Chapter 35 I have a homemade cold dish
"Brother, this way!"

The next afternoon, Zhang Yuan took a car to meet the agent.

He looks at least ten years older than me, yet he calls me brother... Zhang Yuan complained in his heart.

The place where the two are now is called Dashilan, in the Xicheng District of the imperial capital, within the second ring road.

"Brother, come this way." The agent led Zhang Yuan through the streets and alleys and came to a not-so-wide alley.

"This is called Xibiying Hutong. Don't be fooled by its small size. It is quiet."

"And this alley has historical value. Before liberation, this place was called Pi Tiao Alley."

Zhang Yuan was stunned for a moment after hearing the name, and turned to look at the other party: "Is there an old La family here?"

This kid wants to be a pimp... the agent said with disdain in his heart.

"You're joking, but this place was indeed a red-light district during the Republic of China. The entire Pi Tiao Hutong was divided into two by Yanzhi Hutong, and Yanzhi Hutong was one of the famous eight alleys."

The more Zhang Yuan listened, the more he felt it didn't make sense. He was leading me into the chicken coop!

After receiving the call from the other party this morning, Zhang Yuan was skeptical. Did they find the house I wanted so quickly?
Are all the conditions met?

"The house we want to see is Yard No. 10. It's not a big house, but it's quite decent."

The two of them walked and talked.

"By the way, bro, what do you do for a living?"

"Actor." Zhang Yuan can now say these two words confidently.

"What a coincidence, the current resident of Courtyard No. 10 is also an actor!" the agent responded immediately.

"Oh..." Zhang Yuan, who was already wary, became even more suspicious when he heard the other party say that.

He had rented a house in his previous life and had been cheated many times, so naturally he didn't believe in any coincidences.

The agent also noticed that his face was gradually darkening, and thought that this person was not satisfied with the house before even seeing it, so this deal might be in vain!
As they were talking, the two of them arrived at the gate of No. 10 Courtyard, and the agent raised his hand and knocked on the door.

A few minutes later, the door opened and a middle-aged man about 175 cm tall walked out.

This man had a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other, and on his head was a bunch of old-fashioned hair curlers in different colors of red, yellow, blue and green, the kind that landlady used.

Zhang Yuan turned around and looked at the agent: "Didn't you say that there is no Lao La family in Pi Tiao Hutong?"

intermediary:? ? ?
"He's my future roommate?"

"Exactly."

"Sign the contract."

"Oh...ah?" The agent was stunned. Why did his attitude suddenly change 180 degrees after seeing the person who opened the door?

nonsense!

Even if the agent doesn’t know, how could Zhang Yuan not know him!

Smoking, drinking, perming her hair...the person who came out was none other than the "Queen of Crosstalk" Ms. Yu Qian!

Zhang Yuan felt that he might have a destiny with crosstalk. He didn't expect to meet Uncle Yu even when renting a house. Of course, he was not Uncle Yu at that time.

The contract was signed in a few minutes, and the agent took the cash and left the alley inexplicably. I thought to myself, young people nowadays have such tempers, they are so hard to figure out.

"Brother, have one." Seeing Yu Qian finished the cigarette in his hand in three puffs, Zhang Yuan took out a pack of Zhongnanhai from his trouser pocket.

This is a habit I developed from working on construction sites in my previous life. I always carry cigarettes with me so that I can give them out everywhere.

And you have to bring several bags, workers, foremen, bosses, supervisors, score levels
"You're welcome." Yu Qian took it, and Zhang Yuan quickly took out his lighter and lit it for him.

[Received thanks from Yu Qian, crosstalk basics +1! ]

That’s it, it’s satisfying.

He came up and helped light a cigarette for himself. Yu Qian looked at Zhang Yuan in front of him with a smile, thinking that this man was young and quite good at dealing with people.

Leading Zhang Yuan across the threshold, a very standard, small but elegant courtyard house appeared in front of Zhang Yuan.

What is not mentioned is the house, which is elegant, but Yu Qian's layout.

There were several steel ropes in the yard, with bird cages hanging on them.

Parrots, starlings, mynah birds, thrushes…

There were dozens of flower pots of various sizes placed around the yard. Zhang Yuan couldn't recognize most of the plant species, but he could see that they were all well taken care of.

There is also an extra-large water tank in the middle of the yard, with a dozen koi swimming slowly in it.

According to Yu Qian, his family is from the old imperial capital and his parents have a house, but it is a building. He rented a courtyard house just for the flowers, birds, fish and insects.

"Brother Qian, you decorated this place so well. It's really tasteful." Zhang Yuan looked around and said casually.

[Received thanks from Yu Qian, drinking capacity +1! ]

Hey, Yu Qian is quite generous and is very diligent in giving out attributes.

"I'll live in the main room. There's a lot of clutter in the west room. You can live in the east room. I've already cleaned it up."

Once you enter this courtyard, the area of ​​the east room is about 30 or 40 square meters, which is much better than a shared house.

