Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"You know what?" She whispered, her voice so soft that it seemed to be blown away by the wind. "When I was young, I was quite noisy. I dared to fight for everything." She looked far ahead, as if she saw herself a long time ago. "But as time went by, I realized... not everything is worth your best effort."

Li Xiangqian listened quietly, and his heart was suddenly shaken. Every word of the old lady seemed to show him some kind of helplessness in her life. She might have been the kind of person who could roar and fight, but as time went by, the passion and impulse she once had were smoothed by the cruel reality of life.

"So are you just going to let it go?" Li Xiangqian's tone was a little urgent. He really didn't understand. The old lady knew that the boss had done something shady, so why didn't she make things clear?

The old lady looked at him, and a sharp light suddenly flashed in her eyes: "Forget it? No," she shook her head and laughed softly, "It's just a different way to deal with him."

Li Xiangqian was stunned, and his heart suddenly moved, as if he realized the deep meaning of the old lady's words: "You mean... you have another way?"

There was a glimmer of smile in the old lady's eyes, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly: "Who says I have to take the conventional way? Sometimes, the most effective way is not to confront him directly, but to force him to show his true colors from other angles." There was an extremely calm confidence in her words, as if she was already well versed in the mystery.

Li Xiangqian couldn't help but want to ask more questions, but he felt that if he continued to ask, it would make the old lady hesitate. So he was silent for a while and nodded gently: "I understand."

The old lady looked at him, her eyes softening slightly: "You don't have to be anxious, everything takes time. Do you think a small vendor can do anything under my nose?" Her tone was flat, but gave people a deterrent power that could not be ignored.

Li Xiangqian finally realized that the old lady's way of dealing with things had long been beyond his imagination. She was not in a hurry, but always found the most appropriate way at the right time to make the other party pay the price for their actions.

"You are indeed not someone who is easily ignored." Li Xiangqian couldn't help but sigh, with a little more admiration in his eyes.

The old lady's lips curled up slightly, her eyes still looking out the window. The locust tree looked particularly vigorous and powerful under the sunlight, as if symbolizing the strength in her heart that had settled after years of baptism.

"Time is the best weapon after all." She whispered, with a hint of barely perceptible confidence in her voice, "It will eventually cause all illusions to collapse."

When Li Xiangqian heard the old lady's calm statement, his anger was ignited again. Although he knew that the old lady was never a person who was eager to show her emotions, when she said "time will make everything collapse", his dissatisfaction and injustice seemed to be unable to be suppressed any longer.

"How can this be tolerated?" Li Xiangqian cursed in a low voice, his voice full of long-suppressed anger. "You know he did something wrong, why don't you let him pay the price immediately? You want me to wait, but until how long? Until he cheats more people?"

The old lady's eyes froze slightly, as if she had not expected Li Xiangqian to have such a violent reaction. She raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at Li Xiangqian's face which was slightly tense due to anger, and a complex emotion surged in her heart. She looked at him with a look of confusion and a touch of pity.

"Why are you so anxious?" The old lady asked back. Her tone was still gentle, but the sharpness in her eyes revealed an aura that was hard to ignore. "I know you are unbalanced, but there are some things that cannot be rushed."

Li Xiangqian did not answer. Her words were like a needle that pierced the most sensitive part of his heart. He gritted his teeth, and a series of angry images flashed through his mind. The boss pretended to be serious, but there was cunning in his eyes. He knew that he had deceived the old lady, but he could still continue to do business with peace of mind.

"But I can't tolerate this." Li Xiangqian's voice was low and hoarse, his eyes were full of anger, "He cheated on you once, why didn't he do it a second time, a third time? Can you really tolerate it?"

The old lady looked at him, a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips, and a hint of deep meaning flashed in her eyes. She knew very well that Li Xiangqian's anger was not simply directed at the boss, but at the misunderstanding and powerlessness he felt towards her. She knew that he hoped she would take the initiative to fight for something for herself, even if it was through violence or confrontation. However, the old lady had already surpassed that impulsive behavior.

"Do you think that only fighting can solve the problem?" She asked softly, with a hint of fatigue in her voice, but also a hint of determination. "Sometimes, if you force him to stand up and face you, he will drag you into the quagmire instead."

Li Xiangqian's face froze, and he thought to himself. The old lady was right. Violence and conflict can indeed bring temporary pleasure, but if it is not controlled, it will eventually put oneself in endless trouble. Such a meaningless fight may be one of the boss's cunning tricks, waiting for him to be fooled.

"But I really can't accept it." Li Xiangqian whispered, with a complex emotion in his eyes, "He is not worth your tolerance."

The old lady sighed slightly, turned around and walked to the window, gently stroking the moss on the windowsill, her eyes still looking at the locust tree, as if it was a symbol of something profound in her heart. After a long time, she finally spoke: "It's natural that I'm unwilling."

Li Xiangqian's mood became more and more complicated. He looked at the old lady, and the contradictions in his heart kept interweaving. He couldn't understand why the old lady could be so calm. It seemed that she didn't care about the boss's behavior at all, but had a kind of transcendent tolerance. Was he too impulsive? Maybe the old lady knew that there were too many injustices and helplessness in the world, and choosing how to deal with them might be the most difficult thing.

"So what are you going to do?" Li Xiangqian finally asked. He was no longer angry, but asked the question in a more calm tone. He knew that the old lady would not be as eager to achieve success as he was, and her way must be different.

The old lady turned her eyes to Li Xiangqian, with a gentle smile on her face. She did not answer directly, but walked to a corner of the room again, picked up the wooden box that had become a little worn, and gently opened it. The box contained some simple items, a few yellowed photos, an old watch, and some small silver coins. She quietly picked up one of the photos, which was a photo of her and a few friends when she was young. She smiled brightly in the photo, as if she was completely different from her current self.