Exciting 1979!

Chapter 270 1981: The Literary Life Begins with Zhu Lin in the North and Gong Xue in the South
Wen Yujuan, who played the second sister-in-law in the original "Joyful Reunion", is also from Shandong. "Joyful Reunion" was her first film. Before that, she had performed in stage plays for two years at the Nanjing Air Force Political Department Art Troupe.

She later starred in the stage play version of "Triumph at Midnight".

The stage play version earned Wen Yujuan the Plum Blossom Award, while the TV series version earned Zhu Lin the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress.

Director Zhao Huanzhang doesn't have high requirements for acting skills. What's important is temperament—a kind of understanding, gentle, and reassuring demeanor, like that of a mature woman. She must be magnanimous and not petty.

Judging from the initial impression, Zhu Lin met his expectations. However, he still needed to see how he would perform in a scene and change into the costume to get a feel for the role. After all, this was a rural drama, while Zhu Lin came from a scholarly family, with professors and doctors in his family.

When Zhu Lin was auditioning for "Joyful Reunion," Gong Xue had already met with Wei Ming, and Wei Ming even made her put on a helmet and go with him to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

"Don't worry, my parents are at the courtyard house right now."

Because we also need to take care of our dog, Ginkgo, and the courtyard house is spacious and close to Xintiandi, my parents moved their cooking there a couple of days ago and also rest there at noon. And today, my grandmother also went there, which is a rare opportunity.

When the gatekeeper, Old Sun, saw Wei Ming drive in with a woman, his eyes lit up. "Oh my, this girl hasn't been here for a while."

In fact, Gong Xue only came once at the beginning, and the ones who came after that were all Zhu Lin. However, they were wearing helmets and thick clothes for winter, so he couldn't tell them apart.

Gong Xue wore a helmet from the moment he got out of the car until he went upstairs into his house, worried that his neighbors would recognize him.

The exposure that "The Herdsman" brought her was far greater than that of "Good Things Take Time". Many people from the Shanghai Film Studio said that she should be able to make it into the final nomination list for next year's Hundred Flowers Awards and would be Zhang Yu's main competitor.

That's the Hundred Flowers Award, voted for by millions of movie fans with their own money!

Upon entering, she first heard a meow, and after removing her helmet, she immediately saw a young black cat, Sheriff.

"Can I touch it?" Gong Xue asked eagerly.

Wei Ming: "You're not familiar with it yet, so it doesn't allow you to touch it, but I do."

Sister Xue gently punched him, then looked around the living room.

When she first moved in, she didn't have much stuff, and the 150-square-meter apartment felt quite empty. Now it's much more spacious, with a telephone and television.

However, what attracted her most were the paintings in the living room. The earliest painting of pandas holding bamboo was still there, and there was another painting, "Children at Play," which was actually a work by Zhang Daqian.

Wei Ming hugged Xue Jie's slender waist from behind: "I bought a lot of landscape paintings, but my mother didn't care about them. However, she likes this painting the most and insists on hanging it in the living room."

Gong Xue understood immediately, her face turning bright red with embarrassment. However, no matter how bold she was, she wouldn't dare to have a child out of wedlock, so she would still have to wear it later.

Next, Wei Ming invited Gong Xue to his study, where the most exquisite collections were kept.

"The mountains are ablaze with red!" Gong Xue's voice suddenly rose considerably. Although he knew from Wei Ming's letter that he had purchased the painting, he was still very excited when he saw the original.

Wei Ming: "It's a pity that Rongbaozhai wouldn't sell me the largest one; this one is still a bit too small."

"But its momentum is just as strong." Gong Xue stared at it, even more hesitant to admit that he could draw.

Then Wei Ming brought out his other collections. Although there weren't many, each piece was a masterpiece by several great artists, including Pan Tianshou, Zhang Daqian, Guan Shanyue, and Fu Baoshi.

I also presented several other sets of Qi Baishi's meticulous flower and insect paintings to Sister Xue for her appreciation, with magnifying glasses.

Gong Xue looked at the painting, while Wei Ming looked at her.

"How about we go to the art museum tomorrow? One of Ah Long's cartoons won third prize at the Youth Art Exhibition. I bet it has something to do with Ah Ying."

"Oh, really? If I'm free tomorrow, I'll go," Gong Xue replied, but someone's hands were already itching to go. "Stop messing around, I haven't finished watching yet."

