Exciting 1979!

Chapter 259 Gong Xue's scathing critique of Zhu Lin
The editorial department of Harvest magazine also wrote a letter of introduction for Wei Ming, so he traveled smoothly and was able to check into the Suqian County Guesthouse that same day.

After a long and tiring journey, and a good night's sleep at the guesthouse, Wei Ming packed his bag, took his camera, and went out to take photos.

To make his travel easier, he borrowed a bicycle from the guesthouse. The staff were so accommodating because they had read his novels and listened to his songs.

Since he wanted to observe rural life, Wei Ming rode his bicycle towards the outskirts of the city.

Suqian boasts a well-developed water system, with two major freshwater lakes, Luoma Lake and Hongze Lake, and numerous rivers such as the Grand Canal, the ancient Yellow River, and the Huai-Shu New River flowing through the area.

Wei Ming rode along the canal for a while, then saw a road and rode along it, stopping and starting along the way, taking photos every now and then.

Now that we've confirmed the presence of lupins here, we can confidently add this element to the script.

He then went to the countryside and communicated with the farmers in his not-so-standard northern Jiangsu dialect to learn what crops were grown, how the harvest was, and how much income they had.

The old farmer thought Wei Ming was a cadre from higher up, and he kept saying nice things. After Wei Ming denied it repeatedly, he even took a picture of the old farmer. Only then did the old farmer open up and say some heartfelt words.

"Farming alone isn't enough to feed us, but both of my sons work on the boat, so we can manage. It's just that they're never home, so I don't have a chance to find a wife."

Wei Ming then asked what the place was called.

"This is Goudong Village. There's a town ahead called Lailong Town. There's a market there today, it's very lively. Just keep walking along this road and you'll get there."

Hearing that there was something exciting to be had, Wei Ming took a couple of sips of water and set off again.

However, by the time he arrived, it was already noon, the market was almost over, and there weren't many people left.

As soon as Wei Ming entered, he smelled a fishy odor. There were people selling fish, and not just one. After all, this was the south. Even in his hometown, there were rivers, but the fishery resources were not very abundant.

Wei Ming took photos from time to time, attracting the attention of passersby, but some people were so focused that they didn't even notice him.

A boy of about six or seven years old, leading a girl of about three or four years old, stood intently by the pork stall, their four eyes fixed on it.

The butcher sighed, "Kid, if your grandma doesn't come soon, I'll have to sell this piece of pork to someone else."

The boy, with his chubby face, swallowed hard and said, "Uncle, can you wait a little longer? Grandma will come over after she sells the duck eggs."

Wei Ming smiled. Nowadays, people prefer fatty meat, and it sells better. However, the Wei family has now completed the transformation from greasy fatty meat to healthy lean meat.

Because they can eat meat at every meal, they don't care so much about the fat from the meat, and they even start to enjoy buying ribs that others don't want.

After pushing his bicycle a few more steps, Wei Ming saw a stall selling roasted nuts and seeds that was about to close up shop. He went over and bought some melon seeds, which tasted pretty good.

Then he thought of the "Fool's Melon Seeds" business in Anhui, which seemed to be growing rapidly with many employees. It was said that they had a million yuan in savings last year, but they had also been arrested quite a few times. Taking big steps can easily lead to trouble.

As Wei Ming was walking, an old woman suddenly rushed out.

"Young man, would you like to buy duck eggs?" the old woman asked earnestly. She was probably not very old, but she looked very old.

Wei Ming waved his hand with a smile: "Auntie, I'm from out of town, so I can't eat it even if I buy it."

Seeing that he didn't refuse outright, the old lady quickly added, "These are salted duck eggs that we made ourselves. You can eat them with steamed buns or rice. If you don't like them, you don't have to pay."

Wei Ming thought of the two children he had just seen at the pork stall, and looked around. There was only one person still selling salted duck eggs, so he figured that must be their grandmother.

So he asked with a smile, "How much?"

"Four for one yuan. I have nine left. Just give me two yuan."

Wei Ming had no objection to the price and readily paid.

The old woman strung duck eggs together with withered grass and hung them on Wei Ming's car. Old Wei knew how to do this too, but he had never learned it.

The old woman who received the money immediately headed in the direction Wei Ming had come from, while Wei Ming planned to find a restaurant in town for lunch.

After asking around, I realized I had gone too far, so I went back to find the only small restaurant in town.

Then he saw two children, one big and one small, helping an old woman walk with difficulty. It was the old woman who had just sold him the salted duck eggs. In addition to helping her, the little boy next to her was also carrying a piece of white, fatty meat.

