Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 473 I am a person who relies on my wife
In the 1930s and 1940s, influenced by the war, a large number of mainland literati moved to Hong Kong. Later, when China won the war, some of the literati returned to the mainland, some went abroad, and some stayed in Hong Kong.

Among the literati who stayed in Hong Kong, Liu Yichang was one of the few who was able to integrate his talents into Hong Kong society.

He has served as editor, chief editor and chief editor of newspapers and magazines such as "Hong Kong Times", "Sing Tao Weekly", "West Point", "Yi Shi Bao", "Federal Daily", "Hong Kong Times·Repulse Bay" and "Sing Tao Daily·City Hall", and is a famous journalist in Hong Kong.

At the same time, he also produced many creative works, among which the most famous are the novels "The Drunkard" and "Duel".

The literary young man Wang Sunglasses is his loyal follower. The inspirations for In the Mood for Love and 2046 come from these two novels.

In 1985, he founded the monthly magazine "Hong Kong Literature", which has now become the most influential literary magazine in Hong Kong.

Bringing together the works of writers who had never interacted with each other due to different political ideologies not only brought a breath of fresh air to the literary world, but also brought him great fame in the Hong Kong literary world.

At this time, he published an article in the newspaper praising Lin Chaoyang as "a sincere and good doctor in Hong Kong society", and even bluntly said "it is difficult for us to compare with him", which invisibly added a wave of popularity to "Parasite".

As a result, as soon as "Parasite" was released, it swept the Hong Kong literary world and the vast readership with its popularity.

Such terrifying energy comes not only from the excellence of the novel itself, but also from Lin Chaoyang's accumulated reputation over the previous years and the honor that "The Truman Show" has won for Hong Kong society overseas.

Two years ago, when the Hong Kong literary circles and readers mentioned Lin Chaoyang, they would always label him as a "mainland writer".

But since this year, such mentions have become less and less common, and more and more Hong Kong people regard Lin Chaoyang as one of their own.

It's like when your family discovers a very powerful person among people with the same surname. Even though they are not related at all, there will always be people who try to connect the powerful person to their own family tree to show off their own power.

In addition to Lin Chaoyang, the screenwriter and original author, who benefited from this, so did other people involved in "The Truman Show".

The one who benefited the most, of course, was Xu Guanwen, who won the Cannes Best Actor Award.

In the six months since winning the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, he has not taken on any acting jobs for several reasons.

Firstly, his appetite was spoiled by "The Truman Show" and he simply didn't like ordinary scripts.

Secondly, he wanted to wait for Lin Chaoyang's new work. Unlike Golden Harvest and Cinema City, who were only interested in profit, Xu Guanwen was after fame.

During this period, he would contact Lin Chaoyang from time to time. Although there was no news about Lin Chaoyang's new work, he was still willing to wait.

As the saying goes, if you don't open for three years, you will eat for three years if you open.

Lin Chaoyang's new work is worth his wait.

The third reason is something Xu Guanwen gradually realized a few months after winning the award.

When he first returned home with honors, he almost became a hero of the city of Hong Kong. Wherever he went, he was greeted with thunderous applause and warm smiles. He had no time to attend to the olive branches thrown by major film companies.

But as time went by, he still hadn't gotten any acting jobs, and the enthusiasm of those film companies and his peers cooled.

But every time he takes to the streets, there are still many people cheering and shouting for him.

Xu Guanwen keenly discovered that the cheers and shouts from the people showed more respect and admiration than the pursuit of popular stars.

Later, at a party, his good friend Cai Lan's words suddenly enlightened him.

Cai Lan said that as the first Cannes Film Festival winner in the Hong Kong film industry, he is no longer just an actor and a star, but half an artist.

In a materialistic city like Hong Kong, the word "artist" is rare. And precisely because of its rarity, it is even more precious.

The reason why Cai Lan said he is "half an artist" is because Xu Guanwen now has only one film, "The Truman Show", to his credit.

