1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 678 Production!

Li Changhe didn't stay in Shanghai for long, because it was almost April, and Zhu Lin's due date was fast approaching.

After staying quietly for two days, Li Changhe returned to the capital.

"So, is everything settled?"

At home, Zhu Lin, heavily pregnant, was eating an apple.

Li Changhe had already cut the apple into small pieces, and then used a fork to feed it to her.

"Yes, everything is arranged. I'll stay in the capital with you from now on."

Li Changhe said with a smile as he fed the apple.

"Have you gone to Xiaoxue's place yet? I heard her new movie is doing quite well at the box office?"

“I went to see her when I came back. I think the next step is to arrange for her to move to Hong Kong Island.”

“She’s incredibly popular in Shanghai right now, and this positive image is deeply ingrained in people’s minds. I don’t think that’s a good thing for her.”

“Once the general public projects certain images onto her, they will demand higher standards and moral constraints from her. For her, this is a kind of confinement, and it may even backfire in the future.”

After listening, Zhu Lin asked in confusion, "Is it that serious?"

People today haven't experienced the social collapse and public image ruin of later generations. After all, the media is almost entirely controlled by the state now, and whatever is written must first consider its political impact.

However, Li Changhe knew that in a few years, the Southern media, which had been impacted by Hong Kong and overseas, would gradually break free from the control of the higher authorities, become bolder and more unscrupulous, and eventually even go so far as to guide public opinion to oppose the policies of the higher authorities.

For these people, the most preferred model is destroying role models, which is also one of the most effective ways to undermine the government's credibility.

Perhaps they won't dare to cause trouble in the next two years, but if Gong Xue continues to be a big star in a few years, they might not be able to keep an eye on her.

The special circumstances in China also prevented Li Changhe from directly dealing with them. In many cases, the larger the country becomes, the more complex its power structure becomes.

"It's hard to say, but I think Xiaoxue's popularity should stop now."

"Otherwise, even if there's nothing else, when the news of her marrying a Hong Kong tycoon comes out, there's no guarantee that someone won't criticize her for being a Western worshipper and forgetting her roots."

"So I had already told Xu Sangchu before I came that there would be several exchange programs between Hong Kong Island and the mainland, including wire work, makeup, music and other exchanges. People from Shanghai Film Studio, Beijing Film Studio and Xi'an Film Studio can go."

"Let's see if we can send Lao Zhang and Lao Chen out to take a look. Maybe we'll find something useful."

Li Changhe said softly at this moment.

"Alright, you can do whatever you want with it. Anyway, I won't be able to take care of you from now on."

With her due date fast approaching, Zhu Lin can already feel the little life growing inside her. She also has to go through postpartum confinement and breastfeed, so she has to prioritize Li Changhe's importance and step back.

"Oh, right, the teacher called a couple of days ago and said he'd like to treat us to a meal sometime."

"It seems that the people from Hong Kong Island have already come and signed the contract. They not only gave us three million US dollars, but also three sets of brand-new filming equipment. The TV station is said to be ecstatic."

"The production team has suddenly become quite generous. I heard that the station approved another two million for the teacher, bringing the total to five million, which has made the teacher much more financially secure."

Zhu Lin said with a grin at this moment.

After hearing this, Li Changhe couldn't help but curl his lips: "Even according to the official conversion, three million US dollars is roughly five million RMB, but the station only gave the teacher two million. That's quite a difference!"

To be honest, with five million, there's really no way we could film the entire Journey to the West series.

Li Changhe recalled that during the later stages of filming Journey to the West, it seemed that a company under the Ministry of Railways sponsored another three million yuan to complete the filming of those twenty-four episodes.

In other words, these 24 episodes alone will cost 6 million yuan, so relying solely on the 5 million yuan that Ms. Yang Jie currently has, it is unlikely that she can film much more.

Of course, with more photography equipment available now, efficiency might be improved, but in any case, this amount of money is probably still not enough.

"Alright, two million is already a lot. The station has been very generous."

"After all, the station has many places where money is needed. Although the money came from the sale of the copyright of 'Journey to the West,' it is impossible for all of this money to go to the 'Journey to the West' production team."

“I heard that the production team of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ also received a million yuan. Their production team hasn’t even started preparing yet, and casting actors is a huge problem.”

Zhu Lin did say a few words in support of CCTV, saying that it was indeed impossible for all the money to go to the "Journey to the West" production team.

