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Chapter 291 Dinosaur Craze, Golden Chicken Stewed with a Hundred Flowers (Please Subscribe!)

Although Wei's "Black Cat Detective" series is more famous, Liu Cixin has always felt that Wei's abilities are not limited to children's fairy tales.

Although Xiao Liu is 18 years old, he occasionally reads the "Juvenile Literature" magazine subscribed to by the school and is familiar with works by Wei such as "Jumanji" and "The Lion King".

So it's not so surprising that Wei could write a science fiction novel; Jumanji already had an amazing imagination.

He eagerly opened the magazine, glanced at the page count, and exclaimed, "Wow, it must be around 50,000 or 60,000 words! It's not a short story, it's a novella!"

I checked the time again, and it was already quite late. I'll watch half of it today and the other half tomorrow.

The smooth and comfortable writing style made it a very enjoyable read for Liu Cixin. He also reads foreign science fiction novels, and although the scientific concepts are amazing, the translated stories always have an awkward translation feel to them.

The story begins with a suspenseful question: Did Charlotte and the team she invested in really create the dinosaur?
Liu Cixin couldn't sleep at all until this mystery was solved, but his bedroom was constantly being monitored by his mother.

"Knock knock knock~" Mom knocked on the door and said, "Xiaoxin, don't stay up too late. You can do your homework tomorrow if you don't finish it. Sufficient sleep will make your work more efficient."

"Oh, I understand, Mom."

The room lights went out, but the flashlight in the blankets came on again.

When he saw that Jurassic Park was completely out of control, Liu Cixin glanced at the page count and realized he was only halfway through. "Oh well," he thought, "I'll just read two more pages."

Then, oh dear, I've seen the key point. I'll read a few more pages and get past this plot point.

Wow, this is amazing! The illustrations are perfect; I stayed up until 2 AM reading it.

At 2 o'clock, oh dear, there are only a few pages left. Oh well, I'll finish reading them and forget about it tomorrow.

At four o'clock, Liu Cixin finally fell asleep contentedly. He was so tired that he didn't turn off the flashlight, which ran out of power.

When he was still not up at seven o'clock, his mother started knocking on the door to urge him to get up.

Liu Cixin suddenly sat up in bed. He had a dream in which dinosaurs did not go extinct tens of millions of years ago. They continued to reproduce, developed intelligence, advanced technology, and became the rulers of the earth. They even began to explore the universe. Later, humans also appeared on earth. When the dinosaurs returned to their homeland from the universe, humans immediately became slaves or even food for the dinosaurs.

Luckily, my mother woke me up in time, otherwise I would have become breakfast on a dinosaur's table. What a terrifying predator!

"Mom, what are we having for dinner today?" Liu Cixin asked, his eyes swollen with dark circles.

Mom: "Eat meat dragon."

Upon hearing the word "meat dragon," Liu Cixin shuddered, his mind becoming clearer, though the dream itself became increasingly blurry.

That day, he brought "Science Fiction World" to class and recommended the novel to his classmates who, like him, loved science fiction and reading.

He also decided to continue subscribing to "Science Fiction World" in the future, which shows that the magazine has not completely disappeared and there is still hope.

When I start working and have more time, I'll try to write down the absurd stories from my dreams and submit them to Science Fiction World.

~
Jurassic Park did improve the sales of Science Fiction World, but to be honest, it was only enough to barely sell out 20,000 copies of the magazine. They actually wanted more, and sales only doubled. This is not the level of Wei's work.

However, in the present day, without the internet and with underdeveloped media, it is too difficult for something to spread. They didn't even know how to let the whole country know that the famous fairy tale prince had written a novel about dinosaurs for Science Fiction World.

Word-of-mouth takes time to spread, and this process can only be accelerated if major media outlets and platforms are willing to speak out.

Just one week after the release of *Science Fiction World*, Shanghai-based children's literature writer Ji Hong spoke out in support of *Jurassic Park* in *Wenhui Daily*.
Two years ago, he co-authored a children's book with his daughter called "Underwater Dinosaurs." He believes he knows a bit about dinosaurs and that this book helped children learn about them.

Now, seeing Wei Shenme's "Jurassic Park," a work by another children's literature author, I can see that it is more professional, with a more rigorous creative attitude. Children can read it, and adults don't find it childish.

