1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

People began to leave in an orderly fashion, but the excited discussions did not diminish at all. Many people were still talking enthusiastically about the Palme d'Or, about Cheng Xuemin, and about the future of Chinese cinema!
Outside the auditorium, it was completely dark. The streetlights in the factory area lit up one after another, their orange glow outlining the factory buildings and trees.

The crowd surged out of the auditorium's several exits like a tide, chatting and laughing, walking in small groups towards the family quarters or dormitory area.

Among the departing crowd, Chen Huaikai's figure appeared somewhat lonely!

Instead of walking with his familiar colleagues, he walked alone, hands behind his back, head down, slowly along a dimly lit path on the side of the auditorium.

The expression on his face was completely out of place with the joyful atmosphere around him; it was so somber it was almost palpable.

Just now in the auditorium, I listened to the old factory director's impassioned speech, Cheng Xuemin's calm and powerful remarks, and the enthusiastic applause and discussions from the people around me!
He felt a tightness in his chest, as if a large stone was pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe!

The Palme d'Or goes to Cheng Xuemin again!

This name, this young man, was like a suddenly rising mountain, standing in front of him, blocking all the light.

"It's all that bastard's fault!"

Chen Huaikai gritted his teeth and muttered a curse under his breath, unsure whether he was cursing his own hesitation or his precious son who had given him the advice.

He quickened his pace and headed towards the family compound.

It was as if he wanted to escape the still noisy and joyful place behind him, to escape the sounds and gazes that disturbed him.

He lived in a three-story red brick building in the factory's residential compound.

The hallway was dimly lit and filled with the lingering smells of food from each household's dinner.

Chen Huaikai, with a sullen face, strode up to the second floor, took out his keys, and roughly opened the door.

The house was quiet, with only a small light on in the living room.

His wife probably went to the auditorium too, and hasn't returned yet.

On the sofa in the living room, there was a young man wearing a wrinkled jacket and with messy hair!

He was lying on his side, legs crossed, holding a movie magazine in his hand, reading it with great interest, and humming a tuneless little tune.

It's summer vacation now, and Chen Kaizi is at home with nothing to do all day!
Seeing my son's carefree and unambitious attitude right now!
Thinking about his current situation, Chen Huaikai's anger flared up instantly.

He slammed the door shut with a loud bang, the loud noise particularly jarring in the quiet room!
Chen Kaizi was startled by the sound of the door closing, and the magazine in his hand fell to the ground!
He turned his head and saw his father's face, which was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water. He felt a chill at first, then a little annoyed, and muttered, "Dad, what are you doing? You scared me."

"What am I doing?" Chen Huaikai walked into the living room step by step, his eyes fixed on his son, a gaze that made Chen Kaizi feel a little uneasy.

"I'm asking you, where did you go this afternoon? The factory was having a big meeting to celebrate Cheng Xuemin winning the Palme d'Or, who in the whole factory didn't go? Are you the only exception?! Are you the only one who's high and mighty?!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Kaizi curled his lip, nonchalantly bent down to pick up the magazine, dusted off non-existent dust, and said, "What's the big deal?!"

"It's just an award, what's so great about it? A bunch of people go there to flatter and join in the fun, it's boring. I can't be bothered!"

"Too lazy to go?" Chen Huaikai's voice suddenly rose, trembling slightly with anger. "Do you even know what kind of award that is?"

"That's the Palme d'Or at Cannes! The world's highest award! Cheng Xuemin has really given us Chinese people, and our director of Yanying Film Studio, a huge boost!"

"The whole factory is proud of this, why are you special? Why do you think it's boring? Who do you think you are?!"

Chen Kaizi was scolded by his father and was quite embarrassed.

Especially that sentence, "Who do you think you are?", stung his sensitive and fragile self-esteem.

He slammed the magazine onto the sofa, stubbornly retorting, "Who am I? I'm your son! No matter how great Cheng Xuemin is, no matter what awards he wins, what does it have to do with me?"

"Can he pay my salary, or can he promote me?"

“Dad, I’m not trying to criticize you, but look at you now. Other people have won awards and are enjoying great success, and Huang Jianzhong has benefited from it all.”

"What about you? If you had listened to me back then and stayed away from him, wouldn't things be much better now? At least you wouldn't be like this, watching others thrive while you feel resentful!"

His words only fueled the fire in Chen Huaikai's heart!

Especially that sentence, "If only you had listened to me back then," was like a knife, stabbing Chen Huaikai in the place where he felt the most pain and regret!
"You...you still have the nerve to bring that up?!"

