Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

What he didn't tell his wife was that his anxiety had reached its peak and he no longer wanted to bear the burden of it all alone, especially when he suspected that the entire village was hiding some secrets. He felt that he could no longer bear any more silence.

The wife was silent for a while and sighed softly: "Okay, just say whatever you want to say." She lowered her head and clasped her hands together, as if she was mentally prepared for the coming conflict.

Li Xiangqian nodded silently. He looked away from his wife's face and turned to the window. The moonlight shone into the house through the window lattice, adding a layer of mysterious light to the house. His heartbeat began to speed up, but there was a clear idea in his mind - no matter what, the truth must be revealed.

"Does everyone feel that something is strange in the village recently?" Li Xiangqian stood up and said in a low voice with a hint of anxiety. He looked around at the neighbors in the house. They were all sitting at the wooden table, stirring the soup in their bowls with their heads down, listening to Li Xiangqian's words without much expression on their faces.

"What do you mean?" Xu Damao raised his head, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He was one of Li Xiangqian's most trusted friends, and he was usually an active figure in the village. Seeing Li Xiangqian suddenly so serious, he was a little at a loss.

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, his eyes became more determined: "You all know about He Yuzhu's incident, right? I saw him bring back a chicken, and everyone thought it was nothing, it's normal to have some small things happen occasionally in life. But I recently felt that there was something wrong behind this incident."

The room suddenly became quiet. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes to Li Xiangqian. Even the villagers who usually talked a lot were silent at this moment, as if they were waiting for Li Xiangqian's further explanation.

"I've seen that man." Li Xiangqian's voice became increasingly low. "He didn't say much, but there was an indescribable threat in his eyes, as if he was ready to stir up some big waves at any time. That man is definitely not simple!"

Xu Damao frowned, obviously not agreeing with Li Xiangqian's statement: "Li Xiangqian, you are exaggerating, aren't you? Everyone has their own life. He Yuzhu has never done anything wrong. He brought a chicken back just to make a living. You are too sensitive."

Li Xiangqian was not discouraged by Xu Damao's reaction. He continued, "You may not have noticed that something in the village seems to have changed recently. I'm not saying that He Yuzhu did anything wrong, but I'm saying that some things around us are becoming more and more difficult to explain."

There was an unprecedented heaviness in his words. Li Xiangqian paused and glanced at everyone in the room, trying to find any unusual reactions in their eyes.

However, the room was still silent, and everyone seemed to be thinking about Li Xiangqian's words silently. The atmosphere became more and more depressing, and Li Xiangqian even felt that every word he said was an invisible burden to these people. He could feel that those neighbors who used to talk about everything were now becoming taciturn and even a little afraid.

Xu Damao finally fell silent for a moment, put down the bowl in his hand, and stared at Li Xiangqian: "What you said is not without reason, but we can't just imagine it. After all, life has to go on, doesn't it?"

Li Xiangqian stood silently, listening to these words. He knew that they did not fully understand his worries. And he seemed unable to accurately express his inner fear. Perhaps he was too sensitive and too anxious. But he knew that some changes were quietly taking place in this village, and these changes might affect everyone's fate.

"You're right, life must go on." Li Xiangqian whispered, "But I always feel that this village may not be as simple as it used to be."

His wife stood up and walked to Li Xiangqian, gently patting his shoulder, as if to comfort him: "Okay, don't think too much. If I tell you this now, you may not necessarily understand it. Maybe we should calm down and think about what to do next."

Li Xiangqian looked into his wife's eyes and sighed deeply, knowing that she was right. He shouldn't force all his doubts on everyone. Perhaps, as Xu Damao said, all these changes were just the amplification of his anxiety and uneasiness. He gritted his teeth and made a decision - no longer rushing to ask questions. Perhaps the problems in this village were not as complicated as he thought.

Li Xiangqian's heartbeat was still rapid. Although the atmosphere in the room gradually returned to calm, he still felt an indescribable sense of oppression. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a faint sound, and each tap seemed to remind himself: I can't remain silent anymore, I must reveal all the truth.

"Everyone..." Li Xiangqian finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on the teacup, feeling the cold touch coming from the cup wall. The neighbors in the house who usually laughed loudly became unusually quiet at this moment, as if they were all waiting for his next words.

"I know that maybe everyone thinks that I am just imagining things, or even that I am making trouble out of nothing, but I really have a feeling that He Yuzhu's case is not as simple as it seems." Li Xiangqian paused, thinking that if he kept emphasizing it, it would probably make everyone more suspicious of his motives. He forced himself to calm down and continued, "Have you noticed that some strange things have happened in the village recently? Those missing people, things that suddenly disappeared..."

The atmosphere in the house became solemn again, and the expressions of several neighbors began to change slightly. Although they did not speak, the complex expressions in their eyes had exposed their inner fluctuations. Li Xiangqian saw it, but he felt uneasy. He knew that such a conversation would sooner or later push everyone into an unknown abyss, but he still did not have the courage to retreat.

"You must have heard about these missing villagers, right?" Li Xiangqian's voice became more steady, with a bit of urgency. He took a deep breath, as if to adjust his inner emotions, and continued: "I think all this has something to do with He Yuzhu. Why did he bring back that chicken from outside? That chicken is not just an ordinary chicken, but it looks like some kind of sacrifice."

Xu Damao remained calm. He raised his eyebrows, as if he wanted to refute something, but swallowed it back. His eyes were complicated, as if he was a little annoyed by Li Xiangqian's overly sensitive speculation, but he couldn't completely deny Li Xiangqian's idea. Several other neighbors also lowered their heads, and the atmosphere became more and more depressing.