1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 569 Wa Xuedi and the Sack
"Brother, why is life so hard to walk?" This is a famous scene from the drama starring Zhang Guoli.

Despite resembling Zhang Guoli's uncle in later generations, Ge You was actually younger than Zhang Guoli.

Ge You was born in 57, and Zhang Guoli was born in 55.

Unfortunately, some people look older than they are, so in the drama, Zhang Guoli had to call Ge You "brother".

Well, speaking of which, Ge You just got married this year. Zhang Guoli's precious son, well, the one who played "Liu Zi" in "Let the Bullets Fly," the one who had his belly cut open, is already four or five years old.

Ironically, his son is a typical mama's boy with toxic masculinity, and Zhang Guoli plays the number one mama's boy with toxic masculinity in Chinese television history, plus Wa Xuedi, in the drama.

The two episodes in which he made a guest appearance were called "What Should I Marry?", which were about introducing potential partners. He played an older single man. Because he had four older sisters and grew up surrounded by girls, his personality was similar to Jia Baoyu's—very soft and charming, with a seductive look in his eyes when he spoke.

But Zhang Guoli's ambitions are sky-high:
"As long as her family has grain in their granary, meat on their table, and wears gold and silver, I'd do it even if you asked me to marry into her family!"

"Our family's financial situation is average, and we want to find a woman whose family is relatively well-off."

"The woman should at least have a government-affiliated position."

That's it. Besides the high standards, this is also a very typical case involving a minor.

What do you mean?

He is indecisive when faced with problems, relies on his mother at home, and likes to call everyone "brother" or "sister" when he goes out. He cannot act independently unless there is an authoritative person around him.

This person is like a parasitic plant or a trumpet creeper; he saw an oak tree and quickly climbed up it.

In the end, the editorial department said that Zhang Guoli was acting like a spoiled rich girl and criticized him. Then, Zhang Guoli felt wronged and wanted to jump off a building, saying he didn't want to live anymore.

Everyone turned around and started comforting him again.

This is also a common tactic used when dealing with minors.

Whether it's playing the victim or feigning helplessness, if it can evoke your protective instincts, then I've hit the jackpot.

Well, there are a lot of people like this in society. They make a mess of their own lives, but every time they ask for help, they cry their eyes out, and in the end, someone always seems to come out and help them.

In the end, the editorial department really did a great job finding Zhang Guoli a "perfect husband".

A young woman wanted to take in a child, and Li Dongbao had a brilliant idea:
"Is it okay if I'm older? Maybe a few years older than you. Also, the country doesn't allow the adoption of adults, so the procedures would be very complicated. How about we just get married?"

The result was that the girl readily agreed, allowing Zhang Guoli, a junior student from a rural area, to meet a senior student from a rural area, and he immediately began to shower her with maternal love:
“Every night, Darling comes to tell you stories. What do you like to hear?”

Yeah, that's just plain weird.

Zhang Guoli's portrayal of this character was so horrifying that it made many viewers furious, even criticizing the role.

"What's going on? It's neither male nor female!"

Speaking of which, the actor Zhang Guoli was borrowed by Jiang Xian from Mi Jiashan. He is an actor from the Sichuan Provincial People's Art Theatre and has already participated in some TV series and movies. Among them, "The Winding Stone Path" won the National Excellent TV Series Flying Apsaras Award.

Overall, he has some fame, but that's about it.

Mi Jiashan was very confused. He had just chosen him to play Yu Guan, but Jiang Xian had heard of this actor from somewhere and specially asked to borrow him.

Jiang Xian explained that he felt Yu Guan was somewhat similar to the character needed in "Stories from the Editorial Department," but he left the specific similarities to Mi Jiashan to figure out for himself.

However, this trip to Beijing greatly shocked Zhang Guoli, and he gradually began to have some ideas about developing his career in Beijing.

In addition, the phrase "Why is the road of life so difficult to walk?" is also a social hot topic in this era.

It was a letter published in the magazine *China Youth*, signed Pan Xiao, titled "The Road of Life, Why Does It Seem to Narrower and Narrower?" It was filled with the bewilderment of young people, concluding with the lament: "The road of life, why does it seem to narrower and narrower?"

Starting with this letter, a nationwide "Pan Xiao Discussion"—"Why do people live?"—quickly broke out and lasted for nearly a year. According to statistics, about 6 people wrote letters to participate in the discussion. This event was later known as "the spiritual first love of an entire generation of Chinese youth".

In fact, many people think that this "Pan Xiao" doesn't exist, and that the editors of "China Youth" just made up this letter themselves.

