Chapter 632: Cheers to the past
“Okay, we’ve been chatting for a long time, let’s continue talking about the east room.”
I realized that I had made a big circle, Kang Shude immediately changed the topic back.
“These three rooms are where Mr. Song entertains guests. Mr. Song’s behavior and style of conduct are actually similar to those of the Ma family. He is restrained and does not like to show off, so the furnishings in the east wing are not conspicuous. It’s not dewy.”
“For example, in the bright room of the east wing, there are no calligraphy and paintings by famous artists. All the paintings are hung by Mr. Song. I still remember that there is a pair of meticulous peonies hanging in the middle, which are taken from the name of the painting. "Butterflies Love Flowers". There is also a couplet on both sides. Unfortunately, I only remember the second couplet saying "Why is the room so elegant? The fragrance of flowers is not so much", but I can't remember the first couplet."
"Mr. Song's calligraphy is thin and unrestrained, and his paintings are elegant and meticulous. It is quite similar to the style of the Wangsun painter Pu Xinshe. Looking at Mr. Song's calligraphy and painting is a kind of enjoyment. It is more beautiful than drinking chicken soup. In my opinion , His paintings and calligraphy will be sent to Liulichang. I am afraid that he can support his family by posting orders and taking profit margins. "
"The same goes for furniture. Mr. Song is not as deliberate as others. The main room is filled with antique hardwood furniture, creating an aura of wealth. He only placed three leather sofas and a wooden tea table in front of the east room just for the comfort of entertaining guests.”
"But chatterbox, what Mr. Song bought is the earliest and the best. They are all American goods imported by foreign companies. The radio that can listen to the radio station, Mr. Song put it in the east room of the main house to make it easier to understand the outside world. The situation. Mr. Song placed the large-speaker gramophone in the bright room of this east wing because almost everyone in those days loved Peking Opera and could not live without this kind of entertainment.
"Mr. Song himself could do it. Singing Plum Pai Tsing Yi. He has a good and generous voice, but not his body. Once while singing "Visiting Mother in the Palace", he actually knocked the child down. Therefore, he mocks himself as a "radio star", which means that he can only sing in private and cannot be on stage. However, he was good at playing the huqin. Not only was his skill sufficient for formal occasions, he even attracted the attention of Mei Lanfang.
"The Ma family once held a party. Mr. Song came to the rescue temporarily and replaced a violinist who had played several plays in a row and his wrist was a bit injured. When he went on stage, Mei Mei, who had arrived late, happened to be Lan Fang was just sitting in the audience. At that time, Mei Lanfang was looking for a piano player for his second wife. Hearing Mr. Song's piano skills, he couldn't help but wait for the invitation. As a result, they made a joke. He then realized that Mr. Song was just playing for fun and that he had a lot of money, so he had to apologize.”
"But Mr. Song's favorite opera is Mei Lanfang. Mr. Song bought a lot of Peking Opera records, hundreds at least. Whenever he sees Mei Lanfang's records, he will definitely buy them. Even if he buys Peking Opera drums, then It is also because Wang Shaoqing accompanies Mei Lanfang, and there are elements borrowed from Jingyun Dagu in Anti-Erhuang's coloratura, so Mr. Song also played the piano along with Dagu records."
"In turn, the Manchurians were in Changchun. Mr. Song didn't have any records released by the record company. First, because of the hatred of the country and the family, the Japanese abducted Puyi and wanted to split our country. Not to mention that Mr. Song was angry, even many actors with integrity. They are not willing to record it. Secondly, the quality of the records produced in Changchun is also very poor. They will be damaged after listening to them twice. Those crappy products are even more deceptive than the ones sold at the tiger stall.”
"Ah, of course, since it is a low-key luxury, there won't be no treasures in this east wing room. Mr. Song can write and paint, and this secondary room to the north is both a study and a studio. This is the place next to the window. There is a large red sandalwood painting table. There is a hardwood double chair on the east side of the painting table. On this red sandalwood painting table, Mr. Song taught me and his two children how to paint. . And the price of this painting table may scare you. It was equivalent to sixteen of the best houses at that time.”
“This time in the south, there is a large Eight Immortals table, which is also made of red sandalwood. It's made of wood, and it's extremely beautifully inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The two pieces of wood add up to twenty-four rooms, which is still almost 20,000 yuan. The price of the era."
"Later, in 1946, because it was difficult to take away these two things, Mr. Song had no choice but to give up his love and exchanged it with Zhang Boju for a piece of "Autumn Wind Seeking Hidden Picture" by Tang Yin. and a piece of "Water Moon Guanyin". Later Zhang Boju donated this large painting table and the Eight Immortals Table to the Forbidden City. Now the Forbidden City displays these two tables, one is called "Ming-Red Sandalwood Flat Head Case" and the other is "Early Qing Dynasty". -Rosewood inlaid shell Eight Immortals table'
After Kang Shude said these words, Mr. Song's temperament and style were established in Ning Weimin's heart.
