Exciting 1979!

Chapter 264 "Qin's Moon" begins

"You ran into them? And then what?" Wei Ming asked.

"I don't know what happened after that."

Ah Long explained what had happened. He had seen Zhu Lin heading towards the bus stop, so he thought he would personally ride his bike to take Gong Xue back to her dormitory.

At first, Gong Xue declined, saying she could take the bus. Ah Long immediately said he wanted to talk to her about Ah Ying and their future, and Gong Xue immediately agreed.

However, after riding just one stop, his bike chain came off.

“I was trying to get it done quickly, but the more anxious I was, the less I could get it done. Just then, a bus came by. It was coming from Tuanjiehu, and Zhang Yu was on the bus. She recognized Sister Xue and invited her to get on, so she got on.”

Wei Ming asked, "Is your bicycle chain fixed now?"

"My bike chain... that's not the point. The point is that after Sister Xue got on the bike, I noticed that Sister Zhu Lin was also on it. The three of them were sitting together!" Ah Long said worriedly.

Wei Ming shrank his neck. In the end, the two of them still ran into each other. What kind of scene would unfold next? Thinking about it made him a little excited.

"Ah Ming, shouldn't we try to salvage this?" Ah Long asked, somewhat worried about him.

Wei Ming, however, said nonchalantly, "What's the point of making amends? When a person dies, the birds fly to the sky; if they don't die, they live for ten thousand years. Whatever."

Liu Rulong and Long Xiaoyang were incredibly impressed; his mentality was just too strong.

So Ah Long seized the opportunity to suggest, "Let's talk about something else then."

Long Xiaoyang hurriedly asked, "Great! How's that dinosaur novel you mentioned coming along, big brother?"

Wei Ming: "I haven't started writing yet. I'll start writing after I finish revising the manuscript in Shanghai."

Long Xiaoyang was a little disappointed, but Ah Long was anxious: "Ah, what about that Qin Dynasty comic you mentioned? My brothers and I are all waiting for your story to be cooked."

Wei Ming felt embarrassed; he had made too many promises about writing in advance, including Li Hanxiang's script.

He said, "I'll write it for you first, since this is indeed quite urgent."

Aside from illustrating the bi-monthly Black Cat Detective comics, Ah Long hasn't had any other income lately.

Ah Long then asked, "Can you reveal some details now?"

Wei Ming thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll go back to Shanghai the day after tomorrow. I'll write out the outline, character designs, and some plot details in the next day or two. With these things, you can get started."

"Great!" Ah Long was already feeling excited to be able to work again.

Watching these two discuss a field he knew absolutely nothing about, Long Xiaoyang felt genuinely envious. He realized he really needed to read more books.

Just then, the door opened, and Wei Hong called them to have dinner.

After the wedding, the Wei family's relatives are temporarily staying in the courtyard house, which is indeed spacious.

Stepping out of the house, the first thing you see is Ginkgo the dog gnawing on a bone. These were brought back from the wedding banquet, so it won't be short of bones for a while.

Then Wei Ming met the eyes of his mother and Lao Wei, and their eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

Parents worry when no one wants their son, but they worry even more when there are too many people who want him, because in this day and age, moral issues are a big problem.

It's just that their son's career is too successful, and the level of knowledge he has gained is beyond his parents' comprehension. Perhaps they don't understand successful people, so they didn't point it out, but silently helped him fill in the gaps.

The two men took turns appearing at the wedding banquet, which made Zhu Lin and Gong Xue very happy. They both felt that they had been accepted by their future in-laws, until they saw each other on the bus.

In that one glance, a vague memory from a year ago flooded back. It was near Peking University; one went there, the other returned; one rode a bicycle, the other walked. A glance back left a deep impression on them.

Gong Xue/Zhu Lin: She's so beautiful!
Even after a year, and even though Zhu Lin had begun to be wary of the name Gong Xue, seeing her again today still struck her as stunning; she was still so beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

Then, still wary, what was she doing here? Could it be...?
"Sister Gongxue, are you also attending the wedding? Who was that person just now?" Zhang Yu asked Zhu Lin the question she wanted to ask.

There weren't many people on the bus at the time. I glanced at Zhu Lin and Zhang Yu sitting next to each other, and considering that I was more familiar with Zhang Yu, I sat down next to Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu was very satisfied; she was in the center position.

Gong Xue first told her, "Yes, I'm also attending the wedding. The one who just gave me the gift is my sister's boyfriend."

