The literary era since 1979

Nightfall, suburbs of Beijing.

The development of the old city is the process of continuously expanding the suburbs.

People in the 1980s would never have imagined that the city would have a fifth ring road. Ah, the fifth ring road, you have one more ring than the fourth ring road.
People in the 1990s would never have thought that it could reach the Sixth Ring Road. Ah, the Fifth Ring Road, you have one less ring than the Sixth Ring Road.
By 2025, it will be hard to tell how many rings there are now, but it is really big!

This place used to be considered a suburb of Beijing, but now it has changed little by little.

Some of the villages in the past have started to build high-rise buildings, while others remain the same, and when you look down at them, they look like a field of uncut leeks.

At this moment in the cabin, the electric fan was whirring, barely dissipating some of the heat.

Aunt Chen fished out the ice-cold watermelon that had just sunk from the well, and she cut it into pieces deftly.

Then I brought it into the house and saw my little grandson playing with a Rubik's Cube, glancing at the TV from time to time.

The old man and the child seemed a little lonely, but she was already very satisfied. The family was originally very poor, but now their lives were getting better and better, and they even bought a TV.

"Grandma, I want to watch Calabash Brothers."

The grandson played with the Rubik's Cube for a while and suddenly looked up.

"Okay, let's watch Calabash Brothers."

Aunt Chen took the remote control and changed the channel.

"Calabash Brothers" is a 1985-episode paper-cut animation series originally produced by Shanghai Film Group between 1987 and 13. Like "Black Cat Sheriff" and "Calabash Brothers", it is one of the representative works of the second prosperous period of Chinese animation and a classic among classics.

Although my grandson doesn't understand the deep meaning hidden in the plot of "The Calabash Brothers", for example, the Calabash Brothers represent the seven human emotions, but the process of the Calabash Brothers fighting wits and courage with the Scorpion Spirit and the Snake Spirit is enough to attract the attention of teenagers.

Aunt Chen was talking in a scatterbrained way, then suddenly glanced at the clock and said, "Dabao, how about we try something else?"

"What are you looking at?"

"'Desire', the one that was heavily promoted on TV a while ago."

"Oh, that's good."

The poor child was fooled, and Aunt Chen was transferred to Yanjing TV Station just in time for the show to start.

A pendulum first appeared on the screen, followed by a wall clock, a yellow flower tree, music started, and then the screen turned to a dripping faucet.

"Over the years, I want to talk about how confused I was back then, it was hard to choose between the real and the imaginary..."

The soothing and slightly sad music and the very lifelike scenes made her feel very comfortable both visually and auditorily even though her appreciation level was not very high.

Then the main creative staff appeared, starting with the first one: "Chief Screenwriter: Fang Yan."

Ah!
Aunt Chen's eyes lit up. No wonder it was promoted by so many media. It turned out to be a new script written by the great writer Fang!
When the series officially begins, we see the moat of the capital, a bus slowly approaching, a girl with a long braid and a floral shirt, which immediately carries on the atmosphere of life at the beginning of the film. Then in the factory lounge, Yuejuan comes back from getting food, "Huifang! Come on, take some!"

"Eh!"

Liu Huifang turned her head and revealed her standard face.

Aunt Chen smacked her lips and said, "Wow, this girl is so pretty!"

A considerable part of the success of "Desire" is Liu Huifang's personal temperament. This gentleness and dignity is the most typical traditional beauty in the hearts of middle-aged and elderly audiences.

The first episode explains a lot of things, such as what happened to Wang Husheng, the relationship between Liu Huifang and Song Dacheng, and what happened to Wang Husheng's sister...

The little grandson had fallen asleep out of boredom, but Aunt Chen was enjoying the meal.

She couldn't put it into words, but it just felt very familiar.

Especially when I saw the wall covered with newspapers and the garlic hanging at the door, Aunt Liu, wearing an old lady's waistcoat, nagging Huifang: "Guoqiang has been in the Corps for more than a year, right?"

"It's only been a little over half a year. Didn't he leave during the Spring Festival?"

"Well, that's why I say that a boy is a boy, but he didn't send me a message. The old people are right. A mother worries about her son, and a son worries about his own forehead."

As she spoke, she spread the cloth in the steamer, put the mixed noodle dumplings in, and then wrapped them with two strips of cloth to prevent the heat from escaping.

Finally, he opened the lid, and white steam rose. He held the bowl in one hand and picked up the steam with the other, blowing on it from time to time.

"..."

Aunt Chen didn't understand what a sense of immersion or lifelikeness meant, but all of a sudden, she thought the drama was great.

Before I knew it, the episode was over.

