Volume 3 Summer Rain Chapter 0361 The Wind is Coming
After they had been playing around for a while and talking nonsense for a while, a woman came over, whispered something to Wang Lu, then shook her head and left.
"You rascal, is this the girl you raped?"
"Don't talk nonsense, this is the honey that my buddy used to have, and now it's gone."
"This wasn't what I saw you wearing last time. Why did you change so quickly?"
"I'm a writer, so girls like me. I've had four or five girlfriends recently. They were fine at first, but they got boring after a while. They started talking about marriage. It's tacky."
"Oh, take it easy. With your situation, if anyone reports you to the police station, a sentence of three years would be a light sentence."
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm in a normal relationship. If we don't get along, we'll break up. Isn't that normal?" Wang Lu said, feeling a little guilty.
Not long ago, a beautiful girl was killed just because she had several boyfriends and slept with several men.
But he deserved to be executed. It was just last year. He dared to swim naked in the river in broad daylight and didn't even let Nan Yi look at him critically. How could this be?
If Nan Yi had seen it, he would definitely write a million-word poster to criticize her.
Nan Yi suddenly thought that "Mosaic" would definitely be known to everyone in the future. Should he register this brand and specialize in producing toys for emotional release?
Consumers can buy toys and then shut the door and beat and scold them, saying, "I'll mosaic it for you, I'll mosaic it for you."
Beating and scolding the bad ones will definitely make them sell faster, so this seems to be a good idea."
Silently note this idea.
Nan Yi thought that he could give this idea as a favor to others in the future.
A few people were chatting in the yard until about half past ten, when a cold wind blew up. Everyone felt they could not sit still any longer, so they called out to go eat mutton hotpot early.
If you want to eat mutton hotpot on days like this, you can only go to Donglaishun. There is nowhere to find a private restaurant. After a busy year, of course you have to take a few more days off in the first month of the lunar year. Duanjinlou and Mingzhuyan have to rest until the eighth day of the first lunar month. Only state-owned restaurants have to open on time after the holiday.
"Hey, guys, I encountered something strange some time ago." Ma Modu suddenly said while eating mutton and drinking wine.
"What's new?" Ye asked curiously.
Nan Yi helped Nan Ruoyin to cook the mutton, so that her fragrant chopsticks would not have to wander among the stinky chopsticks. He put a few slices of meat into Nan Ruoyin's bowl, and he also pricked up his ears to listen to what new things Ma Mo could say.
Seeing that everyone's attention was on him, Ma Modu said contentedly, "Two years ago, a grandson who came from nowhere, very rich, went around the city buying antiques.
They loaded up the state-owned antique shops with goods in truckloads, and even Panjiayuan and Liulichang were not spared. They also took away a lot of good stuff from the ghost market.
Later, this group of people may have collected enough and stopped making any noise, but starting before , some people started collecting things everywhere again, making quite a commotion.”
"Isn't it just exchanging antiques? What's so rare about it? There are many people in Beijing who are exchanging these things. Japs, Hong Kong people, Americans, Europeans, I don't know who is standing behind this grandson you are talking about." Ye Daying said nonchalantly.
"That's what's interesting, this guy is really not what you said.
The people you mentioned just bought a few things and that was it, but the two groups I'm talking about are different. The group in front, their actions were covert, and I didn't pay much attention at the time, so I wasn't very clear.
But I have been keeping an eye on this gang for three months. They are so ruthless that they don't ask the price. As long as the item is old, they will pay without hesitation. They are very rich and have robbed the Japanese several times.
Once, a snuff bottle from the Yongzheng era was offered. Wow, the Japanese had already offered 600, and the other side directly called out 1,000. After going back and forth, the price reached more than 3,000, and the Japanese was finally angry and left. "Ma Modu talked freely.
"Wow, there are such suckers. I still have some old things at home. If they want them, I will give them to them." Ye Daying said with a smile.
As soon as Nan Yi heard what Ma Modu said, he felt that both the "partner" and the "outsider" had appeared, and he had to ask someone to find out who this person was.
It is not surprising that some people would set their sights on antiques. The saying “antiques in prosperous times, gold in troubled times” has been around for hundreds of years. When Li Zicheng entered the capital, the wealthy families in the capital already knew how to do so.
To know what the current situation is like, just look at what the rich and powerful are desperately moving into their homes. Take the Republic of China for example, who didn't hoard gold at home? Wasn't it just to prepare for the day when gunfire sounded, so that they could just grab a small box and run away?
