Exciting 1979!

Chapter 276 reprinted! Reprinted!
“I remember him. He was a very low-key person, and the principal valued him highly, helping him to formulate many strategies. He was injured in his early years, otherwise he would have been a formidable fighter. I heard that after we left Changsha, his eldest son died in the Battle of Changsha. Why did you mention him?”

Shen Zui explained, "I just felt that the other protagonist, Jiang Limin's older brother Jiang Lizhong, looked a bit like Commander Wei. I'm good friends with Commander Wei's younger brother, Wei San'er. But that kid seems to have died in Shanghai. I heard he was killed by the Communist agent Yan Shuangying. It's a pity, he was a very good brother."

The plot that Shen found was the aftermath of the Zhongshan Warship Incident, which happened to be when the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy had just entered the academy, hence the mention of Tang Shengming.

Tang Shengming continued reading from there and saw many familiar names, such as the very fierce Biaozi, who was his classmate.

Seeing these people appear in the novel, one can't help but admire the author's detailed research. The words and actions of each old classmate are very close to the real person, making Tang Shengming feel as if he had returned to the time when he entered school in 1926. He really misses his lost youth.

Suddenly, upon seeing a name, Tang Shengming chuckled: "Xiao Shen, quickly go and invite your little cousin to come and read this story with you."

The younger cousin he mentioned was Wen Xiaoqiang, one of the three troublemakers in Gongdelin. He was also a student in the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy and was even the class monitor. He had a special identity and a rather bumpy life.

He was the 23rd generation descendant of Wen Tianxiang, and the great man's mother was his aunt, so he and the great man were cousins. At the same time, he was the Premier's favorite disciple, and the Premier was the one who introduced him to the Party. During his time at Whampoa Military Academy, he slept in the same bunk as 101 and they even got into a fight. 101 had to call him Third Brother.

This very person was among the last group of stubborn war criminals released from Gongdelin Prison.

He was unlucky, actually. He was originally on the Communist side, but was betrayed by a traitor and captured. After finally escaping, he was misunderstood by his own people, so in a fit of anger, he defected to Chiang Kai-shek and joined the Military Intelligence Bureau. In the end, he was captured along with Du Yuming.

Once he entered Gongdelin, he resolutely refused to write a confession, stating: "Mao was my cousin, Zhu was my superior, Zhou was my teacher, Liu was my fellow villager, and Lin was my subordinate. I became like this because they failed to teach me well. If anyone should write a confession, it should be them."

So he was not granted amnesty until 1975, when he was among the last group of people to be pardoned, including Huang Wei, and was able to see the Premier one last time. He now lives not far from Tang Shengming's home.

After Shen Zui left, Tang Shengming turned to the first page of the novel and noticed that the title was "The Right Path of Humanity is Full of Vicissitudes".

He couldn't help but sit up straight, and then sighed softly, "Teacher Mao has been gone for almost five years."

Wen Xiaoqiang was the cousin of the great man, and Tang Shengming also had a close relationship with the great man. When he was a child, he was naughty, so his older brother Tang Shengzhi sent him to the First Normal School Affiliated Primary School in Hunan Province to ask Teacher Mao to discipline him strictly. Moreover, the two of them ate and lived together and formed a deep friendship. He was also disciplined by Teacher Mao and became a model student. Teacher Mao, who was old, still remembered the embarrassing story of him wetting the bed when he was a child.

When Shen Zui invited Wen Xiaoqiang over, his younger cousin said that they would eat there today. Tang Shengming's beloved wife had passed away, and he was an old bachelor. Wen Xiaoqiang had been pardoned and married a shrew, and their life was a mess. So he was happy to eat with his old friends.

Upon seeing them arrive, Tang Shengming said to Shen Zui, "You're saying that Jiang Limin is based on you?"

"what."

Tang Shengming: "I think it's clearly based on me!"

"what?"

“Look, Jiang Limin’s personality was just like mine when he was a child, and my brother was also a high-ranking official in the Kuomintang. We were both graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy, he was from the third class and I was from the fourth. Most importantly, when Jiang Limin was undercover in Shanghai, he also had entanglements with movie stars. Isn’t that exactly me?”

Shen Zui: No, boss, you're going to argue with me about this!

Wen Xiaoqiang was confused: "Who is Jiang Limin? Is there such a person in the third phase?"

