Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He had been in this small town for several days. During those days, the cold wind blew through the streets, and the fallen leaves flew everywhere. He had never felt so deeply the preciousness of every minute and every second. Every morning when he woke up, with the first ray of sunlight rising, he would stare at the dim sky in a daze, wondering if life was like this, rushing around, chasing after a little light, but never stopping to feel what he had.

In Li Xiangqian's life, money has never been the deciding factor. He has always felt that his connection with the world is like being pulled by an invisible thread, thin and fragile, as if it would break at the slightest touch. Until that unexpected incident, it changed everything for him and pulled the thread tighter and tighter.

However, today was different. He knew that no matter what, he had to enter the supermarket, buy some necessary items, and continue this escape with no way out.

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath and pushed open the door of the supermarket. With the sound of the door frame colliding, a messy sound echoed in his ears. The supermarket was filled with a smell of disinfectant and old goods, which seemed old and unreal. The supermarket was empty, with some scattered goods on the shelves, deserted and silent. Several people shuttled through the aisles, and the sound of their low conversations seemed particularly clear, as if in this empty space, except for them, everything was abandoned.

Li walked forward very slowly, his footsteps were so light that they made almost no sound. When he passed a shelf full of spices, he reached out and took a bottle of salt. That was what he needed. He remembered that he could not find even a grain of salt in the food in the strange town hotel before, and he almost had to endure the raw taste to eat it. Salt, this simple condiment, became one of the items he most desired in his predicament.

Continuing to walk forward, Li Xiangqian's eyes swept over the piles of bags of rice and noodles, and his eyes gradually became calm. He silently counted the amount of money he had left in his mind, and the pressure in his heart suddenly increased a little. He knew that he was not here to shop - he was not really planning for the future, but preparing for survival. The items he needed were not many, but enough to prevent him from starving to death, freezing to death, or dying in other difficulties.

He knew that he couldn't escape forever. Time and life wait for no one, and the pressure of reality would not stop because of a broken heart. He never had the chance to think about these things seriously until escaping became his only task day after day.

Li stopped and fixed his eyes on the bucket in the corner. The bucket looked dirty, and the white plastic surface was peeling a little, which made it look very old. He hesitated for a moment, but still walked over and picked it up. Water, of course, was a must. He didn't think about it anymore and just put it in the shopping cart.

Then, he took some canned food, sausages and instant noodles. Although these foods were simple, they were enough to support him in the uncertain days ahead. No one knew when he would leave, and no one knew when the past he was trying to escape from would come knocking on his door.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat and he turned around subconsciously, with a hint of alertness on his face. A woman in a blue coat walked past him, with her head down, holding a shopping basket filled with vegetables and fruits. She didn't notice Li Xiangqian's presence, but just walked quietly with her head down. Li Xiangqian stared at her back, his eyes flickered, as if he remembered something.

For a moment, he was a little confused. Perhaps, this was the life of ordinary people. They could live a simple and fulfilling life in the repetition of day after day. But he could only wander on the edge of escape forever, and there would never be a peaceful sky.

Li Xiangqian slowly turned his head and continued to push the shopping cart. When he reached the checkout counter, he stopped and suddenly felt as if he had become a part of this supermarket. The salesperson picked up the items and scanned them through the scanner one by one. Li Xiangqian listened to the beeping sound of the machine and felt a little empty in his heart. All this was no longer the life he once knew. That familiar feeling had become so distant now.

He handed the money to the salesperson, and as he watched the bills exchange, it seemed as if everything no longer belonged to him.

"Thank you." The salesperson's voice was indifferent, without any emotional fluctuations, as if he had done something extremely ordinary. Li Xiangqian took the bag and walked towards the supermarket entrance.

Standing at the door, he suddenly felt extremely tired. The heaviness accumulated during his escape was like a mountain, pressing him so hard that he couldn't breathe. The outside world was still noisy, people were continuing their lives, but he had already walked into another isolated world.

This small town and this shabby supermarket seemed to be just a small episode in his life. He knew that he still couldn't turn back and couldn't stay in any one place. In this world full of variables, all the materials and all the money seemed to be unable to fill the void in his heart.

He held the shopping bag in his hand, his eyes still fixed on the street in front of him. At this moment, Li Xiangqian felt as if he had become transparent and disappeared in the crowd. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not change anything. He could only keep moving forward, and keep walking on this endless road.

His footsteps gradually faded away and disappeared in the complex scene.

Li Xiangqian walked out of the supermarket, the shopping bag in his hand was heavy, and seemed heavier than he had imagined. The wind made his cheeks hurt, and the dry air seemed to silently remind him that every step was taking him away from the world he once knew and towards the unknown distance. His pace could not help but speed up, he knew that time did not allow him to think any more, and all the choices seemed to point to the only way to go.

Suddenly, a voice came from his ear, breaking his blank thoughts. "Li Xiangqian?"

The voice was gentle, but it carried a force that was hard to ignore. It seemed to come from a distance, and it seemed to penetrate his heart directly. Li Xiangqian stopped walking immediately, and the shopping bag in his hand tightened unnaturally. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, as if an invisible hand was pinching his throat.

"Li Xiangqian, is that you?"

He was very familiar with this voice. Jia Zhangshi.

He hesitated for a moment and slowly turned around. Jia Zhang was standing on the sidewalk nearby, wearing a light-colored windbreaker, her eyes fixed on him. There was no surprise or anger in her eyes, only a hint of complex emotions, like the calmness after being tempered by the years, but also a certain emotion hidden deep inside that he could not touch.