"Oh, your sister's boyfriend is in Yanjing? Is he on a business trip?"

"No, he's a student in the Fine Arts Department of the Film Academy. He met my sister when he was interning in Shanghai."

"A college student, huh? She doesn't look that old." Zhang Yu had met Gong Ying before; she seemed to be about the same age as him—a relationship between an older woman and a younger man.

Gong Xue hummed in agreement, then looked past Zhang Yu at Zhu Lin, who had remained silent.

Zhang Yu quickly introduced, "I was so busy talking that I didn't introduce you to each other... Oh dear, I forgot you two should know each other."

Zhu Lin extended a hand across Zhang Yu and Gong Xue, saying in a friendly manner, "Hello, Zhu Lin, I've admired you for a long time."

Gong Xue smiled and said, "Hello, Gong Xue, I've also seen your poster in Xintiandi. You're even more beautiful in person than in the poster."

Zhu Lin: "Thank you, but you may have been away from Yanjing for a long time. The posters have now been changed to feature Zhang Yu and Chen Chong."

Zhang Yu laughed and said, "That's why the owner of Xintiandi insisted on inviting me to their wedding. I didn't expect Wei Ming to be there too. Sister Gong Xue, you were invited by Wei Ming, right?"

"Well, I just happened to have some time, so I came to join in the fun."

Zhang Yu pointed at Zhu Lin: "Sister Zhu Lin was also invited by Comrade Wei Ming. She is currently filming 'The Mourning' at the Beijing Film Studio. She was chosen because of that poster."

Gong Xue asked curiously, "Comrade Zhu Lin, how did you and Xiao Wei meet?"

"We met through a friend at first. On the first day we met, we encountered a thief, and he helped us. We became friends after that, and he encouraged me to pursue my acting career."

Zhu Lin had already told Zhang Yu this, implying that they had a good relationship. This was a clear attempt to assert his dominance.

Gong Xue, oblivious to the underlying meaning, chimed in, "That's right, he is indeed a kind-hearted man. We met on the train when he caught a woman stealing a child. Everyone in our carriage considered him a hero."

Gong Xue was unequivocal in promoting the heroic deeds of her man.

These words not only made Zhu Lin feel threatened, but even Zhang Yu was unhappy. Why didn't she and Wei Ming have such a special experience?

Hey, there it is!

"I sat with Comrade Wei Ming at the wedding just now. I heard he's in Shanghai revising a manuscript, apparently a novel about the War of Resistance against Japan. I don't know if it will be made into a movie, but I've already nominated myself for the female lead."

Gong Xue scratched his head: "That's a long novel, and I feel it would be difficult to adapt it into a movie."

Zhang Yu was taken aback. "Ah, a long one?"
Zhu Lin retorted, "However, he's also currently writing an original script. You could give it a try, Xiao Zhang."

Zhu Lin: Of course, it wouldn't have mattered if I tried, it definitely has nothing to do with you.

Gong Xue was taken aback; Zhu Lin actually knew about something like this.

"Comrade Zhu Lin, you also know about 'Mom, Love Me Once Again'?"

Now it was Zhu Lin's turn to be embarrassed. What? "Mom, Love Me Again"? Is that the name of that script? Gong Xue actually knew about it?

I had no idea!
Zhu Lin's expression immediately turned sour, and she, who had been confident that she would be the female lead in this script, became hesitant.

The one who must be the most upset is Zhang Yu. Are these two really that close to Wei Ming? I had no idea about this at all!

We're still not familiar with each other!
Fortunately, several passengers boarded the bus at that moment, and then a couple recognized her.

"Zhang Yu!"

"You are Zhang Yu, right?"

Then all the passengers on the bus started greeting Zhang Yu and chatting warmly with her, and they even asked about her new work.

This gave Zhang Yu great satisfaction. Of the three people in the car, she had the most experience in the arts, having previously gained extensive experience dealing with fans in Shanghai.

She stood up and walked to the middle of the bus, where she told her fans that she would be filming in Yanjing for a while and hoped that they would continue to support her.

At that time, there was no such thing as keeping the cast a secret. For a tribute drama of the scale of "Zhiyin," the cast would be announced in the newspaper.

Zhang Yu chatted for a while, and when she returned to her seat, she found that Zhu Lin had already taken her place and was chatting with Gong Xue. "What are you two talking about?" Zhang Yu asked, still staring at her seat in the center after she sat down.