Nan Yi did not participate in the topic of antiques. He just listened with his ears perked up. He was also picking at the pickled garlic crisps in his hand, peeling off two layers of the garlic skin before putting it into Nan Ruoyin's bowl.
When they had almost finished eating, Nan Yi picked out the food from the bowl and ate it. The others were busy eating the mutton hotpot. No one touched the few cooked dishes Nan Yi ordered. Nan Yi quickly took a few bites while they were still hot.
“To be honest, I have actually been collecting antiques since 1980. Antiques are cheap nowadays. You can buy a very nice bowl for three yuan.
Last time I saw an ice porcelain wine bowl from the late Song Dynasty, and I bought it for five yuan. I write a novel, and the royalties are at least several dozen yuan, so I can buy a lot of bowls at a time.
I have also received many good things, including one called "Large Vase with Hundreds of Flowers Without Revealing the Ground", which was made during the Qianlong period.
Let me tell you, I bought this big blue and white porcelain jar from a street stall. After I became familiar with the guys who ran the street stalls, they were willing to take me to deliver the jar to the residents' homes.
You may not understand the ins and outs of this, but some of the items are too expensive for the vendors to afford, and they are also afraid of taking risks, so they took me there. In the past, there was a very good rule in the antique business, which was to make three and break two.
It means that the middleman gets 5%, and if they succeed, the transaction is completed, and if they fail, the buyer loses money. In this way, they bring me over, and they don’t have to bear any risks, and they can get a commission…”
Ma Modu looked happy to share some stories about the antique business with everyone, but it was obvious that few people present were willing to listen to his stories.
As he spoke more deeply, some of the people were too lazy to deal with the superficial talk and just focused on eating.
Ma Modu was not annoyed. He took advantage of Nan Yi and Ye Daying who were still willing to listen and continued talking. In order to make it easier for him to talk, he changed seats with others and sat next to Nan Yi.
"Let me tell you, there are many things to pay attention to in the antique business. Once, a little devil took me shopping, and after we entered the house, the little devil waited outside the door.
The owner pointed at a pile of things, including bottles, clocks, bowls, etc., and asked me to take a 360-degree view.
After looking at it carefully, I thought the price was good, so I told him I wanted it, but the owner suddenly changed his mind and refused to sell it.
After I left, the kid asked me if I had bought it. I said I wanted to buy it but they wouldn’t sell it to me. You can’t say that as an educated person I couldn’t argue with him, so I had to leave.
He asked me which of the things inside was not valuable, and I said there was a broken bowl in it that was not worth a penny. He said okay, come in with me.
The little ghost then walked in and asked: "How can I not sell it?"
The owner said he just didn't want to sell it.
He took advantage of the homeowner's inattention, picked up the bowl and threw it in front of me, which scared me.
I think he fell on purpose.
The kid said, "Oh, I accidentally broke one of yours. What should I do? I can't afford to pay for it. I'd better buy them all at the original price of 360 yuan."
He broke the least valuable one and said if he wanted compensation he could take 360 yuan and take the whole pile away. This made the owner of the house very sad and I felt very embarrassed too.
This kind of people are very experienced and often go from house to house, specializing in collecting this kind of second-hand goods.
Finally, the owner and his family grumbled for a long time and decided to sell it to me for 360 yuan. After leaving, I asked the kid, "What if this family insists on not selling it?"
The kid said, "If they still don't sell it, I'll throw another one to see if they sell it."
Tsk tsk, I really couldn’t have imagined that this was the kind of method that only a thug would use.
Let me tell you, this kind of people are called "street drinkers". They specialize in walking around the streets and are very experienced.
I am now trapped by them. Now there are often people who come to the publishing house to find me and ask me to go to Tongxian with them to drink. After all, I am an educated person, and I am too shy to go to the street to collect rags with them.
But I know that there are a lot of antiques in Tong County, because in the past Tong County was the freight terminal of Beijing. Many huanghuali furniture were made in Suzhou and transported to Tongzhou via the canal. This place became a furniture distribution center, and the unsold furniture was kept for their own use. "
Perhaps because he felt it was rare to have an audience that listened to his life in vain, Ma Modu became more and more excited as he spoke. He took a sip of wine to moisten his throat and continued, "Let me tell you, there are also treasures found in drinking on the street. Once, a few farmers found a jar from the Yongle period. It turned out to be worth a few dollars, and it could be sold for thousands..."
Balabala, Ma Modu talked non-stop.
Nan Yi also came to his senses. He guessed that no one around Ma Modu was interested in antiques. He, on the other hand, particularly liked to show off his achievements in antiques. Now, catching Nan Yi and Ye Daying, he was very happy and showed off everything he could.
