Exciting 1979!

Chapter 242 How Many Good Sisters Do You Actually Have?

"Back then, I was chatting with a madam at a nightclub. She sighed and said, 'Men these days are so useless. Men need to be more assertive.' I said, 'Mr. Musician, write a song to encourage men to be more assertive.' And that's how 'Declaration of Respect' came about..."

Masashi Sada is being interviewed by CCTV. The translation is difficult, as the translator encountered two blind spots in his knowledge in just one sentence.

What is a nightclub?

What is a mama-san?
He had no choice but to translate it as "restaurant and proprietress" based on the context, but he knew he must have translated it wrong, because he knew exactly how to say "restaurant and proprietress".

At this moment, Wei Ming and Gu Jianfen entered, followed by a CCTV cameraman. Wei Ming glanced at his name tag: Wang Chongqiu, who looked to be in his thirties. He seemed to have heard the name somewhere before.

After Masashi Sada finished his interview, Ms. Gu brought Wei Ming to him and introduced him directly in Japanese, as Ms. Gu had spent her childhood in Japan.

Masashi Sada smiled and shook hands with Wei Ming. Wei Ming noticed that he was really not very tall, only about 1.6 meters. Wei Ming looked like a giant in front of him.

Masashi Sada looked up and said, "I heard that Mr. Wei is not only a musician, but also a famous writer. He is truly admirable."

Teacher Gu acted as their translator, but Sada would occasionally utter a few words of Chinese. He only knew a little bit, which was better than Wei Mingqiang's. Wei Mingqiang's Japanese was barely passable.

Wei Ming was not modest, saying that writing was his main job and that he had only just begun to explore music. Zuo Tian was even more surprised. He had heard several songs that Wei Ming had written for Hong Kong musicians. Regardless of the lyrics, the melodies alone were already quite mature.

Perhaps that's what genius is all about. However, Masashi Sada considers himself a musical genius as well, as he basically writes his own songs and rarely uses other people's works unless he wants to sing a foreign language song.

"Can I ask Wei Sang to write a song for me? Could you write Chinese lyrics for it? The melody can be taken from any of the songs I sang today. I want to be able to sing a song in Chinese at my next concert in China."

Wei Ming: What a coincidence! How about the "Declaration of Manhood"?

"Do you have a pen and paper?" Wei Ming asked.

"Huh?" Sada was taken aback and quickly asked his assistant to bring paper and pen.

Wei Ming quickly wrote down the "Declaration of a Man" that he had just sung for Sister Lin.

After writing it, Wei Ming sang it again. Although Sada couldn't understand most of the lyrics, it was indeed his "Kanpaku Declaration".

After listening, Gu Jianfen led the applause. Xiao Wei might have to put in some effort to compose the music, but writing lyrics was as easy as drinking water.

The lyrics of this song achieve faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance, demonstrating exceptional skill.

Gu Jianfen clapped, as did the female translator and others present who could understand Chinese; they were clearly very satisfied with this version.

Judging from everyone's reactions, Masashi Sada knows that this translated version of "Kanpaku Declaration" is quite good.

So, did this young writer complete such an adapted song in just a few minutes after listening to it?

Masashi Sada found it incredible, and looking at the towering Wei Ming, he felt even more awe and respect!
Wei Ming didn't try to fool anyone. He asked Teacher Gu to explain it to him, and Sada learned that Wei Ming had heard the song before and learned the general meaning of the lyrics from the international students. So he later wrote the lyrics himself, but he never published them. He just sang them for fun.

"I see," Sada breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness he wasn't too monstrous."

He then invited Wei Ming to sing it again so he could record it for later study.

Wei Ming didn't refuse, but he didn't know about the writing fee...

Masashi Sada certainly thought about the writing fee, but he felt that giving money to a well-known Chinese writer like Wei Ming would be too vulgar. So he gritted his teeth and chose one of his usual guitars to give to Wei Ming.

"As the saying goes, 'High mountains and flowing water seek a kindred spirit,' and a guitar is a gift to a kindred spirit." This is a Chinese quote by Masashi Sada.

Although Sada didn't say how valuable the guitar was, Wei Ming could tell that the sound quality was quite good, clearly the work of a master.

It seems that after Masashi Sada's concert, melancholic male college students playing guitar became popular on Chinese university campuses, influencing a large number of folk singers.

