Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"You finally came out?" A deep voice sounded in his ears. Li Xiangqian turned around suddenly and saw Yi Zhonghai standing at a corner not far away, wearing a black jacket and holding a pipe with smoke in his hand. Yi Zhonghai was a neighbor who had a good relationship with Li Xiangqian. He had been doing business for many years and had a cheerful personality. Although he seemed a little slick sometimes, he always helped at critical moments.

Li Xiangqian's heart moved slightly and he nodded: "Let's go."

"Aren't you going home tonight?" Yi Zhonghai's eyes flashed with a strange light. He obviously knew that Li Xiangqian was in a bad mood, but he didn't ask directly. Instead, he started the conversation with a provocative tone, "Don't you want to be lectured by your wife?"

Li Xiangqian gave a bitter smile, with a complex mix of emotions in his heart. He did not respond immediately, but followed Yi Zhonghai to the truck not far away. The truck was parked in an open space on the corner of the street, and the compartment was filled with all kinds of goods. It looked messy, but there was a hidden order hidden in it.

Yi Zhonghai didn't say anything more, just pulled Li Xiangqian into the car and started the engine. The car made a low roar and slowly drove into the night. Li Xiangqian sat in the passenger seat, the scenery outside the window kept receding, but his thoughts were still difficult to calm down.

The atmosphere in the car seemed a little silent, with only the sound of the engine echoing in the silence. Li Xiangqian suddenly found that he was actually a little tired, and there was an inexplicable sense of oppression in his heart, as if he was deeply suppressed by something.

"Tell me, what's going on?" Yi Zhonghai's voice rang out in the silence, breaking the silence in the carriage. He did not turn his head, but just looked ahead attentively, his tone was calm, but with a kind of concern that could not be ignored.

Li Xiangqian was silent for a moment, then he sighed and whispered, "Today, Lin Xiaoyu and I had a quarrel. She always thinks I'm too impulsive and that I should take a step back and calm down, but I also feel that I can't just let it go, especially Yuzhu... He has suffered so much, can I just watch him swallow his anger?"

Yi Zhonghai narrowed his eyes slightly, as if thinking about what Li Xiangqian said. The light from the car shone on his face, reflecting a thoughtful look. He said slowly: "You are really straightforward. You like to confront everything head-on, wanting people to feel your determination. But sometimes, you have to do things more cleverly, not just by brute force."

Li Xiangqian did not respond, but lowered his head, feeling that his mood was still in a mess. Yi Zhonghai's words did make sense, but every time he felt that if he didn't do something, he would be sorry for those who depended on him.

The car passed through several streets and gradually drove into the edge of the city. The lights here were dim and the surroundings were empty. Occasionally, a few small shops were still lit with dim lights. Li Xiangqian's eyes unconsciously swept across the glass windows of those shops, but his heart seemed empty.

"Brother Yi, can we get the goods on time today?" Li Xiangqian finally broke the silence and turned to look at Yi Zhonghai.

"Of course." Yi Zhonghai's mouth curled up a sly smile, "I have already negotiated with the supplier for this batch of goods. Everything must be settled as soon as possible tonight, and you can get it tomorrow." He paused, then added: "But, don't you plan to think about other things tonight? For example, your relationship with Lin Xiaoyu?"

Li Xiangqian was silent. Yi Zhonghai looked at him through the rearview mirror, seeming to sense his hesitation and uneasiness.

"You know, marriage is like business, you have to know your limits." Yi Zhonghai held his pipe in his mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Don't let yourself become a person who can only see problems from the outside. Sometimes, the real problem lies with you."

Li Xiangqian subconsciously frowned, not knowing how to respond. Yi Zhonghai's words were somewhat complicated, like an obscure reminder, but also like his own experience. Li Xiangqian did not speak again, but just quietly watched the street outside the window gradually disappearing. Some of the confusion in his heart seemed to have a slightly clearer outline because of Yi Zhonghai's words.

After a while, the car stopped, and Yi Zhonghai signaled Li Xiangqian to follow him. Li Xiangqian got out of the car and walked to the door of a dilapidated warehouse. There was almost no light outside the warehouse, and the air around was filled with a greasy smell. Several figures were busy at the door of the warehouse.

Yi Zhonghai said nothing more and took Li Xiangqian directly into the warehouse. Li Xiangqian's eyes quickly scanned the goods under the dim light, and the tension in his heart seemed to be slightly relaxed because of the atmosphere here.

"How about this batch of goods?" Li Xiangqian asked involuntarily.

"Don't worry, there will be absolutely no problem." Yi Zhonghai smiled and patted his shoulder, walking towards a pile of boxes, "Now, we just need to wait for those people to sort out the list." He paused and glanced at the few people on the side, "You sit down for a while, drink some water, and we will go together later."

Li Xiangqian sat on a wooden chair in the corner. The light in front of him was dim, and the air was filled with a musty and greasy smell. He frowned slightly. Several men beside him were busy sorting the goods. The low voices of conversation and the sound of boxes colliding with each other mixed into a vague noise. His eyes unconsciously fell on the randomly stacked boxes, and his mind began to recall the conversation with Yi Zhonghai just now and the dispute with Lin Xiaoyu.

Everything tonight seemed to have entered a strange cycle. What he wanted to do seemed to be always restrained by invisible constraints. Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, and an inexplicable sense of oppression surged in his heart. Perhaps he had known for a long time that he could not escape those family responsibilities, those responsibilities that seemed like shackles.

He didn't want to take care of his family, nor did he want to be bound again and again. The desire for freedom in his heart often made him feel suffocated - he longed to live for himself and no longer be bound by the past. But he knew that he couldn't do it. Every time he had such an idea in his heart, a sense of responsibility would remind him deeply: you are not alone, you have more things to bear.

Li Xiangqian couldn't help but clench his fists, his nails piercing into the flesh of his palms, causing a dull pain. He raised his head, staring blankly at the rows of goods in front of him. These goods, like his life, were packed into boxes. They didn't seem to have much to do with him, but their arrival would determine every step he would take next.