Chapter 688 Come to the Academy of Calligraphy and Painting

After chatting for a few words, Li Tang invited Zhang Zeduan to drink.

At first, Zhang Zeduan took his face into consideration, drank a sip of wine, ate a piece of meat, then put down his chopsticks, picked up the grapes on the table to eat. Not long after, he couldn't help it, and ate all the meat like a wind storm the broken clouds.

When Li Tang saw this, he sighed and said, "How long has it been since I had eaten at the savior?"

Zhang Zeduan said, "It's true that I have never had a full meal since I crossed the Yellow River. When I met a good family, I would give me half a bowl of rice, and at least I could make do with it for a day. If I can't meet a good family, I would pick a few wild fruits and dig two wild vegetables for a day."

Li Di said: "How can this make it? There is no good meat or food in the small shop here. The attendant follows us and find a place to eat!"

In this era, there were many wild fruits and wild vegetables in the wild. Now it is summer again, and it is the season when fruits and melons are ripe, so it is not easy to starve to death. If Zhang Zeduan returned to Luoyang in winter, it would not be so easy. After the war, there were fewer people and there was no place to beg for food.

After years of war, most people in Luoyang fled. When Meng Bangxiong was in charge of Luoyang, he did not rest and was in a state of depression. After Wang Xiao hunted into Luoyang, the population was mainly concentrated near the Henan government office and around Huitong Bridge near the government office. The lake garden was in the south of the city and was very desolate at this time. The three of them walked for a long time and only saw two taverns, but they did not even see the noodle restaurant.

Li Di rubbed his legs and said, "I'm tired of walking. How can I go like this? At the entrance of Changxiamen Street, I remember there were people selling vegetables and meat. We went there to buy a piece of meat and cooked it ourselves."

Li Tang said: "Can you cook? When I see Zhang Dizhao today, how can I not invite him to have a full meal?"

Zhang Zeduan waved his hand quickly: "I'm five or sixty percent full just now. If there is no store, we'd better go back."

Where could Li Tang be willing to do it? He pulled Li Di up and walked to Changxiamen Street, heading north. After walking a few miles, there were finally more shops on the street. Not long after, he saw a cyclamen dumpling restaurant in front of him.

After breathing a sigh, Li Tang said: "This is an industry under the name of Xuanfu Department, which is available in every state and county. The dumplings inside are delicious, there are many dishes sold and fine wine, which just happens to welcome Zhang Dizhao. Ha Dizhao had Dizhao eaten dumplings?"

Zhang Zeduan smiled embarrassedly and said, "Before I left, a dumpling restaurant was opened in Longde Mansion. But I was short of money and had never been in."

Li Di said: "Then don't miss it today. Compared with wontons, the dumplings are bigger, so eating them is satisfying!"

While talking, the three of them walked into the dumpling restaurant.

This place is not far from the Henan government office, and many official yamen gathered, and officials often come to eat. The servant's eyes are the sharpest, and he can tell at a glance that Li Tang and Li Di are official people, so he hurriedly came up to meet him.

Li Tang said: "Do you have a pavilion? If you have one?"

The servant smiled and said, "Some, some. The officials follow me."

The Cyclops Dumpling Restaurant is built in lively places in the city, with roughly the same layout. The first floor is the lobby, the second floor is the pavilion, and some places have the third floor, which are more advanced pavilions. This shop is the second floor, and the servant took it upstairs and chose a pavilion facing the street.

The three of them sat down, and the servant handed over the menu.

This is also the rule brought by Wang Xiaoli. The menu on the first floor is written with bamboo placards and hung on the wall for easy replacement. When the customer orders the dishes, the servant is not responsible for introducing the dishes to the guests. The pavilion on the second floor has a menu, which is a pair of bamboo slips, and the servant introduces them to the guests.

Li Di didn't look at the menu. He said, "First two plates of dumplings, you need pork and cucumber stuffing. Then you have a braised Yellow River carp, a plate of braised lamb, and seasonal vegetables. By the way, a plate of green onions and pig ears are mixed with cold dishes, and a pig's hand is given to each person."

The servant said yes and remembered it.

It is not popular to use notes in this era. You are required to remember the dishes ordered by the servants. If you remember the dishes wrongly, the servants will be punished. Therefore, this profession is inconspicuous, but it is not easy to make. Taverns like Cyclops, the servants have a lot of salary.

Watching the servant go out, Zhang Zeduan whispered: "We only have three people, where can we eat so many dishes?"

Li Di said: "There is nothing, we can't eat, we pack it back. You saw the place where we live just now, and eating is not easy."

Zhang Zeduan said: "This is the best. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste to spend so much money?"

Li Tang smiled and said, "Attack, we have money. Now Wang Xuanfu's calligraphy and painting academy makes more money than before in the Hanlin Painting Academy. If you specialize in world painting, you can be said to be the number one person in the world. When you come to the calligraphy and painting academy, you will definitely get a lot of salary."

Zhang Zeduan said: "From ancient times, there should be no one who treats painters like the Emperor Daojun. Why, Wang Xuanfu is also keen on this path?"

Li Tang smiled and shook his head: "That's not. It's just that Wang Xuanfu has very little restrictions on painters. Apart from completing some of the things that the government has told them, he will not interfere with the rest. People with craftsmanship can draw a few paintings every month, and sell them for a lot of money."

Zhang Zeduan nodded and understood what Li Tang meant. They were once the Attendant of the Hanlin Academy of Painting and a nationally recognized painter. Any one of them was the top painter in the world. Ordinary people may not be able to tell whether the painting is good or bad, but the Attendant of the Hanlin Academy of Painting knows the sign. The paintings of these people are sold on the market, of course, at a high price. Drawing ten or eight paintings a year is not necessarily lower than the official salary of many officials.

Li Di said: "What's there to say? Zhang Dizhao's first person in the world of painting, and the Academy of Calligraphy and Painting is unsuccessful. The person in charge of the Academy of Calligraphy and Painting is Zhang Tiju. In two months, he will be Xuan Fu's brother-in-law. With such a person as the backstage, our Academy of Calligraphy and Painting will not be inferior to others."

Zhang Zeduan heard the strange thing and said, "Xuanfu's brother-in-law? Why, is Wang Xuanfu's sister not married yet?"

Li Di said: "Wang Xuanfu's father sacrificed his life for the country when he was serving the king. They kept mourning for three years, but it would be delayed."

"So that's it." Zhang Zeduan nodded. He has been in Longde Mansion for many years, and he has heard about Wang Xiaoliu for the past few months, but he still doesn't know these things.

Li Tang said: "Anyway, this time when you return to Luoyang, you don't have to worry about your livelihood. 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 not passed the door, and he is a master of calligraphy and painting. With these people, how can we live a difficult life?"

Zhang Zeduan became more and more surprised. He said, "Wang Xuanfu's wife, who has not passed away, is also a master of calligraphy and painting?"

Li Tang said: "Of course. When I was in Xiangyang, this woman was still in the painting and calligraphy academy and worked with us for a while. She wrote good characters, especially in Liu style. Her characters are powerful and upright and handsome. Who can believe that they were written by a woman?"

Zhang Zeduan said: "I didn't expect Xuanfu has such a connection with the Academy of Calligraphy and Painting."
Chapter completed!