Shen Zui explained: "A fictional character."

Wen Xiaoqiang: You're crazy.

"Of course, I'm not the only prototype. I think there's also the shadow of General Chen. He later went into underground work, and Jiang Limin's actions in the Zhongshan Warship Incident were clearly inspired by General Chen." Tang Shengming analyzed seriously.

He and General Chen were also very close friends. When he first entered the Whampoa Military Academy, General Chen was his company commander and protected him a lot. Later, when General Chen came to Shanghai for medical treatment, he secretly protected him. The two could be said to be like brothers.

Hearing the two chatting so animatedly, Wen Xiaoqiang finally couldn't help but ask, "What novel are you talking about? Why are you bringing up the Zhongshan warship and Admiral Chen?"

"This one, 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes, Part 1', wait a minute, this is only half a novel?" Tang Shengming became frustrated, hesitating whether to continue reading.

Upon hearing his cousin's poem, Wen Xiaoqiang was deeply moved, as if he had been instantly transported back to that era. The poem truly possessed a unique magic.

"Old Tang, are you still going to watch or not? Even if you don't, I'll still watch."

~
"Just let me see, what are you shy about?"

In the living room, Liu Rulong and Gong Ying were flirting, while Wei Ming and Wei Hong watched them.

Today, Ah Long went to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. He continued to intern there during his vacation, without pay. Now, they don't even need to provide him with a dormitory. He just wants to learn and witness the "egg birth" of "The Legend of Sealed Book".

After work, he would definitely go on a date with Sister Ying. Now it's great, he doesn't have to walk the streets in the dead of winter anymore; they can have a romantic date in the old house.

Upon learning that Ah Long was drawing a new comic character, Ah Ying wanted to see it, but Ah Long refused.

The main problem is that he doesn't dare to. He's currently drawing Chi Lian, one of Wei Zhuang's disciples, a character that requires some sex appeal.

At first, he painted too conservatively, aiming to depict the Red Serpent Fairy Li Mochou. Wei Ming even criticized him, telling him to paint more freely, since he didn't intend to publish his work on the mainland anyway.

Now that I've drawn it, I don't dare let Aying see it.

Wei Ming joked, "Actually, I'm still not quite satisfied. Why don't you ask Aying for some advice?"

Unexpectedly, his brother betrayed him. Ah Long made up his mind and decided to just watch. He would just say that Ah Ming had asked him to draw it like this.

When Aying first saw the drawing of the busty, leggy, ancient-style beauty by Along, she was indeed a little shy and glared at Along, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she examined it from a professional perspective.

She asked, "This is a story from the Qin Dynasty, so shouldn't the costumes also conform to the Warring States period style?"

Ah Long said, "That doesn't matter, the main thing is to look good and be dazzling."

At first, he wanted to completely follow the Qin and Han style, and even studied related books. Later, he found that it was too difficult to stand out, so he chose to freely develop his own style based on the Qin and Han style.

Aying nodded: "Tell me about this character."

So Ah Long decided to start by talking about Wei Zhuang, in order to help Ah Ying understand who "Chi Lian" was. Xiao Hong was also very interested in this strange story, so she went downstairs to listen in. Ah Long felt that the light downstairs suddenly became brighter.

Wei Ming returned to his room to continue revising the manuscript. Since Sister Xue wouldn't be back for the time being, he definitely needed to make the most of his time so that they could have more time to make love when she returned.

Moreover, he planned to finish revising the second manuscript before the New Year, so that he could be debt-free during the holiday.

Oh, no, there's also "The Empress Dowager". He has basically finished "The Burning of the Yuanmingyuan", and he still needs to finish "The Empress Dowager". He can work on that slowly after the New Year.

After a while, Gong Ying was about to leave, and A Long went to see her off. Wei Ming smiled and said, "This is your sister's house. Actually, you can stay here too."

Gong Ying was extremely embarrassed, thinking that Wei Ming wanted her to stay in the maid's room on the first floor. At this moment, Xiao Hong said, "That's right, Sister Ying, you can share a room with me." She already knew that this was Gong Xue's home, but she didn't know more about the details.

Gong Ying then realized she was overthinking things, but she still refused. She hadn't told her family beforehand, and her parents would be worried sick if she suddenly stayed out all night.

