Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

When he walked into Mr. Zhang's office, Mr. Zhang was standing in front of the window, overlooking the city outside. Li Xiangqian knocked on the door gently. Mr. Zhang turned around and saw him coming in with a smile on his face: "Li Xiangqian, you are here. Sit down and have some water first."

"Thank you, Mr. Zhang." Li Xiangqian sat down and adjusted his clothes a little stiffly, but his eyes were a little dazed and confused. He didn't know how to start the conversation for a while, and his inner anxiety prevented him from immediately getting into work.

Mr. Zhang seemed to notice that something was wrong with him and frowned slightly: "What's wrong? You look a little strange today? Did you encounter any problems at work?"

Li Xiangqian was silent for a moment and shook his head: "Nothing, Mr. Zhang, it's just...some personal matters, I'm a little upset."

Mr. Zhang did not ask further questions. After all, he was not the kind of person who liked to pry into other people's private affairs. He just nodded gently and said, "Personal matters will inevitably affect work. Since you are here, let's solve the work first." He turned around and picked up a document from the desk. "This is the latest land contract. According to the plan, the progress of the project on this land must be accelerated. As you know, the competition around is getting more and more fierce. I hope you can communicate with the relevant person in charge over there as soon as possible to confirm the details."

Li Xiangqian took the document and quickly scanned it. Although he had a general understanding of the contents of the contract, his mind was not on it at all at the moment. Every time his eyes scanned the document, his mind could not help but think of the empty wallet at home and his wife Xiao Zhao's evasive eyes. Those unsolved mysteries were like a needle, constantly pricking his nerves.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to focus on the documents in front of him, and tried to pull himself out of his personal troubles. Seeing that he was concentrating on processing the documents, Mr. Zhang did not say anything more, but just stood quietly by and occasionally gave some pointers.

About half an hour later, Li Xiangqian finally finished flipping through the documents and looked up at Mr. Zhang: "I will follow up on this land project as soon as possible and try to make a decision before next week's meeting." He suppressed his inner anxiety and forced himself to appear calm.

Mr. Zhang nodded and smiled with satisfaction: "Well, Li Xiangqian, you are organized and efficient. This is what I like about you."

Li Xiangqian didn't feel proud at all, he just forced a smile and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang."

Mr. Zhang seemed to sense Li Xiangqian's emotions, paused for a moment, and said in a slightly gentle tone: "If you have any difficulties, you can always tell me. There are always solutions to things in life, but for problems at work, we have to do our best, understand?"

Li Xiangqian lowered his head and felt a warm feeling in his heart. Mr. Zhang's thoughtfulness made him relax a little, but this warmth could not completely dispel his inner irritability and uneasiness. His thoughts returned to his home, Xiao Zhao and the empty wallet.

"I know, Mr. Zhang." Li Xiangqian finally looked up and revealed a faint smile.

Mr. Zhang patted Li Xiangqian on the shoulder and said casually, "Don't blame yourself too much. There will always be a way to solve the problem."

Li Xiangqian walked out of Mr. Zhang's office. The air outside made him feel as if he were in another world. Although he forced himself to work and tried to suppress his inner anxiety, the conversation with his boss just now did not make him feel completely relieved. On the contrary, his inner irritability became more and more severe. Especially when he returned home and faced the empty wallet, he could not get rid of the heavy anxiety.

"What should I do?" Li Xiangqian asked himself in his heart. At that moment, he thought of a possible answer. Xu Damao once mentioned that things are sometimes not as simple as they seem. He also discussed some private matters with Xu Damao, which were inextricably linked to the neighborhood relations.

Li Xiangqian turned his gaze to the car keys in his hand, and an inexplicable determination rose in his heart. He took a deep breath and decided not to remain silent or beat around the bush. Since he had begun to doubt something, he would face it directly and clear up all his doubts one by one. Tonight, he would go to He Yuzhu's house to ask for clarification.

He Yuzhu is a neighbor he has known for many years, and he is also a person who always likes to meddle in other people's affairs. Li Xiangqian never thought that He Yuzhu had any bad intentions, but he often felt that his "good intentions" were a bit disturbing. He Yuzhu's life was not very up and down, and he was almost on good terms with all the neighbors, but the way he was a little too concerned about other people's lives always made Li Xiangqian feel a little strange.

He Yuzhu and Li Xiangqian had an ambiguous relationship since they were young. The two families lived close to each other and often visited each other. They also often got involved in some things, but Li Xiangqian knew that He Yuzhu had a "playing hard to get" personality. He could always exert some influence at critical moments. For example, on some things, his opinions could often change people's decision-making direction, especially those who were close to him.

"Go ask him?" Li Xiangqian asked himself unconsciously. A strong urge surged in his heart. He knew that if he didn't ask clearly tonight, he might never let go of this knot in his heart.

When he drove to He Yuzhu's house, night had already fallen. After getting out of the car, Li Xiangqian hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to knock on the familiar door.

The door opened slowly, revealing the middle-aged face of He Yuzhu, with a barely perceptible smile on his face. "Hey, Li Xiangqian, why are you here so late? Do you have something to talk to me about?"

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath and tried to appear calm: "I have something to say, Brother He, can we talk about it?"

"Of course." He Yuzhu narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly, "Come in, I'm going to make tea in the evening."

Entering the house, Li Xiangqian sat on the sofa in the living room, watching He Yuzhu's busy back. He Yuzhu's home still looked so simple, the sofa, coffee table, and even the paintings on the wall had not changed much. Li Xiangqian's eyes swept around casually, but he felt a little anxious in his heart, he knew that tonight's conversation might determine the trajectory of his future life.

He Yuzhu quickly brought two cups of tea and handed them to Li Xiangqian. "Don't stand, sit down and drink tea. How are you doing recently? I heard that there is something going on in your family?"

Li Xiangqian took the teacup, feeling a little uncomfortable, but he forced himself to calm down and decided to speak directly: "Yes, something happened recently. The money was stolen. You know, some cash in my house was lost, and the money is gone. I can't find it at all."