Chapter 1107: Empty Room

Li Xiangqian frowned, still thinking about the itch on his scalp, and didn't pay much attention. Hearing Yi Zhonghai's question, he forced a smile and answered casually: "Yes, let's grow some vegetables first and see the effect." He knew in his heart that this small-scale agriculture was not his real idea, and the real plan was far more than that.

But Yi Zhonghai didn't care about these, he just nodded and said: "Okay, let's start with growing vegetables. After all, farming is the easiest and doesn't require much effort."

Li Xiangqian nodded, but his heart was not fully engaged in this topic. He suddenly felt that he not only needed the land, but also needed a breathing space. In the past few years, he seemed to always live on a track set by others. The walls of the courtyard, his wife's expectations, and the eyes of the people around him, each of them was like some kind of invisible shackles, reminding him that he could not leave. However, there was always a strong urge in his heart, that is, he wanted to return to his original self, and wanted to have a freedom without constraints and rules.

"Brother Li, what's wrong? Are you tired?" Yi Zhonghai noticed that Li Xiangqian's expression was a little strange and asked with concern.

Li Xiangqian shook his head and smiled, "It's okay, maybe I didn't get enough rest last night." He lowered his eyes and secretly decided in his heart not to think about those troubles for the time being, but to concentrate on dealing with the things at hand.

The sun gradually set, and the warm light shone on the earth. Li Xiangqian stood on the land, looking at the mountains in the distance, and his heart was still a little confused. He suddenly felt that no matter how much he planted on this land, it seemed that he could not fill the feeling of emptiness. Every time he touched a wider land, his inner desire became stronger, but reality always made him unable to break free.

Suddenly, Li Xiangqian's mind moved and he thought of something: he hadn't been home for a few days. Since he learned about the land, he had been discussing with Yi Zhonghai almost every day about how to develop the vacant land. When he got home at night, he was so sleepy that he just wanted to lie down. He didn't know how many days he hadn't seen his wife, Lin Yulan. Perhaps she had also noticed that he was absent-minded these days.

Li Xiangqian thought about it and decided to go back today. Although he knew that his home was always warm and peaceful, he felt a little uneasy in recent days, as if there were always many unsolved things in his heart. What worried him most was his wife's reaction to the land. Lin Yulan always felt that he should live a down-to-earth life and try to avoid making investments that seemed unrealistic. Li Xiangqian was not clear about her attitude towards the land. Although they had not discussed it directly, Li Xiangqian knew that Lin Yulan was always wary of "taking risks".

He hurriedly said goodbye to Yi Zhonghai and drove towards home. Outside the car window, the gradually darkening sky made him a little uneasy. He drove a little fast on the road, and even felt that his tired eyes were difficult to focus. Lin Yulan's calm eyes kept appearing in his mind. Her eyes have always been an existence that cannot be ignored in his heart. It is like a stone on the sea that never moves, calm and hard, always giving him a clear direction when he is uneasy.

When he got home, it was already completely dark. Li Xiangqian opened the door and was greeted by the familiar aroma of food. In the kitchen, the fire was burning brightly, the soup in the pot was boiling, and the warm light shone through the kitchen window, spilling onto the corridor, casting a soft halo. However, when he walked into the living room, he suddenly found that the house was unusually quiet, and Lin Yulan was not there.

He stood at the door in a daze for a moment, and habitually looked towards the kitchen, but the kitchen was empty. Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat, and he felt inexplicably nervous. Lin Yulan usually prepared dinner at this time, but today there was no sound. He put down his shoes, walked into the kitchen, and gently pushed open the kitchen door. But the kitchen was still empty, with only the steaming pot bubbling, and the steam blurred the space he could see.

He couldn't help but frown, feeling a little uneasy. Where did Lin Yulan go? She didn't go to buy groceries, nor did she go to visit anyone. Li Xiangqian was a little puzzled.

He quickly walked to the bedroom to see if she was in the room, but found her clothes scattered on the bed, her makeup mirror on the bedside table, and cosmetic bottles scattered around, but Lin Yulan was still nowhere to be seen. Li Xiangqian suddenly had a strange premonition in his heart.

He turned and walked to the living room, and found a note on the table. On the note was Lin Yulan's elegant handwriting:

"I'm going to a friend's house and will be back later."

Li Xiangqian breathed a sigh of relief, but then came a sense of inexplicable loss. His wife's absence seemed to have left him with some blank space, and he didn't know how to fill it. He took the note in his hand and looked at it carefully. The handwriting was still ordinary, but these few simple lines made him feel an unprecedented alienation.

Li Xiangqian stood in the middle of the living room, the note trembling slightly in his hand, as if those few simple lines could suddenly make him lose all his support. Lin Yulan went out for a while, without saying where she was going or when she would be back. This explanation should have been an insignificant matter, but at this moment it was like an invisible thread that bound him tighter and tighter.

He put down the note and looked around the empty room. The warm light in the room was still on, and the teacup on the table was still there. Everything in the house seemed normal, even the same as usual. But he couldn't calm down. The uneasiness, like a shadow lurking in the dark, was quietly spreading and swallowing up every bit of his mind.

He walked back and forth in the living room several times, with various thoughts constantly turning in his mind. Lin Yulan's departure seemed unusual, at least he could feel a sense of alienation that he had never felt before. She went out with her friends, when would she come home? There was something wrong with her recently, but he had never noticed it. Every day he was busy with land affairs and planning for the future. He focused all his attention on the outside world, but ignored some subtle changes that might have happened at home. Her departure made him feel an inexplicable loss, as if everything had become unpredictable.

He sat back on the sofa, with countless questions running through his mind, but he could not find a reasonable explanation. He took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and quickly dialed a number.