So he couldn't help but write an article praising Wei and Jurassic Park, which was published in Wenhui Daily, where his daughter worked, as a senior's encouragement to a junior.

Ji Hong's representative work is "Snow Child," which was released as an animation by Shanghai Animation Film Studio last year and received an excellent response, even greater than Wei's two short films, which also raised Ji Hong's fame to a new level.

His article, combined with the circulation of Wenhui Daily, immediately made Jurassic Park famous and also made Science Fiction World known to more readers outside of Sichuan.

In order to get their hands on this magazine, which was not available in bookstores or newsstands, they had to order it through the post office.

Subsequently, the China Youth Daily also followed up with a report. Reporter Zhu Wei was surprised that Wei had quietly published a science fiction novel. Science fiction novels have recently been frequently criticized by various authoritative figures and have not had a good reputation.

So he found Wei Ming and interviewed him, talking about why Wei wrote "Jurassic Park".

Wei Ming first talked about the inspiration for writing this story, and said that this novel was actually specially prepared for the overseas market. Even the story background and characters are foreign, because dinosaurs are currently very popular overseas, and China is also a major country of dinosaur fossils.

"In places like Zigong in Sichuan, Lufeng in Yunnan, Zhucheng in Shandong, and Neimeng in Heilongjiang, a large number of dinosaur fossils have been unearthed. I hope they can be remembered and perhaps even attract overseas tourists in the future."

Zhu Wei: "I didn't know China had such abundant dinosaur fossil resources."

"After all, China is a vast country with abundant resources, so in my novel I deliberately wrote about several dinosaurs named after Chinese place names, such as Lufengosaurus xuensis and Tyrannosaurus rex zhuchengensis. Even the chief scientist in charge of dinosaur regeneration is of Chinese descent. He is also the smartest person in the novel and a character who appears throughout the entire book. I think this can also be considered a form of publicity."

Wei Ming understands exactly what Chinese people want to see now. If he keeps going on like this, not only will science writers stop attacking him, but the country will also be on his side.

Okay, let's write it like this, and make sure the whole world knows that Chinese people are intelligent!

Reporter Zhu Wei excitedly asked again, "Has the novel been confirmed for overseas publication?"

Wei Ming: "I just sent out the novel, and it probably hasn't arrived in the UK yet. Also, the novel is not complete. I'm still working on the sequel. Some of the Chinese dinosaurs that only made a brief appearance in the first book may get more screen time."

Then Zhu Wei knew what to write. Soon, the China Youth Daily published an exclusive interview with Wei, titled "Wei's Little Wish: To Make Chinese Dinosaurs Famous Worldwide!"

For a time, the word "dinosaur" became a hot topic of discussion among students, and even the book "Underwater Dinosaurs" by Ji Hong and his daughter sold out in major bookstores, the first time it had sold so well in the two years since its release.

Meanwhile, at the editorial office of Science Fiction World in Chengdu, upon seeing the order messages sent from all over the country by the post office, the editor-in-chief simply said, "Reprint, add another 50,000 copies!"

That adds up to 70,000 copies, far exceeding the peak circulation of Science Fiction World and its predecessor magazine.

Science Fiction World magazine is showing signs of a revival!
The editor-in-chief immediately asked Lao Wan to solicit an article from Wei Ming, as readers were certainly eager to know what happened next in "Jurassic Park".

"Don't write letters, it's too slow, make a long-distance call instead!"

Old Wan's long-distance call was answered by his grandmother. Hearing his familiar accent made her feel especially warm, and she even pulled Old Wan aside to chat.

Old Wan's heart was bleeding. Grandma, do you know how much a minute of long-distance phone calls costs?

After chatting with the old lady for a few minutes, Lao Wan explained his purpose and asked her to pass on his message. Then he quickly hung up the phone, reluctantly paying the long-distance fare out of his own pocket. He carefully kept the receipt and rushed back to get reimbursed.

At this point, Wei Ming had done preliminary research and visits, and even went to the kindergarten and compound where Xiao Mei lived as a child, before he began to write.

The novel was titled "Sunny Days," since the title "Ferocious Animals" was already taken by his first collection of essays.

After writing for more than an hour, the door opened. This was the house in Tuanjiehu. Wei Ming arrived first, and Zhu Lin came over after finishing her class.

She hugged Wei Ming's neck from behind and acted coquettishly.

