In June 1950, Lao She was elected chairman of the Beijing Municipal Federation of Literature and Literature.
This position is indeed his own, not only because of his high literary achievements, but also because of his popularity.
As Lin Jinlan said: "Fu Lei is a nerd, but Mr. Lao She is not." He is a very 'scene' figure, with the ability of the old Beijing to play the field. ”
The so-called "ability of the field" means that the three religions and nine streams can communicate.
Lao She's living room is not a high-end salon exclusive to literati and scholars, and there is no distinction between nobles and lowly people in treating friends.
According to Liu Shisen, who massaged Lao She to treat waist and leg pain, one night in the autumn of 1954, Lao She brought Peng Zhen to his home to admire the chrysanthemums, Liu Shisen saw that the leader came and wanted to quickly avoid, Lao She stopped him:
"Don't go, this is our mayor, it's better to meet him."
So Liu Shisen stayed behind to drink tea and admire chrysanthemums together.
Writer Huang Qiuyun used to go to Lao She's house for a while to help him draft a report, and gradually found that there were always some unusual guests in the small courtyard.
Most of them are old people who are more than a year old, and some of them still lead children, and when they see Lao She, just like in "The Tea House", they beat up thousands of children according to the rules of the flag people and said: "Please be safe for the eldest brother." ”
Lao She hurriedly helped her up, asked to go into the house to pour tea and hand over cigarettes, and then stuffed some money when they left, saying that they were buying snacks for the children to eat.
Lao She told Huang Qiuyun that some of these people had worked as bodyguards for trading houses, some had sold art on the overpass, and some had served as "stinky foot patrols", all of whom were "models" in his works.
"Now their lives are difficult, I still have two dollars, 'friends have the righteousness of money'."
Say it, haha laugh.
Lao She's dishes, wine, tea, and flowers are all classics that people talk about.
The premiere of "Longsugou" was successful, and the cast and crew of the Lao She Feast, in accordance with the rules of old Beijing, built a greenhouse and a stove in their own courtyard, and invited a master chef to bring a few young men to carry a large rice pot and make more than a hundred dishes.
Wang Zengqi, who is good at writing food, never forgets: "The mustard pier of the Lao She family is the best mustard pier I have ever eaten." ”
It was a signature dish that Hu Haoqing had refined under the guidance of Lao She.
Cabbage only take the heart, pour with boiling water, can not be blanched, blanched will be too bad, affecting the taste; when pickling a layer of cabbage, sprinkle a layer of mustard; with a delicate container sealed storage for a few days.
Hu Haoqing did not know how many times he had tried to meet the standards required by Lao She. Lao She is very willing to let friends taste the authentic Beijing flavor.
Wang Zengqi ate a porcelain bowl of sesame sauce stewed yellow croaker, not anywhere else, and never eaten again.
In Lao She's house, wine is "open supply", fenjiu, bamboo leaf green, vodka, willing to drink as much as you want.
Cao Yu confessed that once he was invited to go to the Dan Persimmon Courtyard to admire the chrysanthemums, "a few glasses of yellow wine reached his stomach, and he fell drunk under the table, and the four seats laughed loudly, and his friends were so happy."
There are also many times when Lao She leads guests to a restaurant near their home.
At the beginning, Lao She looked at the house of Dan Persimmon Courtyard, an important reason was that it was close to the old brand of Wangfujing and longfu Temple snacks.
Donglaishun, Cui Hua Lou and Fangshan Restaurant are the most frequented shops in Lao She.
Once Lao She invited Wu Zuxuan to a banquet, Wu Zuxuan was quite surprised, and the chefs and waiters in the shop met with Lao She as close as family.
In Cui Hua Lou, there is no need to order, the waiter can arrange the appropriate menu according to the preferences of Lao She according to the number of people, dried croquettes, rotten fish fillets, hibiscus chicken slices, mullet egg soup must be ordered.
The Fangshan Restaurant is still on the original site of Beihai Park, and the plaque inscribed by Lao She hangs at the gate.
Li Lu, Source: Reader Magazine, No. 11, 2021.