The ups and downs of life in the Siheyuan

It was rare that there was nothing to do in the afternoon, and the weather today was surprisingly good. Li Yuan wanted to take a walk around the Forty-Nine City and see the prosperity of Kyoto with his own eyes.

The courtyard has long become a paradise for children, especially the middle courtyard, and the verandah has become their world.

Li Yuan walked out of the alley and came to the street. Although the road was not as wide as in later generations, there were people on the road, and everyone was full of energy and enthusiasm.

Some primary school students were either carrying baskets or carrying cloth bags. He knew that these were all kinds of masonry powder that needed to be handed over.

Women were in groups, carrying various vegetable baskets in their hands, either buying vegetables or daily necessities.

Some young people gathered together in piles, laughing and laughing from time to time.

There are slogans on the walls on both sides, some are painted, and some are posted with big-character posters.

Those common quotations are just that, there are many more that are eye-catching, such as:

"One shovel can shovel thousands of mountains, one load can lift two mountains, one cannon can climb a cliff ten thousand feet, and one drill can pass through nine bays. Two giant hands can carry rivers and hang on the top of mountains in an instant."

"People can make the earth surrender, the oceans descend, and force the universe to spit out treasures."

"Seventy years have sent away thousands of hardships of the old China's oppression of the people; two revolutions have won all kinds of sweetness to the prosperity of the new society and the motherland."

. . . . . .

Infected by this atmosphere, he actually walked along the street for more than ten minutes.

When I looked up, I saw that it was a flea market. There were not many people inside, but there were also quite a few, some buying and selling.

Thinking about tidying up the house in the spring, I just need to buy some furniture. Today I went to have a look around and explore the way first.

The layout of the market is similar to that of Panjiayuan in later generations. There is an alley in the middle, connected shops on both sides, and a wooden counter. A cloth curtain is supported in front of the shop to block the sun.

At first glance, you can see the bottom, more than 50 meters deep, and there are several houses inside.

Inside the counter stood a salesperson wearing a uniform, gray clothes, gray trousers, and white sleeves. Although I saw a few employees chatting with nothing, the salesperson who received customers seemed kind and polite.

Li Yuan started from the right hand side and saw that they were all porcelain. Most of them looked dark and rustic, and the occasional brightly colored plates and bowls were far different from those of later generations.

To be honest, he didn't have any knowledge about antiques. He was a complete novice and couldn't tell whether it was an antique or an old thing, so he just took a look.

Next is the calligraphy and painting area, which looks more beautiful, with black and white and color, but he doesn't have an idea of ​​what's so good about it.

Next, I saw various daily necessities, and actually saw some Western toys.

He came to the furniture area, which was open and you could go in and choose for yourself.

Most of these furniture are broken, but each one is beautifully carved, and the wood is mainly made of mahogany.

He actually doesn't understand, but if he looks at these quaint furniture, the people here don't care. , when he was bending down to inspect an exquisite arm chair, he heard a familiar female voice.

"Sister Ma, I've finished eating. I'll take over the shift. You can rest for a while."

"Okay, sister Xiuqin."

He stood up and took a look. His face was familiar, but her tall figure made Li Yuan recognize her at a glance. She was one of the three girls who had a conflict last time.

Li Yuan's sudden gaze quickly attracted the attention of the girl facing in this direction.

First he frowned and glared, but suddenly he seemed to recognize Li Yuan and walked over happily.

"Kung Fu Boy, Li Yuan, it's you! I remember you, that move is so cool! What? Want to buy furniture? These are just junk. Come on, I'll take you to see the real good stuff."

The girl named Xiu Qin is almost 1 meters tall. The winter sunshine hits her face just right. The authentic oval face looks more three-dimensional, and the down on her face looks like a halo under the sunlight.

The straight nose, big eyes, and small lips made it difficult for Li Yuan to connect her with the girl that night.

The girl that night was a complete girl, with a bad temper that would get into fights with others at any time.

What I saw today was a little girl next door with a free and easy personality.

Qiao smiled sweetly, looked brightly, and her big eyes seemed to be able to speak, which made Li Yuan's heart beat.

