Exciting 1979!

Chapter 245 New Star Concert, A Song That Captivates the Soul (Guaranteed minimum today!)
Why is she sitting in front of me when there are so many seats available?
Gong Xue smiled at Zhang Yu, then sped up his eating.

Zhang Yu then took the initiative to greet him: "Comrade Gong Xue, what do you think of my outfit?"

Ganfanxue looked up, glanced at it perfunctorily, and then said sincerely, "It's very beautiful and suits you well."

Zhang Yu laughed and said, "I bought it in Yanjing. You know the store called Oriental Plaza, right?"

When she mentioned her boyfriend's shop, Gong Xue became serious: "I know."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I saw your poster outside that store."

"Yes, the shop is owned by my friend," she readily admitted.

Zhang Yu: "Isn't it a coincidence? There was another poster, and the actor on that poster was named Zhu Lin. I also ran into him at the Beijing Film Studio."

"Beijing Film Studio?"

"Yes, the female lead in Shui Hua's new film 'The Mourning,' the one with Comrade Da Shichang as the male lead."

"Oh, I think I saw it in the newspaper." However, Gong Xue didn't pay much attention to the female lead.

"I thought you knew a lot. The boss said you and Zhu Lin are friends too."

Gong Xue's heart skipped a beat. "I don't know this name. I've never heard of it before."

She guessed that the boss Zhang Yu was referring to was Xiao Mei, and that Xiao Mei probably had some misunderstanding.

Thinking of this possibility, Gong Xue smiled faintly: "I haven't been to Yanjing for a long time, so I really don't know much about it."

"I see~" Gong Xue's indifferent reaction disappointed Zhang Yu.

Just as she was about to reveal that Wei Ming had sent Zhu Lin back to the Beijing Film Studio, Gong Xue stood up.

"Comrade Zhang Yu, I've finished eating. I have filming tomorrow morning, so I'll be going now."

Upon returning to his room at the guesthouse, Gong Xue immediately opened Wei Ming's letter.

The letter mainly contained two pieces of good news: first, "Jumanji" was selling very well and receiving good reviews in North America, and Wei had truly become an "international Wei".

Gong Xue was genuinely happy for the little man, and later Wei Ming even mentioned the painting he had just bought.

"The mountains are ablaze with red, the forests are dyed in vibrant colors!" Gong Xue exclaimed. She had seen this painting in a magazine, and it was truly breathtakingly beautiful. She never expected that Xiao Wei would buy it.

Even without Wei Ming's invitation, Gong Xue wanted to see the original work, but unfortunately, her role was small and fragmented, and she immediately took on another role after finishing one.

Gong Xue spread out the letter paper and began writing a reply to Wei Ming, while also mentioning her friend "Zhu Lin".

~
On a green train.

Wei Jiefang and Zhang Yimou squatted at the junction of the two trains. When they finished eating the last chicken leg, they arrived in Yanjing.

"Niu and Niu Er" is not finished filming yet. Zhang Yimou came back to attend classes. He has already gained experience on the film set, and he will need to supplement his professional knowledge in class.

Old Wei hasn't finished slaughtering the cattle yet, but with the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approaching, he has important things to do.

Niu didn't have many scenes during this period, and Li Baotian got along well with Niu. He cooperated quite well when Niu wasn't around, so the director gave him a short break to go back to Beijing and reunite with his family.

During this time, Zhang Yimou had been following Lao Wei around. Although he served Uncle Wei diligently, he certainly didn't skimp on his appetite. He almost ate all the chickens from the villagers' farm, and Zhang Yimou's gaunt face even became plump.

They had a layover in Dezhou on the way, but they couldn't buy seats. However, Lao Wei didn't forget to buy Dezhou braised chicken, and the two of them ate it all the way.

They parted ways at the bus stop, and Lao Wei went directly to their new home in the Overseas Chinese Apartment according to the address and directions left in his wife's letter.

Although they had been communicating, Lao Wei didn't tell his wife that he was coming back today, planning to give his family a surprise and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together tonight.

As a result, they couldn't even get into the community gate.

Old Sun stopped the middle-aged man in tattered clothes, who looked like he was begging in the city.

