1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 89 You are my blessing

Zhong Acheng, 30 years old this year, is a talented man who knows everything and is an encyclopedic generalist.

In the cultural circle, everyone respectfully calls him "the world's number one chat expert."

He is proficient in photography, literature, film, painting, bronze ware, porcelain, opera, Beijing opera drum, piano playing, and car repair, and he can talk to you about them all.

He had too many things in his heart, so he just wrote a few famous books and then stopped writing.

He was also the screenwriter of "Furong Town". Xie Jin was convinced by him and was later invited by Ang Lee to finalize the script of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". At the end of the movie, Ang Lee wrote a line of big words to thank him.

Jiang Xian naturally wouldn't mind making friends with such a monk-like figure.

After the film ended, everyone chatted together.

"This detective Poirot appears in many of the author's novels. He also solved the case in Murder on the Orient Express." Jiang Xian recalled the film that had just ended and told Ge You and Zhong Acheng beside him.

"This Death on the Nile is perfect for the screen. The author's And Then There Were None is not good enough because it is too stream-of-consciousness and can't capture the brilliance of the original text."

And Then There Were None is also a work by Agatha Christie, which is the Snowstorm Manor model mentioned earlier. Ten people go to the island, and the ten people die strangely one after another, corresponding to the lyrics of a nursery rhyme.

"Okay, okay." Zhong Acheng was somewhat impressed. "Have you read all these books?"

"I happened to have a chance and found the original English version to read."

"Can you understand?"

"Just barely understand."

"Ok, Ok."

Zhong Acheng was full of admiration.

He was very eager to make friends with this wonderful person. He had just returned to Beijing and was unfamiliar with everything. He had no friends except for one person with whom he had been dating for many years.

So he came again the next day. Jiang Xian happened to be preparing to have breakfast, so he pulled him over.

He had a bowl of almond tea, two taels of sugared ears, and two taels of sugared oil cakes. He had to have something sweet for breakfast.

"Comrade Ah Cheng, don't you want to eat something?"

"I'm not used to eating breakfast." Zhong Acheng said awkwardly.

Of course he is short of money and he is also an unemployed young man.

That's the way it is now. No matter what your status is, everyone is poor.

Zhong Acheng is such an example. He is also the son of a high-ranking official. His parents have prominent positions, but he is poor.

Jiang Xian found a table and sat down with his food, taking two sips.

"Where did you cut in line?"

“Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan.”

“Have you been to Inner Mongolia?”

"Well, I raised horses in Inner Mongolia. Do you know horses?"

Zhong Acheng sat leisurely, his loose glasses sliding down his nose.

"Ermazi is the leader of the herd, a male stallion responsible for protecting the herd. I've seen Ermazi lead the herd to deal with wolves. He first commanded the herd and circled them, then went up to them, kicked them from behind, bit their manes and whipped them, making five or six wolves piss and run wild."

"call."

Jiang Xian burped, covered his stomach, and pushed the sugar-coated cake towards Zhong Acheng.

"I can't eat anymore, do you mind?"

"This is so embarrassing."

"Treasure the food, or you'll just have to throw it away." Jiang Xian pushed again, "Eat it, and come with me to do something later."

Zhong Acheng was no longer polite. He picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth, then asked curiously.

"What's going on?"

"Wow, this thing is so sweet."

At this time, the manuscript fee bills had to be withdrawn from the Bank of China. Jiang Xian, Zhong Acheng, and Feng Jicai went to the Bank of China at Longfu Temple together.

A full 1589 pieces!
He and Feng Jicai divided the loot immediately. He got 1112 yuan and Feng Jicai took the remaining 3 yuan.

Zhong Acheng, standing beside them, was so envious that his eyes turned green with envy.

So much money?!

"Where did you get so much money? Can you please tell me?" he asked cautiously.

"Payment."

"You two are writing articles?"

"It is."

"Ok, Ok."

Zhong Acheng had never heard of Jiang Xian's name. He lived in remote Yunnan and had been out of touch with the times for a long time. When he saw a bicycle on the road, he had to wait for half a day before he dared to cross the road.

After depositing some money into the account and putting some more money on his body, Jiang Xian took Zhong Acheng to the trust store.

There is a saying: "Antiques are valuable in prosperous times, gold is valuable in troubled times."

He also learned from Ma Weidu.

