Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

The old man who lived next door was outgoing, hot-tempered, and always liked to do things as he pleased. In stark contrast to Li Xiangqian's restraint and formality, the presence of the old man seemed to bring a cheerful atmosphere of an uninvited guest to this tense environment.

This afternoon, Li Xiangqian was making tea in the yard when an old man suddenly stood in front of him with a sly smile on his face.

"Xiang Qian, if we don't do anything today and just sit here, we're really wasting such good time." The old man glanced at the teacup in Li Xiang Qian's hand, his eyes rolled around, but the smile on his lips did not diminish.

Li Xiangqian was slightly stunned, and then he knew what the old man was going to do again. Although he was a little reluctant, he couldn't refuse seeing the old man's impatient look. After all, this old man always brought him some different feelings when he was not paying attention. Whether it was a light-hearted joke or a noisy behavior, it could temporarily relieve him from the heavy pressure of life, even if it was only a moment of relaxation.

"What do you want to do now?" Li Xiangqian put the teacup on the table, looked up at the old man, his eyes revealing a bit of helplessness and curiosity.

"Let's do something interesting to kill time." The old man's smile deepened, and then he took out a small cloth bag that looked very unserious from his arms, "There's something good going on today, you help me make trouble."

Li Xiangqian's heart tightened, and he instantly knew that this was definitely not a serious matter. "Making trouble? What are you going to do?" Li Xiangqian frowned, and he was a little alert. Whenever an old man said the word "making trouble", it was basically not a good thing.

"Don't be afraid." The old man patted his shoulder and whispered, "Today we will teach Jia Dongxu a lesson."

Li Xiangqian was stunned, as if his heart had been hit hard, and his expression changed. "What did you say?" He asked in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the old man, but his heart was surging. He had been trying to avoid the troubles related to Jia Dongxu, but now he was directly dragged into this vortex by the old man.

"Don't worry, he may not know about our relationship." The uncle narrowed his eyes, as if he had planned everything in advance. "Let him know today that we are not easy to mess with. Let's teach him a lesson and help Xu Damao save some trouble."

Li Xiangqian was confused. Although he had long disliked Jia Dongxu, he felt it was inappropriate for him to participate in such a mess. He was never the kind of person who would easily react violently, especially when he was uncertain about the consequences. However, looking at the expectant eyes of the old man, Li Xiangqian suddenly hesitated.

He knew very well that if he did not participate, Xu Damao might feel isolated and might even miss the opportunity to solve the problem. But if he participated, how would he end up? He was caught in a dilemma.

The uncle seemed to notice Li Xiangqian's hesitation and smiled. "Xiangqian, just think of this as venting Xu Damao's anger and stop looking back. Let's not alert the enemy and do it quietly. It's not excessive and it will also prevent Jia Dongxu from acting rashly again."

Li Xiangqian still felt uneasy, but he knew that if he rejected the old man now, it might make it more difficult for him to face him in the future. Although he was reluctant, Li Xiangqian finally nodded, "Okay, tell me how to do it."

The old man's eyes lit up immediately, and he patted Li Xiangqian on the shoulder, looking particularly satisfied. "It's simple! Isn't it just that? We just go to the market he often goes to and do something to make him uncomfortable."

Li Xiangqian frowned slightly, "What do you mean?"

"It's just a little trouble. Let's mess up a few stalls he likes to go to in the market. He's always causing trouble for us recently." The old man explained with a smile, "Let's not alert him first, just make a small trouble to make him feel uneasy. After a few days, he will know that we are not easy to mess with."

Li Xiangqian frowned, thinking about the uncle's plan. Although this behavior was extremely dishonorable, he felt that this might be the only way to make Jia Dongxu understand their attitude. Moreover, this was just "making trouble" instead of directly confronting him. The moral boundary in Li Xiangqian's heart began to blur, and the tug-of-war between anger and reason made him feel at a loss.

"Okay." Li Xiangqian finally spoke, his voice low but firm, "We'll do as you say, but we have to be careful not to overdo it."

The old man smiled even more brightly and patted Li Xiangqian on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I know my limits."

Over the next few days, Li Xiangqian and the uncle began their so-called "trouble-making" plan. Whenever Jia Dongxu went to the market, the uncle would always cleverly arrange some small troubles to make him restless. Things on the stalls were occasionally messed up, or the goods were placed in a disorderly manner, and Jia Dongxu was often busy and exhausted because of these small things. Although these actions were not fatal, they made him feel uneasy and even made him begin to doubt the loyalty of those around him.

Although Li Xiangqian still felt uneasy about this behavior, he could not help but feel a little satisfied every time he saw the troubled look on Jia Dongxu's face. He knew that this was not his own unilateral behavior, but Xu Damao's way of asking him to stand up and "vent his anger." This thought comforted him a little and helped him regain a little sense of control psychologically.

"How's it going? Is Jia Dongxu starting to react?" The old man smiled with a bit of pride. He looked at Li Xiangqian, his tone full of excitement.

Li Xiangqian was silent for a while, feeling a bit complicated. "He is indeed a bit uneasy, but we should stop and not make things worse."

The old man waved his hands, seemingly unconcerned, "What are you afraid of? We are never afraid of big things when we do things. As long as we don't reveal our tracks, who will know it was us who did it?"

Although Li Xiangqian's recent life was a mess, he finally found some balance. Things in the hospital had calmed down a little. Although Jia Dongxu's troubles were not completely solved, they were no longer a thorn in his heart. Xu Damao seemed to have recovered a little because of the progress of his "trouble-making" plan. Finally, a little sunshine appeared in his originally depressed life.

On this day, Li Xiangqian had a rare moment of leisure. After breakfast, he found his wife Zhao Xiaolan packing up her things while mumbling something to herself. She was busy with her work, but her eyes kept drifting towards Li Xiangqian, as if she had something to say but hesitated.