If Bruce Lee had only had one movie, "Fist of Fury", he could hardly be called a kung fu superstar. He would have been just like Lo Lieh, a flash in the pan.

In this situation, Xu Guanwen had two choices.

One is to take advantage of the popularity to offer a sky-high salary, then take on the role and make a fortune.

The other is to wait patiently for an opportunity to truly transcend the status of an actor and a star.

Cai Lan and Xu Guanwen both understood that this opportunity would definitely fall to Lin Chaoyang.

"Parasite" was published two days ago, and Xu Guanwen went to the bookstore early in the morning to buy the novel.

After spending two days and working all night to finish watching it, he was so excited that he couldn't express it in words. He knew that this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

He didn't even have time to catch up on some sleep before he called Lin Chaoyang's home, but no one answered the call.

Xu Guanwen was so anxious that he ran to Jiahui Garden halfway up the mountain with dark circles under his eyes to visit Lin Chaoyang, but he came to find him empty-handed.

He had no choice but to go to Lin's Pictures again. After arriving at the company, he learned that Lin Chaoyang and his wife had returned to the mainland to celebrate the New Year and would not be back until after the New Year.

Xu Guanwen was filled with disappointment and was about to leave when he ran into Tao Yumo who had just returned from outside.

Tao Yumo greeted him, and Xu Guanwen asked, "Aren't you going back to the mainland?"

"Yes, but my flight for the day after tomorrow will be when the company has a holiday. Brother Michael, what are you doing here at the company?"

"It's nothing."

Without Lin Chaoyang around, Xu Guanwen felt bored and didn't want to say much. He just hoped that Lin Chaoyang could come back soon.

Seeing his lost expression, Tao Yumo asked with a smile on her face, "Let me guess, have you taken a fancy to my brother-in-law's new novel and want to adapt it?"

Xu Guanwen smiled bitterly. Tao Yumo was Lin Chaoyang's relative. He could hide his thoughts from others but not from her.

"Yes." Xu Guanwen said truthfully.

Tao Yumo guessed what he was thinking, and showed a smug look on his face, then said: "My brother-in-law said before he left that we can talk about it after the New Year."

Hearing this, Xu Guanwen was overjoyed. He knew that his wait of more than half a year had not been in vain.

"Okay, okay, let's talk about it after the New Year."

Xu Guanwen left Lin's Pictures happily.

Tao Yumo looked at his back and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

She has been in Hong Kong with her sister and brother-in-law for almost two years. She is already familiar with Hong Kong's entertainment industry and naturally knows Xu Guanwen's current fame and status in Hong Kong.

But even for such a big star, his brother-in-law's words can manipulate his joy, anger and expectations. This was completely beyond Tao Yumo's imagination when she first came to Hong Kong.

After spending half a day at Lin's, Tao Yumo went to a coffee shop near Harbour City after get off work. She waited for more than half an hour before she saw Maggie Cheung appear wearing sunglasses.

At this moment, she had hunched shoulders and a dusty face. She didn't look like a female star at all. She seemed like a walking corpse whose vitality had been drained away by working.

"Why did you come just now?" Tao Yumo complained as soon as Maggie Cheung sat down.

"Hey, sister, I'm going to film a movie! Do you think everyone is like you, eating, drinking and having fun every day?" Maggie Cheung retorted weakly.

"What do you mean I eat, drink and have fun every day? I'm also busy at work, okay?"

"Yes, yes, you are the busiest person, busy with eating, drinking and having fun."

The two sisters were arguing, and Tao Yumo couldn't win the argument with Maggie Cheung, so she decided to teach her a lesson.

As a result, as soon as she touched Maggie Cheung's shoulder, she burst into a scream.

"what!"

Tao Yumo was startled, "Hey, I just touched you."

"Big sister, do you know that I have been hanging on wires all day today?"

Zhang Manyu's face was full of pain, which made Tao Yumo feel a little embarrassed. She gently rubbed the place she had just touched and asked:
"Does it hurt?"