"I've agreed to Tian Zhuangzhuang and the others' request."

"Oh, I've read the script."

"Not yet, but I met with Wang Anyi. She is currently writing, and she said I am very suitable for the role of Sangsang. I was so happy to receive the approval of the original author that I immediately agreed."

Wei Ming: "Oh, Wang Anyi is in Beijing. Where is she staying? I have to treat her to a meal."

"You two know each other?" Zhu Lin became wary. Wang Anyi was a few years younger than him and quite pretty.

"After all, we're all in the same industry."

Zhu Lin then asked, "So, what do you want to treat her to?"

Wei Ming: "The coffee she bought me was terribly bitter, so I bought her soy milk instead. It's just karma, what goes around comes around."

Zhu Lin burst out laughing. "You're so mean. Remember to make her drink it with some fried dough rings; it'll make her feel a little better."

Hmm, Sister Lin is only a little kinder than me. Looks like she needs to be taught a lesson. I'll have to give her a good talking to today.

Before leaving Yanjing, Wei Ming treated Wang Anyi to a meal at Baoguo Temple. She couldn't accept douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), but she could accept the other snacks. She was very grateful to Wei Ming for letting her experience this northern specialty.

The next day, May 22, Wei Ming boarded a plane to Hangzhou.

He originally planned to take the train to Hangzhou with people from the Beijing Film Studio, so that he would have company on the journey and wouldn't feel bored even if it took a day or two. Unfortunately, not many people from the Beijing Film Studio went to Hangzhou this year.

This year has been rather unfortunate for Beijing Film Studio, with very few nominated works and actors, except for "The Prisoner in Handcuffs," which received a nomination for Best Film at the Hundred Flowers Awards.

In addition, Xie Tieli's film "Tonight the Stars Are Bright" directed by the August First Film Studio received a Golden Rooster Award nomination for Best Director, and Li Xiuming was also nominated for the film, but Wei Ming was not familiar with them.

So Wei Ming set off on his own, bought an expensive plane ticket, and arrived at Hangzhou Jianqiao Airport in just one morning.

This is a dual-use military and civilian airport with a long history. It underwent an expansion a couple of years ago to accommodate Nixon, but the mixed use of military and civilian facilities was ultimately inconvenient, so Xiaoshan International Airport was built.

Wei Ming then inquired along the way and took a bus to the Second Provincial Guesthouse located on the south bank of West Lake. The environment was very nice; it used to be a private manor and was later renamed Xizi Hotel.

Right next to it are the ruins of Leifeng Pagoda, which has long since collapsed. Mr. Liang Sicheng had long ago called for the reconstruction of Leifeng Pagoda according to its original appearance, but it was never approved. It wasn't until the tourism industry boomed, perhaps also due to the influence of "The Legend of the White Snake," that a large pagoda was re-erected in 2000, becoming one of the few paid attractions on the shores of West Lake.

This year's 4th Hundred Flowers Awards is the first time it has been held outside the capital, and it is also the first time the Golden Rooster Awards have been held. This will become a regular practice in the future, with the Hundred Flowers Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards being held together, and a new city being chosen to host each year.

This is not only a mission and an honor, but also a great opportunity to promote their city, which is why Hangzhou gave them such a beautiful hotel to stay in.

After signing in, the staff gave him a key and a room number, but he wasn't qualified for a single room yet.

"Teacher Wei, you're here! I just arrived too."

Upon opening the door, one is greeted by a pair of thick eyebrows and large eyes. Because Wei Ming was part of the "Horse Herder" crew, he was assigned to the same room as Zhu Shimao, who is now a member of the August First Film Studio.

Because of the gentle flapping of a butterfly's wings, Lao Mao was nominated for Best Actor at both the Golden Rooster Awards and the Hundred Flowers Awards, and he only had one opponent at the Golden Rooster Awards.

Wei Ming: "Did you come by train?"

"Or what?"

"From Yanjing?"

“Yes,” Lao Mao laughed, “Tang Guoqiang, Li Xiuming, and Tian Hua, Yu Yang, we’re all together.”

Wei Ming said regretfully, "I should have taken the train with you guys."

"Aren't you taking the train?"

"I flew here."

"Ah, an airplane!"

Old Mao clicked his tongue. They wanted to sit there, but the factory wouldn't reimburse them. This Teacher Wei seemed to have a billionaire father overseas; he was too willing to spend money.