"Hey buddy, you can't come in if you're not a resident. Go check over there."

“Brother, I’m not from around here, but my son is. You know Wei Ming, right? The famous writer.” As he spoke, Old Wei offered him a cigarette.

“I know,” Old Sun took the cigarette and looked him up and down, still suspicious. “Buddy, you just came out of the mountains, didn’t you?”

“That’s right, I went to a remote mountain village to film with the crew,” Lao Wei said, pulling out a photo. “You know Liu Xiaoqing, right?”

This is a group photo taken by Zhang Yimou of him, Liu Xiaoqing, and the three cows.

"Hey, brother, you're an actor too!" Old Sun exclaimed in surprise. The Wei family is full of talented people; his sister is even a genius from Peking University.

"I guess so," Old Wei said again. "I also have a family photo here. Would you like to take another look?"

"No need, no need," Old Sun didn't dare to stop him anymore and let Wei Jiefang go in directly. "Building No. 4 is in that direction."

Old Wei was carrying a duffel bag and a woven bag on his shoulder. His hair was greasy, and his appearance was not very elegant. However, with his experience in the underworld, if you look a little dirty, thieves won't bother you.

Although the neighbors coming and going all appeared to be wealthy and respectable, Old Wei was mentally strong. He figured that once he washed his hair and changed his clothes, no one would remember what he looked like before.

However, after going up to the third floor and finding his room, Lao Wei knocked on the door, but no one answered.

"Oh, this is it. Why aren't any of them home?" It should be dinnertime.

Did they go out to eat again?
Old Wei felt he had guessed right; it must be true. There were people in the crew who particularly liked Xiaoming's essays, and it was said that the essays were all about which restaurants he visited.

So Lao Wei went back down the same way he came up, only this time he changed into clean clothes.

As soon as he left, Wu Zuoren and his wife Xiao Shufang from next door also went out. They were dressed appropriately, clearly going to attend some formal occasion.

~
"Brother, no one's home." Old Wei said to the gatekeeper.

Old Sun: "I remember now, your wife went out before and hasn't come back yet, and Teacher Wei hasn't come back either."

Old Wei: "Then I'll leave my luggage with you. I'm going out for a walk. They'll be back by dark, won't they?"

"Ok, Ok."

"Is there anything fun to do nearby?" he asked.

Old Sun said, "Oh, there's a Zizhuyuan Park to the north. It's nice and not far, about ten minutes away."

Wei Jiefang nodded, intending to take a stroll and have a meal, but when he arrived at Zizhuyuan Park, damn it, there was an entrance fee.

It's not a lot of money, but it's just a park. Can you compare it to the Old Summer Palace? The Old Summer Palace was free.

So Lao Wei turned around and left.

I was originally looking for a restaurant to eat at, but as I walked around, I saw a huge crowd of people.

Old Wei, wanting to see what was going on, stepped forward and asked, "Comrades, what are you doing here?"

"Let's go to the Capital Indoor Stadium, there's a concert today."

A stadium? A concert hall?
Old Wei is from the countryside; that doesn't seem to fit the bill at all.

But with so many people, it must be a good place, so he asked again, "Can anyone come in?"

“Of course not,” Old Yanjing glanced at Wei Jiefang, somewhat impatiently, “You have to buy a ticket.”

"How much is it?" Old Wei still had some spare cash. He figured he might as well buy a ticket. Watching this concert would be more meaningful than going to the park.

Old Yanjing chuckled and said, "They were sold out long ago. I started queuing at dawn, from the Capital Indoor Stadium to the Zoo. Goodness, the tickets were only released for three hours and all 30,000 tickets were sold out."

After saying that, he proudly waved the ticket in his hand.

By this time they were approaching the Capital Indoor Stadium, and they saw a long line of people. The scale of this event was much larger than that of Masashi Sada's concert.

Old Wei was somewhat unwilling to give up. The more he couldn't get in, the more he wanted to go in. So he ran to the front to take a look and see if there was a chance.

Suddenly, he saw hope.

A petite girl was struggling to push an old man in a wheelchair. The old man was probably paralyzed; he didn't speak, and his eyes were lifeless.

