability in his heart surged up again.

He thought that after the conversation just now, he would feel better, but for some reason, the more he thought about it, the more depressed he felt, as if there was an indescribable anger burning in his chest. This emotion came without any signs, making him feel confused and powerless.

"Why is this happening?" Wang Qiang asked himself. He had hoped to be able to sort out his thoughts through this conversation, but now he seemed even more confused. Although Xu Damao's words made sense, when he tried to understand them, he instead felt a strong sense of disgust and resistance.

"Am I just going to have to endure this day after day?" Wang Qiang became angrier and angrier, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace, as if he wanted to vent his unhappiness by walking fast. The brick walls of the courtyard, the green trees, and the laughter of the elderly became blurred, and only depression and irritability remained in his world.

He suddenly felt like he was trapped in an invisible cage, with invisible walls on all sides, restricting his movements and thoughts. He clenched his fists involuntarily, his nails digging deep into his palms, and the pain made him sober up a little.

"Why am I so angry? Why am I so upset?" Wang Qiang tried to calm himself down, but this emotion seemed to have found an outlet and could not be easily contained. He knew that this nameless anger came from deep inside him, perhaps because he could not find a direction and was always struggling in chaos.

A thought suddenly popped up in his mind: "Should I vent my anger?" This thought shocked him a little. He has always been a gentle person and rarely loses his temper, but now this fire is burning in his chest, making him feel that he can no longer endure it.

Wang Qiang walked for a while in the alley, then suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky. It was overcast and it looked like it was going to rain. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, but no matter how hard he tried, the anger was still boiling in his body.

"Why can't life be simpler?" Wang Qiang cursed in a low voice and punched the wall next to him. The hard touch of the wall made his fingers hurt, but he didn't care. This pain made him feel that he was still alive. At least this pain was real, which made him feel more real than the unspeakable emptiness.

Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Before he could turn around, a familiar voice rang out: "Wang Qiang, what's wrong with you?"

He looked back and saw He Yuzhu. He didn't know when He Yuzhu appeared, but seeing the other party's concerned expression, the suffocating feeling in his heart seemed to be slightly relieved.

"Yu Zhu..." Wang Qiang called out in a low voice, with a hint of fatigue and weakness in his voice.

He Yuzhu frowned, looked at Wang Qiang's angry eyes, and asked worriedly: "What's wrong with you? What happened? I saw you walking in a hurry and your face looked strange, so I followed you."

Wang Qiang shook his head, trying to calm himself down, but the anger in his heart still could not be dissipated. "It's okay... just a little annoying."

He Yuzhu kept asking, "What's going on? Aren't you usually very optimistic? Why did you suddenly become so irritable? We are friends, if you have anything to say, just say it directly, don't keep it in your heart."

Wang Qiang lowered his head, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. "I don't know what's wrong, I just feel very depressed, nothing goes well, I feel like I'm standing still."

He Yuzhu was silent for a while after hearing this, then patted Wang Qiang on the shoulder and said, "I understand how you feel. I've had that feeling too. In fact, at this time, you need to calm down, don't rush to make a decision, and don't let your emotions control you."

"But I can't control myself now!" Wang Qiang suddenly raised his voice, his emotions gushing out like a flood. "I know I should be calm, but I really can't! Every day I feel like I'm doing useless work, and life seems to be wearing away my will. I don't know what I'm working hard for, and all my efforts seem to have no results. I feel like I'm being played around by life!"

He Yuzhu looked at Wang Qiang's eyes full of anger and disappointment, and felt helpless. He knew Wang Qiang's current situation and understood his struggle and pain.