Aunt Chen smacked her lips, still unsatisfied. She was about to tell her grandson to go to bed when she suddenly heard a knock on the door and her neighbor, Aunt Hao, came in.

"Old sister, why are you here so late?"

"I'm free, so I want to chat with you."

The aunt sat down on the edge of the pit, glanced at the TV, and laughed, "You watch Desire too?"

"Yeah, isn't this just finished?"

"Oh, that's what I wanted to say. My husband is so impatient. What a great play!"

"I think it's good too. I can't really explain why, but it's different from the others anyway."

"Yes, yes, nowadays there are ghosts and gods, I'm tired of it. This play has real life, I used to live in Liu Huifang's house... Hey, do you think she is with Wang Husheng or Song Dacheng?"

"I think Wang Husheng is handsome and educated, and girls like this."

"Yes, I was with Wang Husheng when I was young, but I found Song Dacheng when I got older."

The two chatted for a long time, just like book friends guessing the plot in a group, and they all had a great time.

"Well, you can come to our house tomorrow and invite Mrs. Liu to come along, it will be more fun with more people."

"Okay, let's go on time tomorrow!"

The impression of "Desire" by those born in the 80s mostly comes from their parents.

Who would watch this for children? It’s the parents who watch it, especially mothers, grandmothers and other middle-aged and elderly women.

And not only in this era, but in another twenty or thirty years, the same group will still dominate the ratings of family tragedies, ethical dramas, and rural dramas.

Another night.

Aunt Hao's house is as lively as during the holidays. There are more and more televisions in the village, but the habit of gathering to watch plays has not changed. Watching together creates a lively atmosphere, and people can even eat two more pounds of melon seeds and peanuts.

"Aunt Liu is a sensible person. Wang Husheng has a greasy face and powdered hair. He doesn't look like a good person."

"Dacheng is so good, honest and capable, this is the kind of man who deserves to sleep in the same bed with you."

"Oh, your word was already a hooligan crime a few years ago."

"Bullshit! I already have grandchildren, I'm a hooligan, I did think about it..."

"Alright, alright, let's get started!"

There was an instant of complete silence, with only the sound of cracking sunflower seeds and drinking tea.

Liu Huifang picked up a baby girl and decided to date Wang Husheng. However, when they were talking about marriage, the child became a source of worry for Wang Husheng, and he always wanted to get rid of her. So he secretly threw her in the observation room of the hospital, and when he came out, he went to register with Liu Huifang.

"Huifang! Huifang! What's wrong with you? Isn't my idea a good one?"

"Okay? I really didn't expect you to say that. She's only two months old. She's a human being! I don't know what her parents think, but I won't do that. If you can find a suitable place to send her away, I certainly won't object. But how can you just throw the child away? And then register for marriage!"

hum!
There was a commotion in the room. "I'll tell you, I'll tell you, Wang Husheng is not a good guy!"

"bad!"

"It's not bad, at most it's selfish and cold."

"Damn it, it's just a pit of fire, Liu Huifang jumped into it on her own!"

"Oh, it makes my heart ache. It's really too irritating. I won't watch it tomorrow."

"Can you bear it?"

"I-I can't watch the replay?"

After the episode ended, everyone did not disperse. They argued for a long time before going home and sleeping contentedly.

During this period of time, everyone's schedule has changed. After get off work, they have dinner and those who have parties don't go. Those who like to stroll come back early. They sit in front of the TV at 8 o'clock on time, waiting to watch "Desire". After watching it, a group of people gather together to discuss the plot of "Desire".

After more than a dozen episodes were aired, this landmark drama began to show its power.

It seems that he has already regained the charm of his previous life. It is true that "the whole country mourns Liu Huifang, the whole country scolds Wang Husheng, and everyone sighs for Song Dacheng."

………………

Just as "Desire" gradually became popular across the country, June arrived as promised.

On the street shrouded in darkness, two policemen were patrolling the area.

Although the social security environment has improved significantly after the crackdown, petty theft still occurs from time to time.

Especially at night, there is a peak incidence of theft cases. This residential area is densely populated and has always been a focus of attention.

But no matter how I walked along the way, I felt something was wrong. There were few people around and I couldn't see a single person for a long time.

"Have you noticed that things seem to be quieter recently?"

"Well, since we came out, I've only seen one person who can breathe."

"Damn, I'm really not used to it. It's like a ghost town. Hey, isn't that Lao Zhou's restaurant? In the past, it was the busiest restaurant at this time. From time to time, we would receive reports from neighbors saying that it was disturbing the residents. How come I didn't hear any big noise today?"

"Let's go over and take a look, maybe there was an accident."

When they moved closer, they saw the middle-aged man sitting at the front desk holding a palm-leaf fan, fanning himself and yawning.