Someone like this attending a concert must be someone important; he used a separate entrance, separate from the regular audience.

Moreover, the passageway had a ramp, and seeing the little girl struggling to push it and almost sliding down, Lao Wei quickly ran up.

"Let me do it, don't let the old man fall again."

"Thank you, Uncle." The young girl didn't seem to mind that Old Wei's clothes were rather plain.

"Who is this to you?" As he got closer, Old Wei became even more certain that the old man was paralyzed, probably from a stroke, and he also seemed to have gone blind.

"This is an old man who is my neighbor."

Wei Jiefang: "Wow, even in this condition, you still go to concerts. You must really love it."

The little girl said, "Grandpa Liu is a great musician, but he is also a pitiful man."

"A musician, huh? My son's a musician too. What songs has this old man written?" Old Wei was about to show off his son. With just a few songs his son had written, what could you possibly compete with me?

The little girl said, "Have you ever heard of my home in Northeast China, on the Songhua River?"

Old Wei hissed and looked at the old man in surprise: "He wrote this song! His son really can't compare."

"No."

Old Wei: "..." Kid, you're very humorous.

The little girl continued, "During the Anti-Japanese War, there was a 'Trilogy of Exile.' 'On the Songhua River' was the first song, and the other two were composed by Grandpa Liu. He also wrote some songs, which were very impressive. Even Taiwanese people sang them, but he suffered too much because of those songs."

The little girl didn't say anything more, afraid that Grandpa Liu would understand. Old Wei didn't ask any more questions either, since he understood as well.

There were people guarding the way ahead, and Old Wei exclaimed, "Oh dear, I just had my ticket checked, can I go in with you from here?"

The little girl said, "Sure, I'll talk to them."

The other party was very easy to talk to. After the young girl showed them a certificate, they let them in right away, after all, this was a very special guest.

Moreover, once inside, staff greeted them and seated them very close to the stage, practically VIP level. Old Wei, a little nervous, asked the young woman, "Is it appropriate for me to sit here? Should I go sit in the back?"

The little girl said, "Are you alright? I can just stand here."

Old Wei laughed: "It's okay, I'll just stand. I've been sitting on the same train for a while, so I just want to stand for a bit."

"Uncle, I forgot to ask earlier, what songs has your musician son written? I think your son is probably not very old."

"Oh, it's nothing big, it's just that 'On the Fields of Hope'."

"What!"

~
Meanwhile, Wei Ming, Wei Hong, Xu Shufen, Wei Pingan, Lü Xiaoyan, Xizi, Lele, Xu Yunyun, and Mei Wenhua, a large group of people, sat on the other side of the stage, in the VIP seats, facing the stage directly.

However, this is a stadium, the stage is too big, and all the seats are VIP seats, but the seats are on the left and right.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for family reunion. I didn't expect them to be willing to spend it with their families in this way, so Wei Ming simply prepared a ticket for each of them, and they could all sit together.

Before the official start, Wei Ming looked around but didn't see Teacher Gu. He figured she must be backstage. Although he had contributed a song, he just wanted to be a listener today.

As they looked around, they didn't see Teacher Gu, but they did see their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Wu Zuoren.

"Grandpa Wu, Aunt Xiao, you're here too."

Xiao Shufang said, "Our tickets are over there, it's a pity we couldn't sit together."

Wei Ming didn't help them get the tickets. He had asked them before if they needed any help, but they said they didn't, as they had their own connections.

Xiao Shufang's uncle, Xiao Youmei, is considered the father of modern Chinese music, one of the founders of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and also served as Mr. Sun Yat-sen's secretary. He has extensive connections in the music industry.

After chatting with Wei Ming for a couple of minutes, Xiao Shufang and her companion went to find their seats. Coincidentally, they were sitting with Lao Wei and his group.

However, the two did not know Wei Jiefang, but when they saw Grandpa Liu in the wheelchair, Xiao Shufang couldn't help but get teary-eyed.

"Xue'an, what happened to you?"

The musician Liu Xue'an, in his wheelchair, was expressionless; he had long been blind.

Xiao Shufang assumed that Lao Wei was also a relative or friend of Liu Xue'an, so she introduced him, saying, "He is my uncle's student, one of his most outstanding students."

