Punch: From third-rate anchor to top chef

Chapter 1054 1065. Wang Family Courtyard
The next day, Li Xiao got up early in the morning and prepared to go to the Wang Family Courtyard in the suburbs of TY. This is a bright pearl among Chinese residential buildings and one of the masterpieces in the history of Shanxi architecture.

Li Xiao got on the bus and arrived at the destination soon.

The gate of the Wang Family Courtyard is facing Li Xiao, with exquisite dragon and phoenix patterns carved on the gate, and two tall stone lions on both sides of the gate tower, guarding the crowds entering and leaving.

Through the gate, Li Xiao can see a vast courtyard, where there are more than a dozen traditional Shanxi dwellings, the largest of which is the "Dazhongyuan", with an area of ​​more than 1 square meters.

Li Xiao walked into the middle courtyard. Several big trees were planted in the wide courtyard, and there were benches under the trees, which looked very comfortable.

Li Xiao looked up at the wide patio of the large middle courtyard. There was a large water tank inside the courtyard. The water in the pool was clear, and the fish were swimming in it, giving off a fresh breath.

The buildings around the courtyard are divided into inner and outer rings. The inner ring has the main building, west wing, east wing, side room and two courtyards. The outer ring is composed of three halls and north and south wing rooms, forming a huge building group.

Li Xiao felt that he had come to an ancient world, where everything was like traveling through time and space.He felt the simplicity and mystery emanating from the Wang family compound, and couldn't help feeling respectful.

He looked around, he was shocked by every detail of the courtyard.The main beam of the main house is engraved with lifelike dragon and phoenix patterns, which is particularly eye-catching; there is a large well in the center of the two courtyards, which was once a daily necessities of the Wang family; wealth and status.

Li Xiao walked to the pavilion beside him, quietly admiring the beautiful scenery here.He remembered that when he was a child, he also felt this kind of tranquility and mystery in the ancient temples in the countryside. Those temples seemed to have a kind of life force, which could make people immerse themselves in it and not want to leave.

Suddenly, a young waiter came over and asked with a smile: "Sir, would you like to order something? Our specialty tea here is very good, you can try it."

Li Xiao nodded and said, "Okay, let's have a cup of special tea."

The waiter quickly brought a cup of fragrant tea, and Li Xiao took a sip, feeling the mellow and sweet aroma of the tea, and feeling relieved.

While Li Xiao was admiring the beautiful scenery and sipping tea to relieve boredom, he suddenly heard a familiar voice: "Li Xiao? Is it you?"

Li Xiao looked back and found that it was his old classmate Zhang Feng. They used to be classmates and friends in college, and they haven't seen each other for a long time now.

"Zhang Feng! Why are you here?" Li Xiao asked with surprise.

Zhang Feng said with a smile: "I came to attend a wedding. This is the old house of the groom's family. I didn't expect to meet you."

The two sat in the pavilion and started a long chat.They talked about each other's recent situation, work and life, and lamented how quickly time flies, so many years have passed in a blink of an eye.

"How long have you been staying here?" Zhang Feng asked.

"I plan to stay here for two or three days to enjoy the scenery and culture here." Li Xiao replied.

"Wow, it's been so long, then you should arrange your time well to see other scenic spots and historical sites, such as Hukou Waterfall, Shuanglin Temple, Fenyang Ancestral Temple, etc." Zhang Feng suggested.

"Yeah, I've heard of these places, and I'm going to check them out. But now I'm going to find a place for dinner. Do you have any recommendations?" Li Xiao asked.

"Of course, there is a very good restaurant here called 'Old Wharf', which specializes in Shanxi specialties. The taste is very authentic and the price is not expensive." Zhang Feng introduced.

"Okay, then let's go eat together." Li Xiao agreed.

The two walked out of the courtyard together and walked towards the direction of the restaurant.Along the way, they saw many food stalls and small restaurants, people came and went, and business was booming.There are all kinds of small commodities and handicrafts on the roadside night market stalls, attracting many tourists to come to buy.

They walked through a busy street, passed through several crowded intersections, and finally came to the restaurant.

There is a big sign at the entrance of the restaurant, which reads "Shanxi Specialty Restaurant". There are several small round tables and chairs at the entrance, with bottles and jars of pickles and seasonings placed on them.

As soon as Li Xiao and Zhang Feng entered, they were attracted by the oncoming heat wave and the strong aroma of food.The restaurant is divided into upper and lower floors, and the two were led to a small private room on the second floor.