Wei Ming accepted the guitar, and CCTV photographer Wang Chongqiu solemnly recorded this moment of Wei Ming accepting the guitar.

Actually, Wei Ming also wanted to give something as a gift, such as a cassette tape of "The Shepherd's Spring" or the novel "Ferocious Animals," but unfortunately he didn't bring any with him.

Masashi Sada then left his business card, which included his company's address and contact information.

Unfortunately, Wei Ming didn't have these things, so he could only write Peking University's address after the lyrics and invite him to come to Peking University if he had the chance, and he would make arrangements for him then.

Masashi Sada smiled and said, "Definitely, definitely." He had to meet with Japanese exchange students next, so Wei Ming and Professor Gu said goodbye.

Wei Ming was in a hurry to find Sister Lin, but then he saw a group of Japanese exchange students walking over, including students from Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Wei Hong.

"Xiao Hong, what's wrong?"

"Oh, my senior sisters insisted on dragging me backstage to play." Wei Hong pointed to several Japanese girls around her. They were all old acquaintances of Wei Ming, and some of them had even wanted to take over Melinda's mantle.

Wei Ming asked, "What about Xizi?"

"I'll leave it to Uncle Ping'an and Aunt Xiaoyan."

Wei Ming: "That's good. You can go back to school with your senior sisters then. I have to go now."

Wei Hong: "Huh?"

Wei Ming introduced himself to Teacher Gu: "This is my younger sister, who studies at Peking University."

"I've heard Lü Xiaoyan mention her; she's a genius girl," Teacher Gu said with a smile.

When they returned to the scene, most of the audience had left, but the reporter Sha Qing was still there.

Teacher Gu beckoned, and he came over, his gaze falling on Wei Ming's guitar.

"I don't need to introduce you since you were sitting together just now," said Teacher Gu.

Wei Ming asked in surprise, "You know Teacher Gu?"

Reporter Sha Qing said, "Our evening newspaper plans to collaborate with CCTV to put on a new star concert, and Mr. Gu is our consultant."

Wei Ming: As expected of a great musician who dares to absorb musical nourishment from all over the world, she is indispensable at these kinds of events.

However, he vaguely remembered the "New Star Concert" that Wei Ming mentioned. It seemed to be a cultural event with great influence. However, in his previous life, Wei Ming lived in the countryside and could only learn about it indirectly from newspapers.

It seems that since then, "singer" has become a term that can be used openly and honestly.

Gu Jianfen said, "Cheng Lin, who sang your song before, has also been invited to participate in this concert."

Cheng Lin, a 13-year-old girl who is already receiving a salary from the Naval Political Department Song and Dance Troupe, has recently become quite famous. In addition to Wei Ming's previous work "The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms," she now has another song, "Little Conch Shell," which is also very popular, and at this time, she has not yet been criticized.

Sha Qing said, "Actually, I was just about to ask if Writer Wei has any new musical works recently. Our concert hopes to promote more new songs and new artists to the public, but there are still too few new songs that people like to listen to now, so it may be difficult to put together a concert. Our concert will last for two days."

The New Star Concert in 80 can be considered the starting point of mainland pop music, but the singers promoted were basically official musicians, and the songs promoted were mostly in the style of "Young Friends Come to Meet", "Night at the Military Port" and "On the Hopeful Fields". Most of the songs that Wei Ming wrote for Hong Kong could not be used.

But there are also some usable ones, such as "Dream Camel Bells," which has a very positive and uplifting theme and is also a pleasant song to listen to. Wei Ming highly recommends it.

"What? You wrote 'Dream Camel Bells'?" Sha Qing asked incredulously.

Gu Jianfen nodded: "It was indeed written by him, I can vouch for it."

After a moment of hesitation, Sha Qing said, "We are indeed hesitant about whether to add this song to the playlist, but since it came from Hong Kong, we are still a bit unsure."

Suddenly, Sha Qing realized: "So you also wrote 'Liuliu' and 'Flower in the Water'?!"

Wei Ming asked in surprise, "The poem 'Flowers in the Water' has already been circulated here?"

He admitted it!

Sha Qing swallowed hard: "I just heard about this recently. I'm a music writer for the Evening News, so I have the opportunity to hear the latest music. The songs you wrote on this cassette are of a very high standard. I heard they're very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It's a pity that the style doesn't suit our concert."

