Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

“You know what?” the old lady suddenly whispered, “Time is not only the power to solve problems, it also allows you to re-examine the past.”

Li Xiangqian was a little stunned, not understanding what she meant. The old lady pointed at the photo and said slowly: "Back then, I was also excited and impulsive, but time has taught me that the real strength is to be patient and not to easily let yourself fall into the whirlpool of emotions." Her eyes penetrated the photo, as if she saw the former self, "Many times, the enemy is not those superficial people, but your own mentality."

Li Xiangqian listened quietly. Her words seemed to be telling a story of the past. He suddenly realized that behind the old lady's words was her profound understanding of life over the years. Her strength came from her calmness, not rushing for revenge and not being swayed by emotions. She was able to stick to her own pace in troubled times because she understood that in this world, some things must be endured from the heart.

He took a deep breath and finally nodded: "I understand, you are right."

The old lady smiled softly, as if all the silence and calmness had brought her inner peace. She closed the wooden box, as if she had treasured those memories in her heart.

"I didn't make him pay the price because he is destined to pay the price." The old lady said softly again, her tone as calm as water, "And I will just stand here and watch quietly."

Li Xiangqian stood beside her, his eyes involuntarily falling on the yellowed photo. He suddenly understood that the "time" the old lady mentioned was not to let everything go with the wind, but to let all the hypocrisy and deceptions expose themselves and eventually return to the right path. And she was the one who silently watched behind the scenes.

He took a deep breath and suddenly felt that he seemed to have learned a new power from the old lady - it was a kind of peace that transcended emotions, as if in a world of noise and chaos, there was always a sense of stability that he could control.

Li Xiangqian stood in front of the window, staring at the sky outside which was gradually sinking into the dusk. His face was gloomy, but the anger in his heart did not subside at all. He kept muttering and cursing more and more vigorously, as if the boss was standing in front of him and he could catch him personally and vent all his resentment at once.

"That bastard really doesn't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is!" He cursed in a low voice, his tone full of disdain and anger, "He has no sincerity at all and actually dared to fool my mother with fake things. He is really stubborn and has no conscience in doing business! Sooner or later, even this small shop will not be able to survive and he will have to bear the consequences!"

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. The scene in front of him seemed to become blurred in an instant, and all his emotions gathered into a force that filled his heart. Li Xiangqian's head was buzzing, and he couldn't stop the continuous cursing, as if all the boss's actions were not only disrespectful to the old lady, but also a provocation to his entire world.

The old lady remained motionless, as if she had long been accustomed to Li Xiangqian's anger. She sat quietly in the old rocking chair, rocking it gently, her eyes still as calm as if Li Xiangqian's anger had nothing to do with her.

Li Xiangqian saw that the old lady did not show any impatience, but waited quietly, and his anger gradually subsided. He took a deep breath, turned around and looked at the old lady, and found that she was still in the rocking chair with a faint smile on her lips. That smile was a little hard to understand.

"You are so calm. Have you let go of these things a long time ago?" Li Xiangqian frowned and couldn't help asking. He really couldn't understand how the old lady in front of him could be so calm.

The old lady shook her head slowly, her eyes still fixed on the shadows of the trees in the distance, as if she was not aware of Li Xiangqian's emotional fluctuations. She smiled faintly: "Calm down? Maybe. But more importantly, I already knew that no matter how much I scolded, it would not change anything."

Li Xiangqian was stunned, his heart was in a panic, at that moment, he seemed to feel that he suddenly became powerless. All the anger and emotions found an outlet for release in the old lady's words.

"Are you just going to let him continue to deceive me?" Li Xiangqian couldn't help asking, with a hint of urgency in his voice, as if he was eager to know what the old lady could do to change everything. His hands were shaking, and it was obvious that the anger and resentment in his heart had not completely subsided.

The old lady's eyes finally moved away from the distant locust tree and fell on Li Xiangqian's face. There was no blame or impatience in her eyes, only a kind of tepid calm. She said lightly: "I am not letting it go, but I know that nothing can be changed by momentary anger and impulse." She paused, as if thinking about how to explain it in the simplest language, "Sometimes, the more anxious you are to change, the easier it is to make mistakes."

Li Xiangqian listened to her words, and a feeling of uneasiness surged in his heart. He suddenly felt a little confused, as if he could not understand the old lady's world for a moment. Why was she so calm about these things, and even not anxious at all? How did she view everything in front of her?

"Don't you think that boss should be punished?" Li Xiangqian raised his voice a little, and couldn't help asking again, staring straight at the old lady, "He doesn't deserve your leniency at all."

The old lady's smile was still gentle. There seemed to be no anger in her eyes. Instead, she showed a faint confidence: "Punishment? He doesn't need me to punish him. He has his own way." Her tone was gentle, but it seemed to have an unquestionable power. "Everyone has his own ending. Time will give the best answer."

Li Xiangqian still felt unhappy after hearing her words. Time, time, this old lady always talked about time. Her tone was never impatient, as if she had seen through the world long ago and understood what was worth paying attention to and what was just passing clouds.

He closed his eyes, and the boss's appearance emerged in his mind - a smiling face, seemingly kind, but behind that smile, hidden was cold-bloodedness and selfishness. Li Xiangqian really couldn't stand it. Why could such a person walk on the street without shame, while the old lady had to swallow her anger? He spoke again: "But I can't stand it. You don't know the pain he brought to my mother."

The old lady was silent for a moment, as if she was thinking about something. She lowered her head, gently moved a wooden stick in her hand a few times, and then slowly said: "I can understand you. It's not just that you are angry with him, but perhaps more because you are powerless against yourself."