They all started from Yanjing, and to avoid any accidents, they arrived earlier, while the people from Shanghai Film Studio didn't arrive until the afternoon.

This year's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards belong to the Shanghai Film Studio. The three films, "Romance on Lushan Mountain," "The Herdsman," and "Night Rain in Bashan," are also the three favorites. Li Zhiyu from the Shanghai Film Group system, as well as Zhang Yu, Guo Kaimin, Da Shichang, and Li Rentang from the Shanghai Film Studio, are the main contenders for the acting awards.

Fortunately, Gong Xue recently joined the Beijing Film Studio, which made the studio look a little better. She was also nominated for Best Actress at both the Hundred Flowers Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards, but she did not attend.

Wei Ming misses her very much. When many people see Director Xie Jin, the first question they ask is, "Didn't Gong Xue come?" She was one of the actresses who rose to fame the fastest last year.

That evening, Wei Ming didn't eat at the guesthouse. Instead, he took Lao Mao and Tang Guoqiang, who had come to find Lao Mao, to Lou Wai Lou restaurant outside for dinner, where they could also enjoy the night view of West Lake.

Tang Guoqiang kept saying how embarrassed he was, but he had already tacitly accepted that Wei Ming was treating him, since Wei Ming's hospitality was a well-known fact both at home and abroad.

Lou Wai Lou is a century-old restaurant founded during the Daoguang era, and many foreigners choose Lou Wai Lou as their first choice when they come to Hangzhou for tourism.

I heard that Jack Ma is the one who ambushes foreigners and becomes their tour guides by West Lake. He must be fifteen or sixteen now. If he appears within a hundred meters of me, I'm sure I'll recognize him.

Unfortunately not.

Once inside Lou Wai Lou, one must order West Lake Vinegar Fish. Although Wei Ming had been tricked by West Lake Vinegar Fish in his previous life, he firmly believed that there must be a reason why a famous dish could be passed down for hundreds of years. Moreover, Liang Shiqiu and Feng Zikai had both praised this dish.

So he boldly ordered the dish. Fearing the restaurant might not take it seriously, he said to the well-dressed waitress, "This is Tang Guoqiang, who played 'Little Flower,' and this is Zhu Shimao, who played 'The Herdsman.' You can't fool us. It's best if your master cooks it for us. If it tastes bad, you'll ruin your own reputation."

If Melinda were here right now, she would definitely provide the best service.

The waitress looked at the fair-skinned Tang Guoqiang, then at the thick-browed, big-eyed Zhu Shimao, and finally her eyes landed on Wei Ming, the most handsome man present: "So, what have you acted in, comrade?"

Tang Guoqiang and Zhu Shimao laughed at the same time, making the little girl blush.

Zhu Shimao: "You should be even more careful with him. He is a writer who often writes articles about which restaurants are good and which are not as good as they are. Moreover, he has millions of readers. If he writes a bad word about Lou Wai Lou, that would be bad."

"Ah!" The little girl was startled.

Tang Guoqiang added, "His name is Wei Ming, and he wrote 'The Herdsman'."

The young girl turned and left, intending to tell the kitchen staff that the visitors today were up to no good.

Wei Ming: "Hey, we haven't finished ordering yet."

Finally, in addition to West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce, we also ordered Dongpo Pork, Longjing Shrimp, two seasonal vegetable dishes, and a small pot of Shaoxing wine.

Unsurprisingly, Wei Ming paid the bill again; it's unlikely he'd be impoverished by eating.

The Dongpo pork and Longjing shrimp were undoubtedly excellent, and Wei Ming couldn't help but compare them with similar dishes he had eaten at other restaurants; they were at least in the top three.

However, there's no comparison to West Lake Vinegar Fish, as there's nowhere else to buy this dish besides the West Lake area.

When the dish was served, Wei Ming deliberately ate the Dongpo pork slowly, letting the other two eat first.

Tang Guoqiang, who loves cream, picked up a piece with his chopsticks and nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, not bad, no wonder it's a signature dish."

Wei Ming: Could he be trying to trick me into eating?
So he watched Zhu Shimao take a bite, and only after confirming that it was edible did he pick up a piece with his chopsticks and dip it in the thick, shiny vinegar sauce.

"Hmm↑" Wei Ming's voice rose, and before it entered his mouth, it smelled similar to what he had smelled in his previous life, with a sour smell.