Zhu Lin: "I asked Comrade Gong Xue when he's going back to Shanghai. Wei Ming is leaving the day after tomorrow, so maybe they can keep each other company."

Looking at Zhu Lin's bright smile, Gong Xue suddenly couldn't smile anymore. Zhu Lin actually knew Wei Ming's return date. Were they that close?

Does she know about her relationship with Xiao Wei? It seems she probably doesn't.

"I...I don't know, it depends on what my workplace says." Gong Xue felt a strange sense of unease.

When the bus stopped, she realized that she wasn't going the same way as the two women who were heading back to the Beijing Film Studio: "I should get off now, goodbye."

Zhu Lin waved to her: "Comrade Gong Xue, you can come visit us at the Beijing Film Studio when you have time."

After getting off the bus and looking at the bus that had disappeared into the distance, Gong Xue wrapped her coat tighter around herself. Winter in Yanjing was really cold.

~
It gets even colder at night.

At the alley entrance, under Long Xiaoyang's reluctant gaze, Wei Ming rode away on his motorcycle with Xiao Hong.

Before leaving, Wei Ming gave his cousin Long Xiaoyang a sum of money, not much, just a thousand yuan. He told him that if their quails could make money, it would definitely encourage people in their village and surrounding villages to raise quails. At that time, they might as well switch to making feed, which would be more profitable and less risky.

But in order to have the opportunity to transform, they must do a good job in the quail egg business and expand the market.

This money is for them to expand their market and for subsequent transformation.

Long Xiaoyang was very grateful, but also expressed his desire to venture out and make his mark. This trip to Yanjing had given him a taste of the world.

Wei Ming told him that he would bring him out when the opportunity arose, but the business environment in the capital was just average, not as good as Sichuan where the emperor was far away.

Back at the Overseas Chinese Apartment, the sheriff meowed, clearly hungry, and his meows were very obsequious.

However, as soon as Xiao Hong bent down to pick it up, it took off running. It wasn't until Xiao Hong took out a bag of chicken butts that the sheriff came over, wiggling its butt.

Tonight, only Wei Ming and Wei Hong, the siblings, are at home. Their parents and maternal grandmother stayed in the courtyard to spend some more time with their uncle and his family, cherishing this brief opportunity to be together.

My uncle and his family will be going back in two days. After all, they still have quails at home, and they've already started laying eggs and earning money. They don't feel comfortable leaving them to be taken care of by others all the time.

"Brother, both of your good brothers are married. When are you planning to get married?" Xiao Hong asked him while watching the cat eat.

Wei Ming leaned back on the sofa: "According to reliable sources, the Marriage Law stipulates that the legal age for marriage is 22 for men, and it will be implemented starting next year. If I want to meet the requirements, it will be at least three years from now."

Xiao Hong urged, "Then can you find a boyfriend first? I need to get used to having a sister-in-law in advance."

Although the child is highly intelligent, she is quite slow in some ways. She met Gong Xue and Zhu Lin at the wedding banquet, but didn't have any particular thoughts about them.

She even wanted to find a sister-in-law for herself from among her female classmates.

"Don't overthink it. I'll take care of things with you, sister-in-law. How's the Rubik's Cube-related article I asked you to write coming along?"

Wei Hong: "I've written it, but it's not finished yet. Let me show it to you!"

Wei Ming thought it was too dry and needed to be embellished with more interesting elements.

But he still encouraged her: "Well done. I'll send it to Melinda after it's all finished. This time, we'll go directly to overseas distribution."

Having not drunk any alcohol at dinner and having slept for so long in the afternoon, Wei Ming sat in his study and began a new creative work while still clear-headed. These ideas had actually been in his mind for a long time, and it was time to take them out and clear out his memory.

The next day, Wei Hong went to school, while Wei Ming continued writing. At noon, he even called the General Political Department Drama Troupe to look for Gong Xue.

"Sister, when are you leaving?"

"What about you?"

“I’m leaving tomorrow. If you can leave tomorrow, I’ll buy your plane tickets together,” Wei Ming said with a smile.

Gong Xue was silent for a moment: "Xiao Wei, I may be busy for a few more days. You should go back first. I'll get back as soon as possible."

"Well, that's fine."

Wei Ming hung up the phone, saw there was still some food in the refrigerator, and made do with a meal by himself.

He and Ah Long agreed to talk that evening, and he needed to get it done as soon as possible.