Ah Long naturally took responsibility for taking his girlfriend home, and as soon as he returned, he went to find Wei Ming.

"Brother Ming, look, this is the revamped Red Serpent, what do you think!"

When Wei Ming took a look, the face was still the same, and the figure hadn't changed either, but the clothes had changed a bit.

"Did Aying change this?"

"Hmm, I've discovered that she has a lot of experience in clothing design; this version of the outfit is prettier than my drawing."

“Girls really do know better what pretty clothes are, and with our dad being an art designer at a clothing company, Aying comes from a family with a strong background in fashion,” Wei Ming said with a smile.

Ah Long paused for a moment before realizing what "our dad" meant, and couldn't help but feel a little shy and awkward: "Then what do you think about letting her join us?"

“Sure, remember to pay him. Actually, with Ah Ying’s skills, he’s more suited to designing new clothes for Oriental Plaza. The down jacket they made this year was a bit ugly. They just need a designer. If you want your relationship to last, you still need to live together,” Wei Ming suggested to Ah Long.

Ah Long nodded. What he said made sense. He should talk to Ah Ying about it when he had the chance. Besides, she could keep her sister company when she went to Yanjing.

Wei Ming decided to offer an opportunity. He told A Long, "Xiao Hong and I are going out during the day tomorrow and probably won't be back until evening."

"Huh? Oh."

~
January 29th, the 1th day of the twelfth lunar month, is also the Little New Year in southern China.

Wei Ming and Xiao Hong left home early in the morning, and Shanghai was already in the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.

For breakfast, Wei Ming first took Xiao Hong to eat pork ribs and rice cakes, and then went to the Bund. After waiting for a while, Lao Fei, whom he had arranged to meet yesterday, arrived.

Wei Ming introduced them to each other and also asked Xiao Hong to call him "Uncle".

"Hello, Uncle Ya."

"Haha, hello there." Hearing Wei Ming say that his younger sister was a student in the Department of Mathematics at Peking University and the top science student in the province, Lao Fei couldn't help but think highly of her. She was so smart; she was a good prospect for getting into Tilanqiao University.

The reason I invited Lao Fei to get together today is twofold: firstly, to have Lao Fei take his brother and sister around the old financial district of Shanghai, acting as their tour guide.

Another purpose was the matter of Jueyuan No. 2 Residence. He needed someone knowledgeable to help him with this matter, and he would give him a fee when the time came.

"You still need me to guide you? I saw in your novel that you were very familiar with the Shanghai Bund," Old Fei said with a smile.

Unexpectedly, he also saw Wei Ming's new work.

"I only know a little bit about it," Wei Ming said modestly.

As a result, Lao Fei became unashamed: "It's only some superficial stuff, like the part about Chiang Kai-shek investing in stocks..."

Then he started pointing out discrepancies between what he wrote and the actual situation back then. Wei Ming was surprised that the old man was so observant, and he suspected that the old man had even written to the magazine "Harvest".

They chatted as they strolled along the Bund.

“Speaking of Financial Street, the Bund is one of them. Back then, foreign banks such as HSBC, Citibank, and Mercantile Bank were basically located in this area.”

Mercantile Bank is the same as Standard Chartered Bank, the original owner of No. 18 on the Bund, now called Chunjiang Building.

Old Fei knew these banks and their offices like the back of his hand. Afterwards, he took them to Jiujiang Road, which was a hub for Chinese-owned banks and financial institutions. For example, Zhejiang Industrial Bank and Zhejiang Industrial Bank had offices there. It seemed that his great-aunt's in-laws' bank was also located there.

However, these banks have long since disappeared. How could there be private banks now? The four major state-owned banks haven't even been fully established yet, and China Minsheng Bank won't be around until the 90s.

Xiao Hong loved listening to Lao Fei tell stories about the financial war in Shanghai back then, especially the part about soaring prices during the Liberation War, which Wei Ming also described in detail in the third part of "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes".

The old man and the young man chatted very congenially. Wei Ming saw a newsstand nearby and went over to inquire. He found that "Harvest" was sold out, but he noticed that they had "Youth Digest," so he bought a copy. This was the inaugural issue. Wei Ming knew that this was the month of its inaugural issue because he had previously received payment from "Youth Digest" for reprinting part of the article "Black Cat Detective: The Cuckoo Takes Over the Nest."