He calmed down and stretched his clothes involuntarily.

The other party cheered, "How about it, sister is pretty, isn't she? Do you want to ask sister out for dinner?"

Although the other party spoke frivolously, his appearance was invincible, and in the eyes of Li Yuan who was attracted by him at first sight, he seemed straightforward and cute.

He calmed down and imitated the scholar's appearance on TV, clasping his hands in fists, stretching them in front of his chest, bending slightly, and said, "Little student Li Yuan, may I ask the girl's name?"

A set of nondescript operations made the other party giggle so hard that he couldn't stand up straight for a long time.

Li Yuan stood up straight and looked at the young and beautiful woman with a smile on his lips.

"You are so funny, you are a great hero, why should you imitate a weak scholar?"

"Hey, you work here?" Li Yuan accepted the request.

"Well, I took over my father's class and am now an apprentice."

"What a coincidence, I am also an apprentice, but I have a bad reputation as a rag collector." Li Yuan spoke in a low voice, but his expression was natural and determined.

The other party once again raised his evaluation of him.

"My name is Zhao Xiuqin, let me meet you formally," he said, extending his right hand.

Li Yuan also stretched out his right hand, shook it lightly, and immediately let go.

Zhao Xiuqin smiled slightly and said, "Let's go, I will take you to see the real good things."

As she spoke, she led the way to the next few rooms. Passing by the counter next to her, she poked her head inside and shouted, "Sister Zhou, help me look at the stalls. I'll take my friend to look at the furniture."

"Okay," said a woman in her thirties or forties walking out of it.

"Hey, this young man looks really energetic. Is he your date?"

Zhao Xiuqin's face turned red, "What do you mean, just an ordinary friend." She glanced at Li Yuan with a smile.

"I know! Come on, young man," he said, making a cheering gesture to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan nodded with a smile, turned around and caught up with Zhao Xiuqin who had already left.

"Don't mind, Sister Zhou likes to joke."

"It's okay, maybe it will come true," Li Yuan said in a low voice.

"You are so pretty, there are so many people chasing after this girl." She blushed cutely.

She walked a few steps quickly, opened a wooden door, and walked in first.

Li Yuan followed and walked in. What he saw was a large warehouse filled with all kinds of furniture, such as beds, chairs, stools, bookcases, wardrobes, sofas, recliners, etc.

"How's it going? Here are the good things. Most people won't let you see them." She had regained her composure, and Li Yuan did not dare to continue teasing.

Take your time, now at least you know that she doesn't hate him, and you also know from Sister Zhou's words that she is still single.

In this era, if the other person doesn't fall out after you say the explicit words you just said, it can be considered that he has a good impression of you.

"Let me show you" passed through a pile of furniture and came to a very distinctive bed that looked like a small house.

"This bed is my favorite. It is very well preserved. It is said that it belonged to a prince and his concubine in the late Qing Dynasty. It is made of mahogany."

Babu bed, also called Babu bed, is the largest type of bed among traditional Chinese furniture.

Babu beds are mostly used in the south, where mosquitoes and flies are common due to the warm weather. The bed frame is used to hang mosquito nets.

The environmental space created by this overall bed layout is like a small house in the room. There is a floor under the Babu bed with door rails, which means "a bed within a bed, a cover within a cover".

Carefully appreciating this bed, whether it is its workmanship or decoration, makes people feel that it is simple but elegant, rich and spiritual, and it truly and concretely records the life, customs and aesthetic tastes of the rich at that time.

After looking at it for a few times, he took Li Yuan around. Every piece of furniture moved Li Yuan's heart. Except for the expensive bed just now, the others were not expensive.

I just saw a pair of sandalwood armchairs, paired with a long square table, priced at just over 30 yuan, which is a bargain.

However, if you think about it, you will understand that during this period, as long as the furniture is functional, it is not popular among ordinary people. People are running around and working hard for food every day, so how can they pay attention to these useless things.

The so-called gold in troubled times and antiques in prosperous times are short of food, and other things are not available.

Li Yuan turned around and looked at the exquisite covered furniture in the warehouse, and sighed in his heart. When the wind blows, these will probably be burned to the ground.