It's all about romance and love, but "Dream Camel Bells" is a good fit. Now that she knows the original author is one of her own, Sha Qing feels she has to add it.

However, after learning about Wei Ming's terrifying creative ability, Sha Qing hoped that Wei Ming could write some more songs like "On the Hopeful Fields".

Wei Ming isn't very enthusiastic about writing songs in mainland China, but he's very interested in cultivating good relationships with the Beijing Evening News. He doesn't have enough friends in the media.

However, he couldn't agree too readily, so he asked, "When will this concert be held?"

Sha Qing: "The 23rd and 24th are the two days."

Wei Ming stroked his chin and frowned: "There's still more than a week left, I'm a little nervous."

Sha Qing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Our program will be broadcast on CCTV, and its influence will be significant. If Writer Wei can write another popular song and spread it through our event, it will be a blessing for the people."

Wei Ming: "Then I'll try my best."

Sha Qing hurriedly took out his notebook and wrote down their company's phone number, asking Wei Ming to write it down and then notify him so he could come and pick it up in person.

When Gu Jianfen saw that Wei Ming had agreed, she knew that he must have a plan in mind and might already have a draft in mind. She asked, "So, Xiao Wei, have you decided who you want to sing?"

Sha Qingxin thought, "We don't even have a song yet, and we don't even know what style it is. Are we already thinking about the singer?"

Wei Mingdao: "Those two young singers I worked with before, Xia Lin and Cai Guoqing, weren't they invited, were they?"

Sha Qing said, "They are too young. For 'On the Fields of Hope,' we invited another female singer."

Cai Guoqing is 12 years old, one year younger than Cheng Lin, and Xia Lin is only 11 years old and just started junior high school this year. However, they are all members of the CCTV Galaxy Children's Choir, so they are not inexperienced children who have never experienced a big stage.

With the mindset of making good connections today and reaping good results tomorrow, Wei Ming said, "If they are willing to participate, I can write a song for them."

As for Lele, forget it. She's too young, only 5 years old. Too much work interferes with her sleep and growth. She'll have plenty of opportunities when she's older.

Judging from Wei Ming's words, Sha Qing felt that Wei Ming wanted to write a children's song. She was slightly disappointed, but it was good enough that he agreed to write it. Moreover, there was also "Dream Camel Bells". This concert was already quite rich.

After settling the matter, Wei Ming said goodbye, "Teacher Gu, Reporter Sha, I'll be leaving now. My friend is waiting for me outside."

Wei Ming was afraid that Sister Lin wouldn't be able to wait and would leave first. It was so late at night, and it was dangerous for such a beautiful woman to be alone.

When they left the theater, Sister Lin didn't leave; instead, she chatted and laughed with Uncle Ping An and Aunt Xiao Yan.

Wei Ming was puzzled. He hadn't even introduced them yet, so how did they get to know each other?

He strummed the guitar, and the others immediately looked over.

Lele rushed over and said, "Big brother, I told you this lady is the one in the poster, I didn't mistake her, did I?"

So that's how we met.

"Uncle, Aunt, let me introduce you. This is Comrade Zhu Lin, now an actor, and my friend."

Zhu Lin felt a little awkward, unsure of how to address the other person, especially Lü Xiaoyan, who didn't look much older than him.

Lü Xiaoyan asked with a kind smile, "Did you come together?"

"Yes," Wei Ming admitted shamelessly.

Wei Ping'an nodded. "You little rascal, leaving your sister and brother behind to go to a concert with a girl. No wonder I saw Xiao Hong but not you."

Lü Xiaoyan felt indignant on behalf of her good friend Gong Xue. Back then, Xiao Xue was too insecure about her age to express her feelings, but now it seems that Xiao Ming prefers older women!

Seeing that it was almost ten o'clock, Wei Ming said, "Uncle, why don't we head back? It's getting late." Wei Ping'an asked, "What about Xiao Hong?"

“She went back with a lot of international students from Peking University,” Wei Ming reassured him.

Lü Xiaoyan looked at her two children. One bicycle wasn't enough for them; they would have to rely on Wei Ming's motorcycle.

This time, Lele immediately grabbed Zhu Lin's leg and said, "This time it's my turn to leave with my older brother."