"My grandma will be back by the time you've finished watching," Wei Ming said impatiently. Xuejie doesn't have a house in Yanjing, so this kind of opportunity is rare.

The two then moved to the bedroom. The sheriff stared curiously at the two who were stuck together, and then there was a loud "bang" as the door closed and was locked from the inside.

"Ah, pull, pull the curtains~"

The battle quickly ignited, but just 33 minutes into the game, halfway through, a friendly voice in Sichuan dialect suddenly came from outside.

"My dear grandson, is that you back?"

Oh no, Grandma really came back! Xuejie was so scared that her body trembled like a leaf.

Although she longed to meet Wei Ming's family, this was definitely not the case; it was incredibly embarrassing.

Wei Ming paused for a moment, then replied, "Grandma, it's me. I'm back to take a nap."

Grandma said, "Your parents also asked me to come back and take a nap, but I said I wasn't sleepy. Then they said it seemed like the door wasn't closed this morning and asked me to go home and check. It's really inexplicable."

Three question marks appeared above Wei Ming's head, while Gong Xue covered her mouth to stifle a laugh; she seemed to understand.

Make you laugh, Wei Ming →.

Xuejie was furious, her eyes were watery, she wanted to bite him, but she was afraid that if he made a sound, it would arouse her grandmother's suspicion.

Wei Ming continued talking to his grandmother: "Grandma, don't worry, I'll close the door properly when I leave. You can go back to the courtyard now."

Actually, Grandma is very perceptive; she understands everything. She thought it was her grandson who didn't understand, and laughed, "Let's wait a little longer. I'll watch TV. It seems there's a documentary about Sichuan and Chongqing at this time. My dear grandson, will watching TV disturb your sleep?"

"It won't affect anything." However, Wei Ming felt that it would take his grandmother an hour to go back and forth to the courtyard house now, which should be enough for a middle-aged person.

Then Wei Ming whispered in Xue Jie's ear, "Let's keep our voices down. Grandma will leave in an hour, and then we'll go."

Sister Xue shook her head, making a gesture that suggested there was a mole and the deal was off, but Wei Ming still complied.

Since it's a "suspension," we can restart it after Grandma passes away. Even if Wei Ming, a young man in his prime, loses his edge, he can quickly get back on his feet.

With the television playing outside, Gong Xue and Wei Ming huddled under the covers, chatting about the movie. Wei Ming had already met with director Wang Haowei, and their conversation went smoothly.

However, Wei Ming learned about the fact that the male lead had taken a liking to Ma Xiaowei from Sister Xue.

Of course, it's not confirmed yet; Ma Xiaowei just arrived at the Beijing Film Studio to prepare for his audition.

This future Chairman is indeed good-looking. He made his name in the 80s with films such as "The Return of the Swallow" and "Joyful Reunion". He maintained his popularity with films such as "The Happy Bachelor" and "Thunderstorm". He was basically an actor from the Shanghai Film Studio. Later, he joined the August First Film Studio and played the Chairman several times.

If we were to select the four most popular young actors of this period, Tang Guoqiang and Guo Kaimin would definitely be included, along with Zhu Shimao and Ma Xiaowei.

Although Ma Xiaowei is the same age as Wei Ming, he looks older, which may be due to his age being altered. Later, in "The Happy Bachelor," he played Xue Jie's childhood sweetheart brother without any awkwardness.

"Hey, it seems quiet outside? Grandma looks like she's gone!"

Gong Xue said cautiously, "Are you sure? Why don't you put on some clothes and go outside to take a look?"

Wei Ming: "No need to go out."

He ran naked to the window, squatted down, opened a crack in the curtains, and peeked downstairs, looking like a skinned, muscular frog, which made Gong Xue both laugh and cry.

Then the big frog immediately jumped back into bed: "Grandma's gone, let's continue!"

~
After finishing, Gong Xue was afraid of being blocked by Wei Ming's family, so she went back to her dormitory at the General Political Department Drama Troupe without resting much, as her relationship with Wei Ming had not yet been officially transferred.

After sending her back, Wei Ming went back to work at the library, where he was constantly working on the sheet music. After get off work, he went to Shaoyuan to find Li Aiguo, who was with Li Kui and several girls.

"Leonardo, is that song you mentioned for John Lennon finished yet?"

