1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 145 Love Letter Adapted into a Play

The moon is bright and the stars are sparse, and the night sky is pure.

"Ding Ding Ding ~"

The ringing of bicycle bells echoed in the alleys, startling bursts of barking of dogs.

Cheng Kaiyan went home after eating in the school cafeteria. The kerosene lamps were lit in the yard and it was still bustling with people fetching water and washing clothes.

"Kaiyan is back?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Cheng Kaiyan responded casually and pushed the cart back.

At this time, the main room was brightly lit. Xu Yuxiu was looking at the weather forecast for the period, taking notes while reading it. When she saw Cheng Kaiyan coming back, she said, "Are you back? Go wash first. The water is in the pot."

"understood."

Cheng Kaiyan responded casually, went into the bedroom and sat down, took out the unused manuscript paper from the drawer, and refilled the pen with ink.

Although he said that he was unwilling to spend the energy to write a drama script, if Zhao Ruixue wanted to perform on stage, it was not impossible for him to write it. After all, the girl had never asked him for anything.

"Let's give it a try... I remember there were a lot of good scripts in the 1980s and 1990s."

Cheng Kaiyan made a decision and started thinking about it in her memory.

In the 1980s and 1990s, with the reform and opening up, people's entertainment methods in daily life underwent earth-shaking changes.

Television series, movies, and dancing have gradually replaced going to the theater.

As a result, the theater industry, which was quite prosperous in the early 1980s, went bankrupt and closed down after just four or five years.

People would rather convert it into a dance hall, and no one wants to open a theater anymore.

This is the magic of marketization.

Although it was a period when drama was gradually declining, many excellent dramas also emerged, like the last dance or the last gasp of light.

For example, "In the Silence", "Absolute Signal", "Nirvana of Dog Lord", "The Best Restaurant in the World", "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land", "Heat Flow Outside the House" and many other excellent dramas that combine domestic ethnic characteristics.

There are many good works, but considering the tight schedule of drama tours, we also need to set aside some time for rehearsal for the students in the drama club.

The work had to be simple and familiar to everyone, and Cheng Kaiyan only had a little over a week at most.

and so……

"Copy or adapt an existing story?"

Cheng Kaiyan sat at the desk, picking up a pen and sorting out his thoughts on paper.

In addition to finalizing the script, what was more important was that Cheng Kaiyan had never written a script before. Writing a script and writing a novel are completely different modes. She still needed to learn and explore to get the feel of writing a script.

After a long while, Cheng Kaiyan decided in his mind what story to write, and planned to go to the library tomorrow to find some play scripts to study.

At this time, outside the door, my mother was worried that the water had gotten cold, so she called out again, "Are you done? The water in the pot is getting cold."

"coming."

……

"Wow~"

Hot water fell rapidly from the big red ladle, making a series of noises in the bucket. Layers of white mist came in his face, wetting Cheng Kaiyan's cheeks. He squeezed the last bit of hot water from the bottom of the pot, scooped cold water from the water tank and poured it into the pot for later use, then covered the pot with a lid, and the job was done.

“It’s troublesome, but I always feel like it gives me a different kind of life, haha…”

Muttering a few words, Cheng Kaiyan carried the bucket of water to the main room.

The two of them sat facing each other and soaked their feet. The hot water submerged their legs, and all the fatigue of the day was swept away.

"Mom, what do you say about me writing a script?"

Hearing her son ask this, Xu Yuxiu raised her beautiful eyes and looked at him.

"Why are you talking about this all of a sudden?"

"It's like this. Today, students from the school drama club came to me and asked me to help write a drama script for them to tour the university, but I've never written one before..."

Cheng Kaiyan explained.

"This is a good thing. Some students are willing to ask you for help, which just proves your status in the students' hearts. Although you have never written it, Mom believes that you can do it. You are my son, come on."

Xu Yuxiu blinked, as if to encourage him, and waved her fist at him, looking full of energy.

Cheng Kaiyan smiled and said, "Haha, thank you very much. I'll invite you to watch the drama later."

After washing, everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.

……

The next morning, April 3rd.

As the rainy season approaches, the air in the capital becomes more humid.

The sky is overcast and it may rain at any time.

In addition, tomorrow is Qingming Festival. According to the rules, we should burn incense to worship our ancestors and go out to visit the graves at home tomorrow.

Xu Yuxiu made preparations early at home.

Cheng Kaiyan didn't have to worry about too much. He came to the office early in the morning and sat at his seat to write the outline of the story. In fact, what he wanted to write was "Love Letter".

The story of "Love Letter" was only available in two forms, movie and novel, even in the past, and no one had turned it into a drama.

Because the narrative style of "Love Letter" is the interweaving of memories and reality, and letters are used to build a bridge connecting memories and reality. This non-linear narrative structure is not very suitable for stage performances.

