Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Zhang Guifang curled her lips and said, "You are really meddling in other people's business. If someone gets lost, they will naturally come back to look for it. Is it necessary for you to worry about this?"

Li Xiangqian didn't say anything back, but just smiled and said, "Even if you're meddling in other people's business, you can't just sit there and do nothing. What if it was really lost by an old man? It would be so inconvenient without a cane."

Zhang Guifang snorted, stopped talking, and turned around to continue hanging clothes. Li Xiangqian looked at her from behind, feeling a little uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything more.

After he put the cane away, he sat in the yard and smoked a cigarette, wondering: Who is the owner of this cane? Should I go ask more questions? Thinking of this, he decided to go out for a walk in the afternoon and ask at the village market, maybe he could find some clues.

Li Xiangqian sat in the yard, fiddling with the cane in his hand, his eyes wandering far away. His thoughts returned to his home, especially his daughter Xiaofang. Recently, Xiaofang's behavior gave him a headache and even some disappointment.

Xiaofang is twelve years old this year, just the right age for a young girl. Li Xiangqian always feels that his daughter seems to have become more distant from him. She no longer clings to him like she did when they were little, and rarely takes the initiative to talk to him. Most of the time, she stays alone in the room with the door closed, doing homework or reading. Occasionally, when he wants to chat with her, she either responds with a few words or simply acts impatient.

"Did I do something wrong?" Li Xiangqian asked himself in a low voice. He squeezed the crutch tightly in his hand, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.

He knew that it was normal for children to have their own ideas when they grow up, but he still couldn't help but hope that his daughter could be more sensible, even if she occasionally cared about family matters or talked to him about her inner thoughts, which would be better than her current cold attitude.

Zhang Guifang came out of the room and saw Li Xiangqian in a daze. She couldn't help but said, "What are you thinking about? You look so sad."

Li Xiangqian looked up at her, hesitated for a moment before speaking: "I'm thinking about Xiaofang. There seems to be something wrong with this child recently. I always feel that she is getting further and further away from us."

Zhang Guifang sighed, picked up a piece of clothing and put it on the rope: "The child has grown up, how can she always be around us like when she was little? Don't think too much, she has her own world, we just need to not interfere too much."

"But how old is she?" Li Xiangqian frowned. "I don't want to interfere with her. I just think that our family is already in chaos. If even the child doesn't want to talk to us, what will we do in the future?"

Zhang Guifang paused for a moment after hearing this, then turned to look at him and said, "Do you feel that you haven't done enough again? Xiang Qian, let me tell you, you can't be blamed entirely for the child's problems. Xiaofang is at a rebellious age, and no matter how much we worry about her, we have to know when to stop."

Li Xiangqian was silent. He knew Zhang Guifang had a point, but he still felt unhappy. He recalled a night a few days ago when Xiaofang argued with him about homework. That scene still made him feel upset.

That night, Xiaofang was doing her homework at the table. Li Xiangqian leaned over to take a look and found that she had made a mistake in a math problem. He kindly reminded her: "Xiaofang, did you think wrong about this problem? Do you want Dad to explain it to you?"

Unexpectedly, Xiaofang didn't even raise her head, and replied coldly: "No, you don't understand, don't bother me."

These words were like a needle that pierced Li Xiangqian's heart. He knew that his education level was indeed not high, but he never thought that his daughter would speak to him in such a tone. He held back his anger and said nothing more, but the feeling of being ignored and despised lingered in his heart.

"Tell me, why did this child become like this?" Li Xiangqian asked Zhang Guifang in a low voice, his tone revealing helplessness and grievance.

Zhang Guifang sighed, hung up the last piece of clothing, and then came over to sit next to him: "Don't take it to heart. Xiaofang is a girl who is hard on the outside but soft on the inside. It's not that she doesn't care about you, she just doesn't know how to express it."

"But I just feel bad." Li Xiangqian lowered his head and tapped his crutches with his fingers. "I work so hard just to make her life better, right? But she doesn't even want to say a good word to me."

Zhang Guifang patted his shoulder and said, "Xiang Qian, you have to think about it from another perspective. When we were little, didn't we also think that adults were nagging? It's actually quite normal for her to be like this now. Besides, didn't you always say that you wanted to give her a good future? As long as she can study hard and have a promising future, it's worth it for us to suffer a little."

Li Xiangqian nodded, but the sullenness in his heart still remained. He recalled that when they were little, Xiaofang always liked to lie on his knees and listen to his stories. At that time, she smiled so sweetly, and her eyes were full of dependence and admiration for him. But now, all of this has turned into indifference and alienation.

"Am I really too long-winded?" he asked himself in his heart, but he couldn't get an answer.

At this moment, Xiaofang came out of the house. She was wearing a light blue dress, holding a book in her hand, and had a tired look on her face. Seeing Li Xiangqian and Zhang Guifang sitting in the yard, she paused for a moment, then whispered, "Dad, Mom, I'm going out for a while."

Li Xiangqian looked up at her, and suddenly he had the urge to say something. He hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "Xiaofang, today is the weekend, why don't you stay at home and accompany your parents?"

Xiaofang frowned, her tone a little impatient: "I have an appointment with my classmates, I will be back soon."

Li Xiangqian opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but finally sighed and waved his hand: "Okay, be careful."

Xiaofang nodded and turned away. Li Xiangqian looked at her from behind, feeling indescribably complicated. He knew he couldn't force her, but he couldn't help but hope that his daughter could be more sensible and understand his feelings as a father.

"Xiang Qian, don't think too much." Zhang Guifang saw what he was thinking and gently advised, "Children have their own paths, we just need to fulfill our responsibilities."

Li Xiangqian has indeed been feeling unlucky lately. It seems that from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning, his life has become particularly unlucky. Today is no exception.

Just after dawn, Li Xiangqian was awakened by Zhang Guifang's complaints: "Xiangqian! Look at the roof, it's leaking again! It rained a little last night, and the house is wet. Tell me, how are we going to live like this?"

He got up sleepily, complaining inwardly, "This broken house should have been repaired long ago, but the family has to be careful with their little money, so how can there be any extra money to repair the roof?"