Wei Ming: "I came here today to talk to you about this. Take a look."

Li Aiguo said, "I am not as good as Li Kui in music. I can't even read sheet music very well. Let him sing it out for us."

Looking at Li Kui's dark face, Wei Ming felt a little uncertain. This was a female-singing song called "Moonlight Shadow," which could be translated into Chinese as "Shadow Under the Moonlight" or "Moon Shadow."

But Li Kui persisted because he could read sheet music, so he knew that the song was surprisingly good. While looking at the sheet music, he looked at Wei Ming and said, "Hey, bro, awesome!"

Although it's not a masterpiece, and Wei Ming already has a musical background in China, this time he composed it in English, which is tantamount to him and Li Aiguo writing a decent five-character seven-character quatrain.

After watching the song, Li Kui began to sing, "The last that ever she saw him..."
Carried away by a moonlight shadow…”

After finishing the song, Li Aiguo's expression was subtle. Hmm, he was thinking about how to politely decline Wei Leonardo Ming's offer. The lyrics were quite good, about Yoko Ono's sadness after John Lennon's death, but it didn't seem to be very pleasant to listen to.

Although it's the kind of product that can be sold, it seems pointless to go through the trouble of writing a letter to my father and asking him to use his connections at MCA.

At this moment, a British girl next to him couldn't help but take the sheet music from Li Kui's hand and start looking at it carefully. Li Kui, however, was still immersed in his performance, his eyes were moist, and he felt that his singing was too touching.

After a while, Melinda's fellow Englishman, Lisa, also began to sing. It was the same lyrics and the same melody, but Li Aiguo found it refreshing.

Wow, this song is so good!
In reality, Lisa is only an amateur singer, but her gentle voice makes her a perfect fit for this tender and melancholic song. Li Kui, on the other hand, turned the song into a gangster's ditty, evoking the feeling of murder and robbery on a dark and windy night.

After Lisa finished singing, Li Aiguo clapped and said, "Leonardo, you are a genius! A genius in every way!"

Wei Ming also clapped, applauding for Lisa: "Thank you, Lisa. Although I can't sing very well myself, this is the feeling I wanted."

Li Aiguo then promised to write a letter to his father in the United States that day: "The European and American music industry will definitely be happy to see such a song commemorating John Lennon, and it is from China, which is just too cool."

This song was written in 83. Although some say it was written to commemorate John Lennon, the creator himself denied this. Moreover, some of the dates and numbers of people shot in the lyrics don't match up. However, Wei Ming corrected these bugs when he was writing the song. It is indeed a tribute to John Lennon, and that's how it gets attention.

"Who says there's no modern music in mainland China! This will absolutely blow the minds of those foreigners who don't understand China!" Li Aiguo carefully put the score away.

Although Wei Ming is considered an anomaly among Chinese people, Li Aiguo believes that there will definitely be more Wei Mings in the future, and he is a microcosm of China's opening up to the outside world!
Wei Ming couldn't let Li Aiguo work for nothing, so he promised that 10% of the profits he would receive from the song after the deal was done would be his commission, just like Amin's.

Li Aiguo was delighted that his Chinese friend understood people from capitalist countries so well. Although the lack of a formal contract made him a little uneasy, Wei Ming was a writer with a certain international reputation; even his nephew in America had heard of Mr. Why. He was certain Wei Ming wouldn't go back on his word. Besides, the pen name used this time was Mr. Why, and Wei Ming planned to use this pen name abroad in the future, which everyone thought was easy to remember.

That evening, Li Aiguo began writing a letter home. Although he would be home for winter break, there was still almost a month to go, and he couldn't wait any longer, so he decided to send the letter back to the United States first.

After returning home, Wei Ming also began writing to Melinda, attaching his improved Rubik's Cube solution guide for her to see if it had any commercial value. He also sent her a backup copy of "Moonlight Shadow".

Then I made another copy, put it in another letter and sent it along with the letter, and even wrote on the envelope not to open it.

This could serve as evidence of when the song was created. Although it's just a song and not a big deal, one should always be cautious. After all, he had never slept with Li Aiguo, so he wasn't entirely at ease.

John Lennon's murder had a huge impact; even Amin recently mentioned it sadly in a letter to him and sang several of Lennon's signature songs on a cassette tape.