But if the story is straightened out according to the timeline, it will lose the charm of exploration, the loss will outweigh the gain, and the literary quality will be greatly reduced.

Another difficulty is the venue issue. Drama performances are on stage, so the venue should not be changed if possible.

In addition, the touching and moving details in "Love Letter" are presented through the use of camera language both in the novel and in the movie, which is not so easy to express on stage.

Therefore, he needs to sort it out to ensure that the plot is coherent and fascinating, and he also needs to solve these difficulties, or at least cover them up.

Cheng Kaiyan pondered in his mind, and soon he began to sort out the story.

The clock on the white wall was ticking away, and I didn't know how much time had passed.

The office door was pushed open and a beautiful woman walked in. It was Jiang Ting.

Seeing Cheng Kaiyan buried in her writing, Jiang Ting's cold black eyes were full of curiosity, "What article are you writing? Wasn't Love Letter just published a few days ago?"

She read "Love Letter" these days and found it to be a masterpiece. The love expressed in the novel is both pure and beautiful, yet regretful and sad.

After reading it, even a cold-hearted woman like Jiang Ting remained silent, and her mood has been bad during this period.

"Aunt? You're here?"

The young man sitting in the corner suddenly stretched, noticed Jiang Ting, and asked hurriedly.

"Well, Kaiyan, what are you writing? Why are you so serious so early in the morning?"

"Writing a script."

"A script? Why did you suddenly think of writing this?"

Jiang Ting was a little surprised, and many guesses flashed through her mind.

Could it be that a director found him and wanted to bring his work to the screen?

"Students from the school's drama club asked me for help. This month, our school and students from Peking University are organizing a drama tour. Didn't you know about it?"

Cheng Kaiyan explained.

"I know a little bit about the drama tour, but the drama club is not run by Mr. Huang, right?"

Jiang Ting nodded to indicate that she had heard something about it.

"Teacher Huang is not in school during this period."

"I see. It seems that Jia Jia is also participating in this drama tour. The drama they are performing seems to be "Sentinels Under Neon Lights". They are rehearsing at this time. I plan to go see her performance in a couple of days."

Ning Wanjia also participated in this drama performance. She performed the well-known military drama "Sentries Under Neon Lights", which was collectively created by Shen Simon, Mo Yan, Lu Xingchen and others and published in 1963.

When Cheng Kaiyan heard the news, his eyes lit up and he asked, "The performance will be in two days. Is Peking University so quick? Our drama club at Beijing Normal University hasn't even finished the script... By the way, can I go with you, aunt?" Of course, he was not going to see the pretty girls, but to see a drama.

How can you create a play if you have never seen one?

"The Sentry Under the Neon Lights" is also a classic drama, which also provides some insights into military intelligence.

"Haha, of course, I'll call you then."

Jiang Ting pursed her lips, with a faint smile in her dark eyes.

She said, how could such an outstanding girl like Jia Jia not attract Kai Yan.

It seems that the unfriendly meeting after the last open class made Kaiyan remember her.

"Don't get me wrong, Auntie. I just went to watch a play to get a feel for it. Besides, I'm also a consultant for the Northern Drama Club, and I'm here to get some military intelligence."

Cheng Kaiyan knew at a glance that Jiang Ting must have misunderstood something, and explained helplessly.

"Hmm."

Jiang Ting nodded repeatedly, obviously not taking this seriously.

Cheng Kaiyan had no choice but to continue improving the story and organizing her thoughts. By the time she finished, it was already past ten o'clock.

Cheng Kaiyan got up and left the office, heading towards the library, and searched through the vast sea of ​​books to find a famous magazine that specialized in publishing scripts - "Scripts".

"Script" magazine is an academic journal focusing on drama literature and drama art. It was founded by Tian Han and other older generation dramatists and sponsored by the China Dramatists Association.

The magazine was founded in 1952 and resumed publication in 1979. It has a very high influence and status in the current literary and art circles.

There are countless scripts on this topic. You can just pick any current mainstream drama and study it without any problem.

Then, with the recommendation of a librarian, I found a classic theoretical work on Western drama, Archer's "Drama Technique".

After finding the reference books, Cheng Kaiyan returned to the reading room that she had bribed to get into, and studied while writing the script.

With the comparison templates and theoretical support, Cheng Kaiyan now has a much clearer mind.

A drama script is usually presented in the form of dialogue, with brackets used to indicate the situation at the time and brackets used to indicate the characters' actions and expressions.

For example: [On an early winter night, the wind was blowing fiercely outside. In Mrs. Andai's house, in dim light, with a long table standing alone, Hiroko, sitting by the bed, was carefully identifying the girl in the photo one finger at a time.]

