Chapter 447 Mounting
The snow that had been falling for days finally stopped, the sky cleared, and the sunlight shone brightly on the unmelted snow.
Li Xiaoxuan arranged to meet Nan Zhiyi to look at potential locations for a beauty salon. The four women had met once before and signed a contract.
This time, we arranged to go and see Chen Wenjuan's street-facing shop.
It just so happened that Nan Zhiyi needed to have her painting framed, so she agreed.
Gu Zhao wanted to go with them, but her friends in the yard called her to build a snow Great Wall, so she could only watch her mother leave with longing eyes.
Nan Zhiyi first went to a long-established framing shop on Liulichang East Street.
The shop is narrow, and a copper bell rings softly when you push open the door. The glass window displays framed landscapes, flowers, and birds.
She carried the painting tube inside, where a faint smell of paste and rice paper wafted through the air.
"Comrade, framing a painting?" The old craftsman looked up from above his reading glasses.
"Three watercolor paintings."
Nan Zhiyi carefully took out the painting.
Gu Zhao's whimsical sketches, Gu Xiao's military uniform half-length portrait, and the recently completed portraits of Gu Yan and Chen Anna are scenes she imagined based on her memory and photographs.
The master craftsman unfolded the drawing paper and examined it closely: "Hey, this portrait is quite interesting."
She then asked, "Should we use silk or paper for mounting? Silk is more expensive, but it's sturdy and less prone to deformation. Should we use a pine frame with silk or a mahogany frame with brocade?"
Nan Zhiyi inquired about the price.
A plain pine frame with plain silk costs eight yuan per piece, while a mahogany frame with brocade costs twenty-five yuan.
“This double portrait should be framed in mahogany and paired with moon-white brocade.” Pointing to two other portraits, he said, “For those left by family members, a pine frame would be fine, but the brocade should be a soft beige.”
The master craftsman nodded approvingly: "Comrade, you know your stuff. The mahogany frame is moisture-proof and insect-proof, and the brocade brocade makes the portrait look the most impressive."
He carefully measured the dimensions. "It can be picked up at four o'clock this afternoon."
Nan Zhiyi paid the money, took the receipt, and walked out of the store. Sunlight shone on the bluestone road, and the watermarks from the melting snow glistened.
When I arrived at the coffee shop in Dongsi, Li Xiaoxuan was already waiting. She had a head of fresh, big wavy hair and was wearing a royal blue suit jacket, applying lipstick in front of a small mirror.
Upon seeing Nan Zhiyi enter, he immediately waved: "Over here!"
"Why did you change your hairstyle?" Nan Zhiyi sat down, and the waiter brought over two cups of coffee.
"I ordered you a coffee."
Li Xiaoxuan proudly tossed her curly hair: "From now on, I'm the boss's wife, so I have to be fashionable, right?"
Nan Zhiyi smiled, took a sip of her coffee, and immediately frowned because it was so bitter.
Listening to Li Xiaoxuan's complaints, her grandmother had returned from the nursing home and was constantly nagging her about her flashy clothes. Her grandfather also frequently came home to keep an eye on her, and even Qin Fen had been keeping a low profile lately...
"Qin Fen polishes his own shoes. The old lady has a sharp eye; she says if his shoes are dusty, he's been out having fun."
Nan Zhiyi burst into laughter.
As they were talking, Chen Wenjuan and Zhao Liping pushed the door open and came in.
Chen Wenjuan also got a perm; the small waves made her face look even smaller.
Seeing Nan Zhiyi's gaze fall on her hair, she awkwardly smoothed it down: "Xiaoxuan insisted on dragging me along... saying that I have to look like a boss lady on opening day."
Li Xiaoxuan pleaded with Zhao Liping and Nan Zhiyi in a strange manner: "Please don't blame me for being biased, ladies! First, I don't know how good the hair salon's skills are, and I'm afraid they might ruin it; second, you two both have proper jobs, and a perm that's too flashy might not have a good impact."
Nan Zhiyi picked up her coffee and took a sip: "Is this little thing really worth you explaining all this time? I'm afraid to burn my hands, worried about gossip at school... Besides, I also need to ask my partner..."
"Listen to this!"
Li Xiaoxuan immediately seized the opportunity and winked at the other two, "This Mrs. Gu has to go home and ask Minister Gu for permission before she can do anything!"
Chen Wenjuan covered her mouth and laughed, while Zhao Liping adjusted her glasses: "It's a good thing that the couple is so affectionate and discuss things together. But shouldn't you change how you address him in the spring? Still calling him Minister Gu?"
Nan Zhiyi smiled again, pursing her lips: "Well... I'll have to ask him when I get home."
The four of them burst into laughter.
After having some snacks and coffee, the four of them paid the bill and walked east along the alley.
The shop Chen Wenjuan mentioned was only 200 meters away.
Facing the street are two double wooden lattice doors, with the faded words "xx Bookstore" still remaining on the lintel.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the front yard was more spacious than I had imagined, paved with blue bricks, with an old locust tree in the corner that was half withered, and under the tree was an abandoned well covered with a stone slab.
The three north-facing rooms had faded green paint on the window frames, but the beams and pillars still looked sturdy.
The most wonderful thing is the section of eaves outside the west wing, where the afternoon sun shines in at an angle, casting neat grids of light on the brick floor.
Li Xiaoxuan gestured excitedly: "This is the reception area, and that area is divided into two beauty rooms. There are rattan chairs under the eaves so guests can drink tea and admire the flowers while they wait..."
She squatted down and touched the gaps between the blue bricks. "We need to find someone to repave the floor; the gaps between the bricks are full of dirt."
“The water and electricity lines have to be rebuilt.” Zhao Liping followed over and tapped the old electrical wires on the ground with the tip of her leather shoe. “The beauty equipment has high power; the current wiring can’t handle it.”
Chen Wenjuan said softly, "There's a small warehouse in the back that can be converted into a distribution room..."
After walking around the shop, the four women stood back in the center of the empty store.
Li Xiaoxuan spread her arms and spun around: "When spring comes, this place will be filled with fresh flowers! I'm going to Guangzhou to get the latest beauty machines! I'll officially become the boss's wife!"
She went around assigning tasks, saying, "You're the second boss! You're the third boss! You're the fourth boss! Let's work together to open beauty salons all over Beijing!"
Li Xiaoxuan's ambition inspired the three of them.
Chen Wenjuan raised her voice: "Then I have to dig out those face cream recipes that my relatives in Shanghai gave me."
Zhao Liping pushed up her glasses, a smile in her eyes: "I'm in charge of ensuring the safety standards of the equipment, so people won't say we're an unlicensed workshop."
She couldn't refuse the dinner invitation that evening either. Chen Wenjuan treated her to Huaiyang cuisine, which suited Nan Zhiyi's taste quite well. The braised dried bean curd soup was milky white, the lion's head meatballs were soft and flavorful, and the crystal pork jelly was frozen like amber.
Nan Zhiyi scooped up a spoonful of lion's head meatballs and suddenly remembered that Gu Zhao loved to eat this and had even packed a portion for her.
It was nearly eight o'clock when the party ended.
Nan Zhiyi hurriedly went to Liulichang with the packed food box, picked up the framed painting without any problems, and took a taxi home.
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