Pick up a bargain!
He had some spare money, and Zhong Acheng was a discerning person. If they worked together, they would be able to pick up a lot of bargains. "Help me with the advice, and we'll try to get something good back today."

"to make."

Jiang Xian first looked around himself. He had been thinking about getting a camera for a long time, and after looking around, he got a Seagull 205.

This is a very ordinary rangefinder camera, not of high quality, with a standard design. There is nothing surprising or special about it. In two words, it is stable. He also likes the lens, a 50mm, F2.8 Tessar lens.

The Seagull brand camera was formerly called the Shanghai brand camera, and later became the Phoenix brand camera. It is quite famous among domestic cameras.

"how much is it?"

"165."

He paid promptly and bought things at the trust store, saving the trouble of tickets.

"Acheng, do you see anything good?"

Zhong Acheng was stroking a palace bowl with a smooth curved wall and a slightly tilted rim, and whispered, "This one is fine. It's a palace flower bowl from the Ming Dynasty."

"how much is it?"

"3 yuan each. The seller said there are twelve in this set. If you buy the whole set, he will give you two for free." said the salesperson.

Buy ten, get two free.

Are you selling starch sausage here?
Jiang Xian had a complicated expression. He picked it up and took a look. It was indeed beautiful. The glaze was as delicate as fat, and the porcelain was soft and warm.

"Pack this up for me."

A set costs thirty yuan.

Jiang Xian was lucky to have found a bargain.

Why didn't others pick it up?
To put it bluntly, I still have no money.

30 yuan is less than a month's salary.

There is a whole family at home waiting to eat, who would be willing to spend 30 yuan to buy a few broken bowls?

"Please be gentle, don't give me the cei."

Jiang Xian put the bowl away and stared at the painting again.

"This is a good painting, playing the flute to attract the phoenix."

Zhong Acheng glanced at it and said, "This is called Tongcao painting. This kind of paper is not actually paper. It is cut from the pith of the tongtuo tree. It is especially suitable for the use of color and ink in watercolor painting. It should be from the late Qing Dynasty."

"How much is this?" Jiang Xian asked.

Salesperson: "Seven dollars!"

The guy paid quickly.

Acheng is like the old man in the ring. Jiang Xian will pick up whatever he points to.

Pack a few more things.

In fact, Acheng was also greedy and he also liked these good things, but unfortunately he was poor. If he gave them to Jiang Xian, at least he could see them in the future.

Especially when he looked at the teapot, this guy couldn't keep calm anymore and pulled Jiang Xian hard twice.

"This is good stuff!"

Jiang Xian glanced at the tea-leaf glaze teapot and asked the price.

"how much is this?"

Salesperson: "This one is 300."

Jiang Xian picked it up and looked at it carefully. He had never seen this kind of teapot before. The teapot, lid and spout were on the same horizontal line, and there were small seal characters engraved on the bottom of the teapot.

"It's inscribed on this that it was made during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, and it was produced by the official kiln of the Qing Dynasty." Zhong Acheng, who was advising on the side, was delighted with it, his expression was beyond words.

"Where did this thing come from?" Jiang Xian asked.

Salesperson: "Oh, how would I know? Maybe a servant in a prince's mansion stole it and is selling it now because he is short of money."

"Want to buy it?" he asked Acheng.

“If you have money, buy it!”

Jiang Xian happily paid out three hundred yuan, put away the pot, and did not dare to continue shopping. The two of them were too conspicuous, and the security was bad at the moment, so they would become fat sheep later.

He called a rickshaw and carefully returned to Wei Ran Hutong with the things loaded on it.

There was no other way. He had no room or other place to put it. He couldn't just put it in the guesthouse, so he could only ask his mother to keep it for him.

"What is all this about?"

"They are all good things. Please keep them for me."

"Where can I put the cabbage when it takes up so much space?"

"What you said is true. Even if I throw all the cabbages away, they are still not as valuable as these things of mine."

Palace flower bowls from the Ming Dynasty, a flute-drawing phoenix painting from the late Qing Dynasty, a red-clad snuff bottle with an old snow-covered ground from the mid-Qing Dynasty, and a teapot with tea-leaf glaze from the official kiln during the Yongzheng period.
When leaving, Acheng was reluctant to leave.

What does that feel like?
All the girls he liked were picked up by Jiang Xian.

(End of this chapter)