That's not wrong, because "Pan Xiao" is actually two people.

One of them was named Pan Yi, a native of Beijing. His father was a government official and his mother was a medical worker. The whole family moved to Qinghai when they were supporting the construction of the Third Front. Pan Yi stayed with relatives in Beijing, which made him become withdrawn and eccentric. Later, he was admitted to the Computer Programming major in the Mathematics Department of Beijing Economics College.

Another one is named Huang Xiaoju. She is a worker at the Fifth Woolen Sweater Factory in Beijing and has worked as a reporter, housekeeper, and salesperson.

Both of them were invited to write articles for the magazine "China Youth" and were the authors of the article "The Road of Life, Why Does It Get Narrower and Narrower?" They took one character from each of their names, which became the well-known name Pan Xiao, a representative of a generation of youth.

Kunlun Hotel.

"Teacher Jiang." Hai Yan, still dressed in a suit and tie, nodded slightly to Jiang Xuan.

"Oh dear, Haiyan."

Jiang Xian waved to him, "Why did you come here?"

Haiyan smiled and leaned closer, "I heard you were coming over for dinner, so I came to say hello."

"no, I'm fine."

Jiang Xian waved his hand, "You go about your business, don't worry about it, I won't cause you any trouble."

"Look at what you're saying."

As Haiyan spoke, he looked around at the people in the private room. The room was almost full, with Wang Shuo, Feng Xiaogang, Liang Zuo, and other key members of the "Haima Film and Television Creation Center" all there. Of course, these were also the main creators of "Stories from the Editorial Department".

The TV series "Stories from the Editorial Department" recently finished airing on CCTV, and it has generated a series of positive reactions in society. It is no exaggeration to say that it was the most popular TV series of the 80s.

And these people from "Seahorse" are here today, ostensibly for a victory celebration. But what's there to celebrate? Well, of course, it's about sitting in rows and sharing fruit.

"Haiyan, are you busy right now?" Jiang Xian asked, pressing Haiyan's shoulder like a senior official.

"Not busy, not busy."

"Then sit down and have a drink together. Don't worry, today's bill will be on our 'Seahorse's' head, and you, the general manager, will definitely not have to sign the bill."

"Look at what you're saying."

Haiyan smiled shyly, "We're all brothers here, and since we've all come to my territory, I have to be there."

Jiang Xian waved his hand, "I don't usually care, but not today. If you keep acting like this, how will we ever have the nerve to eat at the Kunlun Hotel again?"

As they sat down, Zhu Hong led a group of people in carrying large and small bags. "Director, we've brought everything."

Jiang Xian glanced at the food, put down his chopsticks, and said, "It's still hot in the capital right now, but the beginning of autumn is just a few days away. I wonder if everyone has prepared their winter clothes yet. They all look pretty rough, especially Xiao Gang, who's just wearing a thermal undershirt to get through the winter."

"Hahaha." Everyone laughed upon hearing Jiang Xian's words.

Zhu Hong then untied the sash, revealing the clothes underneath, and several eyes immediately flew over. "What?"

"Wool sweater".

Zhu Hong said, "It's a Snow Lotus brand cashmere sweater, specially bought from the Friendship Store. Feel the material; Nicholas Son was wearing this when he came here."

"Snow Lotus" brand cashmere sweaters are considered fashionable products produced in Beijing.

Before liberation, China did not have its own cashmere sweater factories; it only produced cashmere raw materials and supplied them to cashmere sweater factories abroad.

With the development of light industry, in the early 60s, the first cashmere sweater factory in the country was built in Beijing. It quickly designed a unique production process and produced the Snow Lotus brand cashmere sweaters, which were beautiful and elegant in style, with quiet and elegant colors, light and soft texture, and warm and comfortable to wear. They became very popular products in the international market.

Even at the Friendship Store, Snow Lotus brand cashmere sweaters are a hot commodity among friends from all over the world, and they always sell out as soon as they arrive.

At the time, then-US Secretary of State Kissinger visited, and in the midst of his busy talks, he specifically instructed his entourage to buy a few items.

"Try them on yourselves and see the size. I don't know if they'll fit you," Jiang Xian said.

This delighted the people at Haima, who rushed over to put it on. Some shameless ones even took off their shirts and put them on close to their skin, constantly touching the fabric.

"That feels good!" Jiang Wen said with a smile.

"How comfortable?" Liang Zuo asked, scratching his chin.

“It’s like…like…like velvet!” Jiang Wen suddenly thought of this metaphor.

