Siheyuan: My wife is Xu Huizhen

Chapter 155 The Qi Mansion asks for a painting

As a painter, your first hobby must be painting, otherwise you will not be able to become a great painter.

Secondly, he loves money. He can be said to be a miser. In his later years, he changed all his money into gold and carried it with him wherever he went.

The last point is to love beautiful women.

Qi Baishi married three wives in his life and had countless lovers and concubines.

In this regard, he is also a miracle. When he was over 80 years old, his third wife was still pregnant and gave birth to a child for him, but she died of dystocia.

In 57, when he was 93 years old, he fell in love with a 21-year-old female nurse. After paying a lot of money, she agreed to marry him and was preparing to organize the wedding. Qi Baishi's body suddenly failed and he returned to the west with his fourth wife. Didn't get married.

They are all 93 years old and have more than ten children. They all still want to marry and take concubines, which shows how romantic he is.

This handsome nanny has springy features and looks like she is often nourished and developed by Qi Baishi. He Yuzhu does not believe that the lustful Qi Baishi would let the girl around him go.

He Yuzhu nodded, said hello, and then walked into the yard.

After all, he is a famous artist in the painting world. The whole courtyard is full of poetry and painting. All kinds of flowers and plants are arranged in an orderly manner. They may seem ordinary, but when you see it, you feel that it is just right and magical.

"Come with me, the master is in the study."

After passing the Moon Gate, I followed Chunfang into the study and saw an old man sitting on the Taishi chair, looking at a picture album.

The old man's beard and hair are already pale, but he is in good spirits. He is none other than Mr. Qi Baishi.

"Katsura is here."

Then he saw He Yuzhu following behind and frowned: "Is this the chef you invited?"

Li Keran first came forward to bow to his master, and then said: "Master, in this cooking industry, age is not the only factor. Master He's craftsmanship is also one of the best in the capital."

"How can a young cook's skills be so good? You don't want any money, and you want me to use paintings to pay for it?"

Although He Yuzhu looked mature, he looked to be in his 20s. After entering the room, Qi Baishi was very unhappy because he looked too young.

That's all. He Yuzhu still wanted to use his paintings to pay for his wages. Who did he take Qi Baishi to be?

Doesn't it mean that Qi Baishi can already be compared with a chef?

This made Qi Baishi very unhappy and couldn't help but say it to his face.

When He Yuzhu first came in, he thought these were all old artists. He was a junior and couldn't speak too much.

But after hearing Qi Baishi's words, He Yuzhu was very unhappy and couldn't help but say: "I didn't expect that Mr. Qi is also a person who looks down on others. He has been working hard for more than ninety years in vain."

"You" Qi Baishi didn't expect He Yuzhu to speak so mercilessly that he was so angry that his heart ached.

Li Keran was startled and quickly advised: "Mr. He, please give me some face. My master is old and sometimes has the temper of a child."

Then he went to comfort his master and said, "Don't look young, Mr. He. He has already become famous as Braised Pork He. The braised pork you often praised before was bought from Mr. He's house."

Qi Baishi asked in surprise: "You mean, the Limin Braised Pork in Yandai Xiejie is his?"

"Yes, Mr. He is not only good at making braised pork, he is also a superb chef, and his calligraphy is also good."

Then Li Keran added: "My handwriting is better than mine."

Qi Baishi curled his lips, what kind of writing can a young man in his early twenties write? This guy surnamed He may really have the ability to cook, but he can write. A cook who cooks actually knows calligraphy. That was hilarious.

"Hmph, I understand. Let's try the food first today."

Qi Baishi didn't believe that He Yuzhu knew calligraphy at all, and he didn't bother to criticize him. After all, what He Yuzhu said just now was very unpleasant. If he got angry again and beat himself up after saying a few words to him, it would not be worth it.

All in all, it would be better to let He go to the kitchen to cook dinner. If the dishes taste average, then he should find a new chef as soon as possible.

"Where's the kitchen?"

"Sir, please come with me." Chunfang led He Yuzhu to the kitchen, and then said, "Check first to see if there is anything missing."

He Yuzhu saw that the ingredients were well prepared. After checking, he nodded and said, "No problem."

"That's good. If you need anything, please just say it."

He Yuzhu was preparing to cook in the kitchen. In the study, Li Keran introduced He Yuzhu's words in detail, which made Qi Baishi stunned.

