The ups and downs of life in the Siheyuan

Today is a weekend break. After breakfast, Li Yuanzheng sat by the fire and practiced sketching on a homemade drawing board. This was a method he learned from many library studies.

The primary carving skill only provides various carving skills and techniques. As for how to express a thing accurately, there are only a few words.

This forced him to patiently search for information and study.

"Basics of Sketching" has all been memorized in my mind and I am now practicing it. He once again discovered the benefits of practicing. The control of the pencil, whether it was strength or durability, allowed him to accumulate sketching experience at a rapid pace.

Now he has begun to practice still life compositions and has developed certain skills.

After passing the sketching level, the next step should be to play with mud.

But Li Yuan planned to skip this step and start carving directly. Anyway, the wood is very cheap now.

Moreover, he had read the sculpture books over and over again. Combining his sketching skills with direct sculpting, he still felt a little confident.

Besides, it's just a hobby, used to kill boring time, not to be an artist.

Looking at the time, it was almost time to set off. Li Yuan put away the drawing board and threw it under the bed.

Dressed neatly, she fixed her hair in front of the small mirror. She put her right index and middle fingers together and blew a kiss to the person in the mirror. She actually received the same response from the person in the mirror at the same time.

There was no delay at all, which greatly increased his confidence. It seemed that today was a good day.

After reversing the train, Li Yuan arrived at the entrance of Dong'an Market located in the middle of Wangfujing.

Before liberation, Dong'an Market could be regarded as the largest and most famous market in Peiping. Others such as Xidan Shopping Mall, Quanyechang, First Floor, Binyanhua Building, Zhongyuan Company, etc. could not compare with it. of.

Dong'an Market is located on Wangfujing Street in the east city of Peiping. This place was originally a military training ground in the Qing Dynasty.

Vendors set up booths around the training ground to set up stalls, selling simple and crude goods.

Later, jugglers gradually joined in. Jugglers, pranksters, cross talkers, bear performers and plaster sellers, and even small opera singers all rented land in the venue and started doing business.

Some ingenious officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs invited several wealthy eunuchs to invest together, and the Dong'an market grew stronger day by day.

Dong'an Market has two doors on Wangfujing Street. The south door is the entrance and the north door is the exit.

Li Yuan came to the entrance of the south gate and looked at the gate in his memory. He felt smaller and less conspicuous.

Mainly those who are out of town or unfamiliar with Wangfujing will never expect such a large place to be hidden here.

He walked casually into a 1.5-meter-wide alley at first, but after walking for a while, it suddenly became clear, and suddenly a noisy sound rushed into his ears.

Today is a rare sunny day with gentle breeze. The sun hangs in the middle of the sky, shining warmly on people.

The bustling crowd in the market adds to the heat. Even in winter, everyone's face is flushed.

In the market, there are old bookstores, antique shops, restaurants and teahouses, art gardens and bookstores, as well as boxing and performing arts, fortune-telling, etc., all kinds of things are available.

Li Yuan seemed to have no purpose, following the flow of people and strolling slowly.

Although supplies are scarce and goods are rudimentary, the people here live a life full of passion, people are crowded with each other, and all kinds of shouts come and go.

Li Yuan was in it, completely intoxicated.

I passed an antique stall and was surrounded by people. Stop and observe, see more and buy less. Like Li Yuan, most of them just want to have fun.

Several elderly people were arguing over a calligraphy and painting. Some said it was the original work of Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, while others said it was a high imitation of it in the late Qing Dynasty.

Several people were arguing until their faces turned red, but the old boss was there, sitting on the horse, watching and listening with a smile, and occasionally glanced at the stall with the corner of his eyes.

Passing by various gourmet shops, he found Goubuli soup dumplings, old Beijing noodles with soybean paste, and bean juice that foreigners were afraid of, which whetted his appetite.

Passing by a theater with illustrated posters on display at the door: Jixiang Theater, faint cheers can be heard from inside.

Chang'an Cinema had eye-catching signs hanging in front of the door with stills and photos, which gave Li Yuan an idea.

I walked around the market and returned to Dong Lai Shun. I went in and ordered some food. I went out and stood on the right side, smoking a cigarette and looking at the people walking around from time to time.

Suddenly a tall figure broke into Li Yuan's sight.

The smooth shawl-length hair falls naturally, and the eye-catching white turtleneck sets off the soft and shiny skin. A well-fitting woolen coat makes her body appear slimmer.

Black leather shoes, dignified and elegant.

It's a pity that the cool little face makes people feel like they are seeing a lonely Snow Lotus.

When she saw Li Yuan for the first time, her little heart couldn't help but beat a few beats.

Today, Li Yuan's hair is carefully combed and he is wearing a well-fitting tunic suit. He looks lean and tall.

The three-jointed leather shoes on her feet were shiny.

Looking at his thin clothes, he obviously didn't wear cotton-padded clothes and pants to see her, which made her feel warm, and then she felt angry.

In fact, Li Yuan had wanted to dress like this for a long time. No matter how cold the weather was, he always felt warm. Today was just a good excuse.

Clothes and shoes were also purchased recently, because the price of ready-made clothes is much higher than buying cloth.

Li Yuan put out the cigarette butt, threw it under his feet, stepped on it with his heel, and then twisted it hard. "Here, I'm hungry. I went on a diet three days ago for this meal."

Li Yuan's words made Zhao Xiuqin return to her natural state, and the ice in her heart melted instantly.

"Don't worry, I have enough money with me."

Li Yuan bent down and made a gesture to invite him in, and Zhao Xiuqin responded with a half-squatting salute playfully. The two looked at each other and smiled, and the woman walked in.

When she arrived at the window seat she had just reserved, Li Yuan opened the seat for her out of habit, which made Zhao Xiuqin look at her with admiration.

The two sat and chatted for a while, then the copper pot, condiments and meats were served one after another, including three items of 3 pound of mutton each, a plate of potato slices, a plate of white radish slices, a plate of tofu, and a few pieces of Chinese cabbage leaves.

Zhao Xiuqin looked at Li Yuan with a smile, "Don't you already know how to do accounts?"

"Oh, I'm used to paying bills. Here's 5 yuan and 6 cents." Li Yuan pretended to be regretful.

Every time Zhao Xiuqin met Li Yuan, she felt very relaxed, like an old friend for many years, and started teasing him, "You deserve it, I'll treat you to this meal anyway."

"That's right, what's mine is yours," Li Yuan said roguely, placing the plate of mixed condiments in front of Zhao Xiuqin.

"Bah, a dog can't spit out ivory." She blushed, lowered her head and poured a few drops of balsamic vinegar into the plate.

"Try vomiting if you can." Li Yuan was a scoundrel to the end.

"I'm too lazy to talk to you," the little girl rolled her eyes.

"Would you like something to drink?" Li Yuan asked tentatively.

"Have some, but I don't drink much." The little girl hesitated for a moment, but it didn't matter if she was in a good mood and drank a little.

Li Yuan opened a bottle of Fenjiu that was more than 10 years old, and a refreshing fragrance suddenly reached his nose. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Hey, pour some wine, Grandet, miser." Zhao Xiuqin tapped the table with her wine glass.