While I was eating, the phone rang. It was Zhu Lin.

"free tonight?"

Yes, there is! Tuanjiehu Lake?

"it is good."

Liu Rulong arrived at 5 p.m., and Wei Ming didn't plan to keep him for dinner.

He handed Ah Long a notebook: "Let's finish this quickly, I have other things to do."

Ah Long opened the notebook and the first thing he saw were four small seal script characters written in calligraphy: "Qin Shi Ming Yue" (The Bright Moon of Qin).

It's not well written; Wei Ming is also a beginner.

After the Qin Dynasty unified China, it implemented the policy of "standardizing the written language and the gauge of carts," requiring even the font to be the same. This led to the development of the Small Seal script, which evolved from the Large Seal script.

The person in charge of this matter was none other than Li Si, the Prime Minister of Qin, who is also an important character in the story of "Qin's Moon".

When Wei Ming was writing "The Battle of Qin Terracotta Warriors: A Tale of Ancient and Modern Times," he studied the pre-Qin culture for a while. Based on the principle of not wasting anything, he thought that he might as well write about the Qin Dynasty in the comic book he promised to A Long.

Actually, his first thought was "A Step into the Past," which would have been easier to make him the originator of time-travel novels.

However, after weighing the options, considering the form of comic book expression, "Qin's Moon" is more impactful and expressive than "A Step into the Past," which is why Ah Long has the story outline he is seeing now.

He read it aloud: "On the border of Qin, in the Valley of the Crescent Moon, to protect Jing Tianming, the son of his old friend Jing Ke, the Sword Saint Gai Nie single-handedly slaughtered three hundred Qin cavalrymen..."

By this point, Ah Long's face was already filled with excitement. Seeing this, one could tell how high the fighting power was in this story, and the visuals would definitely be incredibly cool, something that ordinary martial arts comics couldn't match.

Later on, there are disciples of Guiguzi, the Quicksand organization, masters of the Mohist school, the Hundred Schools of Thought, and Xiang Shaoyu.

"Ah Ming, this Xiang Shaoyu?"

"That's right, the prototype is Xiang Yu, who was so strong that he could uproot mountains and whose spirit could cover the world. But although our story is set in the Qin Dynasty, it is not the real Qin Dynasty. It is an era in which the military strength and technological level far surpassed the Qin Dynasty in history, so let's call him Xiang Shaoyu. However, in the end, he will inevitably overthrow the Qin Dynasty."

"What about Liu Bang? And will Xiang Shaoyu eventually commit suicide at Wujiang?" he asked.

The original version of "Qin's Moon" has not yet provided an answer to this question.

The original author of "Qin's Moon" is Wen Shih-jen, a Taiwanese entrepreneur. Writing martial arts novels is just a hobby for him.

Unfortunately, Wen Shih-jen died young, passing away at the age of 55.

He passed away in 2003. Of the eight parts of "Qin's Moon", only the first and most of the second parts were completed. As for the remaining six parts, only the outlines were left, which were later continued by the Taiwanese crosstalk organization, Crosstalk Washe.

Then, the animation company Xuanji Technology began producing China's first large-scale 3D animated series, "Qin's Moon," thus beginning a journey of delays and unfinished endings that was even longer than the history of the Qin Dynasty.

Wei Ming in the 2000s was quite fashionable. He had watched the entire "Qin's Moon" series and understood what was wrong with it.

Therefore, while maintaining the main storyline of the previous works, he wrote a plot outline centered on Jing Tianming, Xiang Shaoyu, and Gao Yue to ensure that they would not deviate from the status of the main characters.

However, due to time constraints, Wei Ming only wrote up to the point of Qin Shi Huang's death, and the subsequent developments were not yet fully developed.

However, this outline is probably enough for a comic book team to work on for several years.

After reading the outline and then the character design, Ah Long liked it more and more. This story has a very deep cultural foundation. If it can be made into a film, it will definitely be no worse than the Japanese one!
He suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders was a bit heavy.

Wei Ming patted him on the shoulder: "You should start by drawing character designs. There are at least twenty characters, which should be enough for you to work on. And you don't need to consider the acceptance level of mainland readers. I will go to Hong Kong next year. Hong Kong comics can reach East Asia and Southeast Asia. We will go directly through that route."

Ah Long's eyes lit up: "Ah Ming, can I go to Hong Kong with you? I miss my dad!"

(End of this chapter)