The next day, Wei Ming and Gong Xue went to the National Art Museum of China to see the exhibition. Both of them wore masks, even if it was just to prevent catching a cold.

Before they could find any of Ah Long's comic works, the two were struck by an oil painting that was two meters long and one and a half meters wide. Its name was "Father".

This is the first prize-winning work of this National Youth Art Exhibition. It was painted by the painter Luo Zhongli after experiencing life in the Dabashan Mountains, combining two prototype figures. It has a powerful and moving effect, and it seems that it was later included in the primary school Chinese textbook.

As the son of a farmer, Wei Ming was most moved by this kind of painting. Although the old farmers in North China were not used to wearing white headscarves and rarely got so tanned, they would still wear towels on their heads and have such deep wrinkles and bewildered eyes.

He also thought of Old Wei, who had suffered from lung disease in his previous life and looked much older than his age before he passed away, and his eyes inexplicably welled up with tears.

Gong Xue gently squeezed Wei Ming's hand. Although he was not from a peasant family, he had worked in the countryside and experienced life in the Northwest, where there were many elderly people like the old man in the painting.

The painting was very popular and quickly attracted a crowd of viewers. Wei Ming and Gong Xue quickly withdrew from the crowd, composed themselves, and looked at the exhibition while searching for A Long's comics.

“Here, here it is.” Gong Xue first noticed the name “Liu Rulong”.

However, it wasn't the love story between Wei Ming and Gong Ying that he imagined; instead, it told the story of his parents and him.

The father left to earn money in a distant place, and the mother raised the children alone until a long, long time later, when the father returned and the children had grown up.

The story is quite ordinary, but Ah Long changed the character to a panda. In the end, the panda father returns with a basket of bamboo shoots, which looks very joyful and interesting. However, Wei Ming, who knows Ah Long well, guessed that he must have cried while drawing the picture.

Moreover, Wei Ming discovered that Ah Long's painting skills had improved greatly after a year of training. He painted the panda with a sense of effortless mastery, capturing the panda's spirit with just a few simple lines.

It's time to give him more responsibilities.

That evening, after having dinner with Sister Xue, Wei Ming went to the Film Academy to find Ah Long and tell him about it.

"From now on, 'Black Cat Detective' will be published once a month."

"What's wrong?" Liu Rulong was holding character designs for Jing Tianming and Xiang Shaoyu. He thought they were going to talk about "Qin's Moon," but it turned out to be "Black Cat Detective."

Wei Ming explained, "Aunt Xiaoyan has also given me more responsibilities. Starting from January next year, Children's Literature will be a monthly publication, so Black Cat Detective will also be published once a month."

In 80, Wei Ming published five stories of "Black Cat Detective". The animated series "Black Cat Detective" only had five episodes.

With its engaging stories, rich imagination, and adorable animal characters, this series has become a guarantee of sales for Children's Literature magazine, and is even now the top children's book. The revamped Children's Literature magazine is counting on Wei Ming to help them stabilize sales.

Moreover, the editor-in-chief has finally decided to publish the previous five articles as a book, which will require Ah Long to draw a few more illustrations.

Ah Long readily agreed, which would mean he could earn more money each month.

They then looked at the character designs of the two main characters. Of course, they were different from what Wei Ming remembered, but there was no need for them to be the same. Ah Long's design was not bad either.

Since the target market is Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, Ah Long's drawings are more in the style of Hong Kong comics, and he asked Wei Ming to finalize the draft.

Wei Ming selected Jing Tianming's numbers 5 and 8, and Xiang Shaoyu's number 3.

Ah Long laughed and said, "Jing 5 and Xiang 3 are indeed my most satisfactory ones. I'll incorporate the advantages of No. 8 later."

“You have no problem drawing men, but women are a different story. Keep up the good work.” Wei Ming patted A Long on the shoulder. In fact, what the male protagonist of “Qin’s Moon” looks like is not too important. What is important is the various mechanical skills, the colorful martial arts scenes, the stunning traditional Chinese style, and the diverse female characters.

Wei Ming had actually considered having A Long handle the illustrations for his overseas works. He was capable, and it would also allow his brother to earn this money, which was no small sum. The British illustrator had earned nearly $100,000 with "Jumanji".

However, illustrating a novel involves a "client's requirements," which requires constant revisions to satisfy the client. This meant that Ah Long, who was in China, couldn't take on the job.

