Our Time: Unswerving until Death

Chapter 6 Two paintings are equal to 32 He Qis

In old age, the city of Beiping is the city of seven emperors, nine outside and four. It is said that since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beiping City has been closed by more than [-] gates inside and outside. Hutong is like a cow's hair, talking about streets and alleys, big and small, densely packed, winding and criss-crossing, covering this area of ​​water and soil.

Among them, there is a street in the south of the city, which is different from other streets. It is called Liulichang. It can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty. , As a result, Liulichang Bookshops are next to each other, and it has become a gathering place for literati and refined scholars. Over the years, the business of literature, antiques and antiques has gradually grown.

Liulichang is about one kilometer in length. As far as the eye can see, it is full of cultural and antique shops. Among them, time-honored brands such as "Daiyuexuan", "Yidege" and "Rongbaozhai" are resounding all over the country.

As the saying goes, antiques in prosperous times and gold in troubled times are indeed true, but just as the feudal monarchy disappeared in 2000, all those rare things that were originally hidden in the deep palace were all leaked out.

Where has it all gone?

Most of it naturally flowed into the shops of Liulichang.

Wenhuiju is an inconspicuous shop in Liulichang. Its main business is calligraphy and painting. "Character" refers to copybooks, and "painting" refers to paintings. The second brother's brother-in-law.

Zhao Deyi was originally from Hebei. He has been in Beijing for more than 20 years. He was an apprentice at "Songguzhai" for the first ten years, and he has developed a good eye for calligraphy and painting. Tell me the author and the year. After leaving the teacher, I took the burden and went to the house. After another five years, I finally got a pair of Mi Fu's characters and sold them for a lot of money. Only then did I open a shop in Liulichang.

In the antique industry, there is a saying, "Goods from the east are sold in the west, it all depends on one's eyesight".

Zhao Deyi is a cautious person, and he will never sell anything unless he is sure of it. In this way, he can only earn some small money for playing. heart.

But in the middle, there is a big trouble, that is, the communication is not smooth. You must know that those who sell literature and play rely on goods first and mouth. Zhou's goods are said to be Shang and Zhou's goods.

Once the money and goods are delivered, you will not be responsible for leaving the store. If the buyer finds something is wrong and wants to return the goods, hey, I’m sorry. Those who play with antiques rely on their eyesight. It’s your fault that you don’t have that skill. , If you have nothing to do, break your stomach and go.

At daybreak, the streets are full of people, people coming from the south, people going north, bustling, busy, pulling carts, setting up stalls and shouting, and there are mysterious people with a burden on their backs, who greet strangers when they see them. , Sneakingly came to say: "Master, please stop and waste your time. I have a relative from other provinces who dug some strange things out of the mud in my hometown. Please open your eyes and give me advice."

See if you are familiar with these words, outside the train station, a person saw you, followed up stealthily and said: "Brother, do you want a mobile phone, I just bought an Apple mobile phone, I will sell it to you at a low price."

Apprentice Li Yan yawned, unbolted the door, and opened the door to welcome guests. The shopkeeper Li Deyi lifted the curtain and stood outside the door, sweeping the dust on his body with a stag, while keeping an eye on the foreigners on the street.

Suddenly, a rickshaw came from a distance and stopped at the gate of Wenhuiju. Zhao Deyi was taken aback, obviously not expecting it, but then a lotus-like smile appeared on his face. He shouted: "Mister Charlie, why are you free today? Didn't you promise tomorrow?"

Charlie is a British guy who works abroad. He just came to Peiping not long ago, and his Chinese is average. He can understand a few commonly used greetings. He happened to see an ancient Huaxia painting. When visiting Liulichang, Zhao Deyi developed him into a long-term customer after coming and going.

Zhao Deyi sold a pair of Jinnong's "Autumn Chrysanthemum Picture" last time, and Charlie was very satisfied. Taking advantage of the situation, Zhao Deyi proposed to make an appointment for another day to collect a batch of calligraphy and paintings, and wait for Charlie to pick them out.

The day is scheduled for tomorrow, but Charlie has something to do tomorrow, so he came a day earlier, but Zhao Deyi doesn't know, it's troublesome now, where can I find a translator temporarily?
Zhao Deyi led Charlie into the shop and took a seat, brought tea, and wanted Li Yan to go outside to find an interpreter, but in a blink of an eye, Li Yan disappeared.

Although there was no translation, the business still had to be done. In desperation, Zhao Deyi had no choice but to take out a few paintings that he had collected in advance, and introduced them to Charlie with words and gestures. It was obvious that Charlie was confused.

Repeatedly, after a cup of tea, Zhao Deyi stared dryly, Charlie frowned, and the communication was not done at all, just in time Li Yan came in from the backyard, and when they met, Zhao Deyi scolded him furiously.

"It's so early in the morning, where will you die?"

Li Yan didn't know what trouble he had caused, but he didn't dare to say anything. He lowered his head and stood still.

Seeing this, Zhao Deyi hurriedly urged: "Hurry up to find Mr. Zhang, and tell him that Mr. Charlie is here. The matter is urgent. Please trouble him to come. Everything can be discussed."

Li Yan immediately understood what was going on, and he was overjoyed, what a coincidence, he thought for a while and said, "Shopkeeper, there is no need to go to Mr. Zhang, I have a person here who can speak foreign language and is waiting in the yard. "

Zhao Deyi felt something was wrong when he heard it, and he knew how much he was. People who understand foreign language are very scarce these days. Those in foreign language are waiting in their backyard, isn't this nonsense?
However, after listening to what Li Yan said, Zhao Deyi thought it over carefully, and suddenly found it credible, and said, "Go and invite Mr. He."

He Qi didn't expect that she would continue to work as soon as she came here, but she was a little uncertain. This face-to-face translation is equivalent to simultaneous translation, and it is the most difficult type of translation work. superior.

As soon as he entered the room, He Qi saw a chubby man in his 40s with a happy face. He was wearing a gray mandarin jacket, wearing a pair of glasses, with short shaved hair and a mustache. He must belong to this shop. The shopkeeper is gone, and another foreigner must be the buyer.

However, He Qi's attire was really surprising. She was unkempt, wearing shabby clothes with patches, and most importantly, she was barefoot. How could she seem to know foreign languages?
Under the questioning eyes of the shopkeeper, He Qi collected himself and started a conversation: "hello, iam a translator, and pleasure to serve you."

Although He Qi's accent was unsatisfactory, Charlie could still understand. After a brief greeting in a few words, He Qi officially started the translation work, translating what the shopkeeper said to Charlie, and translating what Charlie said into Chinese.

To be honest, He Qi’s translation is not one or two points worse than those professional translators, but fortunately, both parties do not know each other. If you don’t know how to translate or encounter words you can’t remember, you can just pass them along vaguely. That’s it. As a result, the translation work can continue at a minimum.

More than an hour later, Charlie left and spent 800 oceans to buy two paintings. Zhao Deyi packed them in two custom-made long boxes of purple trembling wood, and specially called a car to send them to the God of Wealth respectfully. out the door.

He Qi was left with a shocked face, drinking bitter tea, knowing that Wang Laoer's bowl of wontons costs only 6 cents, one yuan can buy more than 30 catties of rice, and two yuan is enough for an ordinary family to consume in a month , I was sold by Zhang Maoer for 25 yuan, and 300 yuan can go to Bada Hutong to buy a large courtyard with two entrances and exits.

"Two paintings can buy 32 me!" He Qi was confused, the tea in her mouth became more and more bitter, and thinking about it made her feel even more unhappy.

(End of this chapter)