Digests are all taken from other places; it seems that another famous magazine, Reader's Digest, was also launched this year.

The Youth Digest, which is expected to reach a peak sales volume of 300 million copies per issue, is still a new publication and is a series of publications founded by China Youth Publishing House, primarily targeting young people.

The layout is also evident from the sections, which are divided into "Society and Life", "Learning and Exploration", "Wishing You Success", "A Stroll Through the Literary Garden", "Science Corridor" and "Mysteries of Nature", and of course, the much-criticized "Foreign Scenery" section.

Wei Ming's "Black Cat Detective" is placed in the "Mysteries of Nature" section, while there are two articles in the "Foreign Customs" section: "New Year Customs in Various Countries" and "Various Greetings".

Wei Ming flipped through it and found it to be a very objective introduction, far less harsh than the ones in later generations.

For just over two cents, Wei Ming bought a book. At this time, Lao Fei had already started telling Xiao Hong about the financial shocks that my country had suffered after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Xiao Hong found it even more interesting than what her university professors had told her.

Wei Ming glanced at his Shanghai-brand watch: "It's getting late, let's find a place to grab a quick bite."

Just as Lao Fei was about to introduce some small restaurants nearby, Wei Ming added, "It's not far from the Peace Hotel, is it?"

Old Fei was immediately invigorated and felt a surge of excitement. Then he heard Wei Ming say, "I remember there's a place nearby that sells xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Why don't we go there and have some?"

Old Fei's face fell: "I know which one you're talking about. Come with me."

Now that the dividends from Xintiandi have decreased, and if Jueyuan can be acquired, renovations will also require money, so even Wei Ming can't be too extravagant. He can take over the restaurant, but the Peace Hotel is really not cost-effective.

While eating various flavors of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), Wei Ming told Lao Fei about Jueyuan No. 2.

“My great-aunt wrote a letter from America and sent back the land deed from back then.”

"There's a land deed!" Old Fei paused. "There's still some hope. You want to take the house back?"

Wei Ming: "I have this idea. I also hope that the elderly can have the opportunity to set foot on the land of their motherland again. It's not good for them to stay in hotels."

Old Fei: "Then I can ask for you, but according to my guess, you will also need documents that can prove your relationship with the mistress of the Shi family."

"That's going to be difficult." Wei Ming frowned. His great-aunt didn't have a household registration in their hometown.

Old Fei asked, "What about the letter she gave you? Maybe it will work."

Wei Ming: "The letter wasn't written directly to me; it was passed around."

Lao Fei: "Then have her write you a letter and a power of attorney authorizing you to handle everything. That should be about right."

Wei Ming pondered for a moment and said, "Well, could you help me find out what procedures are needed?"

"Brother, this crab roe bun is so delicious!"

"If you like it, eat more." Wei Ming laughed heartily.

Just after finishing their meal and heading out, Wei Ming was about to take Xiao Hong to visit her great-aunt's old house when they ran into a short man wearing sunglasses.

Wei Ming walked up to him and faced him. When Wei Ming looked at him, he also pulled his sunglasses down.

"Wei Sang!"

"Sada-san!"

Japanese musician Masashi Sada was staying at the Peace Hotel next door. After finishing his meal, he went for a stroll and happened to run into Wei Ming, who was also strolling around.

“We really are destined to meet,” Masashi Sada said happily upon seeing his old friend. “Shortly after I returned to Japan, I heard that a grand new star concert was held in Yanjing, and that your new work was also featured.”

"Yes, we are also working hard to catch up with the international pop music scene. Are you in Shanghai this time?"

“I’m planning to hold my second concert in China in Shanghai,” Masashi Sada said, “and I will officially sing your song ‘Manhood Declaration,’ which is my secret gift to my Chinese audience.”

Wei Ming asked with a smile, "When will it be held?"

“Three days from now, at the Shanghai Stadium,” Masashi Sada asked, “Will you still be in Shanghai then?”

Wei Ming did the math for a moment and nodded: "Yes, it is."

"That's great! Please make sure you attend my concert." With that, he pulled out three tickets from his pocket.

Wei Ming smiled and took it, then said, "Not enough."

"what?"

Wei Ming: "I also have two friends who really like your songs."