"Nonsense, of course it hurts! Try hanging up for a day and see."

Maggie Cheung's tone was impatient, but her expression showed that she was enjoying her touch. She couldn't help but squint her eyes and move closer.

Tao Yumo complained again: "Who told you to take on action movies? You're asking for trouble."

"What if I don't take action movies? Ask Sister Yushu to open a play for me."

"You were the one who refused to take the role in 'Best Friends', and now you blame me and my sister?"

"What's the difference between that drama and The Romantic Comedy? I'd just be a vase if I went there."

"So you're asking for trouble."

Defeated by Tao Yumo's logic, Maggie Cheung snorted and simply leaned on her shoulder.

"You're like this and you still want to go for a ride with me?"

"I'm willing to sacrifice my life for you. Aren't you going back to the mainland soon?"

Zhang Manyu's words made Tao Yumo feel a little bit of sisterly love. She said, "Forget it. I won't go today. I'll go back and rest early."

Seeing this, Maggie Cheung became more and more aggressive and rubbed against her arms.

"Sister Yushu and brother-in-law are not here, can I go and see the night view of Mid-Levels?"

Tao Yumo readily agreed.

After arriving at Jiahui Garden, Maggie Cheung stood on the terrace overlooking the entire Victoria Harbour and couldn't help but open her arms and shout.

"Wow! The scenery of the Mid-Levels mansion is really different. When will I be able to afford such a mansion?"

"Isn't it easy if you want to buy it? Just take on a few more movies and two years will be enough."

Maggie Cheung turned her head and looked at Tao Yumo with an expression that said, "You young lady have no idea of ​​the sufferings of the world."

"Take on a few more movies? Do you think I'm Chow Yun-fat or Cherie Chung? Don't you think I need to spend the money I earn? I don't even have a million dollars in my bank account right now!"

Tao Yumo couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this. Woman, what kind of nonsense are you talking about!

"Not even a million? How dare you say such a thing? Even a celebrity like you has such a hard life, what do you think those working people should do?"

Knowing that she had said the wrong thing, Maggie Cheung put her arm around Tao Yumo's shoulders and acted coquettishly.

"With such a nice view, let's drink some red wine."

"You can drink, but don't act crazy."

“I’m a good drinker!”

Maggie Cheung's tone was full of confidence, but Tao Yumo couldn't help rolling her eyes.

The issue of drinking is non-existent for Maggie Cheung, but since Tiger is not at home these few days, Tao Yumo couldn't help but want to indulge herself.

She took out the red wine and wine glasses, poured two glasses of wine, and said to Maggie Cheung, "Let's make a promise first, let's have a drink."

Maggie Cheung confidently made an OK gesture, then raised her glass and drank it all.

Tao Yumo: ...

The "tiger" who was far away in Yanjing had no idea that a drunkard tabby cat had broken into his house and was happily playing with the "monkey".

When they landed in Yanjing, the temperature suddenly dropped from more than ten degrees Celsius to less than ten degrees Celsius. Lin Chaoyang and his wife were afraid that their two children would be cold, so they wrapped them up tightly.

As a result, the two children were fine the next day, but Tao Yushu caught a cold and had a fever of 39 degrees.

Even after all this, Tao Yushu actually planned to go to Yanying Studio to take a look at the post-production status of "The King of Children".

"It's not like the family is going to run out of food, so stop working so hard!"

Lin Chaoyang stopped her when she was already dressed and persuaded her to go back to bed, "You should have a good rest today and don't go anywhere."

"It's okay, it's just a cold. I never missed work or school because of a cold before!"

Tao Yushu's cheeks were red from the high fever, but he looked energetic and vigorous. "The past is the past, and the present is the present. When you went to the countryside before, you couldn't even eat meat. Now you have eaten all kinds of delicacies from land and sea, right?
Work doesn’t get done in one day. I’ve handed The King of Children over to Lao Chen, so don’t worry. What difference does it make if you go to see it a day earlier or a day later? ”

Lin Chaoyang persuaded Tao Yushu to lie down and rest. At this time, Dongdong suddenly walked into the room with a tablet of paracetamol in his tender little hand.