"You said his handwriting is so good?"

"Yes, Master, I asked around there. Although Master He is a chef, he has fallen in love with calligraphy in the past two years. The neighbors all know that he practices calligraphy and they all praise him for his good calligraphy. I just don't know how good it is. degree."

"Real or fake? So magical?" Qi Baishi still didn't believe He Yuzhu's calligraphy skills.

"To be honest, I didn't believe it at first, but after I saw it with my own eyes, I had no choice but to believe it."

"Let's see if we can make delicious meals first."

"Alright."

After seeing He Yuzhu's calligraphy, Li Keran was greatly shocked. His handwriting was better than that of some famous calligraphers, but such a calligrapher was unknown and not known by the industry, which really made Li Keran very anxious.

I wanted to introduce the calligrapher He Yuzhu to the teacher, but I didn't expect that the master didn't believe what I said.

Soon, the dishes at He Yuzhu's place were ready, Chunfang brought them all over, and then the young and old of the Qi family gathered in the restaurant.

"This dish smells delicious. Are you hiring a chef today?"

"Yes, this dish is much more fragrant than Chunfang's. I told you a long time ago that Chunfang can't keep it."

Qi Baishi was extremely angry. This Chunfang was the most considerate and the best at serving others. How could she be replaced?

"It's not your turn to be in charge of this family yet. If you have the ability, go out and do it alone."

After Qi Baishi said something angry, he raised his chopsticks to pick up the dishes. They looked good, and every dish was very well presented. He already believed it in his heart.

After putting the dish in his mouth, Qi Baishi's old face suddenly showed a smile and said with satisfaction:

"This dish is the best I've ever tasted."

"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be so delicious."

Li Keran said the same thing after tasting it.

"Really? So delicious?"

Only then did everyone in the Qi family take their chopsticks, and everyone who had tasted it was full of praise, praising that this was the most delicious meal they had ever tasted.

This meal was a mess, and all the etiquette that had been cultivated over the years was completely lost. Even the vegetable soup was eaten with steamed buns.

After the meal, everyone rubbed their bellies and said they were full, and asked Qi Baishi to keep the chef and eat his food from now on.

"Okay, if you keep him at home after being reincarnated as a starving ghost, I won't be able to support you."

Back in the study, Li Keran asked: "Master, how is this chef?"

Qi Baishi nodded with satisfaction: "You are indeed a good cook. How much is your monthly salary?"

Li Keran then said: "People have already made a name for themselves as Braised Pork River, so what more money do they need?"

"Then what does he want?" "To cook a table of dishes, you need a two-foot painting."

"What? Are you kidding?" Qi Baishi said in surprise.

"No kidding, think about it. It's a genius who can cook such delicious food. You can't find many such good chefs in the whole capital. A table of food can be exchanged for a two-foot painting, or..."

"What is it, that my paintings are so worthless? Why would he want to exchange two feet of my work for a table?"

Qi Baishi felt extremely sad. He had worked hard all his life to reach the top of the industry, and then he could only replace a twenty-year-old chef to cook a table of meals.

This is just the wages, the materials are all provided by my own family, so the wages for a meal are twelve yuan, which feels too expensive.

Qi Baishi is very harsh on people who ask for paintings. You can tell that he is relatively stingy, otherwise he would not be as fussy about money as he is about money.

At this time, Qi Baishi felt that the wages for this table were too expensive, and he felt that he could not afford it.

Li Keran knew that his master was a stingy old man, so he could only persuade him: "Master, this is quite worth it."

"He wants me to paint for him, not you!"

Qi Baishi muttered angrily, which made Li Keran very embarrassed. Compared with the master's own paintings, he couldn't use them.

"Okay, invite people over."

He Yuzhu ate in the kitchen. After waiting for a while, Chunfang came over and invited him to the study.

After being polite for a while, He Yuzhu said, "I wonder if Mr. Qi is satisfied with my craftsmanship?"

Qi Baishi nodded: "It is true that I have eaten better food. I will leave the banquet on New Year's Day to you."

He Yuzhu said: "Since you agreed, you must follow my rules and you will be paid one foot per table."

Qi Baishi sighed and said, "Okay, we'll talk about it then."

He Yuzhu said: "Let's settle today's accounts first."

"Today?" Qi Baishi was a little surprised.