The old woman said embarrassedly, "I was running too fast and tripped."

Seeing how pitiful the old man and the two children were, Wei Ming realized that it would take them a long time to get home.

Since I was looking for a rural example, I offered, "Auntie, please take my car, I'll take you home."

"Oh, this isn't appropriate, it's too much trouble for you."

"No trouble at all, it's just a pleasure to help others. But you have to treat me to a meal, I don't care what I eat."

"Grandma said we're having rice with lard today," a six- or seven-year-old boy next to her said excitedly.

His sister exclaimed excitedly, "Grandma, I want to eat rice with lard too!"

The old woman hurriedly said, "There's no time for lunch, let's eat it tonight."

The old lady is quite shrewd. Wei Ming smiled and said, "I can leave tonight."

aunt:"……"

Wei Ming pointed to the salted duck egg: "Let's have this for lunch."

The two children swallowed hard. This was wonderful; their grandmother usually wouldn't let them eat it.

After helping the old lady onto the car, Wei Ming pushed it back to the village. The older brother helped his grandmother, while the younger sister, being too short, helped her brother carry the fatty meat.

"Young man, what do you do for a living?" The old woman noticed that Wei Ming was dressed smartly and had what looked like a camera hanging around his neck, something that not just anyone could afford.

Wei Ming: "Haha, I'm a novelist, I'm here to gather inspiration."

"What is 'collecting folk songs'?" the little boy asked.

Wei Ming: "It's an act of making the story more relatable to real life. For example, I want to write a story about rural Suqian, but I've never lived here, so I need to come and see for myself."

The little boy nodded knowingly, but his sister still didn't understand and asked him, "Brother, what is field research?"

The little boy said, "I'm just looking for trouble when I'm bored."

Wei Ming laughed heartily, "This kid is quite insightful."

The village isn't far from the town; it only takes about half an hour to get there. Along the roadside, a friend of the little boy asked, "Dongzi, did your family buy meat today?"

The little boy named Dongzi said proudly, "Yes, Grandma sold the duck eggs! Three pounds of fatty meat!"

Wei Ming was taken aback. Dongzi?

He looked at the little boy behind him; the boy was so chubby-cheeked and looked like an old friend.

Then he remembered that this was Suqian, the most famous place in history to be associated with Xiang Yu, and the second most famous was Dongzi.

So he asked the old woman, "Auntie, your two children are so well-behaved, how old are they?"

"Oh, one is six years old, and the other is three years old."

Their ages were roughly the same, and he asked, "Do you usually take care of him? It must be very tiring."

"Yes, their parents are both busy."

"Busy making big money, huh?" Wei Ming laughed.

“What big money can you make? It’s just hard-earned money. I follow others on boats, running back and forth on this canal. I can’t even take care of my children,” the old woman sighed.

The fact that his parents were boatmen also fits the description. Dongzi's ancestors were actually quite well-off, owning several boats for commercial transport. During a special period, the boats were confiscated, and Dongzi's father dropped out of school early. Before and after marriage, he worked on boats with others, but the family tradition of doing business remained unchanged.

In the 80s, he sold his family property and borrowed money to finally buy a boat, and life became a little better. He even became the first person in the village to build a bungalow and buy a television.

But later, thinking about upgrading from a small boat to a larger one, he increased his investment and got swindled, owing a lot of money. So when Dongzi went to university, his family's financial situation was indeed just average.

"Young man, what's your full name?" Wei Ming asked Dongzi.

"My name is Liu Qiangdong."

Wei Ming was overjoyed. "Hey, it's you!"
Just then, they arrived at Dongzi's maternal grandmother's house. Upon seeing them, his wife immediately came out to greet them and listened to their explanation of the situation.

Dongzi's maternal grandfather thanked Wei Ming and invited him to stay for dinner.

Wei Ming also offered the salted duck eggs he had just bought, saying that they would eat these for lunch.

"Oh dear, this isn't right, you bought this."

"It's great. I couldn't find a restaurant, so I'm very grateful that you took me in for a meal."

Grandpa Dongzi said, "The chickens at home have laid eggs. Let me add another dish. Please sit down."

Wei Ming looked around the typical courtyard of a rural village in northern Jiangsu and took out his notebook to start taking notes.

After he finished his work, Dongzi curiously came over and asked, "Uncle Wei, what have you written?"

Wei Ming asked with a smile, "Have you heard of 'Black Cat Detective'?"