"I know, I was just saying, but I reckon that this amount of money is definitely not enough for the teacher to film 'Journey to the West.' Filming these kinds of mythological dramas is very troublesome, and the special effects production is very expensive."

"Keep an eye on this from now on. If you ever need more money, just let me know, and I'll get it for you!"

Li Changhe said helplessly at this moment.

He also knew that it was impossible for all the money to go to "Journey to the West." That's just how things have always been in China, and there's nothing that can be done about it.

We can only wait and see how things develop so we can continue to provide other forms of support for "Journey to the West".

"You've already sold the overseas rights, how else can you support us?"

Zhu Lin asked with some confusion.

"We've sold the overseas rights, but we still have companies in China that can sponsor us when the time comes."

"Putting aside other things, the home appliance company I invested in in Zhejiang Province would be perfect for sponsoring 'Journey to the West'."

"When Journey to the West becomes a hit, we can have Tang Sanzang and his disciples advertise our home appliances in the show, and they'll sell like hotcakes all over the country."

Li Changhe then said with a smile.

Although the production team of "Journey to the West" now has more funds and equipment, Li Changhe also hopes that they can finish filming all the episodes at once, instead of filming them in two separate sessions as in later years.

Although the actors were largely faithful to the original, Li Changhe always felt that the sequel that aired in 2000 was actually somewhat inferior to the first installment.

Once the entire Journey to the West series is filmed, it will likely take quite a while, and it's hard to say whether it will be able to air normally in 1986.

"Alright, you have plenty of ideas anyway. When the time comes, I'll speak up for you."

"Actually, the teacher was under a lot of pressure this time. The station entrusted her with such an important project and gave her such a large amount of funding. There were also quite a few people keeping an eye on her."

"I also heard that day that someone secretly wrote a letter of complaint to the station, saying that the teacher used the excuse of casting to travel all over the country. It's true."

Zhu Lin became somewhat angry as she spoke.

"Alright, stop getting angry. There are always people like this, from ancient times to the present."

"Besides, given Teacher Yang's personality, his straightforward temper and seniority probably mean he's offended quite a few people at the station. It's entirely possible that someone might be reporting him behind his back or collecting dirt on him."

Li Changhe said helplessly at this moment.

Yang Jie was straightforward and stubborn. She would speak out against things she didn't like. Moreover, she was a senior member of the revolution and had nothing to hide. So, she actually offended quite a few people in the station.

"These people are really wicked. They have no other skills, but they are very good at writing whistleblower reports."

"Don't worry, with me here, nothing will go wrong."

Li Changhe then comforted Zhu Lin.

Putting aside their current relationship with Yang Jie, just considering the classic "Journey to the West" alone, Li Changhe wouldn't let it get into trouble.

"Ouch!"

Just then, Zhu Lin frowned and couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"What's wrong?"

Li Changhe hurriedly asked with concern, "It's nothing. The little one kicked me in my belly. I guess it was because I was talking too loudly."

Zhu Lin's brows quickly relaxed again, and she said with a light laugh.

"Right? I told you not to be angry. The little guy can sense your emotions. If you're angry, he won't feel comfortable either."

"Come on, let me help you to your room to lie down for a while. You can take a nap first, and then we'll go out for a walk this afternoon!"

Li Changhe gently helped Zhu Lin up and then led her into the bedroom on the first floor.

In the days that followed, Li Changhe completely ignored what was happening outside and stayed at home to accompany Zhu Lin during her pregnancy.

Time flies, and it's already late April.

That day, Li Changhe was walking with Zhu Lin in the courtyard. The chill in the capital city in April had subsided slightly, but it was still a bit cold.

In the living room, Shen Yuxiu and Liu Shuwan were sitting there chatting while cracking sunflower seeds.

Now that her due date is approaching, Liu Shuwan is also worried about her daughter's health, so she has moved in with her.

Anyway, there are plenty of houses here, so there's plenty of room.

"Hey, Yuxiu, do you think Linlin's baby will be a boy or a girl?"

On the sofa, Liu Shuwan asked Shen Yuxiu with a smile.

Shen Yuxiu shook her head: "I don't care whether it's a son or a daughter, they're all our own children anyway."

"But sometimes, judging from Changhe's attitude, I actually think he wants to raise a daughter!"