"Yes, draw me a small fan today."

"alright."

Qi Baishi's face looked a little ugly, but He Yuzhu didn't care, as long as he could get Qi Baishi's handwriting.

Even a single fan can be sold for several million if the market outlook comes.

He Yuzhu doesn't dislike it. This is his family's heritage. The more he accumulates, the better.

Qi Baishi stood up and came to the painting desk with a very ugly expression. He Yuzhu also followed, and then he saw an eye-catching notice posted on the wall next to him:

When selling paintings, regardless of friendship, please pay according to the rules.

The writing was good, but the content was a bit off-putting. He Yuzhu curled his lips and said, "You are a great painter, so this time it is not as good as your own writing."

It seems that the rumors outside are all true. Qi Baishi sells paintings without any respect or pretentiousness. Anyone who buys paintings has to pay for it with real swords and guns.

But he should be an exception. Cooking a table of meals can be exchanged for his two-foot painting.

If we compare it with the market price, wouldn't it be equivalent to making a table of meals for millions in exchange?

Thinking of this, He Yuzhu felt extremely comfortable all over. He had already mastered the martial arts to the point where he could live to be more than 100 years old.

There will still be enough time to enjoy the joys of life.

"What fan do you want?"

Qi Baishi took out a snack from the cabinet next to him and placed it on the table.

Hey, how could the stingy Qi Baishi suddenly be so generous?

He Yuzhu took a closer look and saw that the snack had been frozen into a hard block, as if it had been left for a long time. There was no moisture in the mung bean cake.

Then I remembered that when entering the door, Li Keran had told me that the food in the study was inedible, and it seemed that it was really inedible.

This had obviously been there for a long time. Qi Baishi used this as a front, just to be polite and show off.

He Yuzhu was really speechless. Qi Baishi was known as a people's artist and was praised by party and state leaders. In the painting circles around the founding of the People's Republic of China, no one could surpass him.

With such a high historical status, I didn't expect that he himself would be so stingy. I don't know how many years this plate of dim sum has been around and how many guests he has entertained.

He Yuzhu complained for a while, and then said: "Draw a plum blossom fan."

Qi Baishi nodded and took out the paper. Li Keran quickly helped grind the ink, then picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, and said sternly: "You must know my rules. Fans that are less than one foot must be counted as one foot."

"Okay, then draw two pictures for me."

Today's table requires two-foot paintings, and one fan is not even one-foot, so He Yuzhu wants two fans.

Qi Baishi chirped and said, "It's really a money grab. I didn't expect that the cook is more expensive than my painting. How about we discuss it?"

"No, I won't do it if it's less than two feet tall. You go out and ask around, whose family have I cooked for?"

Some people came to the door before and wanted He Yuzhu to buy a banquet. However, He Yuzhu's price was too high. He didn't even pay 10 yuan for a table, but at least 15 yuan or yuan.

This price has dissuaded too many people. This is just one table. Who only holds one table for a banquet? He Yuzhu's salary for a banquet is hundreds, even a capitalist would not be willing to part with it.

Qi Baishi snorted and said, "Do you want to color the plum blossoms?"

"Of course, you have to color it."

"Since you want to color it, you have to pay more."

He Yuzhu was stunned. He and Qi Baishi were waiting for him here. It seemed that he was not happy with exchanging his paintings for his cooking skills and was trying to find a way to get money.

I originally thought that I would exchange my cooking skills for paintings, but I didn't expect that Qi Baishi is still cunning and cunning. He is 90 years old and still so shrewd. He wants to make up for it.

"Okay, I'll add two dollars so you can spend it better."

"Huh, how stingy."

After Qi Baishi said that, he lowered his head and started painting. With just a few strokes, a plum blossom appeared on the paper. Not to mention, although Qi Baishi was stingy and stingy, his painting skills were indeed very superb.

One stroke at a time, it is natural, and a few simple strokes outline the vigorous body of the plum blossom tree.

Then he changed a pen and drew pink plum blossoms on the fan. Perhaps because he was unhappy, he only drew two plum blossoms and then stopped.

This painting looks very incongruous. The plum blossom tree is relatively thick and powerful, but there are only two plum blossoms on it, which looks very abrupt.

"This is your painting?"

"Aren't you talking nonsense? I just drew this for you."

"It's so monotonous and ugly."

(End of this chapter)