Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"How are you doing recently? Is your work going well?" Lin Na finally spoke, her voice was a little tentative, but also faintly revealed fatigue. She turned around, her eyes flickered slightly.

Li Xiangqian was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "It's okay, but... I don't make much money, and the situation at work has been a bit complicated recently." He deliberately avoided talking too much about his low income, because that topic always made him feel powerless and embarrassed. Moreover, Lin Na always liked to magnify these problems, and seemed to always project her own anxiety onto him, making him feel a sense of oppression every time he mentioned work.

Lin Na still didn't let him go, "You earn little? Why do you sound so relaxed? Do you know how much the family expenses are? Have you put your own affairs on hold recently and only been busy with some unimportant things, and ended up pushing all these responsibilities onto me."

Li Xiangqian's heart was shaken. He looked up and looked into his wife's eyes. The emotions in his heart were chaotic and complicated. He knew that every word Lin Na said concealed her pain and anxiety, and every look in her eyes was filled with worry about the future. However, he had no way to give her a stable support, nor did he have the ability to truly change the predicament before her.

He dared not speak any more. In his mind, he recalled the countless nights he spent tossing and turning, how he was busy with the piles of bills, how he was running around at work while trying to maintain the balance of the family. Even though he tried so hard, he still could not bring more peace of mind to the family. Instead, he made his wife more anxious, and more dissatisfaction accumulated slowly. All of this eventually converged into a feeling of guilt that made Li Xiangqian feel as if he was suffocating.

"I know, Na, I know..." Li Xiangqian finally spoke, his tone heavy, "It's not that I don't work hard, nor do I want to give you and your family a better life, but..." He paused, looked up at his wife's face, but the words in his heart seemed to be blocked, and he couldn't say them for a long time, "I'm really tired, really tired, sometimes I don't know what to do."

Lina's hand paused slightly, she turned her head and stared at him silently, as if she was also waiting for his next words. However, she did not respond directly, but lowered her head and continued to cut vegetables. The sound of the blade echoed in the house again, with a sense of alienation and indifference.

Li Xiangqian felt a pang of pain in his heart. He knew that his wife didn't care about him. She was just tired, so exhausted that she had almost no energy to express her concern. Her silent silence was her powerless response to the difficulties in life. And he would always be the man who could not see comfort in her eyes, and the man who could not bring about any change.

"I know I should have done better." Li Xiangqian said softly, with a trace of self-blame in his eyes, "It's just that I always feel... sometimes, life seems really out of control, and there are always too many frustrations."

Lin Na didn't say anything, and the atmosphere in the kitchen became increasingly silent. Li Xiangqian knew that this silence could make him feel more depressed than any words. Every look from her seemed to be examining him, but he himself could not get relief from this silence. No matter how many explanations he gave, he could not get a word of comfort from her. The wound in his wife's heart might no longer be healed by any words.

He lowered his head, and his eyes unconsciously fell on the puppy quietly staying in the yard. It was lying quietly in the corner at the moment, and it seemed that it didn't care about anything in the outside world, but just quietly guarded its own world. The dog seemed to be a part of his heart, quietly existing there, without any demands or complaints, and its only mission seemed to be to accompany. He suddenly felt a bitter emotion, and a complex emotion emerged in his heart - he seemed to be trapped in a corner like the dog, unable to escape and unable to change.

"Dad, Mom, is dinner ready?" At this time, Li Xiangqian heard his son's voice, breaking the silence in the room.

He looked up at Lina, and at that moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. The child was the only light in the family, the only hope he could see amidst all the pressure. Although their family was also worried about the future, the child's smiling face was always his motivation to persevere.

"It'll be fine soon." Lin Na still responded calmly.

When Li Xiangqian walked into the kitchen, Lin Na was still standing there, still busy with her head down. The sound of the knife blade hitting the chopping board was loud and crisp, as if reminding him of his responsibility for every inch of land in the house. He stood at the door of the kitchen and suddenly felt as if he had become a stranger. This familiar kitchen, this familiar woman, all of this seemed to be obscured by an invisible mist. He suddenly felt a little unsure whether he could still find the intimacy he had in the past.

He raised his hand and looked at his wrinkled sleeves, with an inexplicable feeling in his heart. He had told himself more than once that life would get better and better as long as he persevered, but now looking back, what had he persisted in all these years? He was constantly busy, trying hard to create a better life for his wife and children, but it seemed that all his efforts were swallowed up by those invisible pressures. He knew in his heart that he had been pursuing something that did not really belong to him. Perhaps he needed to stop more and think about how to live his life.

"How about I make dumplings today?" Li Xiangqian suddenly spoke, his voice a little unconfident. His voice floated in the air of the kitchen, as if breaking the original silence.

Lin Na turned her head and looked at him, frowning slightly, but did not directly refute. Although she knew Li Xiangqian's recent financial situation, she still hoped that he could do something special to ease the tension at home. Tangyuan was her favorite food when she was a child, and she had imagined countless times in her mind that if she and Li Xiangqian could sit down and eat a simple tangyuan meal together and talk about the ordinary life, perhaps everything would become less heavy.

"Okay, let's make dumplings." Lin Na's tone was flat, but there was a hint of tenderness in her eyes. She couldn't help wanting to laugh, but she forced herself to hold it back.

Li Xiangqian was a little stunned. He looked at his wife's expression and seemed to see some changes. Her eyes were not as cold as before. Although she was still a little tired, she seemed no longer so hostile. Li Xiangqian felt relieved. He knew that he had finally done something right.