Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 843 has no music arrangement whatsoever.
Originally, Chen Fan just wanted to say goodbye, but he was assigned a task instead. Feeling a bit annoyed, after leaving Ba Lao's place, he simply dragged Zhou Yali to An Quan's house and had a big meal. He finally felt a bit better.

However, before leaving, he gave his daughter a small jade pendant that was safe. ...So in the end, he still lost out.

No wonder An Quan remained calm and composed, showing no fear whatsoever; he had a "trump card" in his hand.

Thinking of An Quan's little princess, Chen Fan wondered if he should have a little one to play with after getting married.
Putting everything else aside, we have to get back the favors we've given out!

But then I thought about my age and couldn't help but hesitate.

Chen Fan is quite flexible about his age. When necessary, he can add up the ages of his two lifetimes, which is 28 + 3, equaling 31 years old. When not necessary, he only calculates his age based on his household registration, which is 20 years old.

At this point, it's obvious that we should use the age recorded on the household registration certificate to calculate. Becoming a father at 20? That's too early, let's wait a few years.

So Chen Fan unilaterally put the matter aside.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was the last day of January.

January 31st, the 1th day of the twelfth lunar month, Thursday.

Chen Zhenren had reservations about being invited by Shanghai Film Studio to record a program that day.

As a Taoist priest, why would he choose so many days with the number four?
Let's look at today's taboos: moving, breaking ground, lawsuits, praying for blessings, installing doors, hanging plaques, building stoves, digging wells, opening ponds, breaking ground, raising beams, and building beams... Then what is auspicious?

Suitable for burial, laying the foundation, encoffining, and moving the coffin!
Oh my god.

But the words had already been spoken, and were personally relayed by Master Ba, so he could only bite the bullet and hope that his True Person Realm would truly be free of all taboos and bring him good fortune.

However, for safety reasons, before getting into the car, he still pulled along the bored Zhou Yali and the baby Zhou Jincheng, a boy and a girl.

I don't drive myself; my main concern is fuel efficiency.

We were in a car sent by the Shanghai Film Studio, and after driving only a short distance, the car began to slow down.

Looking at the familiar scenery outside, Chen Fan couldn't help but wonder, "Are we going to Ba Jin's house? Wasn't the filming location at the Shanghai Film Studio?"

The officer in charge of picking him up, Zhang, immediately turned around and said with a smile, "It's not at the Shanghai Film Studio, nor is it at Ba Jin's house. It's at the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe. Their residence is also on Wukang Road, at No. 395 Wukang Road."

Although the filming was organized under the names of CCTV and Shanghai Television and undertaken by Shanghai Film Studio, the filming location and main actors were actually from the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe.

We're going there now too.

Chen Fan blinked, said "Oh," and didn't say anything.

So, what's the difference between this film actors' troupe and the film association?
Seemingly able to guess what Chen Fan was thinking, Secretary Zhang said with a smile, "Unlike the Film Association, which mainly serves filmmakers, the entry requirements are very high and it does not involve specific creative work."

The Film Actors Troupe mainly recruits professional film actors to participate in the creation and filming of films. It was first established in 1953 by the East China Cultural and Educational Committee. The first director of the troupe was Zhang Wang. Films they participated in included "Li Shizhen" and "Lin Zexu".

There was a hiatus of more than ten years before work resumed in 77, and the place was returned to the troupe.

Because most of the actors at the Shanghai Film Studio were also members of the theater troupe, the two organizations were actually quite close, so they simply decided to hold the program recording here.

After hearing his explanation, Chen Fan understood what this company did.

In general, it is somewhat similar to a professional art research group, which is both independent and its members have overlaps with other organizations.

As for other things, we'll look at them later.

A short while later, the car stopped in front of No. 395 Wukang Road.

This is a garden villa in the Baroque architectural style, slightly larger than Chen Fan's small villa, and about the same size as the villa where Ba Jin lived.

(Right here)

Upon entering the courtyard, leaders immediately came out to greet us.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Fan proposed recording as soon as possible.

The leader didn't hesitate and immediately led Chen Fan into the villa and up to the second floor.

Chen Fan glanced at the rather spacious reception room, turned to look at the leader, and asked in surprise, "Your party is being recorded here?"

The leader nodded and said, "We plan to hold a tea party and not invite any additional audience members. All the actors are members of our troupe, and they are also the audience for the other actors."

He looked around the space and said, "This is enough for a few dozen people."