"After being in this business for a long time, I have come to know more people. I also often go to state-owned antique shops. I heard from people inside that those who bought antiques by the cartload were definitely experts among experts, and they only picked up the best items.
If the price of antiques goes up in the future, those will definitely go up first, either they are out of print or they are the best of the best. Tsk tsk, I don’t know who is behind this, their vision is really amazing.”
Nan Yi thought to himself, "Keep going, don't stop, keep praising. The mastermind is sitting right in front of your door. I can hear the good words."
"Old Ma, I'll come to your place someday to see the things you collected, so that I can open my eyes."
"Okay, you can come anytime. I will definitely introduce my collection to you." Ma Modu said happily.
"Old Ma, if you are interested, come to my house someday and take a look. If you like any piece, you can take it."
"Forget it. The stuff you have must be good. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that." Ma Modu said with hesitation.
Ye Daying said dissatisfiedly: "Who are you looking down on? Those things are with me. I don't know what's good about them. Just say it, come to my place some other day."
As they were talking, Ma Modu made an appointment to go to the old house. Ye Daying said that he was busy recently and he didn't have time. Seeing Ma Modu's expectant eyes, Nan Yi agreed and said that he would call him someday.
After the dinner is over, those who need to go back to the courtyard will go back, and those who need to leave will leave.
Nan Yi was the one who should leave. Just now at the dinner table, Nan Ruoyin whispered to him that she wanted to go ice skating at Shishahai.
After some calculations, the temperature this winter is pretty good. The ice thickness of the Shisha Sea should be more than 25 centimeters, so the ice rink must be open.
I brought Nan Ruoyin to the edge of Shishahai Sports School. There was a proposed bungalow on the shore next to the school. The shore at this time was narrower, not as wide as it will be in the future.
This is where clothes are stored and ice skates are sharpened in winter. Nan Yi doesn’t know how to skate, whether it’s real ice or roller skates, but the old Nan Yi can. Although he can’t be said to be a celebrity on the ice rink, he can skate very well.
"Dad has never brought you here. Let me tell you, Shishahai is an outdoor swimming pool in the summer. It costs two cents to swim once. Well, it may be a little more expensive now. Dad hasn't been here for several years.
Six or seven years ago, my father came here almost every summer, riding his bicycle across most of Beijing, just to soak in the water, but after soaking, he would ride back covered in sweat again. "
“Is winter all about ice skating?”
"Yes, winter is all about ice skating. There are many places in Beijing where you can skate. You can also go skating in the Summer Palace, Taoranting, and Beihai Park. Those who can come here to skate are all skating enthusiasts, and their skills are relatively high. Dad's skills are not bad, I will take you with me later."
"Dad, no, I can skate. I often play at school."
"Your roller skates are different from this. You need to get used to the friction of the ice first."
As Nan Yi spoke, he put on two pairs of new ice skates that he had bought for 72 yuan for Nan Ruoyin, and then he took off the scarf from her neck, tied them together with his own scarf around the little girl's knees, and carefully tied them into a bow.
After explaining the key points to her and asking her to take off her coat and leave it at the check-in counter, Nan Yi took her to the ice rink.
In the southeast corner of the ice rink stands a large wooden frame with hundreds of searchlights on it to illuminate the rink. In the northwest corner there is a pole with another searchlight on it.
At this time, Shichahai is surrounded by residential areas, the lights are dim, and it is very quiet, except for the ice rink, which is brightly lit at night, like a big stage.
It is said that only people with a certain level of skill would choose to come to Shishahai, and this is absolutely true. On the ice rink, you can see a dozen people wearing bright red speed skating suits and speed skating shoes.
At this time, it was amazing to see someone on the street wearing a set of sportswear, let alone a red speed skating suit. These ten or so people were simply a sight, attracting the attention of other skaters.
This group of people were in the middle, doing all kinds of tricks, speed skating, playing with ball knives, changing from forward skating to backward skating, from backward skating to forward skating, moving in a straight line, moving in a reverse line, kicking the Drunken Eight Immortals on the ice, doing many kinds of tricks in a small area.
This bunch of people are the so-called ice ruffians. The word "ruffian" here is not a bad word. It means that they do not play by the rules and try new things.
After taking a few glances at those ice hooligans, Nan Yi pulled Nan Ruoyin to the ice rink, held her hand and skated slowly for a while. After she got used to the friction of the ice and knew how to maintain balance, Nan Yi let her go and stood by and watched her skate.
Nan Ruoyin skates very well, it seems that she has played roller skating a lot in school.