Before the concert officially began, Xiao Shufang simply sang "The Great Wall stretches for ten thousand miles, beyond the Great Wall lies my hometown, where sorghum grows fat and soybeans are fragrant, and gold is everywhere with few disasters..."

The little girl whispered to Old Wei, "This song is called 'The Great Wall Ballad,' and it was also composed by Grandpa Liu."

Old Wei thought the song sounded familiar; he felt that Old Wei must have sung it to him when he was a child.

But how come I've never heard such a good song and such good lyrics since I grew up?
Upon hearing this song he had composed, Liu Xue'an's cloudy eyes finally showed some emotion; he clearly understood it.

At this moment, all the lights in the venue began to dim, except for this area on the stage where the lights were still on. Xiao Shufang stopped talking; she knew the concert was about to officially begin.

~
Wei Hong tugged at her brother's sleeve: "It's started! It's finally started!"

Looking at the large group of people around her, Xu Shufen felt a pang of regret. Ping An's family was also there, and Yunyun had brought her husband. She wished Jiefang could come back.

We can't let him touch movies anymore; he's caused so much trouble.

In the past, performances generally had an announcer, but today's announcer Kan Lijun of the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater is a little different; she is more like a presenter in later generations.

After taking the stage, he introduced the significance of the New Star Concert, then introduced the first singer and interacted with the audience, rather than mechanically going on stage, announcing the program, and leaving the stage.

The first performer was Su Xiaoming from the Naval Political Department Song and Dance Troupe, who sang her signature song, "Night at the Naval Port," which includes the lyrics: "The night at the naval port is quiet, the waves gently rock the warships..."

Wei Ming started singing along. Although the song wasn't widely popular yet, he had heard it on the radio.

Later, Su Xiaoming went to France to study music, and then she married a Frenchman.

However, in later generations, Su Xiaoming is more known as a television actress, playing various difficult mothers.

Then Zheng Xulan from the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe sang "On Sun Island," which included the lyrics, "On a bright summer day, the sky is so clear, and the beautiful Sun Island is so enchanting..."

This song became famous because of the TV documentary "Summer in Harbin," and many people at the scene sang along.

At this time, Zheng Xulan had not yet sung her famous "Shepherd's Song," nor had she become an American.

Then there's Ren Yan, a soprano with the Central Song and Dance Troupe and a student of Gu Jianfen.

She sang "Young Friends Come to Meet," a song composed by Teacher Gu, which is even more well-known than the previous two songs, and almost everyone knows it.

Perhaps influenced by Ms. Gu, she later spent most of her time living in Japan.

Then there's Ms. Zhu Mingying from the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe. Her songs are all dance-based and are very effective at engaging the audience's emotions.

The first song she sang today was "May Everyone Succeed".

Later, she went abroad and even started a company in the United States, becoming an entrepreneur and actively donating to charity. However, she did not neglect her singing career in China.

Next up was Wu Guosong, also from the Central Song and Dance Troupe. He sang the hit song of the year, "On the Hopeful Fields," which once again brought the atmosphere to a climax.

Sitting on the left side of the stage, Lao Wei exclaimed excitedly, "This is the song my son wrote! Awesome!"

Wu Zuoren glanced at him slowly, then nudged his wife.

Xiao Shufang: "What's wrong?"

"He said his son wrote the song. Can you believe how many lies some sons can tell?"

Xiao Shufang whispered, "Poor father."

They may not have a say in other songs, but this song was written by their neighbor, Xiao Wei. If you were really Xiao Wei's father, would you be sitting here? You would definitely be sitting with your wife and children.

Just then, a staff member came over and said a few words to the little girl pushing Liu Xue'an, who immediately panicked.

Oh, we have to go on stage.

This was a segment arranged by the program team, who felt that they should give the old man a proper vindication on this occasion, as his life had been too bitter.

The little girl looked left and right, then said to Wei Jiefang, "Uncle, why don't you push Grandpa Liu up?"

"Sure," Wei Jiefang casually agreed, then, "Hmm? What's up?"