Chen Fan nodded, glanced at the members holding instruments in the corner, and asked, "Are these comrades providing accompaniment?"

The leader looked at them and smiled, "Yes, they are all professional actors, but they also have some basic musical skills. They will participate when the gala is officially recorded and will have their own performances."

Chen Fan blinked, looking at the faces of the group, and indeed they seemed somewhat familiar.

However, he generally doesn't watch movies from this era unless absolutely necessary, so he genuinely doesn't know who is who.

It's okay if you don't know me, just smile.

He took out the sheet music he had written, walked over and handed it to them with a smile, "This is the accompaniment sheet music, thank you all."

Seeing his appearance, the group knew he hadn't recognized them, but they didn't take it seriously. There are plenty of people who don't recognize them; why would they care about all of them?
Instead, it was the sheet music they received that truly captivated them.

Along with the leader from earlier, several heads were huddled together, all looking at the sheet music.

Zhou Yali then took the opportunity to sidle up to Chen Fan and whispered, "It's so cramped here, it's not as nice as our garden villa on Yan'an Road."

Chen Fan squinted and glanced at her. "Don't be so smug. Being smug will get you struck by lightning. Keep a low profile."

Zhou Yali nodded gently, "Understood."

Zhou Jincheng, nestled in her arms, yawned, lost interest, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.

The next second, a "good" startled him awake.

The young master didn't care where he was or who he was; he immediately pouted and raised his voice.

Zhou Yali panicked immediately, "What should I do? What should I do?"

Chen Fan glanced at it, calmly took out a pacifier, and put it in the young master's mouth, instantly silencing the noise.

However, this little incident brought the leader and the musicians back to their senses.

The leader quickly came over, rubbing his hands together and laughing, "I'm impressed! I'm truly in awe. This song is so fitting for the occasion; it's a perfect match for 'Where the Flowers Bloom'!"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Let's get started practicing and then coordinate the recording."

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "Okay."

He then pulled Zhou Yali aside to wait.

As they waited, before the accompaniment practice was even finished, a commotion arose from below. Immediately following, a flurry of footsteps echoed.

Looking towards the stairwell, one after another, group after group, men, women, and children came up.

To say they were acting openly and honestly is an understatement; they all sneakily made their way to the seats around the perimeter of the venue, laughing and bending over... In modern terms, their actions had a strong sense of stealth.

They said they sneaked in quietly, and even waved to Chen Fan, who was looking at them.

Wasn't there a single person who stepped forward to introduce themselves?
Then Chen Fan saw a familiar face and immediately waved to her, "Come here."

Wu Haiyan ran over with a flushed face and gave a slight bow, "Hello, Vice Chairman Chen."

Chen Fan: "What are you doing?"

Wu Haiyan smiled shyly, "I heard you came to record a show, and to record a new song, so we all came to watch the fun."

At this moment, another beautiful actress came running over, grabbed Wu Haiyan's arm, and said with a smile, "The troupe leaders sent us here, saying that we can record a panoramic view, which will create a better atmosphere."

This person was none other than Zhao Jing, one of the two most popular young actresses at the Shanghai Film Studio. Wu Haiyan starred in "Love in the Cloud Lake," while Zhao Jing starred in "Shanghai Spy Shadow." Their popularity even surpassed that of Chen Chong, who had become a sensation with "Little Flower," and veteran film actors, making them the leading ladies of the Shanghai Film Studio.

However, this was not the reason why they dared to step forward. It was mainly thanks to Chen Fan's work that the two felt more familiar with each other, and naturally, they became less awkward.

Chen Fan looked at them, then at the people around him, and felt that Wu Haiyan's words were more credible.

Then Wu Haiyan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, we're here to cooperate with the recording of the program."

Chen Fan rubbed his forehead and waved his hand gently, "Then you guys go record it."

The two of them didn't leave immediately, but stood there awkwardly, looking at each other, seemingly playing some kind of game.
Chen Fan looked at them. "Is something the matter?"

Zhao Jing chuckled dryly twice, then bit her lip and mustered her courage to say, "Vice Chairman Chen, we heard that the factory is going to film the novel 'Where the Flowers Bloom' written by writer Jiang. Do you think the two of us would be suitable?"

Chen Fan blinked, looking surprised. "You shouldn't have asked me about this, right?"

Once the film rights were transferred, he would never interfere with anything, leaving everything to the film studio to complete. He didn't even care whether the film was good or bad.