"Just skate on the edge, don't go in the middle, go to where there are fewer people, so as not to get hit by others."
"I know, Dad, you can play by yourself too."
"Um."
Nan Yi just lingered at the edge of the ice rink but didn't go in. He listened to the song "Wine and Coffee" on the radio, his eyes fixed on Nan Ruoyin.
With a splash, a burst of white light floated past Nan Yi and drifted away in an instant, brushing past him and picking up some ice that spilled onto Nan Yi's pants.
At first glance, it was a woman. The baton that had already scratched Nan Yi's wrist was pushed back by him and stayed at his elbow.
In Nan Yi's memory, he had come here to skate ten times before and he had seen at least twelve or thirteen racks, so he had to be on guard.
Swish, another red floated by, and he was rewarded with a few pieces of broken ice.
"Well, I can't afford to offend you."
Nan Yi muttered something, moved to the side, stopped sliding, and just stood there.
As people on the ice rink were skating, they started playing a chain game. It started with three or five people, then slowly grew to twenty or thirty, and then to seventy or eighty. Nan Ruoyin was also dragged in.
Fortunately, the people in front and behind her were all women, and the one behind her looked somewhat familiar.
After identifying for a while, Nan Yi finally recognized that this was Su Xiaoming, the singer who sang "Naval Port Night". She is considered a very famous singer now and will be considered a veteran artist in the future.
But by that time, young people basically didn't know that she was a singer. They would only think that she was an out-of-date actress who specialized in playing roles like abandoned wife, the difficult-to-talk-to mother of the second male lead or the second female lead.
When Nan Ruoyin got tired of skating, Nan Yi took her to change her shoes first, hung the skates around his neck, and went ashore to buy a cup of hot milk.
"Dad, there's a problem with the ice skate on my left foot. The force point is wrong and there's a deviation." Nan Ruoyin said as she picked up the ice skate on her left foot while drinking milk.
Nan Yi took the ice skates and looked at them, comparing them on his left and right feet. He found that the blades were indeed not symmetrical. The blade on his left foot was slightly tilted to the right and was also thicker.
"It's okay. There's an ice skate king named Wang Baoshun nearby. He's an expert at sharpening ice skates. We can just go ask him to sharpen them for us."
…
Nan Yi stayed in Beijing for five days, and then hurriedly flew to Los Angeles with Nan Ruoyin. Not long after returning to 5103 Beverly Hills, John Hughes came to the door.
"Mr. Nan, take a look. This is a script I just wrote. It's a family-friendly type and suitable for the whole family to watch together." As soon as John Hughes sat down, he took out the script and handed it to Nan Yi.
Nan Yi took the script and looked at the black English title on the cover, "Home Alone". The most appropriate translation should be "alone at home", or more literary, it can be translated as "alone in an empty room".
But from what John Hughes said, it would probably be more appropriate to translate it as Home Alone.
"The Mai family is a big family with many members, and Kevin, 8 years old, is the youngest member of this big family. His naughty personality often brings troubles to his family and he is unanimously rejected by his family.
One night near Christmas, Kevin and his brother had an argument, which made a mess of the house.
Kevin was punished by his mother, and he felt wronged, so he wished that his family would disappear. Unexpectedly, the next day, his family went to France to celebrate Christmas, and in their busyness, they made a mistake and forgot the naughty Kevin at home..."
Seeing this, Nan Yi knew what the script was about. It was clearly "Home Alone". He was really lucky.
"John, can I call you John?"
"Of course, Mr. Nan."
"You can also call me Adam, John. I read the beginning and your script is good. So, please give me a day to read the script carefully. Then, I will go to Red Sofa and listen to the opinions of the distribution department.
The day after tomorrow, come back and we'll discuss and see where the script needs to be revised."
John Hughes said : "Adam, will my script be accepted?"
"I can only say that it should be possible. After all, I haven't finished reading the script yet, and I don't know what the Red Sofa side thinks."
"OK, OK, then I'll leave first and wait for your news."
"uh-huh."
Nan Yi watched John Hughes leave, and as soon as he reached the gate, he couldn't help cheering.
"You should be happy, lucky guy, you have entered the millionaire club." Nan Yi said secretly, "Home Alone, I remember that this movie seemed to have a good box office."
Nan Yi continued to flip through the script. Some of the content was similar to what he remembered, but some of it left no impression on him.
It's not surprising that he has no impression of it. The script is probably inconsistent. Plus, the movie Nan Yi watched was almost forty years ago. I remember watching it at the Zhengda Theater sponsored by the Xie Group.