Chen Huaikai was trembling with rage. He pointed at Chen Kaizi, his fingers shaking with extreme anger. "If it weren't for you, you bastard, spouting nonsense and giving me bad advice, would I have dared to talk such big words in front of the old factory director and Cheng Xuemin?"

"If it weren't for me listening to you, young people just like to hear high-sounding, boastful talk, would I have missed the opportunity to collaborate with Cheng Xuemin on 'Tai Chi'?!"

"If I hadn't missed the opportunity to participate in 'Tai Chi,' would I be sitting here on the sidelines right now?!"

"If I hadn't listened to your nonsense back then, I'd be like Huang Jianzhong now, following Cheng Xuemin to Cannes, receiving awards, and enjoying all the glory!!"

"If I hadn't listened to you, I could have benefited from this, instead of becoming the laughingstock of the whole factory, being pointed at and talked about behind my back, being said to be blind, and that I would worship a clay figure instead of a real Buddha!"

As Chen Huaikai spoke, he grew angrier and angrier. All the resentment, regret, dissatisfaction with the status quo, and disappointment with his son that had been building up for so long erupted at this moment.

His eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving violently, and he looked around. He caught sight of an old wooden stick used to prop the door shut behind it!
Without thinking, he grabbed a wooden stick and rushed towards Chen Kaizi!

"I'll beat you to death, you worthless piece of trash! For spouting nonsense! For giving me such terrible advice! For ruining my future! I'll beat you to death!"

Chen Kaizi was completely dumbfounded!
His father suddenly got so angry, and I never expected him to actually take action!
As the thick wooden stick, as big as a bowl, hurtled towards him with a whooshing sound, he was terrified.

With a strange cry, he jumped up from the sofa, not caring about saving face, and scrambled to the side to hide.

"Dad! Are you crazy?! You're really going to hit me!" Chen Kai screamed as he dodged.

"I'm beating you, you good-for-nothing! You're a menace!"

Chen Huaikai was furious and wouldn't listen to anything. He waved a wooden stick and chased after Chen Kaizi, beating him.

The living room wasn't big to begin with, and Chen Kaizi couldn't dodge in time. He took several solid blows to his buttocks and back, wincing and howling in pain. "Ouch! Dad! Stop hitting me! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay!"

Chen Kaizi covered his head and ran away, circling around the sofa and coffee table with his father, begging for mercy.

He was genuinely terrified; his father looked like he was about to beat him to death!
"Wrong? You know where you went wrong? Huh?!"

Chen Huaikai chased after him, panting, but the stick in his hand didn't stop. "Your mistake is that you're more trouble than you're worth!"

"Your mistake is that you're all talk and no action, and you're not doing your job properly! You're wasting your own time, and you're wasting your own time too!"

"I'll beat you to death today, and then I'll pretend I never had a son like you!"

The wooden stick whistled through the air. Although Chen Huaikai was old and it was difficult for him to chase and hit, he was still quite powerful in his rage.

Chen Kaizi was hit a few more times, and the pain brought tears to his eyes. He felt scared, wronged, and a surge of anger rising within him.

As he dodged, he couldn't help but retort, "What's the use of hitting me! If you're so capable, go hit Cheng Xuemin!"

"You're incompetent and lack vision, so who can you blame?!"

"You were the one who lacked your own judgment back then, and got carried away by a few idle words. Now you're blaming it all on me!"

"Cheng Xuemin won the Palme d'Or because he was capable and lucky! Even if you went to the Eastern Depot, would you definitely win an award? You might not even be as good as you are now!"

These words are tantamount to adding fuel to the fire!
Chen Huaikai was so angry that his vision blurred, and he roared, "You dare to say that! I'll teach you to say it!"

He swung the wooden stick even faster!

The father and son engaged in a full-blown fight in the cramped living room, with one chasing and the other fleeing!

The table was knocked askew, the chair was overturned, and the cup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, leaving a mess.

Chen Kaizi's pleas for mercy and cries of pain, along with Chen Huaikai's angry curses and panting, mingled together, making them exceptionally clear in the quiet family quarters!
The commotion here was so loud that it finally alerted the neighbors!
First, there was a knocking sound from next door asking questions, then the door of the neighbor across the hall opened and someone peeked out.

Then, the neighbors upstairs and downstairs were also alerted and came out to see what was going on!

The neighbors were stunned to see the usually dignified director Chen Huaikai, with red eyes, chasing and beating his twenty-something son with a stick.

