It had been a dark, rainy and windy day since the morning, and the temperature dropped by five to six degrees.
The roads are slippery and sparsely populated, and you can feel your breath coming when you talk.
No matter how you look at it, this can't be considered good weather.
But I have to say that this is indeed a good day.
Because this day was precisely the day when Ning Weimin planned to rectify the name of Huaxia Food, he made an appointment with Kang Shude and Zhang Dashao in advance, saying that he would take Alain Delon to the store.
Weather like this is of course perfect for drinking.
It will definitely make the wine and food prepared by the two old men even more delicious.
Another thing to mention is that the reason why the two old men decided to schedule Sunday was that this day was the day with the fewest people in the "big wine tank".
You know, most of the drinkers in the store are retired elderly people. Who wouldn't want to stay at home and eat at the same table with their children?
In addition, the capital city has a tradition of "having a cloudy day" since ancient times, which refers to a time when it is cloudy and rainy and you cannot go out to do anything, so you spend time at home looking for trouble.
In this case, wouldn't it be even more coincidental?
On a planned Sunday, plus an unplanned rainy day, the store will never be too busy.
It also gave the two old men enough energy to entertain the French star, tease him and chat with him.
Secondly, on days like this, for Ning Weimin, there are also few worries.
Think about it, even the people in the capital themselves would say that there was a time when "alleys were clean of mud and ponds, and you walked close to the wall".
Naturally, Catherine Deneuve, a beauty who loves cleanliness the most, doesn't want to go out and will stay in the Great Wall Hotel.
In this way, there was one less foreign woman for Ning Weimin to deal with. He could just deal with Alain Delon without any worries, which would save him a lot of trouble.
Alain Delon, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind the rainy streets and bad weather that much.
Born to be restless, he still has the qualities of a prodigal at this age. He is afraid that if he has nothing to do, he will get sick from boredom.
He was extremely excited about the opportunity to follow Ning Weimin to see a "Chinese bar" that he thought did not exist.
As a result, Ning Weimin didn't even bother to spit. As soon as he heard that the bad weather would not affect their travel plans, he happily responded and said, "I like rain in the capital. It's really dry here. There's some moisture in the air."
It's a good thing to be angry. You can feel some of the pleasant feeling of the southern tropical climate. Let's leave quickly. Just go out for an hour or two and have a few drinks. Don't worry, I have been to Algeria too. Even if you recommend it
No matter how bad the drinks and food you give me, I won't make fun of you."
So, when everything comes together, it’s called complementing each other.
The appointed time that day was noon, and it was almost eleven o'clock when Ning Weimin and Alain Delon went out.
Due to the wet and cold weather, Ning Weimin also wanted to take a sip, so he did not drive. Instead, he and Alain Delon got into a "hangout" taxi in front of the hotel.
I just didn't expect that the driver who pulled them was not only talkative, but also had very bad eyes.
He actually recognized Alain Delon in the rearview mirror of the car.
This is getting a little annoying.
Because along the way, the driver not only babbled a lot of useless compliments and asked for Alain Delon's autograph, but he was also too excited, chatting all the way, and it was obvious that his attention was no longer on driving.
As a result, because of lack of concentration, the driver who was talking about running trains ran two red lights in succession. When passing Chang'an Street, he even applied an emergency brake and almost hit pedestrians rushing in the rain.
Fortunately, nothing happened. Otherwise, it would be difficult for Alain Delon not to get into negative news if he had a traffic accident on such a road. It would undoubtedly be a public relations crisis that could damage his reputation.
Ning Weimin was so angry that he had to resort to his trump card and threatened the driver that if he didn't drive well, he would not be given foreign exchange coupons for the fare.
Only then can we catch this kid.
But it has to be said that once you really arrive at the intersection of Yangmeishu Xiejie, which has been known for centuries of literature and art.
There was a slight drizzle in the sky, and there were almost no pedestrians in the alley.
Among the mottled shadows of trees and houses, the street scene is like being hidden in an ink painting.
Alain Delon's mood was a little ruined, but as Ning Weimin got out of the car and walked into the alley holding an umbrella, he immediately became happy again.
He couldn't help but said, "It's really interesting here. The Chinese flavor is so strong. This is the capital I want to see."
Yes, everything here is different from the Western world, it is too oriental.
The houses, shops, courtyard walls, and trees here all convey the ancient charm of the capital, which not only makes people think about the ancient charm, but is also very real.
Because this place is not the grand and poetic high-end family in the north, but an atmosphere full of ordinary people's lives and human fireworks.
An alley like this has human emotions, not aloofness.
Even though there are no small traders here today, there are no usual sounds of shouting for various foods, the sound of iron clips for shaving, the sound of horns sharpening scissors, and the sound of iron sickles selling needles, thread, and brains.
But you can still see the couplets in front of the door, the flowers and plants grown, the benches, the bamboo carts, the clotheslines, these objects and details of ordinary people's daily lives, allowing people to experience it through another feeling of being there without any distance.
Folk paintings of Beijing Hutongs.
The immersive tourism that foreigners really like is to take the paths that locals often take, go to the shops they often visit, and breathe in the unique atmosphere of life here.
If you come to Beijing, it would be extremely boring to stay in a Western-style hotel environment.
A guy like this guy came all the way from France. Besides making money, what he is most interested in doing is experiencing the exotic atmosphere.
So needless to say, when you go deep into this alley, you will see with your own eyes a few minutes later that small shop with no signboard or store name. It only uses the drinkers on the street and the big red painted gourd with a crooked mouth as the "Chinese Bar".