Zhang Yuan walked around the house and outside, and then went to the alley to familiarize himself with the environment. Before dinner, he returned to the rental house and moved all his luggage to Pi Tiao Hutong. "Brother, if you have nothing to do tonight, let's have a meal together." Brother Qian was hospitable and came over to greet him when he saw that he had finished his work.

He also wanted to take the opportunity to get to know his new roommate.

"That's great." Zhang Yuan agreed immediately.

"Okay, let's eat at home later. I just happen to have a few homemade cold dishes that I'm good at making."

"Brother Qian, actually eating out is also good..."

Unable to refuse the kind invitation, half an hour later, Zhang Yuan sat down at the table with Teacher Yu Qian's "masterpieces" in front of him.

Canned hawthorn mixed with shredded pear, sweet and sour bitter melon with hot peppers, cold mixed poplars (poplar buds), plain tofu dipped in soy sauce...

I just took a few attribute points from you and you want to poison me... Zhang Yuan looked at the table full of delicious food, not knowing how to pick up his chopsticks.

Brother Qian thought he was embarrassed and kept persuading him.

"drink wine?"

"I'll follow you."

After a few drinks, Yu Qian looked up and saw that Zhang Yuan's face was calm and his heart was not beating fast. He really has a good alcohol tolerance!
The two of them started talking and quickly became familiar with each other.

"Are you an actor too?" As they chatted, they turned to talk about work.

Although Yu Qian's file is still in the Imperial Capital Folk Art Troupe, crosstalk, like other folk arts, has declined and the troupe cannot pay his wages. So as early as the early 1990s, he went to the film and television industry to find a way out.

"The Story of the Editorial Department", "Little Dragon", "Nine Nine Return to One", "Seahorse Dance Hall", "The Ugliest in the World", "Li Wei as an Official"...

Although they were all minor supporting roles, he has become a familiar face in major famous film and television dramas.

After drinking more than half a bottle of liquor, Brother Qian became more and more excited, and his speech became more and more "floating".

Yu Qian became more and more excited as he listed all the roles he had played, as if he was counting them all.

"Zhang Yuan, I have met many people in the film and television industry over the years. If you want to act in a movie in the future, come to me and I will introduce you to someone!"

"Thank you in advance then."

"No problem." Brother Qian lit a cigarette and said, "What are you thanking me for? Oh, I haven't asked you yet, what dramas have you acted in?"

Zhang Yuan talked about the two dramas he had previously filmed and the roles he played.

After listening, Yu Qian fell silent and took several deep puffs of the cigarette.

I'm still giving lectures...

There are two TV series, one has already been aired, and the other is a big production, and the role he plays is a very important supporting role.

Yu Qian recalled his film and television career, and it seemed that he had never played a role of this level.

He glanced at Zhang Yuan. He was young, handsome, and mature in the way he spoke and acted. There was nothing wrong with him.

What’s even more rare is that he has made a good start in his career. This kid has a bright future!

Comparing himself to him, Brother Qian felt that he had wasted all these years as he was not as capable as the other person.

Seeing the other party suddenly silent, Zhang Yuan roughly guessed what he was thinking.

At this time, Yu Qian had not yet evolved into his full form and was just an unknown little artist.

But in less than five years, after "sacrificing" his wife, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and other family members to the crosstalk career, he became famous all over the country and everyone knew him!

"Brother Qian, have you ever thought about performing crosstalk again?" Zhang Yuan changed the subject.

When the word "crosstalk" was mentioned, Yu Qian's eyes lit up, but then quickly went out.

"Where are we going to talk?"

"Who are you telling it to?"

"These days, even the crosstalk on the Spring Festival Gala is almost replaced by skits. When I went to give a consolation performance, the audience would boo and chase people away as soon as they heard crosstalk." Brother Qian spoke of the past in a depressed tone.

Indeed, in order to save itself, crosstalk even came up with "freaks" like guitar crosstalk in those days, just to attract audiences in an era when singing and dancing were the norm.

The "Old Songs and New Tunes" performed by Feng Gong and Guo Donglin in the 00 Spring Festival Gala, the one in which they played guitar and sang quick-paced songs, is a representative work of guitar crosstalk.

But Zhang Yuan knew that this was just the darkness before dawn, the light would come, and even Brother Qian would become a part of this light.

"I have loved folk art since I was a child, I listen to it!"

"Are you really happy to hear it?" Yu Qian slowly put down his cigarette butt, as if to confirm whether Zhang Yuan was joking.

Yu Qian of later generations used only two words to evaluate the years when crosstalk was silent.

lonely.

If no one listens to crosstalk, then where can he perform the profession he has studied for more than ten years?
Now suddenly a young man said that he was willing to listen, and Yu Qian felt touched.

At this moment, he felt that he was Yu Boya, and Zhang Yuan was Zhong Ziqi, a soulmate meeting in the mountains and rivers!

[Received thanks from Yu Qian, crosstalk theory +3! ]

(End of this chapter)