The interior decoration of the small private room is relatively simple, surrounded by white walls and light yellow lights.There are several exquisite plates, knives and forks on the table, and the city lights under the night can be seen from the window.

The waiter served several Shanxi specialties, including kebabs, sliced ​​noodles, bean curd, hot and sour potato shreds, etc. Li Xiao and Zhang Feng were attracted by these delicacies and kept tasting them.

"The special dishes here are really delicious!" Li Xiao exclaimed.

"Yeah, especially their kebabs, the taste is really good." Zhang Feng nodded.

The two ate and chatted, and unknowingly had a sumptuous dinner.After the meal, they walked for a while and finally returned to the hotel.

Li Xiao sighed: "Today is really a fulfilling day. I have learned a lot and seen a lot."

"Yes, the cultural history and special food here are really unforgettable." Zhang Feng also said with deep emotion.

The two entered their room, packed their things, and prepared for the next day's journey.

Li Xiao randomly found a place to sit down, observing and taking pictures.At this time, a local middle-aged woman came to him and asked with a smile: "Are you a tourist? Do you need me to explain to you?"

Li Xiao nodded in agreement, and the middle-aged woman began to introduce the history and culture of the Wang family compound to him.

She told Li Xiao that the Wang Family Courtyard was built during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than 300 years.The architectural style of the Dazhongyuan is a typical Qing Dynasty residential building, which combines the architectural styles of Han, Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui and other ethnic minorities, reflecting the typical characteristics of Shanxi residential buildings.

The architectural structure of the large middle courtyard is very characteristic. There are ingenious connections between the various rooms, while maintaining their independence.The decoration of the Dazhongyuan is also very exquisite, with wood carving, stone carving, color painting, window lattice and so on as the main techniques.

Li Xiao came to the middle courtyard, saw this ancient building, and was attracted by its simple and elegant atmosphere.

The decoration of the Dazhongyuan is also very exquisite, with wood carving, stone carving, color painting, window lattice and other techniques as the main techniques, showing the superb skills of the traditional northern architectural culture in the Qing Dynasty.The architectural style of the Dazhongyuan is very typical. The gates in the courtyard are composed of two beams and a crossbar. The gatehouse, porch columns, carvings and murals are all very exquisite.

In the courtyard, Li Xiao felt a strong historical atmosphere.

The main hall in the center of the courtyard is the most magnificent building, and the surrounding rooms are arranged around the main hall.The furniture in the main hall is also very exquisite, including cabinets, tables, chairs, beds, etc., all made of wood.Li Xiao saw a study room, which was also very elegantly furnished, with many ancient books, calligraphy and paintings on display.

Walking into a guest room, Li Xiao saw that the bed in the room was red, there were some calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, and there was a porcelain vase on the head of the bed with some flowers in it, which looked very warm.There was also a small balcony in the room. There was a small table and two chairs on the balcony. Li Xiao sat down and looked at the scenery outside the window.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, Li Xiao got up and opened the door, and saw that it was the hotel waiter, holding a small box in his hand, and said with a smile: "Hello, this is a special snack made by our hotel, please taste it one time."

Li Xiao opened the small box, and there were some small cakes and biscuits inside, which were brightly colored and looked very delicious.He took a sip and felt that the taste was very good, and he couldn't help but praise: "This little snack tastes really good!"

The waiter said with a smile: "Our hotel has always been committed to providing the best service and quality to our guests, and I hope you will have a pleasant stay here."

Li Xiao nodded, feeling very satisfied.He continued to admire the beauty of the courtyard, and did not leave until night fell.

After a day of sightseeing in the Dazhongyuan, Li Xiao felt very tired, so he decided to go back to the hotel to rest.The next day, he came to Wang's compound again, this time he went to Xiaonanlou.

The Xiaonan Building is located on the south side of the Grand Central Courtyard and is an independent building.This building is tall and magnificent, with red walls and green tiles, surrounded by a circle of gardens, which are full of various flowers, very beautiful.

Li Xiao walked into the Xiaonan Building and found that the decoration inside the building is very exquisite. All the furniture is finely carved rosewood furniture with gold lacquer intarsia, which looks very gorgeous.The interior is very elegantly arranged, and there are flower and bird paintings, ancient calligraphy and paintings, bronzes and other works of art everywhere, which makes people linger and forget to return.