Wei Ming thought to himself, while saying aloud, "Brother, why are you hugging your sister-in-law?"

Zhu Lin looked at Lele with great affection. The little girl reminded her of her goddaughter. She thought she would visit the child when she had the chance, as she would be turning one year old soon.

Wei Ming picked up Lele and said, "Then let Lele come with us."

While nestled in Wei Ming's arms, Lele casually played the guitar, playing the tune of the "Kanpaku Declaration," and it sounded at least half the same. This little girl has some talent.

"What's this?" Zhu Lin pointed to the guitar.

Wei Ming: "It was a gift from a Japanese friend."

"Why?"

"Because of the 'Declaration of Manhood'," Wei Ming explained simply.

Wei Ming had Lele sit between him and Zhu Lin while holding a guitar, and waved goodbye to Uncle Ping An and the others.

If he took Lele first, Uncle Ping'an and the others would definitely not get home, so Wei Ming decided to take Zhu Lin first.

Zhu Lin said, "Take me back to the Beijing Film Studio. The studio arranged a room for me in the guesthouse today, and I'll be staying there from now on."

Wei Ming was delighted and asked, "Do you have a room all to yourself?"

In front of the child, Zhu Lin blushed slightly and hummed in agreement. However, she couldn't do anything wrong in a guesthouse when she was alone in a room, especially since the soundproofing wasn't very good.

Unless the two of them are completely silent, but how can that kind of thing not make a sound? Even if he covers his mouth, the impact will still make a sound!

As she was thinking, Zhu Lin subconsciously reached out to hug Wei Ming's waist, but then remembered that there was little Lele in between.

Zhu Lin asked her, "Did Lele like the songs we sang today?"

"I like it." Lele strummed her guitar haphazardly, but with a certain order to it.

Zhu Lin exclaimed, "Lele can already play the guitar at such a young age!"

Wei Ming laughed and said, "She can also play the violin. If it weren't for her short arms, we should arrange for her to learn the piano."

Lele quickly replied, "I can also play the harmonica; it was a gift from my older brother."

That was her musical awakening.

~
After dropping Zhu Lin off at the Beijing Film Studio guesthouse, Wei Ming returned to Weixiu Garden. Lele had the key, and the two waited at home for a while before Uncle Ping An and the others returned.

It was already past 11 o'clock, and Wei Ming was thinking of leaving quickly, but Aunt Xiaoyan stopped him with a smile: "Xiao Ming, what is your relationship with this Comrade Zhu Lin today?"

Wei Ming: "They are very good friends. Today, I'm thanking them for being my poster model for free."

"So, are you closer to her or to Xiaoxue?"

Send a proposition!
Wei Ming shamelessly said, "I've known Sister Xue for a long time, but I've spent more time with Sister Lin. They are both my good sisters."

Lü Xiaoyan really wanted to ask: How many good older sisters do you have?

However, Wei Ping'an saved the day. He pointed to the two yawning children and told Wei Ming to run away quickly.

After helping her nephew escape interrogation, Lü Xiaoyan said to Wei Ping'an, "I have a feeling that Xiaoming is going to commit a misconduct offense."

"No way, Xiaoming may be young, but he's very mature."

Lü Xiaoyan snorted: "You old Wei family members, you follow your roots."

"Yes, this child is like his father, and sometimes he's a bit unruly."

Lü Xiaoyan: "I'm talking to you!"

Wei Ping'an cried out that he was wronged. "What did I do wrong? What's wrong with my conduct? It's just that I had a first love. You can't let this go, can you? If you find out that I have a second one, that would be terrible!"

~
Wei Mingjing quietly returned home, and his mother told him early the next morning.

“Someone called you yesterday evening, and I wrote it down.”

My mother is at home, so she can usually receive most of the calls she misses.

Wei Ming took the note and glanced at it. It turned out that Li Guangfu was looking for him, but he didn't say what he wanted to do.

Wei Ming guessed that there might be news about the courtyard house, but Xiao Mei had already bought a house, and he didn't need to buy a courtyard house for the time being, unless it was a large three-courtyard house.

It seems I need to find some time to visit him and tell him not to rush to find me.

Unexpectedly, Li Guangfu was waiting for Wei Ming outside the community when he went out, so it was probably because he had something urgent to do.