"Mom, take some medicine. Grandma said that the disease will be cured after taking the medicine."

He is already four years and one month old, and his speech is becoming more and more clear and regulated. The medicine in his hand was given to him by Zhang Guiqin.

His childish voice melted Tao Yushu's heart immediately, "Thank you, Dongdong."

Then she said to Lin Chaoyang, "Take the child out first to avoid infecting them. I'll take some medicine and sleep to sweat."

"it is good."

After settling Tao Yushu down, Lin Chaoyang took his son out of the house.

Zhang Guiqin stood at the door and said worriedly, "Why does Yushu always work so hard?"

"Yeah!" Lin Chaoyang sighed.

Zhang Guiqin added: "It's because you are useless. You have nothing to do and you let your wife work hard all day long!"

"I……"

"What do you mean by 'I'? I'll make a bowl of ginger soup for Yu Shu later to make her sweat more."

Zhang Guiqin said something coldly to her son, then took her grandson's hand and walked towards the west wing of the inner courtyard.

"Come on, Dongdong, go play with grandma for a while."

This old lady!
Lin Chaoyang shook his head helplessly, went to the kitchen to prepare ginger soup and brought it into the house for Tao Yushu.

Then he watched over Tao Yushu while reading a book.

When it was almost noon, Lin Erchun suddenly ran to the entrance of Xiaoliubu. After entering the house, he asked Tao Yushu about his well-being and then complained about Lin Chaoyang.

"Look at you, you just hang around like this all day long without doing anything serious, while your wife is working herself to death outside..."

Lin Chaoyang automatically blocked out Comrade Erchun's chatter. When Lin Erchun had almost finished speaking, he asked, "How do you know Yushu has a cold?"

"Your mother went to the entrance of the alley to get a pay phone and called me."

Call up?
Lin Chaoyang didn't understand what she meant. If she calls, you have to be able to answer the phone!
Then he noticed that Lin Erchun's waist was a little bulging. At this time, Lin Erchun naturally lifted up his clothes, revealing the small machine attached to his belt.

"BB machines, didn't you say last time that many working people in Hong Kong have one? Now we have one in Yanjing too!"

There was a hint of boasting in Lin Erchun's tone, and he even straightened his back as he spoke.

Don’t mention how strong that back is!
"Okay, Comrade Erchun, you are keeping up with the fashion trend!"

Lin Chaoyang made a joke without any respect for his parents, which led to Lin Erchun's feint.

After the joke, Lin Erchun said seriously:
"Just after you left last time, the first paging station was opened in Yanjing. Du Feng came to visit us that day with this thing on his waist.

I've always heard you say this before, but this is the first time I've seen this thing, so I took it and took a look.

Du Feng insisted on giving it to me, so can I accept it?

We don’t lack that little money, just buy one! ”

Don't be fooled by Lin Erchun's tone of pride now. Buying a pager is just like buying cabbage. He felt very sad when he bought the pager in the first two months.

You know what, this thing is really useful. As soon as it rings, I know there must be something going on. I can find an alley entrance or a public telephone booth to return the call. It’s much more convenient to get things done than before.”

Compared to mobile phones which only entered the mainland in 1987, pagers entered the market much earlier, appearing in Shanghai in 1983.

However, even though the price is much cheaper than that of a mobile phone, this thing is still not something that most ordinary people in China can afford.

Now there are only Motorola pagers on the market. They were originally sold for eight or nine thousand yuan each. The price has dropped a lot in the past two years, but it still costs three or four thousand yuan.

The slogan "Motorola pager, send messages anytime, anywhere" coupled with such a high price made the small group of comrades who became rich first who owned pagers look very impressive wherever they went.