Liu Xue'an also wrote a very famous song called "When Will You Return?", which was sung by Li Xianglan during the Republic of China era and by Teresa Teng a few years ago. It became popular in mainland China after being sung in Taiwan.

He composed the music, but he ended up in this predicament because of the lyrics of this song.

The host, Kan Lijun, first introduced the debate about the song "When Will You Return?" that took place in the Yanjing Evening News some time ago.

Wei Ming also knew that at the time, both "Southern Zhu and Northern Li" were criticized, let alone this song. However, editors such as Sha Qing from the Yanjing Evening News fought for popular music and achieved an initial victory, which led to the holding of this grand concert.

Unfortunately, in order not to provoke the sensitive nerves of those conservatives, they did not invite Zhu Fengbo (Southern Zhu) or Li Guyi (Northern Li), but instead invited this poor old man.

As the melody of "The Great Wall Ballad" began, a middle-aged man pushed an elderly man onto the stage through the VIP passage.

Then Wei Ming, Wei Hong, Xu Shufen, Wei Pingan, and everyone else were dumbfounded.

There are people in the world who look so alike!

Xu Shufen was the first to realize, "Wait a minute, this is his home, Jiefang!"

Xu Shufen disregarded the emotional atmosphere on stage, stood up and waved to Wei Jiefang, but did not say anything.

There were many people standing at the scene, but when Xu Shufen stood up, Lao Wei spotted her immediately.

Then I noticed the cats and dogs next to me.

Oh, so you guys were hiding from me and came here to listen to music instead of staying home!
If it weren't for the responsibility of pushing the wheelchair, Lao Wei would have loved to jump down right now and give his wife a kiss.

The dutiful Lao Wei looked at the 70-year-old man in front of him. His mind was imprisoned in his body, and he could no longer see. But at this moment, the CCTV camera gave him a close-up, and you could see that he was already in tears.

After hearing his story, all the audience members stood up and applauded.

Finally, at the host's instruction, the old man was pushed off by Wei Jiefang. As he went down, he saw several children eager to try.

The host on stage continued, "The power of music is immense. Fifty years ago, the music of predecessors like Mr. Liu inspired us to drive out the Japanese invaders and reclaim our homeland. Now, a large number of young musicians are using their works to reflect the voice of the times, such as 'Young Friends Come to Meet' and 'On the Fields of Hope.' The next song was composed by the young musician Wei Ming, and sung by a group of children from the Galaxy Choir. Please enjoy—'The Same Song'!"

After stepping off the stage, Lao Wei was looking in the direction of Xu Shufen and the others when he heard "Wei Ming" and "The Same Song".

Old Wei excitedly said to the little girl next to him, "Hey, it's my son's song again!"

This guy Wu Zuoren and his wife can't pretend they can't hear. Could it be that this man's son is also named Wei Ming?

“Comrade, this musician Wei Ming is also the writer Wei Ming. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Wu Zuoren said.

Old Wei: "That's right, my son can write songs, write novels, and speak English too..."

When talking about his son, Old Wei went on and on.

Wu Zuoren was surprised: "No, how could your son be Wei Ming?"

“My son is Wei Ming! Oh, listen to a song, listen to a song.” Old Wei interrupted the puzzled Old Wu as he saw the children on stage.

Cai Guoqing began: "The flowers once told me how you walked, and the earth knows every corner of your heart."

Then Wang Fei continued: "No one should miss a sweet dream, and we've finally arrived at this joyous moment of reunion..."

Then the chorus sang: "We have traversed thousands of rivers and mountains, and every encounter and smile is etched in our memories..."

On the other side, Lü Xiaoyan exclaimed, "Oh my, this song 'The Same Song' is so good! The melody and lyrics are great, and Lele can even sing along."

Wei Ming laughed and said, "I'll write another song just as good for Lele later."

Wei Ping'an: "But how come Brother Jiefang is here? And with Old Liu, that doesn't make sense!"

Xu Shufen gazed longingly in Lao Wei's direction: "Xiaoming, can I go find your dad? Don't get lost when the show ends..."

~
(Finally paid it back! Please vote for me! I'll continue to add more chapters to pay back the votes!)

(End of this chapter)