He shook his head.

Wei Ming: "What about 'The Legend of the Heavenly Book'?"

He still shook his head.

Then I guess you haven't heard of any of his other works either. Dongzi, you're not as good as Ma Huateng from Hainan.

Wei Ming then asked, "Have you heard songs like 'The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms,' 'Where is Spring?' and 'Little Grass'?"

Feeling a bit ignorant, Dongzi finally felt triumphant: "I've heard of it, I can even sing 'Where is Spring?'" Then, without waiting for Wei Ming to speak, he insisted on performing his talent, shaking his head and acting cute as he sang.

After he finished singing, he asked again, "Did you write all these songs?"

Wei Ming nodded: "I mainly write novels, but I also write songs."

Dongzi exclaimed, "That's amazing!"

He even said he wanted to watch those Black Cat Detectives that Wei Minggang had mentioned.

Afterwards, Wei Ming chatted with the elderly couple about their rural life, taking notes as he spoke.

After finishing his meal, he asked, "Could I take a picture of this courtyard?"

"What's so interesting about photographing this dilapidated courtyard?" the elderly couple asked, puzzled.

Wei Ming explained: "It's necessary for the creative process."

He also offered to take a family photo of the four of them, which they completely understood and were very excited and took seriously.

Wei Ming waited for more than ten minutes until they changed into their best clothes before taking a photo. This was Dongzi's second photo and his sister's first photo, as well as their first photo together.

Wei Ming asked for the name of the village: "I will develop the photos and send them to you when I get back to the county town."

He would also write "Presented by Wei Ming" on the back of the photo. After all, Dongzi is face-blind but not illiterate. As long as the photo is there, he might be able to recall this experience when he grows up.

Grandma Dongzi pulled Wei Ming aside and urged him to stay until evening: "I've rendered all the lard, and my leg is all better now. I'll cook you two nice dishes tonight."

This time, she was genuinely inviting me.

However, it would take some time to cycle back to the guesthouse, and it would be too late by the time I finished dinner. I didn't know if it was safe in the rural areas of northern Jiangsu at this time of year, and I was pretty much worth robbing with my clothes on.

Wei Ming had no choice but to politely decline.

In such impoverished rural areas, it's quite difficult to access Wei Ming's novels, but watching the movies would be easier.

So he told Dongzi's maternal grandparents.

"If a movie called 'Mom, Love Me Again' is ever shown in the village in the future, you must see it. I wrote this movie."

To help them remember the photos better, Wei Ming plans to write the movie titles on the back of the photos as well.

It was already dark when they returned to the county town. Wei Ming didn't have time to develop the photos, so he went into his guesthouse room and started organizing his observations of the day.

The next day, he developed the photos, wrote what he needed to write on the back, and before mailing the letter, he went to the Xinhua Bookstore in the county again. Fortunately, he found the newly published "The Lion King" and the reprinted "Animal Ferocity", so he sent them to Dongzi as well.

Then he changed direction and continued to go deep into the countryside, becoming one with the locals.

The next day, I sent another letter, this time to Sister Lin in Yanjing, talking about how I was writing a new script and how I was doing research in the rural areas of northern Jiangsu for the script.

Then, casually, I'll mention that I've read "The Traitor" and have a very high opinion of it.

After three days, Wei Ming had accumulated a considerable amount of material before heading back to Shanghai.

Meanwhile, Dongzi and the others had already received Wei Ming's letter.

The photos are great, and there are words written on the back. Surprisingly, there are two books, both by the author Wei. But why are the author names different for the two books?

Grandpa Dongzi, being more knowledgeable, said: "Don't you even know this? His surname is Wei, his given name is Ming, and his courtesy name is 'something'."

Everyone suddenly realized that Dongzi really liked the cover of "The Lion King" and hurriedly urged his most learned grandfather to tell him the story.

Who knows, JD.com's mascot might not be a dog anymore, but a lion in the future.

~
Wei Ming was away for a week. When he returned, Sister Chen had already finished revising the manuscript and was preparing to return to Beijing.

So Wei Ming treated her to a nice lunch out, including a delicious braised pork belly dish, as a way of saying goodbye.

That evening, they contacted the Shanghai Film Studio guesthouse to find Comrade Gong Xue.

Then Sister Xue told him some good news.

"The old houses have all been vacated; the Bai family has all moved away!"

Wei Ming's spirits lifted: "Oh, you moved it so quickly?"