These three photos are of him and Xiaohongxue, but he didn't forget Along and Aying either, after all, he's their brother-in-law.

Masashi Sada quickly whispered to the Japanese translator behind him, then snatched the two tickets from the reluctant translator's hands.

Wei Ming couldn't understand, but he could roughly guess from their expressions.

"Isn't this a gift for me?"

"I'll pay you back when we get back to the hotel. Just take this in case you need it."

You absolutely have to give it to me!

And so, Wei Ming got five concert tickets, VIP seats. Xue Jie should be back by then. She and Lin Jie had already been to Masashi Sada's concert, so Xue Jie couldn't be left out.

Then Masashi Sada asked Wei Ming what musical compositions he had created recently.

Wei Ming replied, "I recently wrote an English song."

"Nani!"

Masashi Sada was taken aback. Was this person really that talented? He asked uncertainly, "Lyrics? Composition?"

Wei Ming nodded: "Lyrics and music."

"What song is it? Can I listen to it now?"

Wei Ming: "I think it's just okay to sing. It's a song that's more suitable for women. John Lennon passed away last month, and I wrote a song to commemorate him. I've submitted it to the MCA in the United States. I don't know if it will be accepted."

Masashi Sada was even more surprised; it turned out to be an American music company, the parent company of Universal!
He became even more interested in the song and quickly asked for its name. Japan's record industry is very developed, and you can hear popular music from all over the world. If "Moonlight Shadow" could be adopted and released by MCA, he would definitely have a chance to hear it in Japan.

After exchanging words, the two parted ways. Masashi Sada jokingly asked Wei Ming to write a Japanese song for him.

Wei Ming was powerless to do anything about it. If he used Japanese words he knew to write songs, they would be unbearable to listen to; he could only write the music.

~
On the same day, in Los Angeles.

When Li Aiguo, whose real name is Thomson White, returned home for vacation, he immediately asked his father, lawyer Jason White, about his song "Moonlight Shadow".

Jason didn't take it seriously. It was just a song. Not to mention that the quality of the song itself was already quite good, his connections alone were enough to get it into the recording studio.

Li Aiguo was very happy to hear this, and asked, "Which singer performed it?"

"I'm not too sure about that. It seems like they were looking for a British female singer who likes The Beatles to sing the song."

Li Aiguo: "When can I receive the finished product? Will I be able to hear about it before I return to China?"

"It might not be that fast."

Li Aiguo said helplessly, "Alright, let's talk about the price then. After all, I get 10% of the author's earnings from this song, so I hope you won't set any traps in the contract."

Attorney White put down his knife and fork: "Why didn't you say so sooner? It seems I'll have to draft a new contract."

……

On the first day of February, Gong Xue finally returned to her loyal Shanghai from northern Jiangsu.

It was afternoon, and Ah Long had gone to work at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. Wei Ming had tricked Xiao Hong into going out beforehand, bought her a movie ticket, and sent her to Da Guangming to see "The Legend of the White Snake".

"No one will disturb us for at least three hours!" Once upstairs, Wei Ming immediately pinned Xue Jie to the bed, deliberately using force—well, the sound was negligible—this bed is nice.

Gong Xue had also been longing for him for a long time, and reached for Wei Ming's pants.

But she would never tell him that the first person to sleep in this bed was her and Zhu Lin.

More than an hour later, the smoke cleared up. Gong Xue was worried that Wei Hong would come back, so she forced herself to put on her clothes and pretend to be the lady of the house returning home.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "I reckon Aying will be back even earlier. You wait at home for a bit, and I'll go to Harvest and send the revised manuscript over."

The manuscript for the second part has been revised by 100,000 words and can be sent out once.

When he arrived at the editorial office, Editor Li first gathered up the letters for him and handed them to him. This time, they were letters from readers all over the country, and a large number of them were sent directly to Peking University.

Fortunately, I have a home in Shanghai, and a place to send letters.

Wei Ming was chatting with Editor Li when the deputy editor-in-chief walked in and announced something: "We can't hold on any longer, this issue of Harvest needs to be reprinted."

A reprint was expected. Editor Li asked, "How many more?"

The vice president said, "Let's round it up, another 40!"

……

(Bonus chapter for 2000 and 3000 monthly votes in January!)
(End of this chapter)