Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

It became impossible to concentrate. It seemed that everything had an uncomfortable foreboding, as if it was being controlled by something invisible.

The old neighbor seemed to notice Li Xiangqian's silence. He sighed softly and whispered, "You may not notice it yourself, but others can see it clearly. Some of your actions are different from before. Even your cooking choices are sometimes strange." He paused, a trace of deep worry flashed in his eyes, "For example, the potatoes you bought today, I have been wondering why you had to buy potatoes. When you cooked before, you never made these simple dishes."

Li Xiangqian's heart suddenly tightened. The words of his old neighbor pierced a certain string in his heart. Yes, he did notice these changes, but he didn't dare to investigate further. He didn't dare to face this problem, afraid to face something he didn't want to touch. But today, everything seems to have gotten out of control and can no longer be ignored.

"You mean, I did all this by myself?" Li Xiangqian asked in a low voice, with an unprecedented level of doubt and depression in his tone. He had always believed that he was sober and that he could control everything, but at this moment, everything began to become unclear.

The old neighbor didn't answer immediately, but frowned, as if considering whether to continue. Finally, he raised his head and said slowly: "You bought potatoes, but they disappeared inexplicably. Don't you feel anything strange? This kind of thing has happened many times here."

Li Xiangqian's thoughts were in a mess. It turned out that not only he, but even his old neighbors also felt something was wrong. There seemed to be something unspeakable hidden in this courtyard, and these things were quietly changing the lives of everyone in the courtyard.

He took a deep breath and decided not to ask any more questions for the time being. In any case, this courtyard was no longer the courtyard he remembered. He turned around, looked at his old neighbor with a firm gaze, and suddenly said, "I have to buy some sweet potatoes and go home to cook a meal."

The old neighbor's eyes flashed with confusion, but he didn't say anything more, just nodded gently. Li Xiangqian didn't stop, turned around and walked out of the courtyard, stepping onto the familiar path.

There was a moist smell in the air, the streets around him had gradually quieted down, and lights in the distance began to light up. As Li walked forward, his thoughts drifted further and further away. He did not go directly to the market, but stopped at a corner, his eyes falling on the old shop on the opposite street. The shop was small, but it was filled with an enticing aroma. That was his favorite stall when he was a child, selling sweet potatoes. Every time he passed by here as a child, he could not help but stop, buy a few sweet potatoes, and take them home to roast and eat. At that time, the yard was always full of laughter, and he always felt that everything was so peaceful and beautiful.

He hesitated for a moment and suddenly decided that he must buy some sweet potatoes today.

Li Xiangqian walked into the small shop and was greeted by the familiar smiling face of the boss. The boss was a middle-aged man with a simple and honest face. When he saw Li Xiangqian, he smiled and greeted him: "Why did you think of buying sweet potatoes today, Lao Li?"

"Well, I just suddenly wanted to eat something different today." Li Xiangqian forced a smile, but his heart was not at peace. That inexplicable feeling of oppression still surrounded him tightly, like an invisible hand quietly strangling his throat.

The boss smiled and picked a few sweet potatoes and put them on the scale to weigh them. Li Xiangqian paid and prepared to leave. However, just as he was about to leave the store, he suddenly heard the boss whisper: "Old Li, do you know that in the past few days, someone has been watching you at night near the courtyard, as if he was following you."

Li Xiangqian's steps faltered, and the bag of sweet potatoes in his hand tightened involuntarily. His heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition flashed through his mind.

"You mean... someone is watching me at night?" Li Xiangqian asked in a low voice, with a hint of alertness in his voice.

The boss nodded, his expression a little heavy: "Yes, I heard that several neighbors have also noticed this situation. They said that someone quietly walked to your door at night, stayed for a while, and then left. But every time someone approached, there would be some strange noises in your house, as if something was moving."

Li Xiangqian's mind seemed to be struck by a strong electric current. He felt his whole body tremble and his steps paused unconsciously. The boss's understated words - "Someone is watching you at your door" - set off a huge wave in his heart. The strange sense of oppression became stronger and stronger, like an invisible hand tightly grasping his throat. It was not until this moment that he truly realized that he had been trapped in a vortex of some conspiracy, and the root of all this seemed to point to the gradually neglected courtyard.

His heart was beating so fast that it almost jumped out of his chest, but his limbs became numb. He didn't ask the boss any more questions, but turned around hastily, held the sweet potato bag tightly, and walked out in a hurry. However, when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped. The feeling of depression was approaching quietly like a shadow. He looked down at the dirt road under his feet, and his feet were already sunk into the mud.

Li Xiangqian looked down at the shoes, the soles of which were deeply stuck in the mud. He was stunned for a moment, and the anxiety and uneasiness in his heart suddenly surged into his heart. As the mud gradually penetrated, he felt a sense of heaviness that continued to intensify, as if the entire earth was swallowing up his existence. The feeling of uneasiness became more and more obvious, as if the land beneath him was quietly becoming no longer ordinary.

He tried to break free from the mud under his feet, but every step seemed to pull him deeper into the vortex. Li Xiangqian raised his toes slightly, but he sank deeper and deeper. The mud seemed to have some kind of suction force, firmly grasping his shoes, as if some invisible force was holding him tightly and not letting him get away. At this moment, he felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet and rushing straight up his spine.

He immediately broke out in a cold sweat, and a wave of turmoil rose in his heart. He knew that he could not stay on this land for too long. Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and finally pulled his feet out of the mud. His shoes made a dull "creaking" sound, as if even the mud was unwilling to let him go. He squatted slightly and shook the muddy soles of his shoes, and a trace of uneasy doubts arose in his heart.