When you meet someone, say hello, give them your pager number before leaving, and say "call me if you need anything". How cool!
Of course, Lin Erchun bought the pager not just for the sake of face, but after seeing Du Feng using it, he felt that there was a real need for it.

Lin Chaoyang joked, "It seems like you really made some money. You can buy things worth three or four thousand dollars just like that. It would be great if you could let me bring one back for you. This thing only costs two thousand Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong."

Lin Erchun looked at him strangely, "Do you think I'm being taken advantage of?"

"What do you mean?"

"I asked Du Feng to ask someone to bring this one back from Guangzhou. It cost one thousand yuan."

Lin Chaoyang admitted that he had underestimated Comrade Erchun. Since he became a landlord, he has become more and more shrewd.

With this thing on his waist, Lin Chaoyang can say responsibly that Lin Erchun is already ahead of at least 95% of the businessmen in the country.

It can be said that he has left the stage of being a "small boss" and started to develop in the direction of a "capitalist".

"Not bad, not bad. You really keep up with the times. If mobile phones are introduced into the country in the future, I will get you another one." Lin Chaoyang said.

Lin Erchun waved his hand when he heard this. He had never used a mobile phone, but he had heard about it from Lin Chaoyang and had also seen it in magazines and on TV.

The pager is hung on the waist and is inconspicuous wherever you go. But it is different with a mobile phone. It is too conspicuous to hold it in your hand or put it in your pocket.

"Your business is getting bigger and bigger, and you'll be busier and busier in the future. It's no big deal to have a mobile phone."

"Too ostentatious, too ostentatious. Just use this pager. It's convenient enough."

As Lin Erchun spoke, he glanced at his son's waist, which was empty.

"Why don't you get one? It's convenient to have this thing."

"Why would I use it? I'm a man who depends on his wife!"

Lin Chaoyang responded to Lin Erchun's words that he made Tao Yushu work himself to death with self-deprecating remarks, which immediately made Comrade Erchun furious and he wanted to kick him twice.

The father and son chased each other in the yard for a while. Dongdong stood in the corridor of the west wing, watching the fun and laughing.

"Alright, alright, the old ones don't behave like old ones, and the young ones don't behave like young ones, you're leading the children astray!" Zhang Guiqin stepped forward to stop the farce between the father and son.

By the time of dinner, Tao Yushu was in much better condition than in the morning. His fever had subsided a lot, but he seemed a little less energetic.

He spoke in a muffled voice and his throat was a little hoarse. Zhang Guiqin said that he would soon be well again.

I took my temperature again the next morning and it was normal, but my throat was still inflamed.

After breakfast in the morning, she wanted to go to Yan Film Studio again, saying that if she waited for two more days, the studio would be closed for holiday. Lin Chaoyang had no choice but to drive her to the Yan Film Studio.

After registering at the entrance, we parked the car in front of the main building. Perhaps because it was close to the Spring Festival, the factory did look a little quieter than usual.

The couple first went upstairs to say hello to Hu Qiming, sat for a while, and then planned to go to the recording studio.

When most people hear the word "workshop", their first impression is usually an industrial workshop full of machine tools. The workshop of Yanying Factory is actually also an industrial production site, but it is not only a production site, but also an administrative unit.

At Yanying Studio, every step involved in film production has a corresponding administrative unit.

It includes many processes such as photography, production, directing, art design, recording, lighting, costumes, makeup, props, printing, editing, etc.

The names are different, but the levels are the same.

The editing and soundtrack of "The King of Children" have been completed and has entered the mixing stage.

At this stage, 90% of the post-production work has been completed, with only the final touches left.

When Lin Chaoyang and his wife and Hu Qiming arrived at the recording studio, Chen Kaige and his son were also there. Both of them looked a little listless, with unshaven beards and unkempt appearance. It was obvious that they had not had enough rest in the past few days.

The registration deadline for the West Berlin Film Festival is the end of November each year, so more than two months ago, "The King of Children" had already registered through the Film Bureau to participate in next year's West Berlin Film Festival.

