Exciting 1979!

Chapter 293 My original manuscript is back; it can be passed down as a family heirloom.

When they arrived at the post office, in addition to Melinda's telegram, there was also a money order from Hong Kong, which was a reprint fee for the June issue of "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes" sent by Ta Kung Pao.

Even for reprints, the price was HK$80 per thousand words. Based on 100,000 words per month, that's HK$8000. This price is much higher than Wei Kuangren's works. Fame really does affect prices.

Left-wing media treats Wei Ming like a well-known writer. Many articles by authors like Mao Dun and Ba Jin are also published in Hong Kong media, with standards much higher than those in mainland China. This is also an important source of their royalties.

Wei Ming calmly accepted the money. The monthly income of 8000 Hong Kong dollars was no longer exciting enough for him; the main source of income was the money Melinda brought him.

In her telegram, she told Wei Ming: "Mr. Webber invites you to London to see his latest musical, Cats, and to discuss copyright cooperation. He's in a hurry because another established musical company has extended an invitation to cooperate. In addition, your song has become a hit in Europe and America, Sarah has become very famous, and Webber's opera has also benefited. He has already sent you an invitation through the British Embassy in China."

I've written so many words, and it must have cost me a lot of money, but I've made things very clear.

Wei Ming immediately replied with a telegram, informing her that he was about to go to Hong Kong and that if the foreign affairs department allowed him to go, he could fly to London via Hong Kong to meet her after he finished his business in Hong Kong.

It is not unusual for Chinese artists to be invited to visit foreign countries. Mr. Shen Congwen was invited to the United States to give lectures last year.

However, this kind of treatment is usually reserved for well-known artists. Wei Ming was still too young, so when the British Embassy conveyed the invitation, the foreign affairs staff handling the matter were somewhat surprised.

First, she was surprised that Wei Ming was Wei something. Melinda provided Wei Ming's Chinese and English names as well as his workplace.

Secondly, I was surprised that his novel about lions was so highly regarded, and that the British musical theatre scene wanted to collaborate with him. I didn't think it was anything special; the British really haven't had much of a good life.

Wei Ming had already been granted permission to go to Hong Kong, and after another trip to the foreign affairs department, he was finally granted permission to go to the UK.

Since we've already gone to Hong Kong, we can escape from there if we really want to. Adding Britain to the mix won't make a difference.

How should I tell Sister Lin and Sister Xue about this? They might misunderstand and think that I went to England to rekindle my old flame?
Walking on the Peking University campus, Wei Ming, who was preparing to ask for leave, was somewhat worried.

"Brother Ming!" Liang Zuo called out to Wei Ming.

"Oh, Xiao Zuo, what's up?"

Liang Zuo, who is four years older than Wei Ming, doesn't care. He's already satisfied as long as he's not allowed to call him "uncle".

"My mom invites you to her home; she wants to ask you something."

"Did she ask me for advice?"

"It's about writing a screenplay. A film studio wants to adapt her novel into a movie. You have a lot of experience in this area."

Wei Ming perked up: "Which novel?"

"Middle Age"

Wei Ming chuckled, "It's the one I was looking for: 'Alright, I'll go to your house tomorrow night and tell your mom.'"

The key to "Middle Age" is finding a suitable female lead with a strong soul, and Wei Ming happens to have a suitable candidate.

However, that same evening, Chen Rong and the others called the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

She immediately scolded her son: "I asked you for help, so I should be the one visiting you. That Liang Zuo is so insensible; he actually agreed to let you come to our door."

"Oh, sister, you're too kind. Besides, Editor-in-Chief Fan has always been very kind to me, but I've never even met her. I've been wanting to visit her for a long time. I just hope you don't mind me bothering you."

"I won't bother you. I'm just afraid you're picky and won't like home-cooked food, haha."

The next afternoon, Wei Ming bought some fruit and snacks, and brought a can of Longjing tea to the People's Daily family compound. Chen Rong sent his second son, Liang Tian, ​​to greet Wei Ming.