"I actually think it's better to have a son. I've already raised two daughters. If I have a grandson, I can take good care of him!"

Liu Shuwan then said with a smile.

It's not that she favors boys over girls, it's just that she has already given birth to two daughters, but she has never raised a boy.

The eldest daughter did have a son, but at that time, due to the special circumstances, they were not in Beijing. Moreover, the elderly couple lived cautiously back then, so there was no real family happiness to speak of.

On the contrary, nowadays, we have plenty of time and money, and we don't lack food or drink. At this time, raising a boy properly is the right thing to do.

"What if we really have a daughter?"

Shen Yuxiu then said jokingly.

Liu Shuwan smiled and said, "Then let them have another one."

"It's just a fine, it's not like we can't afford it! We can have another one while we're still young. We'll both be retired, we can take care of it, what's there to be afraid of?"

Liu Shuwan seemed to have already considered this, and said it without any concern.

"That's true. I think we can just let them have another one later. It's not like we can't afford the fine!"

The Chinese tradition holds that having many children brings many blessings, especially in the current family situation, where Li Changhe is not short of money.

Furthermore, although family planning is now enshrined in the Constitution, it is still mainly guided and promoted, and is not as strict as the one-child policy in towns and cities that will be implemented in the future.

Although there are punitive measures, most of them are fines, which are nothing to Li Changhe now.

The two chatted idly while watching Li Changhe and Zhu Lin in the courtyard. Just then, a look of pain appeared on Zhu Lin's face.

"what happened?"

Seeing this, Shen Yuxiu and Liu Shuwan hurriedly went outside.

"Mom, Linlin's water broke, we have to go to the hospital right away. Quickly grab the things we prepared earlier, let's go now!"

Li Changhe then spoke seriously.

At the same time, he opened the car door and helped Zhu Lin to sit in the back seat.

Soon, Liu Shuwan and Shen Yuxiu loaded the prepared items into the car. Everything was bought and tied up, so they just needed to take it.

Afterwards, Li Changhe drove towards Xiehe Hospital.

Fortunately, there weren't many cars on the road and no traffic jams, so Li Changhe had time to drive to Xiehe Hospital. In fact, Zhu Lin's hospitalization had already been arranged there, since that area was considered the Liu family's stronghold.

Soon, they arrived at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and Li Changhe took Zhu Lin directly to the high-ranking official's delivery room that had been prepared in advance.

He had already arranged this special privilege for his wife.

Actually, Zhu Lin could have moved in earlier, but she didn't want to smell the disinfectant, and besides, she was a medical student and had a doctor named Liu in her family, so Li Changhe didn't let her move in ahead of time.

Soon, the director of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital came over. Upon seeing the visitor, Liu Shuwan immediately went to greet her.

"Old Wu, you're here!"

"I heard Linlin's water broke, so I rushed over. I think we shouldn't stay here, let's go to the delivery room. I reckon we'll have to endure this for a while!"

Generally, it takes some time from when the amniotic sac ruptures to delivery. Some babies are delivered smoothly, while others experience more complications.

"I'll listen to you. After all, you're the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department!"

Liu Shuwan didn't hesitate, after all, the person in question was a professional, and their advice was sure to be correct.

As for Li Changhe, he could only listen to other people's orders, like a puppet.

Soon, Zhu Lin was wheeled into the delivery room, but more than three hours passed without any sign of labor.

Li Changhe was so anxious that he was restless outside.

Although this is Peking Union Medical College Hospital, it is still in the 1980s, and the technology is different from that of later generations.

Li Changhe could only hope that his little one would come out soon and stop bothering his wife.

"Alright, Changhe, stop walking. You're making me dizzy. Don't worry, it's nothing serious."

"Old Wu has already checked everything, the baby's position is correct, Linlin will be fine."

Seeing Li Changhe pacing back and forth anxiously, Liu Shuwan couldn't help but speak up.

The main thing was that Li Changhe's departure was making her feel uneasy.

"How about it?"

"How about it?"

Just then, Professor Zhu and Li Lishan also ran over, slightly out of breath.

After receiving the call at school, they immediately went to the logistics department and found a car to bring them over.

"Wow"

Just as the two arrived at the door of the delivery room, the sound of a baby crying suddenly came from inside.

Upon hearing this cry, Li Changhe's mind went completely blank.

His child was born!

(End of this chapter)