After distributing the clothes, it was clearly not over yet. Zhu Hong was receiving several large bags of goods, just like she was getting a new batch.

As each package was opened, gasps of surprise filled the air.

There's food, Hershey's chocolate.
Some people smoke Marlboro cigarettes.
Yes, I wear a Swiss watch.
There were also cheese, butter, and spirits. In short, they were all imported goods that were basically unavailable in the domestic market.

Right now, it's right there in front of the "Seahorse" people, and they don't want a single penny.

Send them all!

Yu Hua and his group were ecstatic.

These were all found at the Friendship Store; you can't buy anything there even if you have money.

Haiyan was also somewhat surprised.

I was shocked and felt uncomfortable all over.

Among the people present, Jiang Xian and Zhu Hong were distributing the items, while Wang Shuo, Feng Xiaogang, Liang Zuo, and Yu Hua were receiving them.

And him? He was watching.

Witnessing something that has nothing to do with you, you feel a bit inferior if you're envious, but if you're not envious, you seem pretentious. Ugh, it's just so awkward at times like this.

Haiyan couldn't help but recall that when "Haima" was first established, it also extended an olive branch to him, but he wasn't interested at the time.

If it had really gone into the "Seahorse" back then.
Haiyan's thoughts drifted. Well, at least he could get a share of these things now. All together, they were worth several thousand yuan. The key was that these things were usually hard to buy.

Just then, Haiyan heard a simple, unadorned "Holy crap!"

Following the sound, he saw Jiang Xian, who had disappeared at some point, emerge from somewhere carrying a large sack. He then arrogantly threw the sack on the ground, leaving the opening wide to reveal the money inside.

Although the denominations vary, these are indeed banknotes, and at a glance, there are virtually no small denominations.

A whole sack of money—that scene alone was enough to get anyone excited, but what was even more thrilling was what Jiang Xian said next.

"The Story of the Editorial Department is well written, and everyone here has contributed. Consider this money as a bonus. I won't give you a fixed amount; just give each person a handful, however much you can take, and keep each other accountable."

"."

Everyone in the private room seemed to gasp in unison.

Money in sacks!

Then, a look of elation and excitement appeared on everyone's face.

Wang Shuo slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Boss, a scholar will die for one who understands him! I'm willing to die for you!"

Feng Xiaogang grinned, "How much money is this? This is way too much!"

Yu Hua chuckled, "I won't say much more. Coming to 'Seahorse' was definitely the best decision I ever made in my life!"

Feng Jicai stood up abruptly. The 1.9-meter-tall man rolled up his sleeves, eager to try. "Old Jiang, then I won't hold back!"

Haiyan felt even more distressed seeing this scene; he had never seen such a scene of handing out money before in his life.

Take as many as you can catch.

This is simply blatant disregard for money!
Seeing this, he really wanted to stand up and roar, "Our socialism won't allow you to play like this!"
The second half of the sentence is, "Don't play there, let me play."

Under Haiyan's eager witness, the lively money-grabbing game quickly ended amidst laughter. Without a doubt, Feng Jicai was the best at grabbing money. Tall and with long arms, he grabbed a handful at a time, ending up with over 20,000 yuan.

Game aside, Jiang Xian didn't mistreat the others. Those who caught fewer animals received extra subsidies, so everyone got at least 20,000 yuan. Nobody had anything to say, and all they could think of when they looked at Jiang Xian was "loyalty."

How can one not be "loyal"?

Besides Haima, which other company in all of China pays out like this?!

Yu Hua, in particular, has completely forgotten about the cultural center job in his hometown that he once envied so much.

At this moment, I only want to give my all for the "Seahorse Film and Television Creation Center" to which he is loyal!

For Yu Hua, the benefits Jiang Xian offered were not limited to those received by others. Some time ago, Jiang Xian called him over and asked if he would like to study in a writing class jointly established by Peking University and Lu Xun Academy of Literature.

Yu Hua said, "How could I not want to do something?"

I dream of going to university!

So he immediately agreed, and with Jiang Xian's recommendation, he was quickly included in the recruitment list for the next batch of writing class members.

At this moment, a graduation work by a member of this year's writing class has caused quite a stir at the entire Lu Xun Academy of Literature.

The Little Prince!
It cannot be called a groundbreaking work, because the essence of this novel is love and warmth.

But it truly astonished all the experts and teachers at the Lu Xun Academy of Literature!

At this moment, Jin Jin, a writer hailed as one of the founders of children's literature in New China, has just finished reading...
(End of this chapter)