Upon tasting, the sweet and sour flavors were perfectly balanced. The sweetness of the sugar combined with the sourness of the rice vinegar to create a fresh and fragrant taste similar to crab meat. Although sweet and sour fish was not Wei Ming's favorite, he had to admit that it was quite delicious.

Even the most discerning diner wouldn't say this stuff is bad.

Seeing Wei Ming nod, the waitress who had been secretly observing breathed a sigh of relief.

Wei Ming asked, "May I meet the chef who made this dish?"

"Please wait."

The chef had actually been waiting for a long time. Wei Ming was not only famous in the literary world, but also renowned in the culinary world. Dozens of articles about food in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Sichuan and Chongqing made his name known to many chefs. He was a regular at major restaurants in Beijing.

"Hello, Mr. Wei, my name is Wu Shunchu, and I am the head chef of Lou Wai Lou." The head chef went straight to Wei Ming.

Wu Shunchu looks to be under forty years old, but he has a deep understanding of Hangzhou cuisine and can be considered a leading figure in this sub-category in the future.

Wei Ming is lucky to have come. He just joined Lou Wai Lou at the beginning of this year, and his specialty is West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce.

When Wei Ming asked how West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce was made, he didn't hold back his knowledge.

"I use an old method: first, starve the grass carp for three days to remove the muddy taste and make the meat firm. Then, blanch it in boiling water for three minutes... Grass carp itself does not taste like crab, but through the clever combination of sugar, vinegar, and minced ginger, as well as the firm texture of the fish, it can simulate a sweet taste similar to crab meat."

The key is still "skillful combination," which is crucial in grasping the right balance. No wonder some people's dishes have a strong earthy taste or an overly sour taste that is difficult to swallow.

There were still many dishes on the menu, and Wei Ming decided to come back and eat them later, since the organizing committee had arranged rooms for them for three days.

The next day was the official awards ceremony. The process was actually quite quick; people went up and read out the list, and those whose names were called went up to give their acceptance speeches. The most time-consuming part was probably the speeches by the leaders.

Local leaders in Hangzhou will give speeches, as will leaders from Popular Cinema magazine and the Golden Rooster Awards organizing committee.

After everyone has finished speaking, the Hundred Flowers Awards will be presented first.

The Hundred Flowers Awards used to have many categories, but this year, with the Golden Rooster Awards overseen by experts, the Hundred Flowers Awards have been simplified to only three categories: Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Feature Film, in order to avoid repetition.

The Best Actress awards were won by Zhang Yu, Gong Xue, and Jiang Lili, with a total of nearly three million votes cast. Zhang Yu received 120 million votes for her role in "Romance on Lushan Mountain," while Gong Xue came in second with less than a million votes.

Thus, following Chen Chong, the Shanghai Film Studio's leading lady once again won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress.

The competition for Best Actor was also fierce, with Tang Guoqiang, Zhu Shimao, Da Shichang, and Guo Kaimin representing a battle between Shanghai Film Studio and August First Film Studio. In the end, Da Shichang won for "The Return of the Swallow," proving that veteran heartthrobs still have their place.

The Best Picture selection included three films: The Herdsman, Romance on Lushan Mountain, and the opera film The Magistrate.

The Hundred Flowers Awards have come to an end, but "The Herdsman" won an award, so Wei Ming's trip wasn't in vain.

After the award winners finished their acceptance speeches and took a short break, the Golden Rooster Awards continued.

The Golden Rooster Awards have many more categories, more than a dozen, but initially, the Best Props Award, Best Makeup Award, and Best Costume Award were all left vacant.

The award was established, but it was felt that no one deserved it, so it was left vacant.

However, the Best Special Effects award went to the blockbuster "The Legend of the White Snake," a traditional opera film that is indeed a rare example of a domestic film that utilizes special effects.

Then, the Best Editing Award went to "The Herdsman", the Best Music Award went to "Bashan Night Rain", the Best Cinematography Award went to "The Herdsman", and the Best Supporting Actor and Actress Ensemble Award went to "Bashan Night Rain".

The Golden Rooster Awards almost became a competition between these two films, followed by the "Best Screenplay Award".

Two works were shortlisted: Ye Nan's "Bashan Night Rain" and Wei Ming's "The Horse Herder".

……

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(End of this chapter)