After chatting for a while, Li Tang invited Zhang Zeduan to drink.
At first, Zhang Zeduan took a sip of wine and ate a piece of meat out of concern for his face, then put down his kuaizi and picked up the grapes on the table to eat. After a while, I couldn't bear it any longer and ate up the whole plate of meat like a storm.
Li Tang saw it and sighed. Said: "How long has it been since you last eaten?"
Zhang Zeduan said: "To be honest, I haven't had a full meal since I crossed the Yellow River. If you meet a good family, give half a bowl of rice, and you can make do with it for a day. If you don't meet a good family, pick a few wild fruits. It’s also a day to dig two wild vegetables.”
Li Di said: "How can this be done? There is no good meat or good food in the small shop here. Follow us and find a place where we can eat well!"
In this era, there were many wild fruits and vegetables in the fields. It's summer again now, the season when fruits are ripe, so it's not easy for people to starve to death. If Zhang Zeduan returns to Luoyang in winter, it will not be so easy. After the war, there were few people and no place to beg for food.
After several years of war, most of the people in Luoyang fled. When Meng Bangxiong was in charge of Luoyang, there was no recuperation and there was a depression. After Wang Xiaoye entered Luoyang, the population was mainly concentrated near Henan Fuya and around Huitong Bridge near Fuya. The Lake Garden is in the south of the city and is very desolate at this time. The three of them walked for a long time, but only saw two taverns, not even a noodle shop.
Li Di rubbed his legs and said, "I'm tired from walking. How about walking like this? I remember there was a vegetable and meat seller at the Changxiamen Street ahead. Let's buy a piece of meat there and cook it ourselves. .”
Li Tang said: "Can you cook? When I see Zhang Daizhao today, why don't I treat him to a full meal?"
Zhang Zeduan waved his hand hurriedly: "I just ate a plate of meat and I am half full. If there is no store, we should go back."
How could Li Tang be willing to obey? Pull Li Di up and walk to Changxiamen Street, heading north. After walking for several miles, there were finally more shops on the street. Not too far away, we saw a Cyclamen dumpling restaurant in front of us.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Li Tang said: "This is an industry under the name of Xuanfu Division. It is available in every state and county. The dumplings inside are delicious, there are many vegetables for sale, and there are fine wines. It is just the right time for Zhang Daizhao to catch the wind. Daizhao has eaten dumplings. ?"
Zhang Zeduan smiled sheepishly and said, "Before I left, a dumpling restaurant opened in Longde Mansion. But I was short of money and never went in."
Li Di said: "Then don't miss it today. Compared with wontons, dumplings are bigger and eating them is more enjoyable!"
While talking, the three of them walked into the dumpling restaurant.
This place is not far from the Henan government office. There are many official offices gathered here, and officials often come to have dinner. The boy had the sharpest eyes, and he could tell at a glance that Li Tang and Li Di were official people, so he hurriedly greeted them.
Li Tang said: "Is there a pavilion? If so, give us a room."
The boy was all smiles. He said: "Yes, yes. The officials will follow me."
Cyclamen Dumpling Houses are all built in lively places in the city, with roughly the same layout. The first floor is the lobby, the second floor is the attic, and in some places there is a third floor, which is a more advanced attic. This shop was on the second floor. The boy took him upstairs and chose a pavilion facing the street.
The three of them sat down and the waiter handed over the menu.
This is also the rule brought by Wang Xiaolie. The menu on the first floor is written on bamboo signs and hung on the wall for easy replacement. Guests order dishes according to the order, and the waiter is not responsible for introducing the dishes to the guests. There is a menu in the pavilion on the second floor, which is a bamboo slip. The waiter introduces it to the guests.
Li Di didn't read the menu. He said: "First, two plates of dumplings, stuffed with pork and cucumber. Then there will be a braised Yellow River carp, a plate of braised mutton, and you can choose some seasonal vegetables. By the way, a plate of cold dishes with green onions and pig ears, one person. A pig's hand."
The boy said yes again and again and wrote it down.
In this era, it was not popular to use notes. The waiter was required to remember the dishes ordered by the guests. If the dish is remembered incorrectly, the boy will be punished. So this profession looks inconspicuous, but it is not easy to do. In a tavern like Cyclamen, the wages of waiters are not high.
Watching the boy go out, Zhang Zeduan whispered: "There are only three of us, how can we eat so many dishes?"
Li Di said: "It's nothing. If we can't eat it, let's pack it up and go back. You saw where we live just now. It's not easy to eat."
Zhang Zeduan said: "This is the best. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste to spend so much money?"
Li Tang smiled and said: "We are rich, waiting for the imperial edict. Now you can make more money in Wang Xuanfu's calligraphy and painting academy than in the Hanlin Academy of Painting before. You specialize in boundary painting and can be said to be the best in the world. When you come to the calligraphy and painting academy, you will definitely get a lot of salary." .”
Zhang Zeduan said: "Throughout the ages, there should be no one who treats painters like Taoist kings and emperors. Why, Wang Xuanfu is also keen on this Taoism?"
Li Tang smiled and shook his head: "That's not true. It's just that Wang Xuanfu has very few restrictions on painters. Except for completing some things assigned by the government, he doesn't interfere with the rest. We skilled people can paint a few paintings every month and sell them. It’s a lot of money.”
Zhang Zeduan nodded, understanding what Li Tang meant. They were once Taizhao of the Hanlin Painting Academy and nationally recognized painters. Any one of them is a top painter in the world. Ordinary people may not be able to tell the difference between good and bad paintings, but the Hanlin Academy is waiting for an edict, and this sign knows it. When these people's paintings are sold in the market, of course they fetch high prices. Painting ten or eight paintings a year is not necessarily lower than the official salary of many officials.
Li Di said: "What is there to say? Zhang Taizhao is the best painter in the world, and the academy of calligraphy and painting can only ask for it. The person in charge of the academy of calligraphy and painting is Zhang Tiju, and in two months, he will be Xuanfu's brother-in-law. With such a person as the backstage, Our calligraphy and painting academy will not be inferior to others."
Zhang Zeduan heard this and said curiously: "Xuanfu's brother-in-law? Why, isn't Wang Xuanfu's sister married yet?"
Li Di said: "Wang Xuanfu's father Qin died for the country during his reign. They have observed mourning for three years, so it won't be a waste."
"That's it." Zhang Zeduan nodded. I have been in Longde Mansion for many years, and I have only heard about Wang Xiaolie's affairs in the past few months, but I still don't know these things.
Li Tang said: "In short, when you return to Luoyang this time, you don't have to worry about your livelihood anymore. Although Wang Xuanfu doesn't know how to paint, he has a brother-in-law who knows how to paint. He also has a wife who has never been married and is a master of calligraphy and painting. There is How can we have such a hard time with these people?”
Zhang Zeduan was even more surprised. Said: "Wang Xuanfu's unmarried wife is also a master of calligraphy and painting?"
Li Tang said: "Of course. When we were in Xiangyang, this woman was still in the calligraphy and painting academy and worked with us for a while. She was good at calligraphy, especially Liu style. Her characters were strong, tall and handsome, who would dare to believe that she was Written by a woman?”
Zhang Zeduan said: "I didn't expect Xuanfu to have such a connection with the Painting and Calligraphy Academy."
