Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian paused for a moment, then sighed. He knew that the dinner issue would not be resolved just because he brought the dog back. Xiaolin's attitude was still serious, even a little cold. And all this was not a problem he could avoid.

He walked into the room and saw Xiaolin sitting at the table, still with a bit of dissatisfaction in her eyes. She looked at Li Xiangqian and didn't ask him what he was going to make for dinner. She just said lightly: "Are you a little tired? Your work is not easy and you don't make enough money. Shouldn't you think about how to solve these problems?"

Li Xiangqian was stunned for a moment, and his heart felt bitter. His wife's words were cold, as if she had become accustomed to this cold lifestyle. This made Li Xiangqian a little sad, but he could not refute it. He lowered his head, rubbed his forehead, and his mind was blank.

"I know, the money is less." Li Xiangqian replied impatiently, in a low voice, "But this is not a one- or two-day thing. We can't keep living like this." He paused, suddenly feeling a sense of pressure, and then added, "This year is indeed not good, and the income is less, but there must be some way. We can't keep dragging it on like this."

Xiaolin did not speak any more, and looked at Li Xiangqian in silence, with a complex emotion in her eyes. She knew that Li Xiangqian had tried hard, but she also understood that the cruelty of reality was far beyond their tolerance. She had expected for a while, expecting Li Xiangqian to make a breakthrough and turn around the increasingly serious situation, but gradually, this expectation was replaced by more and more disappointment and helplessness. Whenever she saw Li Xiangqian's tired eyes, the sadness in her heart would involuntarily surge up.

She spoke slowly: "You know, we don't have enough money, and many things can't be delayed any longer. I know you have your difficulties, but we can't live like this forever." Her voice was a little weak, but the worry in her eyes seemed to make these words extremely heavy.

Li Xiangqian stood there, feeling empty inside. He understood what his wife meant. She was not blaming him, but she felt that she had no more resources and hope in this battle of life. They seemed to have reached a dead end, with an unfathomable fog ahead, and he had no ability to clear the fog and find a way out.

"I know." Li Xiangqian whispered, "I'll find a way."

"Think of a way?" Xiaolin smiled, but her tone was a little cold, "You always say this, but in the end, nothing changes."

There was no anger in her tone, but the indifference and disappointment cut deep into Li Xiangqian's heart like a knife. Every expectation would eventually turn into silence. The bitterness in his heart became more and more intense, like an invisible stone pressing on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"I know that too." Li Xiangqian murmured, his eyes full of regret and self-blame. His wife had lost confidence in his change, and he himself felt more lost than ever before. He tried to find a breakthrough, but everything seemed to be going in a worse direction.

The room was silent for a while. Li Xiangqian did not speak again, while Xiaolin continued to lower her head to organize the cloth bag in her hand, obviously unwilling to continue talking about this topic. The dog was still in the yard, barking from time to time, as if reminding Li Xiangqian that no matter what happened, life still went on. And he had to continue to face everything in front of him.

However, Li Xiangqian knew that all this would change sooner or later. He felt that he had reached a critical point. Everything was overwhelming him, and he even began to doubt how long he could last. He thought about giving up, but he couldn't bear to leave the dog, the courtyard, his wife, and his difficult life.

The night gradually fell, the lights in the courtyard flickered, and a faint light was reflected on the window glass. Li Xiangqian stood in the kitchen, silently watching the boiling steam in the pot. He no longer had hope that this would be a warm night. At least under Xiaolin's cold attitude, tonight was destined to be without any warmth. However, despite his fatigue and irritability, he still decided to do something, perhaps to ease the current atmosphere a little.

The water began to boil, and Li Xiangqian picked up a bag of glutinous rice balls. On the bag were written the words "fragrant and sticky reunion flavor". The words looked ordinary, but at this moment, they seemed to carry an unspoken hint - reunion. Li Xiangqian gently tore open the bag, put the glutinous rice balls into the boiling water, and watched them slowly float up.

He had an idea in his mind, wanting to do something for Xiaolin, even if it was just a small thing, maybe it could make her feel a little softer, even for a moment. But every time he started to think about these ideas, he felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness in his heart. Xiaolin's attitude towards him became colder and colder. She no longer talked to him about the future and life as easily as before, and no longer cared about his small decisions. She was always calm, even a little distant. Every dispute and disappointment was like a knife, stabbing hard into Li Xiangqian's heart.

At this time, a slight cough interrupted Li Xiangqian's thoughts. He turned around and saw Xiaolin standing at the door. She didn't look at him, but looked down at the cloth bag on the table. She looked calm and silent. She seemed to have something to say, but didn't know where to start.

"Don't you like dumplings?" Li Xiangqian asked softly, his voice low and a little tired.

Xiaolin raised her head and looked into his eyes for a moment, then shook her head gently: "It's not that I don't like you, it's just... I don't quite understand why you do this."

Li Xiangqian's heart sank, and he looked down at the glutinous rice balls rolling in the water, with an inexplicable emotion in his heart. "You don't understand?" He repeated, trying to calm himself down. "I just think that maybe we can try to do something, even if it's a small thing, to make each other feel better."

Xiaolin's eyes became a little calm. She slowly walked to the kitchen door and whispered, "You are always like this, doing these little things but never really considering the relationship between us. You brought back the dog and these dumplings, as if you wanted to make up for something with these little things. But you don't understand that these things can't solve the problem at all." Her tone was still cold, but there was no blame, just a kind of helplessness and disappointment that had been pent up for a long time.

Li Xiangqian frowned, feeling uncomfortable, as if he couldn't understand all this. "I know, I know I didn't do well enough." He said softly, his eyes fell on the glutinous rice balls floating in the water, his expression a little dazed, "But at least I hope there will be a change."