Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"I just felt sorry for it." Li Xiangqian tried to explain, his tone somewhat depressed, "Besides, it didn't do anything wrong, so how could it be considered 'careless'?"

Xiao Lin sighed, walked to the yard, put her bag on the table, and then sat down slowly, as if she was thinking deeply. She looked at the dog, and a trace of contemplation flashed in her eyes: "But you know where it came from, right? You also heard from Aunt Wang that the dog was once related to those unclean things. Don't you care about these?"

Li Xiangqian was stunned for a moment, his heart suddenly tightened, Aunt Wang's warning echoed in his mind again. He looked up at his wife and suddenly felt as if he was spinning in an inescapable vortex, getting deeper and deeper.

"You mean, what Aunt Wang said is true?" Li Xiangqian's voice was a little choked, as if he was asking his wife a question that he himself could not answer.

Xiao Lin was silent for a while, then slowly spoke: "Everyone in the courtyard knows something. You may feel that these things are far away from you, but in fact they are not far away. The dog is indeed related to something in our courtyard. You thought you just brought back a dog, but it may represent some kind of warning, or some kind of shadow." Her voice gradually lowered, with a deep concern, "You don't understand, this place seems calm, but in fact it is undercurrent."

Li Xiangqian felt heavy in his heart and his head became dizzy. Those details he had not noticed, those things he usually ignored, were like invisible mountains pressing down on him, becoming heavier and heavier, becoming more and more unbearable. He wanted to refute, but he couldn't say anything. His wife's words were like a heavy whip, lashing his heart and making him breathless.

He didn't dare look Xiaolin in the eye, he lowered his head, his mood getting heavier and heavier: "I just want to do something to help. You are right, this place is not simple, but if everyone chooses not to care about it and not to do something, then the 'complexity' here will become an inescapable vicious cycle."

Xiao Lin looked at him calmly, with an elusive light in her eyes: "Do you really think you can change anything? You can't change anything, Li Xiangqian. The more you want to interfere in these things, the more you will be involved. You always think you can control everything, but in fact you don't understand anything."

Her tone gradually became heavier, as if every word in her speech carried a weight that could not be ignored, making Li Xiangqian feel more confused and uneasy.

"I just don't want to stand by and watch," Li Xiangqian's voice suddenly became a little hurried, "I think I should at least do something, even if it's a small thing, to change something." His hands subconsciously clenched into fists, and his fingertips almost dug into his palms. "I don't want to watch these things happen again, but I can't do anything about it."

Xiao Lin looked at him, and suddenly, her expression softened, her eyes no longer so sharp. She sighed, stood up, walked to Li Xiangqian, and gently patted his shoulder: "I know what you want to do. But some things are not up to you. Every decision you make affects the lives of each of us and the fate of our courtyard." She paused and whispered, "If you bring this dog back now, it may bring more trouble in the future. Are you willing to bear it?"

Li Xiangqian felt confused for a moment, and he suddenly understood the meaning of his wife's words - in this unknown land, every small decision may trigger a chain reaction, which may put himself and everything around him into deeper trouble.

He did not speak again, but lowered his head and looked at the dog that was still wandering silently in the yard. It lay quietly in a corner of the yard, its eyes no longer so vigilant, as if it had let go of all its fear and anxiety. Li Xiangqian suddenly felt that the dog was like his state of mind at the moment, although in a difficult situation, it was still tenaciously alive.

Li Xiangqian stood in the yard for a while, his emotions still surging. Xiaolin's words were like a wall, trapping him inside, and every word made him breathless. Maybe she was right. All this was not a simple question of good and evil, black and white, but a complex game that involved not only him personally, but also the future of everyone in the courtyard. And as a part of it, he was destined to be unable to completely escape from the vortex no matter what he did.

However, he did not intend to give up the dog. Looking at its eyes that still showed a bit of confusion and helplessness, Li Xiangqian suddenly felt that he seemed to have found something he could rely on. It seemed that no one in this world needed him, and even his wife began to alienate him. The dog might be able to give him a little comfort, even if it was only temporary.

However, Li Xiangqian turned around and glanced at the light in the room, and the uneasiness in his heart rolled up again. He knew that after returning home tonight, he would still have to face his wife's reproaches and the pressure of life that he could not escape. Although Xiaolin did not say it directly, he knew that the problem of money was always hanging over their heads.

This year, Li Xiangqian made much less money than in previous years. The renovation of the courtyard house cost him a lot, and the pressure of life increased. The monthly bills and expenses made him feel suffocated. Last month, he even killed the remaining chickens in his home and sold some old wood to pay the rent. Every time he received his salary, he felt that the banknote became heavy in his hand, as if it had become a shackle in his life.

Thinking of this, Li Xiangqian's eyes flashed with anxiety. The ways to make money were becoming increasingly limited, and the people in the courtyard seemed to be interacting and oppressing each other under some invisible force. Sometimes he felt that he was like a chess piece in this small courtyard, at the mercy of others.

He walked to the side of the courtyard, touched his forehead and sighed. He had gotten used to the life in the courtyard. He could endure poverty, hardship, and even the unspeakable sense of oppression. But would this continue? Li Xiangqian was confused. His bills from last year and this year kept appearing in his mind. His income was decreasing every month, but his expenses were increasing, and he still couldn't change it.

"Li Xiangqian, you have to find a way." He whispered to himself.

Just then, Xiaolin's voice came from the room: "When will you be back? I won't cook dinner today. Go out and buy something."