Xu Qinghe and others walked to the vicinity of the City God Temple and saw several painting stalls.

Xu Qinghe stepped forward to admire one stall after another.

Most of the people who sell paintings are down-and-out talents, who sell paintings while reading books.

Xu Qinghe looked at a few houses, most of them were auspicious paintings such as flowers, pine cranes prolonging the year, thousands of horses galloping, and rich flowers blooming, and he felt not very satisfied, so he simply went to the stalls selling food next to him.

Within a moment, Xu Yao's hands were full of paper bags containing snacks.

Xu Yao complained in her heart: "Miss is so willing to spend money to buy snacks, why is she stingy to buy a few sets of beautiful clothes!" ”

After the two of them finished shopping in the colony street, it was noon. Xu Qinghe took Xu Yao to find a restaurant to eat.

When I passed Nanping Street, I saw a stall selling noodles with a signboard that said Su's Noodle Restaurant, so I walked over and sat down.

"Two bowls of thin noodles." Xu Yao shouted loudly.

The owner of the noodle shop, who was an uncle in his forties and fifties, replied with a smile: "Okay! I'll be served to you right away. ”

Xu Qinghe sat quietly and waited, she had always preferred the small stalls set up by the flat-headed people, and she always felt that the food she made had a warm smoke and fire.

She waited as she looked around.

There is a lush banyan tree growing next to the noodle stall, and the huge canopy blocks part of the sunlight outside the noodle stall, making it very refreshing and pleasant under the canopy.

On the other side of the banyan tree, there was also a stall, and there was a simple wooden table with an inkstone pressed on it, and sometimes a gust of wind blew, rolling up half of the paper, and it was faintly visible what was painted on it.

Nothing else.

The stall owner sat behind the banyan tree.

Is this a painting stall? How is it different from the one at the City God Temple?

Nanping Street is not as good as the Breeding Street, most of them are inhabited by ordinary people, and there are few pedestrians at noon.

Xu Qinghe silently observed the painting stall in front of him.

The noodles were cooked, and the boss was not afraid of being hot, so he put two bowls of noodles on the table with his bare hands, took two pairs of wooden chopsticks on the table and put them away, and greeted with a smile: "Two girls, eat it while it's hot!" ”

Xu Qinghe smiled and thanked him, picked up the chopsticks and ate them.

Xu Yao took the chopsticks and rummaged through the bowl, and turned out an omelette from the bottom of the bowl, and immediately looked at the boss and smiled sweetly: "Thank you, uncle!" I love omelettes! ”

The boss smiled and waved his hand, motioning for them to continue eating.

Xu Qinghe's stomach was empty, and he finished eating a bowl of noodles very quickly, and when he saw that Xu Yao still had half a bowl left, he said, "You eat slowly, I'll go to the front to take a look." As he spoke, he pointed to a painting stall not far away.

Xu Yao was sucking in his face and nodded to indicate that he had heard.

Xu Qinghe came to the humble painting stall, but there was only a small bamboo bench behind him, and the stall owner didn't know where he went.

Xu Qinghe went to see the painting.

On the paper, a few white peonies are drawn in the lower right corner, half of the window is drawn in the upper left corner, and there is a large blank space in the middle. The whole painting is very simple and plain.

Xu Qinghe took a fancy to this painting at once.

The owner of the noodle stall saw the young lady who was eating noodles just now standing there looking at the painting, so he shouted: "Liu Xiucai from the painting stall has gone, and he will come over from time to time." If the young lady has taken a fancy to the painting, she might as well wait. ”

Xu Qinghe listened and came back to sit and wait.

The boss smiled: "Miss is the first one to buy a painting!" ”

Xu Qinghe looked at the boss puzzled.

The boss explained: "Liu Xiucai has been setting up a stall here for half a month, selling only one painting a day, and no one buys it and then sells it the next day." He himself just held the book and read it in the shade of the tree, and he didn't shout. ”

Pointing to the windblown painting paper on the stall, he said, "That painting has been on display for half a month!" ”

Xu Qinghe suddenly became interested, his personality is so unique, I don't know how I am!

As soon as he arrived, he saw a clear figure slowly walking in the distance, and when he got closer, he saw that the person was wearing a plain round-necked robe, with upright facial features, sunken cheeks, and a pale face.

The man did not squint, came to the back of the stall and sat down, and really held a book and looked quietly.

Xu Qinghe stood up and walked over.

Xu Yao hurriedly took out the silver and put it on the table and followed the young lady.

The boss came to collect the dishes, looked at the backs of the master and servant, and said to himself with a smile: "This Liu Xiucai finally bumped into great luck!" ”

Xu Qinghe stood in front of the stall and asked, "How much does this painting cost?" ”

Liu Xiucai didn't raise his head, and said in an urn voice: "Ten taels!" ”

"So expensive!" Xu Yao exclaimed.

Xu Qinghe smiled and said, "Ah Yao, take ten taels of silver out." This painting is worth 100 taels, and Lang Jun sells it for 10 taels, but it is a cheap person who buys the painting. ”

Xu Yao had no choice but to take out ten taels of silver and put it on the table.

Liu Xiucai looked up at the master and servant at this time, his face was expressionless, and he said for a moment: "Take the painting." Fu looked down at the book again.

Xu Qinghe rolled the drawing paper with his own hands, didn't say anything anymore, and took Xu Yao back to the small house in Pear Blossom Lane.

When Xu Ya saw Xu Qinghe coming back, he stepped forward and said, "Miss, the gift has been sent to Zhang's mansion, and the concierge accepted the gift, saying that Master Zhang is not in the mansion." So I couldn't get in. ”

"It doesn't matter. Just when the ceremony arrives. Xu Qinghe said, "There is a Liu Xiucai who sells paintings on Nanping Street, and he asked Uncle Xu to investigate." ”

Xu Ya said yes.

On the second day, Xu Qinghe still went to visit the Colony Street, intending to buy some goods. When I passed Nanping Street, I saw Liu Xiucai reading a book just like yesterday.

There was a piece of drawing paper pressed on the table.

Xu Qinghe stepped forward to see what paintings he was selling today.

There are a few brushstrokes on the paper, a flat boat below, a few peaks above are faintly visible, and the middle is white. There is a person on the boat fishing, and the right side of the painting is inscribed with a line of small letters--"Fishing alone in the cold river and snow", and a small seal is stamped below.

I remember that the painting I bought yesterday didn't have a stamp on it.

"How much does this painting cost?" Xu Qinghe asked.

Liu Chengxu raised his head when he heard the voice, glanced at Xu Qinghe indifferently, then rolled up the painting, tied it with a silk rope, put it on the table, and said lightly: "This painting is given to Miss." ”

Xu Qing and the master and servant looked at him in surprise.

Liu Chengxu was already packing up his things, waiting for the tables and chairs to be cleaned up, taking the book he had just read, he walked past the master and servant without squinting, and went back.

Xu Yao looked at Xiucai's back as he gradually moved away, and said in a low voice: "Miss, should this Xiucai be waiting for you on purpose?" I bought a painting from him yesterday, and today I get a white one, and there are still people in the world who do business like this. ”

Xu Qinghe picked up the scroll, was silent, and said for a moment: "Take it." ”

handed the painting to Xu Yao, who hurriedly took it.

The master and servant continued to visit the Colony Street.

There is a meeting every fifteenth day in the Chenghuang Temple, and a grand temple fair is held once every six months.

Xu Qinghe counted the days and decided to come to a temple fair in June.

There were a lot of miscellaneous things I bought today, so I hired a guy and asked him to send them to Pear Blossom Lane.