Some people came up to mediate the fight, some watched from the sidelines, and others whispered and pointed at each other.

"Hey, Old Chen, Old Chen! Calm down, calm down! Don't hit him anymore, the child is so big, what if you hurt him!"

Old Li from across the street quickly stepped forward and tried to grab Chen Huaikai's arm!

"Old Chen, let's talk this out, don't fight! Kai, quickly apologize to your dad!" Old Zhang downstairs also came over to dissuade them.

When Chen Kaizi saw someone arrive, he acted as if he had seen a savior. He quickly hid behind Lao Li, panting heavily, his face covered in sweat and grime, his clothes torn and disheveled, looking utterly wretched.

He pointed at Chen Huaikai and cried out, "Uncle Li, Uncle Zhang, look at this! My dad's gone mad! He's going to beat me to death!"

"I just mentioned that Cheng Xuemin won the award, and he acted like he'd been stepped on!"

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned Cheng Xuemin; the mere mention of that name ignited Chen Huaikai's fury, and he struggled to lunge at him again.

"I'll beat you to death, you foul-mouthed bastard! I'll teach you to say that again!"

Several neighbors quickly intervened and, after much persuasion, managed to wrest the stick from Chen Huaikai's hand.

Chen Huaikai was being held up by several people, trembling with anger, his face ashen, his chest heaving violently, pointing at Chen Kaizi with trembling fingers, but unable to utter a word!
The neighbors, watching the father and son and listening to Chen Kaizi's words, and recalling the factory meeting that afternoon, immediately understood the situation perfectly.

Oh, I see!
Old Chen was unhappy. Seeing Cheng Xuemin's success and Huang Jianzhong's rising status, he remembered that he had missed a good opportunity and vented all his anger on his son.

His son is usually unreliable, and this time he probably said something hurtful again, which just happened to be the one who got caught in the crossfire!
Once the reason was understood, the words of advice from the crowd became more meaningful!
"Old Chen, calm down. The child is just being immature; we can teach him slowly!"

"Kai, you too, say less. Cheng Xuemin's achievement is a great honor for the country, who in our factory isn't happy?"
Your dad is happy too, but... he's just thinking about other things, don't take it to heart!

"That's right, that's right. Father and son shouldn't hold grudges overnight. Old Chen, calm down, getting angry is bad for your health. It's a good thing that Cheng Xuemin won the award, it means our factory has produced some talent, and everyone benefits from it!"

The words of advice sounded like a call for reconciliation, but the tone and the look in his eyes clearly carried a sense of understanding and a touch of sympathy, even a hint of mockery.

How could Chen Huaikai, a man of such keen perception, not have noticed?

He felt a burning sensation on his face, even worse than if he had been hit several times.

Chen Huaikai, after all, was a promising young director in the factory!
Now, out of jealousy of the younger generation, he takes his anger out on his son, causing chaos in the family compound and becoming the laughing stock of the neighbors!
This is worse than killing him!
He glared hatefully at his son, who was hiding behind someone, looking both resentful and fearful. Then, looking at the complicated gazes of the neighbors around him, he felt a lump in his throat, unable to breathe, and his vision blurred.

He abruptly yanked his arm away from his neighbor, broke free, and without a word, his face ashen, turned and stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

The living room was left in a mess, the neighbors looked at each other in bewilderment, and Chen Kaizi, clutching his aching body, was both ashamed and angry, with a face full of resentment!

Soon, the news that Chen Huaikai was unhappy because Cheng Xuemin won the Palme d'Or and beat his son when he got home spread like wildfire throughout the Yanying Film Studio's residential compound and then spread to other corners of the factory area at an astonishing speed.

The versions of the story became increasingly outrageous, with some saying that Chen Huaikai was jealous of Cheng Xuemin winning the big prize and took his anger out on his son when he got home.

Some say that Chen Kaizi mocked Cheng Xuemin, which his father overheard, and he almost broke Cheng Xuemin's leg.

Others say that the father and son argued over whether or not to go and congratulate Cheng Xuemin, and eventually got into a fight!
But regardless of the version, the core meaning is the same: Director Chen Huaikai felt unbalanced because Cheng Xuemin won the Palme d'Or, and made a big joke of himself.

This news filled Cheng Xuemin with immense joy and excitement at winning the Palme d'Or!
Like a discordant note, it carries a hint of absurdity and irony!

It circulated quietly among some people, becoming a topic of conversation for some to shake their heads in private or to secretly mock.

……

Please vote with monthly tickets and subscribe to the full chapter! Thank you! Thank you! (End of Chapter)