Hiroko: (confused) "How are they similar?"

(She looks up at Mrs. Andai, narrowing her eyes.)
Mrs. Andai: (with an inexplicable smile on her face) "Isn't it said that men will look for wives based on the appearance of their first love?"

(She seemed to be hinting at something, and Hiroko also understood the implication, and the two of them remained silent.)
The drama script requires a sense of picture, which coincides with the camera language of love letters.

Cheng Kaiyan's writing was indeed awkward at first, but gradually it became fluent.

Two hours later, the first act of Love Letters was essentially rewritten.

In order to change as few scenes as possible, Cheng Kaiyan deliberately put the stories from Hiroko paying homage to her fiancé, chatting with Mrs. Andai, sending letters, and her relationship with Akiba into one scene, in the old house of the Fujii family.

This is a modification that had to be made.

Fortunately, the effect is obvious, and many contradictions are concentrated in the scene of the old house.

"I'm looking forward to the performance..."

In the dim light outside the window, Cheng Kaiyan smiled relaxedly.

……

Canteen at noon.

"Liu Zhiyi, how is your drama club preparing its scripts? I heard from Peking University's Chen Jiangong that they have prepared a lot of plays for performance, three or four in total. The soonest one, "Sentinels Under Neon Lights," will be performed in two days."

The president of the May Fourth Literary Society called out to the members of the Drama Society.

The tour was jointly organized by four clubs, but many clubs participated. The May Fourth Literary Society and other clubs also rehearsed plays.

But the face of Beijing Normal University is still the Northern Drama Society, after all, they are the regular army.

So soon? The show is about to begin?
When Liu Zhiyi heard about the rehearsal progress of the Peking University drama, his heart suddenly sank.

They are the Northern Drama Club, and they haven't even finalized the script yet...

Liu Zhiyi felt as if a stone was pressed down on his heart, but he did not show any fear on the surface. He said calmly: "Don't worry, Old Huang, our Northern Drama Club has prepared the play."

"That's good. By the way, we heard from Song Jianchun that someone from your drama club seemed to have gone to ask Teacher Cheng for help yesterday. How was it?"

President Huang smiled and asked curiously.

Teacher Cheng is a recognized talent among major universities in Beijing. If we get help from Teacher Cheng, getting a good ranking is basically a sure thing.

This joint tour also has a ranking system.

If it is lower, it will be shameful; if it is higher, it will be glorious.

Considering the school's honor is involved, it's no wonder that the drama club members care so much about this tour.

"Do not worry."

Liu Zhiyi had mixed feelings. He responded casually and then took the people from the drama club away.

Back in the drama club activity room, everyone sat on the floor worriedly, not knowing what to do.

"How about we just order The Merchant of Venice and ask Teacher Cheng to help revise it?"

Upon seeing this, President Liu discussed the matter with Zhao Ruixue.

"Let's just do it on our own. It doesn't matter if the dialogue is a little rough. It's easy to rehearse anyway, and it's better than having nothing to act."

Zhao Ruixue shook her head and objected.

In her opinion, it is better to be independent and self-reliant.

After this incident, I believe everyone knows that they cannot rely on teachers Huang Huilin and Shao Wu. Without them, the drama club will be like a fish out of water and will not be able to revise even a script.

What's the point?
"I think we need to study script writing in our drama club. This is something that can only happen once and not twice."

She warned earnestly.

"you are right."

President Liu's voice was a little low. As the president, she was naturally ashamed that she did not have the ability to help the club.

But she soon cheered up, clapped her hands vigorously and announced loudly: "Okay comrades, we have decided on the rehearsal repertoire, and now we will start to arrange the specific matters. Let's do this..."

Everyone in the drama club listened carefully and took notes of their own work.

At this moment, the half-open iron door of the society creaked.

A figure walked in.

President Liu looked up and asked in surprise, "Teacher Cheng, why are you here?"

When everyone heard this, they quickly turned around to look, with different expressions, some were indifferent, some were surprised, and some were admiring.

Ji Qinglan had sharp eyes. When she saw the notebook in Cheng Kaiyan's hand, a guess came to her mind. She shouted, "Teacher Cheng! Did you bring the script with you?"

When these words came out, everyone was shocked.

script?

More than a dozen eyes were staring at him as if they wanted to tear Cheng Kaiyan's clothes off.

"I have a script here. For now, I only have the first act. But first, let me make it clear that it is experimental in nature and there is no guarantee of its quality."

Cheng Kaiyan went straight to the point and raised the notebook in her hand.

"Really!"

"Great!"

"I knew that Teacher Cheng is kind-hearted! Hehe~"

Ji Qinglan came up to him with a smile, snatched the notebook from his hand and took a look at it.

"love letter?"

Modified some descriptions


(End of this chapter)