Li Guangfu pushed his bicycle and watched Wei Ming come out from inside: "Your neighborhood is really nice, huh?"

Wei Ming accompanied him around for a while, then asked, "Have you found a suitable courtyard house?"

"Oh, there are indeed a few courtyards, but they're not really suitable."

Wei Ming: "Then Brother Li, please help me find a large courtyard house with three courtyards from now on. My friend has already bought a house."

"Is this it too?"

"The houses near Tuanjiehu Lake."

"Oh, I see, I see. Brother Wei's friend is no ordinary person either!" Li Guangfu exclaimed. The houses there must cost over ten thousand.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "You're my friend too, you're praising yourself too."

“I’m far from it, far from it,” Li Guangfu waved his hand, finally getting to the point. “I remember you have overseas connections, right? You have friends in Britain?”

Wei Ming nodded.

"Do you need me to bring anything over?"

"Ok?"

Li Guangfu said, "I'm going abroad."

"Ok!"

Then Li Guangfu proudly recounted that the Beijing People's Art Theatre's "Teahouse" troupe had been invited to perform in Europe, including 15 cities in countries such as West Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

Although Li Guangfu wasn't a big star, he had a small role in "Teahouse" and even had the opportunity to go abroad.

His true intention was certainly not to help Wei Ming carry things; someone who rushes to help others must have ulterior motives.

Wei Ming asked, "Are you going to America?"

"Is America not Europe? I can't go there."

Wei Ming: "My friend is currently working in the United States, not in London."

"Oh dear, that's a pity." Li Guangfu said regretfully.

Wei Ming had already guessed his intentions and asked with a smile, "You've got your eye on the foreign exchange I have, haven't you?"

Li Guangfu smiled sheepishly and said, "I can exchange it at the black market price. The key is that foreign exchange on the black market isn't available every day. I just wanted to bring some foreign goods home."

These days, anyone who can go abroad will generally think of bringing back some rare items for their family and friends. But with so many actors, the troupe gives each actor too little foreign exchange. That's when he remembered Wei Ming, whose novel was a bestseller abroad.

Wei Ming waved his hand: "Using the black market rate would be too formal. How about this, I have US dollars here, one to two, how much do you want to exchange?"

Hearing Wei Ming's frankness, Li Guangfu hesitated for a moment before holding up two fingers.

Two hundred dollars?

Li Guangfu: "Two hundred RMB, I'll just exchange it for one hundred USD."

This is already equivalent to three months of his salary.

"Would you like to come to my house for a visit?"

"No, I'll just wait here." He was afraid his car would be stolen.

Wei Ming went back and brought Li Guangfu a hundred-dollar bill. Li Guangfu exclaimed, "Wow! A hundred dollars? Is it easy to break a bill overseas?"

Wei Ming: "This amount of money can't buy much abroad."

"It's already very good, thank you very much, this has been a great help!" Li Guangfu said sincerely. He took out two hundred yuan and then talked about the courtyard house.

"Recently, the municipal party committee issued a notice on further implementing the policy on private housing by government agencies and military units occupying private houses, requiring them to be returned to their original owners. These government agencies and units occupy the best courtyard houses, including some with two or three courtyards. I will keep an eye out for you, but it will have to wait until I return from abroad."

Wei Ming said he wasn't in a hurry, as he only had a little over ten thousand yuan on hand, and buying a large house would be difficult.

Upon arriving at Peking University, Wei Ming immediately went into seclusion. He wrote for two hours, and at 10 o'clock, his teacher, Professor Lin, came to find him.

His colleagues usually try not to bother him.

"What is it?"

“Teacher Wei,” Teacher Lin said breathlessly, “the South Gate Guard called and said that a Japanese person is looking for you.”

Wei Ming: "Male or female?"

"A man, wearing glasses, not very tall."

Wei Ming didn't expect Masashi Sada to actually come; he wasn't prepared at all. Fortunately, he ran into Liang Zuo as soon as he went up.

"Brother Zuo, can you do me a favor?"

Liang Zuo was deeply alarmed: "Teacher Wei, please don't do this, I'm scared."

Wei Ming: "Xiao Zuo, can you do me a favor?"

Liang Zuo felt relieved: "Ming-ge, say something!"

(End of this chapter)