Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He returned to the courtyard almost instinctively. His footsteps were heavy, and every step seemed to be on thick soil. Walking into the gate, the courtyard was quiet, and there was no sound around. Li Xiangqian couldn't help but stop and looked up at the old wall in the courtyard. The wall was still covered with moss, and the ancient traces seemed to tell the history of this place. But today, he saw an unusual atmosphere. The cracks on the wall seemed to be bigger, and in some places, the cracks even extended into the wall, like some kind of hint, some kind of warning.

"What are you afraid of?" Li Xiangqian asked himself in a low voice, trying to calm himself down. However, the falling hair, the man's words, and the invisible force were always lingering in his mind. Every time he tried to think calmly, those uneasy thoughts would emerge in his mind, like sharp thorns, piercing his heart.

He walked into the house and gently closed the door. The air in the house was still humid, and the empty room seemed to be lifeless. Li Xiangqian's eyes swept across every corner of the house, and his eyes stopped at the once familiar dining table. A few years ago, he and his wife sat there to eat, and the laughter and conversation filled the whole room. At that time, the courtyard was such a warm and peaceful place for him. But now, with everything changing, he seemed to have lost contact with this world. All memories became blurred, and even his wife's face became less vivid.

Li Xiangqian walked to the dining table and lifted the old cloth curtain left by his wife, trying to find something. His eyes stopped at the old photo album on the table, and his heart ached involuntarily. The album had been opened countless times, and there were endless memories behind each photo. But now, he didn't even have the courage to pick it up.

Just as he was about to put down the album, an object on the table caught his eye - it was a small mirror, with a rusty frame covered with dust. Li Xiangqian's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and he subconsciously reached out to take the mirror. His fingers slightly touched the mirror surface, but a cold breath came from the mirror surface. He was stunned, his eyes fixed on the mirror.

At that moment, his mind seemed to be hit by something, and a strange yet familiar face emerged in his mind. It was not his wife, nor the old neighbor, but himself - a self that was completely unfamiliar to him.

The person in the mirror had cold eyes, a pale face, and sparse hair, as if he had just experienced a great change. Li Xiangqian was stunned, his breathing gradually became rapid. The man in the mirror had become so unfamiliar, and the once familiar face had become so old and weak. The sparse and falling hair seemed to tell him that his changes were far more than these.

"What's going on..." Li Xiangqian's voice was trembling. His hand unconsciously grasped the edge of the mirror, and the cold touch of the mirror made him sober up a little. He slowly closed his eyes, and the strange face, the words, and all the uneasy premonitions echoed in his mind. Suddenly, he remembered another sentence that the man said: "You have fallen into the rules of this land."

"Rules..." Li Xiangqian muttered to himself, his heart suddenly tightened, as if he suddenly understood something. An unspeakable fear rose from deep in his heart - this was not just a personal change for him, but behind this, there seemed to be a deeper power that was quietly devouring everything he had.

He subconsciously put the mirror down and took a few steps back, his eyes full of anxiety. His hands began to grab his hair unconsciously, trying to feel the feeling of gradually losing control, but his fingertips still touched the increasingly sparse hair.

"Why is this happening?" Li Xiangqian asked himself in a low voice, his voice trembling undisguisedly. He suddenly realized that everything he had experienced was not just a change in the outside world, but also a crack deep in his heart that was quietly widening.

The room was filled with damp air, and the old walls were like a pair of cold eyes, quietly watching Li Xiangqian standing in front of the mirror. His hand was still on the edge of the mirror, frozen in place, as if blending into the cold touch. The scene in front of him made him feel familiar yet strange. Although the face was his own, it seemed like another completely different existence. This made him feel a deep sense of self-doubt. Was it the mirror's problem, or had he really become like this? He didn't dare to look at it any more, as if he was afraid that if he stayed for another second, the mirror would reveal some even more unacceptable secret.

Suddenly, there was a slow sound of footsteps outside the door, heavy and dragging, as if with a bit of fatigue and hesitation. Li Xiangqian subconsciously looked up at the door, with some doubts and vigilance in his heart. Who would come to see him at this moment? The footsteps stopped for a few seconds, and then a familiar and low voice came: "Xiangqian, are you home?"

Li Xiangqian's heart suddenly trembled. It was his father's voice. This voice had a sense of heaviness, as if it could suppress the panic in his heart. He quickly put away the mirror on the table and stuffed it into a drawer beside him, then walked quickly to the door and opened the old wooden door.

Standing outside the door was his father, an elderly man with a slightly hunched back, wearing a washed-out cotton coat. The wrinkles on his face were like deep grooves carved into stone, revealing the vicissitudes of life. His eyes were still sharp, but they could not hide his fatigue. Li Xiangqian was stunned for a moment, with mixed feelings in his heart. He had not seen his father for a long time, and he was not even mentally prepared for why his father suddenly came to see him.

"Dad? Why are you here?" Li Xiangqian tried to make his voice sound calm, but there was still a hint of nervousness and uneasiness in his tone. He subconsciously looked outside the door to make sure no one else was following him.

His father sighed slowly, looked up at him and said, "Can I not come over? You haven't looked quite right lately. Neighbors are saying that you're acting a little abnormal. I heard something and came to see you." He paused, looked at Li Xiangqian, his eyes falling on his sparse hair, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Li Xiangqian was a little embarrassed, he reached out and touched his hair, avoiding his father's sight. He stepped aside and motioned his father to come in, "Let's talk first, it's cold standing at the door."

My father was silent for a while, nodded, and walked into the house. The furnishings in the house were simple and somewhat shabby, the tables and chairs were placed in a mess, and the walls around were mottled and peeling.