However, the registration has been completed, but the film production has not been completed yet.

"The King of Children" only started filming in September, and the current progress is already very fast compared to the domestic production progress.

In order to catch up with the schedule, the crew even overspent by 3 yuan.

It is already late January, and the West Berlin Film Festival opens on February 1th.

There is less than a month left before the opening of the film festival, and the post-production of the film has not yet been completed. Not only is time tight, but Chen Kaige and his son are also nervous.

Lin Pictures invested a considerable amount of money in this film and had high hopes for it. The father and son also put in a lot of effort and of course hoped that the film could be completed with high quality and quantity and participate in the West Berlin Film Festival as scheduled.

After the greetings, Lin Chaoyang saw that Chen Huaikai looked tired, so he said, "Old Chen, you've worked hard!"

Chen Huaikai teased, "Don't cry like a cat to a mouse, you kid. It was your idea."

"I came up with the idea, but you paid for it. Besides, my nephew is making a movie, so what's wrong with you contributing a little as a father?"

Lin Chaoyang spoke confidently and every word he said was true, so Chen Huaikai couldn't do anything about him.

Just a few words of small talk. Now that the investors are here, of course they have to see the quality of the movie.

Although the post-production of the film has not been completed, it does not prevent everyone from watching it.

The story of "The King of Children" is adapted from A Cheng's novel of the same name. The plot tells the story of a humanitarian flood period when there was a severe shortage of teachers in mountainous areas. The production team leader arranged for the educated youth Lao Gan in the team to go to school to be the "king of children".

The school assigned Lao Gan to teach the third grade of junior high school. He abandoned the school's original rigid teaching method and taught students in his own way. In the end, he was sent back to the production team by the school.

The novel itself has a strong plot, and if adapted properly, it would be an excellent film with an educational theme.

But later, when Chen Kaige adapted this novel, he added too much personal expression.

The film is filled with obscure and complex imagery, has a slow pace, and the characters' motives seem inexplicable, leaving the audience confused, which to a great extent limits the film's upper limit and audience acceptance.

This time, Chen Kaige's script was checked by Lin Chaoyang, and the shooting and editing were supervised by his father Chen Huaikai throughout the process. He had no chance to waste time and was firmly regarded as a "tool man".

He felt very unhappy, but there was nothing he could do since he had to bow his head under someone's roof.

Who made these two people older than him!

In the projection room, the buzzing sound of the projector stopped and Chen Kaige went to turn on the lights.

Chen Huaikai asked with some anticipation: "Chaoyang, Yushu, what do you think of the quality?"

Tao Yushu didn't say anything, but looked at Lin Chaoyang. Not only him and her, but everyone present turned their eyes to the silent Lin Chaoyang.

Lin Chaoyang's hesitation at this time was not about how to express himself, but about comparing the final effects of the two versions of "The King of Children" - the later and the current ones.

Compared with the later version of "The King of Children", images such as the "stone roller cart" which symbolizes the old education system appear less frequently in this version of "The King of Children".

These images are certainly helpful for the audience to understand the theme of the film and the director's intention, but excessive use will make the film's meaning obscure and difficult to understand, and will also affect the viewing experience.

Another thing is that the expression of long shots has become restrained. Long shots can easily give the audience a sense of immersion and help them feel the characters' thoughts and emotions, but they can also bring problems such as slow pace, procrastination, aesthetic fatigue, and sluggish shot transitions.

In terms of editing, the overall smoothness has been significantly improved due to the reduction of some meaningless long shots, and the relationship between the plot and characters has become much more natural.

These are all good aspects, of course, there are still disadvantages.

For example, apart from Lao Gan and Wang Fu, the personalities of other characters are still thin and lack unforgettable impressions.

But overall, the quality of this version of "The King of Children" is much better than the original.

Lin Chaoyang pondered for a moment and looked at Chen Kaige.

Seeing him looking at him, Chen Kaige's heart suddenly tightened.

(End of this chapter)