The communication costs are enormous.

Back at the Overseas Chinese Apartment, his mother told Wei Ming, "Xiao Zhu called looking for you."

Now that we know each other, we don't refer to him as Section Chief Zhu anymore.

When did this happen?

"I took it at noon."

Wei Ming: "Mother, I'm going out for a bit. I'll sleep in the courtyard tonight."

When Xu Shufen and Wei Jiefang heard these words, they automatically became: "Mom, I'll take Zhu Lin to sleep in the courtyard."

~
Zhu Lin had been doing yoga several times at her home in Tuanjiehu, and had already gone to bed after waiting for Wei Ming to come.

She was awakened by the sound of Wei Ming opening the door.

"Is that you, Xiao Wei?"

"it's me."

Wei Ming hugged Sister Lin, who was wearing pajamas, and said, "Let's go inside quickly, it's cold."

The two crawled into bed, and Wei Ming said, "You missed me, didn't you?"

Zhu Lin stubbornly replied, "No, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

Zhu Lin sighed, "A film produced by Shanghai Film Studio offered me the lead role, but it conflicted with my classes at the film academy."

"Do you like that notebook?" Wei Ming asked first.

"Well, although it's a rural-themed story, it's very interesting. It promotes the theme of filial piety and brotherly love, and it takes place in Shandong, which is where my dad is from. But I've never been to Shandong before. This drama will be filmed in Shandong, so maybe I can go back to my hometown." This is quite an appealing point for Zhu Lin.

Wei Ming pondered, "What movie?"

Zhu Lin: "It should be called 'Joyful Reunion'."

Hey!
I was just talking to Sister Xue about Ma Xiaowei yesterday, and now I've heard about "Joyful Reunion." Ma Xiaowei is the male lead in "Joyful Reunion," so if he takes on "Mom, Love Me Again," does that mean he can't act in this legendary 80s film?
Calling "The Joyful Reunion" a masterpiece is a compliment. This film set a record for the most copies made in China. It is said that more than 4000 copies were made in 35mm, 16mm and 8.75mm formats!
In 81, it was the highest-grossing film and also the most-watched 35mm print, though its total audience was slightly less than that of the theatrical film "The Legend of the White Snake".

"Which role are you going to play?" Wei Ming asked again.

"Second sister-in-law."

Oh, that's the leading lady. Back then, Wen Yujuan became a nationally renowned representative of the good sister-in-law thanks to this role. Sister Lin's gentle and virtuous demeanor is no less than hers, and she's even more beautiful.

“I do know about this drama. The story is very solid, and the country has previously promoted the development of rural themes. Maybe this drama will make you famous throughout the country.”

"What about my studies?" This was what Zhu Lin was worried about. She was an amateur actress who relied entirely on her natural acting skills. She had been hoping to study acting systematically to broaden her range of roles.

Wei Ming earnestly offered a suggestion: "How about this, you write a letter to the Central Academy of Drama. They just recruited freshmen for the class of '80, right? You can apply to become an auditor after you finish filming this movie. The Central Academy of Drama's acting teaching is also very solid."

Zhu Lin thought it was a good idea: "I'll take the classes at the Film Academy if I can, and then I'll go to the Central Academy of Drama for further studies. The director said that we'll be going to experience rural life in Shandong before the Lunar New Year."

"Ah, you're leaving?" Wei Ming felt both reluctant and secretly pleased, finally he wouldn't have to face the two of them at the same time.

Zhu Lin: "You can't bear to part with me?"

"Sure."

Zhu Lin mounted his horse: "Then you'll spend the next few days with me, don't spend time with anyone else."

Wei Ming nodded solemnly.

Zhu Lin: "Do you know what day it is today?"

Wei Ming thought for a moment: "Oh dear, it's December 31st!"

Zhu Lin glanced at Wei Ming's luminous watch: "Yeah, it'll be 1981 in an hour. Can it hold up until '81?"

Wei Ming laughed: "Don't you know my strength?"

Zhu Lin thought to himself, "I'm afraid you've already used your strength on others and are now short of money."

~
An hour later, Wei Ming and Zhu Lin joined together to celebrate the New Year, arriving in 1981.

Melinda was the one who teamed up with Wei Ming last year, spanning two years.

Who will it be next year?

……

(Today's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)