I can always reshoot it myself later; that way, the comparison will be more meaningful.

So when I saw the two of them coming to me for help, I felt it was very unreasonable.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Wu Haiyan quickly said, "We went to the factory leaders, but they said they wanted to consult you this time, so... that's why we came."

Seeing their somewhat embarrassed yet expectant expressions, Chen Fan smiled and said, "If your boss really asks for my opinion, then I'll recommend you. But whether your boss listens or not is none of my business."

The two were overjoyed upon hearing this, and thanked him profusely with both hands clasped together before leaving happily.

Zhou Yali held the little one, glanced at the two of them from behind, then leaned closer to Chen Fan and whispered, "Don't even think about using the movie filming opportunity to do anything shady. I'll keep an eye on you for Lili!"

Chen Fan's face fell, and he said irritably, "What nonsense are you thinking? Do you think I'm that kind of person? Besides, apart from 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain,' I've never thought about making movies."

Zhou Yali said expressionlessly, "People come to me when I don't even want to make movies. What will happen when I do want to make movies?"

Chen Fan had a long face, feeling like he couldn't communicate with her.

After a while, the leader came over and said to Chen Fan, "Vice Chairman Chen, shall we rehearse twice?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Okay, I'll follow your arrangements today. As long as we don't go over time, you're in charge."

The leader clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let's rehearse first."

Then he turned around and waved his hand, "Everyone to your positions, get ready for the first rehearsal, let's give it a try."

The actors who had come to watch the commotion immediately stopped talking and looked at Chen Fan with great interest.

The photographer was on high alert, but then realized it was a rehearsal, so he shifted his attention from the camera and looked at Chen Fan as well.

The accompanying band first played and sang a short piece. The leader, holding an accordion, met Chen Fan's gaze. Seeing him nod in acknowledgment, he then played a short piece of music.

Then, the other instruments followed suit.

As Chen Fan listened to the accompaniment, his ears twitched involuntarily a few times.

Absolutely no arrangement, absolutely no arrangement, absolutely no arrangement!
As expected, they're amateurs!

However, he did not call a halt, nor did he suggest re-arranging the music.

Just make do with this; I'll make a studio version later.

As the melody progressed, after the prelude, Chen Fan immediately burst into song, "If that's the case, don't grieve, for the flag of the Republic bears the glory stained with our blood..."

"The Glory Stained with Blood," an old song born in 85, was first sung by a true first-class combat hero.

This song became an instant hit across the country as soon as it was released, and its popularity was extremely high... even higher than Mount Everest.

However, for various reasons, this song, along with some other songs composed by the same composer, was not included on major music platforms, so they disappeared from the classic oldies section. Young people after the turn of the millennium are naturally not very familiar with these songs.

But it doesn't matter, as long as Chen Fan knows it. Those who know this song know that it tells the story of Laoshan.

"Where the Flowers Bloom" is about the southwestern battlefield, which perfectly matches this song. Even if Chen Fan were to write it himself, he might not be able to write such fitting lyrics and music.

So when this song came out, everyone in the audience who had read the novel was instantly drawn into the story and felt an emotional connection.

After singing a short piece, some had tears in their eyes, others sobbed softly, and still others struggled to hold back tears of emotion, tapping their hands to the rhythm.

Seeing this, the photographer didn't care whether it was a rehearsal or not, and immediately turned on the camera to take pictures of the expressions of the audience.

After the first rehearsal, there was a few seconds of silence. Then, when Zhao Jing stood up and clapped vigorously, applause erupted continuously.

After the applause subsided, the leader said excitedly, "Great! The lyrics and music are great, and the singing is even better! It's truly wonderful!"

He glanced regretfully at the few amateur musicians who were getting excited, and thought to himself that they should have brought in the Musicians Association; that would have multiplied the effect several times over.

But since he was a long-time colleague, he couldn't very well discourage him, so he pretended not to notice and said directly, "Vice Chairman Chen, shall we begin the recording now?"

Chen Fan readily agreed, nodding and smiling, "Sure."

The musicians, oblivious to their own limitations, rallied their spirits, each clutching their instruments and preparing to play earnestly once more as the accordion began to play.

Since it was an amateur get-together, the requirements were naturally not too high. After recording twice and checking that there were no problems, Chen Fan said goodbye and left.

It just so happens that there are exams at the university these two days. Once the exam results are out, everyone should go home.

(End of this chapter)