"Lao Li, what's going on with you? Why is business so slow?"

"Hey, you guys are on night duty..."

The boss was helpless: "It's all because of "Desire". Everyone is at home watching TV. Who has the mood to come out to eat and drink?" Then he glanced around and his eyes fell on the table in the corner. A man in a wheelchair was talking and laughing with his friends.

“It’s Desire!”

"I've watched this TV show too. My wife, in particular, is like a madman, cursing Wang Husheng to everyone she meets."

"That's right. My mom and my wife have been distracted recently. They were even more outrageous yesterday. They fought with the kids for the TV and played doubles with them when they didn't obey. While beating them, they also scolded Wang Husheng. They simply took out all their anger on him."

"Oh, so you won't become three people when you go back?"

"Just watch it with me, maybe it's good to watch it."

Seeing that everything was fine at the restaurant, the policeman reminded: "There are a lot of thieves recently, so be careful!"

"Hey, don't worry, the thief is just watching TV at home!"

Old Zhou disagreed and curled his lips.

"Hahaha, that's not without reason. I heard that the higher-ups take it very seriously and said that the public security situation has been very good recently, largely because of the TV series Desire."

"Oh, then the higher-ups will definitely show some appreciation, like give me a certificate of honor or something."

"Almost. The police and the public are like one family."

"........."

Listening to their random chat, Wang Shuo, who was sitting at the table in the corner, had a smug smile on his face:
"Listen, listen, our "Desire" is so popular that thieves don't even bother to steal in order to catch up with the show!"

"That's indeed what happened."

Shi Tiesheng smiled. According to a call from Zheng Xiaolong, the ratings were as high as 98%, and the crime rate had dropped a lot. The police were planning to award the Yanjing Television Art Center and their studio with banners for the "Maintaining Social Security Award" respectively.

"There's even a share for us."

Fangyan raised his eyebrows, quite surprised.

"We must have a share of it. If we hadn't compiled the script, how could Zheng Xiaolong and his team have filmed it?"

Yu Hua said that the award ceremony will be held at Yanjing TV Station, and after the award ceremony, a symposium on the TV series "Desire" will be held.

"This time, Yanjing TV will invite brother TV units from all over the country to come to Beijing and take the opportunity to share the production experience of "Desire" and make a good show of themselves." Shi Tiesheng said that Lu Xiaowei, and even the director of Yanjing TV, specifically asked to go to Fangyan to participate in the symposium.

"I won't go. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a distraction and steal the spotlight from Yanjingtai?"

Fangyan said half-jokingly.

"How could that be? If you were missing from this symposium, the level and popularity would be greatly reduced."

What Wang Shuo said was what everyone present wanted to say.

Shi Tiesheng nodded and said, "You have to go. A group of dragons cannot be without a leader. You, the chief screenwriter of Desire, cannot be absent."

Fang Yan thought about it for a while and finally agreed. However, just as he agreed, Yu Hua's voice came to his ear:
"Also, Mr. Fang, the editorial department has received a lot of calls from the media recently, all wanting to interview us about Desire."

"These media helped us a lot. They actively promoted "Desire" before it was aired..."

Shi Tiesheng gave a reminder.

"If that's the case, then we must repay this favor."

Fangyan looked around and made a decision.

Even though everyone was prepared, the media's enthusiasm was beyond their expectations.

The Yanjing Evening News alone used three pages to introduce Desire:
"Like the lyrics of "Good People Live a Peaceful Life", "Desire" conveys idealistic expectations. Every audience has their own desires for life, and the characters in the play will form different desires according to the audience's thoughts and feelings, thus finding resonance.

——Screenwriter Shi Tiesheng talks about the popularity of "Desire."

“Many viewers were moved by Liu Huifang’s selfless love, but some also questioned: I don’t believe there is such a person as Liu Huifang!

Are there such good people in reality? Lu Xiaowei responded frankly: "Liu Huifang is not a role model. It would be wrong to take her as a model, because "Desire" wants to praise a kind of moral code - the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty in life."

——Producer and Chief Screenwriter Fang Yan talks about "Desire."

"In order to save money, the actors did not stay in hotels. They got up early in the morning to go to the shooting base and returned home after 8 o'clock in the evening. It was cold, but it was a summer scene. There was no heating in the studio, so the crew gave everyone a hot water bottle.

One day, after Li Xuejian finished filming a scene, someone asked him why there was a red mark on his stomach. He looked down and found that it was a red blister caused by the hot water bottle.

——The birth story of "Desire".

Soon after, the entire literary and artistic circles in the capital also jumped on the bandwagon, and all discussions would involve Desire. (End of this chapter)