The image of a businessman with a humorous nature, many hobbies, knowledge, talent, integrity, adaptability, and free and easy behavior seems to be standing in front of Ning Weimin.
It made him feel closer and more admirable to Mr. Song.
"Old man, I have to say that your life is miserable. But you are really lucky to meet a noble man like Mr. Song!"
"It was such a chaotic era in the past. , Ordinary people who flee to the capital have a low chance of surviving! They will probably lie down and die on the streets!”
"That is, you, not only survived, but were brought to such a good place by Mr. Song, learned a lot of skills, and finally became the master of this place. This is a model of counterattack! Your experience is so inspiring "I really want to meet this Mr. Song, but I don't even have a photo. Speaking of which, I have to thank him, because if he hadn't made it possible for you, you wouldn't have taught me." ?”
And his words made Kang Shude think about the past even more, and the old man sighed after hearing this.
"Achievement? You are right. But I want to say, Mr. Song gave me far more than just a future and ability. He gave me too much! He gave me a family! A decent home!”
“Mr. Song is gentle by nature and is not anxious when things happen, but he is very serious about learning. In the past, he taught me reading and arithmetic here. Use a ruler to punish me. But if I learn well and learn quickly, he will be more happy. I am attracted to him because I am diligent and studious and don't like to talk too much."
"When I was thirteen years old, I had been studying with Mr. Song for almost two years. I was considered to be a little talented, and I had finished the elementary school courses. In order to test my knowledge, Mr. Song specially found me the entrance examination papers of Yuying Middle School. I got almost a perfect score. He was very happy. The next day he gave me a square copper ink cartridge with four green official script characters "Excellent Results" engraved on it. Yes, when I was fourteen years old, Mr. Song's Japanese wife made specially made silver chopsticks and spoons for Mr. Song's son Hoshigaki, which made their daughter Haruko very envious and made her mother cry. I felt sorry for my daughter, so I discussed with Mr. Song and wanted to give my daughter a share. Not only did Mr. Song agree, but he also decided to give me a share as well."
"Mr. Song said that I was his. As a disciple, I am now helpless and should be treated as such by my family. In this way, Mr. Song’s two children and I enjoy the same treatment. Our chopsticks are marked with “1, 2, 3”. The handle of the spoon also has our respective names, which are marked with 'star, spring, and virtue'..."
"His Japanese wife is equally kind to me every New Year and when the cherry blossoms bloom in March. , she would make a lot of cherry blossom-shaped cakes and share them with me and her children. One winter, I was sick, and the Japanese wife even made Japanese buns specially for me, saying that in her hometown, the children were sick. This is the best thing to eat. It’s so hot. It tastes like boiled soup! I’m sweating all over after drinking it...
“Wei Min, do you know? My favorite is summer. Because when summer comes, everyone will enjoy the cool air in the courtyard in the evening. Mr. Lan loves to talk about ancient times. Mr. Song also loves to tell stories. You say one of them, and I say the other. It is often possible to talk until almost midnight with undiminished interest. Every time, the Japanese lady would come out to dissuade me, saying that we would talk about it tomorrow. Then go back to your room and sleep. Later, we were even dubbed the "Evil Broadcasting Station" by the Jiang family who rented next door because of this..."
"One year before the beginning of autumn, Mr. Song's and I's two children were deceived by the family's nanny, Tian Ma. She said that she had seen the leaves turn over on the beginning of autumn. She told us, 'At the beginning of autumn, if you brush them, they will turn over.' The leaves on the trees were all turned over. It was less than an hour before autumn began. I waited eagerly with Hoshigaki and Haruko until four or five in the afternoon. Except for the gentle breeze passing by and the leaves trembling slightly, there is nothing different from ordinary days..."
"By the way, Mr. Song and his wife are both gourmet experts. Mr. Song is good at making yellow croaker, and his wife is very good at it. They like to make Sukiyaki. Their children can also cook. Chunzi is only a few years old, and he can still grab a handful of radishes and diced cucumbers to have a 'red and green'..."
Kang Shude kept talking, although the more he talked, the more logically he became confused, and his eyes were confused and confused.
But in his mouth, every bit of his old life came back to life clearly.
How could Ning Weimin not understand the old man's mood?
Life is like a dream, bustling things are gone, people are old and scenery is old.
Who knows whether things will prosper or not, both now and in the past.
The old man has been holding back for too long. He is recalling the past, reuniting with old friends, and toasting to the past.
(End of this chapter)