Gong Xue: "Maybe they also wanted to receive the final payment as soon as possible, and Uncle also did a lot of work."

Wei Ming: "Then let's go inspect the house today. If there are no problems, I'll transfer the money. Do you have time tonight?"

"Well, my scenes are basically finished, so I'll have plenty of time from now on," Gong Xue said meaningfully.

Wei Ming thought for a moment, then took off the bed sheet from the guesthouse and stuffed it into his bag.

He was still very much looking forward to tonight, because without a house, he and Sister Xue had only ever been truly intimate once.

Not enough, absolutely not enough!
Just like last time, Gong Xue came to the guesthouse to find him, and then the two went out together. Although the distance was not far, this time they took a taxi.

The courtyard gate was locked, but they all had keys. They went in in the dark and then locked the gate from the inside.

Then there was another door. Wei Ming turned on the living room light with his flashlight and saw an empty living room.

As expected, Gong Xue said, "Sure enough, there's nothing left."

Wei Ming: "It's fine. This way we won't have to throw them away. We'll just buy all the new furniture after the renovation."

They looked at several bedrooms, but there wasn't a single bed.

Wei Ming chose a clean bedroom on the second floor and prepared to take the bed sheets out of his bag.

At this moment, Gong Xue suddenly said, "By the way, I watched another movie while you were gone."

"What movie?"

"It's called 'The Traitor,' produced by Xi'an Film Studio."

Wei Ming paused in his actions. Why was Sister Xue suddenly bringing this up? Did she already know?

Wei Ming was feeling guilty when Gong Xue asked with a smile, "Don't you have a friend named Zhu Lin? She's the other girl on the poster outside Xintiandi. Isn't she in this movie too?"

Wei Ming frankly admitted, "Yes, it seems like I'm playing a supporting role, and I haven't seen it yet."

Gong Xue laughed and said, "This is her first time acting, right? I see a reflection of myself in her."

The implication is that her acting skills are not as good as they are now; so that's what Sister Xue cares about.

Although she is a few months younger than Zhu Lin, she entered the industry earlier and is considered a senior. Zhu Lin should call her "older sister".

Wei Ming breathed a sigh of relief and immediately changed the subject.

"I almost forgot to tell you, I received a letter from my mother before I left. Guess what it said?"

"What?"

Wei Ming: "She said she watched the movie 'Good Things Take Time' on its first day of release and especially liked the actress who played Liu Fang in the movie. She said she was simply the perfect wife."

Upon hearing her future mother-in-law's praise, Gong Xue immediately became shy, her small body swaying and twisting.

Wei Ming seized the opportunity, grabbed her, and started kissing her.

Gong Xue guessed what Xiao Wei was planning to do, and she hesitated, saying, "Let's not, there aren't any beds here."

Wei Ming took the bed sheet out of his bag and said, "This will have to do. We'll buy a bed tomorrow."

When Gong Xue saw the bed sheets, she knew that she couldn't keep her innocence today. It wasn't that she wasn't resolute enough, but that the other party was too cunning!

Who brings bed sheets when inspecting a house late at night?!

Wei Ming was very satisfied with the house because it was far from the surrounding houses, and he could shout freely with the windows closed.

Although Sister Xue didn't shout very loudly, at least she didn't have to suppress herself anymore, and her soft, melodious humming in the Wu dialect had a unique charm.

Wei Ming exclaimed: I love it to death!

~
The next day, Wei Ming settled the remaining payment and gave Sister Xue another sum of money.

Since she doesn't have to film anytime soon, the renovation can be left to her.

However, for safety's sake, it's better for her to go through Lao Fei rather than dealing directly with the renovation team.

Gong Xue, however, said, "Why don't you let my dad do it?"

"Oh? Dad has experience in this area?"

Gong Xue: "His former mentor lived in an old-style house, so he had a good understanding of the aesthetic concept of old-style houses. I told him it was my friend's house and asked him to help supervise the renovation."

After hearing this, Wei Ming thought it was a good idea. If his future father-in-law was going to decorate the house that Gui Huo and his daughter would love each other, and his daughter didn't think it was cruel, then Wei Ming had even less of a problem with it.

By the time he finds out the truth, he might already be back in Yanjing.

And so it was decided happily. Wei Ming said he needed to do a final push on the script and asked Sister Xue to come and see the finished product in two days. He also asked everyone not to contact each other in the meantime, as he was afraid Zhu Lin would misunderstand.

Zhu Lin has already received Wei Ming's letter and is currently preparing to reply...

(End of this chapter)