, Alain Delon was even more satisfied.
Because whether it is the few drinkers in the shop looking at the rain on the street or chatting and drinking.
Or maybe it’s the pattern of using a wine vat as a table to entertain drinkers in a shop, and the special style full of antique style.
This was something that a crooked man from France couldn't even imagine in his dreams, and he immediately felt enlightened.
To be honest, he had been to many foreign bars, but where could he find a place where he could sit by the wine vat and drink from it?
And the big wine vat is a thing that is native to the capital.
Not to mention that I have searched all over the country, even if I go abroad, I am afraid I will never find such a special wine shop again.
Especially as times have changed, the 1950s and 1960s experienced a period of difficulty in the supply of liquor.
Even in Beijing today, large wine tanks like this have long since withdrawn from the stage of history.
If Kang Shude hadn't been obsessed with the past, he always wanted to find something familiar.
If the old man hadn't opened such a "big wine tank" to relieve his boredom, this unique and down-to-earth wine shop format in the capital would have been able to reappear in the world.
Even today's young people in the capital may not have the opportunity to see this special type of wine shop where their grandfathers and fathers loved to spend time.
To put it bluntly, this large wine tank is probably unique in the world today.
Isn't this rare enough?
Full of curiosity and sighing, Alain Delon followed Ning Weimin into the store.
This time it was even better, because as soon as they came in and closed their umbrellas, they immediately attracted attention and made the store lively.
Indeed, on this special day today, there are not many customers in the big wine vat, but the problem is that the atmosphere of wine shops in Beijing is unique.
Speaking of which, although liquor shops in the capital and bars in the West are both social places for recreation and drinking places for people to chat, they are very different from each other.
No matter how lively the chats are in bars in the West, they only happen between friends and acquaintances. Most of the strangers are seducing each other between men and women who have seen each other.
Even strangers who are occasionally frustrated can sit at the bar, chat with each other and comfort each other.
That is also caused by loneliness, it is one-on-one, and it is an accidental phenomenon.
But it will never be like a big wine vat. Even if guests at different tables meet here for the first time, they only need to have a glass of wine and some appetizers to go with it.
Then there will be no distinction between each other, no gaps, and everyone can talk together from the mountains to the south and the sea to the north, in the sky and on the earth.
It is still unimaginable for those Westerners who always emphasize boundary distance and care about personal freedom that the guests in the big wine vat can be so lively, harmonious, friendly, cordial and humorous.
In fact, when the three or five drinkers sitting in the shop saw that a foreigner was here today, they couldn't help but get moved and started shouting and joking.
"Ouch, here comes a pink face! What kind of day is it today?"
"Foreigners also drink? How evil!"
"Look at what you said. You don't know how to smoke and drink. You came to this world for nothing. Foreigners are human beings too. Why don't you like this?"
"Yes, yes, that's right. Shopkeeper, please say hello, you have a foreign friend in this small shop..."
Frankly speaking, this kind of joking and amusing person does seem a bit noisy, a bit rude, and a bit arrogant.
But men are informal.
Not to mention that during his stay in the capital, Alain Delon has become accustomed to China's special view of foreigners, especially foreign stars.
Just say that when he came today, Ning Weimin had already told Alain Delon that it was a civilian wine shop, and he was mentally prepared to be interrupted.
In addition, these drinkers are all older, and almost all of them are not the audience for "Zorro" and "Black Tulip". They have probably never even watched these two movies.
So no one recognized Alain Delon and just regarded him as an ordinary foreigner.
This actually made Alain Delon, who was worried about fame every day, feel more relaxed.
In fact, for a man like Alain Delon, who comes from a lower-class background and works as a street hustler, he felt a natural affinity with the market atmosphere in such a tavern, and it immediately reminded him of the places where he hung out when he was young.
He took another look at the wine shop, which was really interesting. There were wine warmers, porcelain cups, and wine and dishes on the table, which he had never seen before.
So there was no resentment, only intimacy and surprise.
Standing in front of the counter, he actually spoke Beijing dialect with no distinction to four tones, and in the style of a French gentleman, he raised his hands and greeted the few people inside like he was his most loyal movie fans.
Got the kindest and humblest response.
"Hello everyone. I'm here for a drink too, sorry to bother you."
I have to say that this sentence caught everyone by surprise. The old men with red faces were stunned for a moment, and then their eyes widened.
"Hey, you can speak our words? This is rare..."
"Oh, are you familiar with Chinese culture? You speak Chinese very well..."
"Hello, hello, please have a seat, please have a seat..."
A few enthusiastic responses made Alain Delon smile immediately.
However, at this moment, the most unexpected situation occurred.
Kang Shude, who had been sitting behind the counter for a long time, stood up, coughed twice, and came forward to solicit customers.
The old man nodded gracefully and let Alain Delon and Ning Weimin go inside.
The key is that during this process, he mumbled a lot of foreign words, but only Alain Delon understood him.
And I was very happy to talk to him.
This scene is absolutely astonishing.
Not to mention that the drinkers once again found it strange and shouted that they were surprised. Even Ning Weimin was dumbfounded.
"Master, you...how do you know French?"
Taking a moment, Ning Weimin interrupted and asked.
"Is this new? I've been doing business at the French Barracks in Dongjiaominxiang for several years. Don't make such a fuss, as if you've never seen it on the market before."
Well, the old man is calm and gentle, he really has the demeanor of a sweeping monk.