Li Xiao leaned on the window sill, looked out through the window, and could see the garden outside the window, where flowers of various colors were planted, colorful and very beautiful.He couldn't help sighing: "This is really a beautiful world!"

At this moment, a waiter in uniform came in. She smiled and said hello to Li Xiao: "Sir, do you need anything? We have fresh tea and fruit here, and we can also prepare an exquisite lunch for you." .”

Li Xiao replied with a smile: "Okay, I want to try your tea and fruit here, and let you prepare lunch as well."

The waiter nodded and walked out of the room.Not long after, she came back with a beautiful plate of fruit and a pot of tea, and put them on the table.

"This is our specialty fruit, called Yangchun Baixue, a very sweet fruit, you can try it." The waiter recommended to Li Xiao.

Li Xiao nodded, picked up a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth, and suddenly felt a sweet taste pervading, making him intoxicated.

"This fruit is really delicious. I have never tasted such a sweet fruit." Li Xiao praised.

The waiter smiled and said: "Yes, this is our specialty here and it is very popular. In addition to Yangchun Baixue, we also have Su cakes, almond tea and many other delicacies and specialties. You can try it." "The waiter was selling the restaurant's specialties, which made Li Xiao salivate. Li Xiao ordered a puff pastry egg tart and a cup of almond tea. The food here is indeed a highlight.

After enjoying the perfect meal, Li Xiao met a local resident at the entrance of the hotel.He asked curiously: "Hello, is there any place worth visiting near here?" The resident replied with a smile: "There is also a very famous scenic spot near here, which is the former residence of Huang Gongwang." Li Xiao felt very Surprised, he immediately decided to visit the famous literati tomorrow.

The next morning, Li Xiao got up early and went to Huang Gongwang's former residence.This is an ancient architectural complex of the Ming and Qing dynasties, divided into front, middle and back yards. The front yard is the former residence of Huang Gongwang, and the middle and back yards are the residences of Huang Gongwang's descendants.Li Xiao was very excited. He was going to visit the former residence of a great painter, which was an excellent experience for him as an art lover.

At the gate of the front yard of Huang Gongwang's former residence, there is a black stone tablet engraved with "Huang Gongwang's former residence", which is very solemn.Entering the front yard, Li Xiao saw an antique courtyard surrounded by high walls, with a big tree in the center, a stone table and a stone bench under the tree, where several tourists rested.

Li Xiao roamed freely in the front yard, admiring the calligraphy, paintings, flowers and trees on the wall.He saw many inscriptions on the wall, one of which was "The moon is bright on the top of Lingshan Mountain, and Huang Gong's picture is about longevity. Today, I will find my roots and come to my hometown, and I will rest in the courtyard and listen to the rhyme and clear sound." Li Xiao thought to himself, This poem praising Huang Gongwang is really wonderful.

When Li Xiao came to the central courtyard, he saw an antique pavilion, which was the main building of Huang Gongwang's former residence.Inside the pavilion, there are cultural relics and pictures showing Huang Gongwang's life and creative achievements, and one of the long scrolls is particularly eye-catching.Li Xiao looked carefully and found that it was Huang Gongwang's masterpiece "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains".

This scroll is tens of meters long, and it depicts the landscape, buildings and figures on the banks of the Fuchun River, giving people a strong visual impact.Li Xiao was so attracted by the exquisiteness and delicacy of this painting that he almost forgot the passage of time.

Suddenly, a voice broke Li Xiao's thoughts: "Young man, do you like this painting?" Li Xiao looked back, and an old gentleman was looking at him with a smile.

Li Xiao replied politely: "Yes, this painting is so beautiful, I am deeply moved."

The old gentleman nodded, and then said: "Do you know, this painting was once called one of the 'Top Ten Famous Paintings of China', and was praised as a 'Masterpiece in the History of World Painting'. Huang Gongwang, in this painting, combines He developed his own thoughts and artistic style and reached the pinnacle."

Li Xiao nodded repeatedly after hearing this, expressing that he also deeply likes this painting.The old man smiled, patted Li Xiao on the shoulder, and said, "Young man, you have a keen artistic sensibility, which is rare. I hope you can continue to pay attention to and appreciate beautiful things in your future life."

Li Xiao's heart warmed, and he was moved by the old man's words. He deeply understood that the love and pursuit of art can transcend age and background.

(End of this chapter)