"Teacher Wei, this way please."

"Liang Tian, ​​right? I often hear your brother talk about you."

"They definitely didn't say anything nice about me. Did they imply that my eyes are small?" Liang Tian said with great self-awareness.

"Haha, no one knows a brother better than his brother."

On the way upstairs, Liang Tian and Wei Ming discussed "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes." Liang Tian was from the military, and according to him, the military library received five copies of this issue of "Harvest," which were all borrowed that same day. This series is quite popular in their area.

Wei Ming expressed his gratitude.

Once inside, Liang Zuo was at school; the entire family of four was there, and dinner was already prepared, just waiting for him, their distinguished guest, to arrive.

Wei Ming introduced himself to everyone, and they sat down to eat and chat.

“I’ve already heard from Liang Zuo that someone wants to make a film called ‘Middle Age’,” Wei Ming said bluntly.

Chen Rong nodded: "Yes, Changchun Film Studio has this idea and hopes that I will adapt it myself, but I have never written a script before."

"Big sister, please ask me for advice. I just suffered a crushing defeat at the Golden Rooster Awards," Wei Ming joked.

"A nomination is an affirmation. Out of so many films last year, only you and Ye Nan were nominated. How can it be considered a failure? It's clearly a process of natural selection."

Liang Tian echoed his mother: "That's right, that's right. Our army has shown both of these movies, but 'The Herdsman' is clearly more popular."

He also kept something to himself: His comrades all really liked Comrade Gong Xue.

Since everyone had said so, Wei Ming boldly shared some knowledge about screenwriting. After all, he was a screenwriter with decades of experience, and he spoke fluently about this subject.

However, no matter how much you talk about it, it's better to improve yourself through practice.

"I also brought a copy of 'Film Creation' today. 'The Herdsman' was published in this issue. It's a pretty standard script format. Here, you can try writing a section like this first, and then I'll help you find the flaws and point out some problems for beginners."

"Okay, but you'll have to check it out for me after you finish writing it."

"Sure, but I'll be going to Hong Kong next month, and then I'll be flying to London. Could you write a short passage for me to see as soon as possible? We can discuss it again when I get back."

"Going to England? Why are you going to England again?" Editor-in-Chief Fan asked with a keen sense of news.

Wei Ming didn't hide anything and said that someone had taken a liking to "The Lion King" and invited him to see the musical and discuss licensing.

"Wow!" Liang Tian exclaimed in surprise, knowing he would have something to brag about when he returned to his unit.

"Big sister, what are your thoughts on the actress playing Lu Wenting?" Wei Ming asked again about the female lead.

Chen Rong: "Ah, what right do I, a screenwriter, have to control who plays the female lead?"

"I don't know about others, but for me, the film adaptations of my novels all need to satisfy the actors. After all, when we are creating, we all have an image of the characters we are writing about, and no one understands the characters better than us."

Chen Rong laughed and said, "That's true, but actually I don't watch many movies and I don't know many actresses. I only know a few of the most famous ones, but they are all too young and their ages are not suitable. Actually, I think Zheng Zhenyao's temperament is more suitable. I have seen her play, but she is a bit too old."

The female protagonist of "Middle Age" is Lu Wenting, an ophthalmologist who is under forty years old. She is highly skilled and has more than ten years of clinical experience. She is not a graduate of a four-year college program.

After dinner, when Wei Ming was sitting on the sofa opposite Sister Chen Rong, he took out a photo.

"Big sister, what do you think of this actor?"

This is a photo of Zhu Lin when she was working. She is wearing a white lab coat and looking at reagents in the laboratory. Her expression is focused and her attitude is professional.

Chen Rong's first impression was that the doctor was very beautiful and looked kind and comfortable.

"She's an actress?"

"She used to work at a medical research institute, but now she's preparing to become a professional actress. She's already acted in several films and TV series, including 'The Mourning' directed by Shui Hua, in which she plays Zi Jun."

"So it was her!" Chen Rong also knew about the film adaptation; Zi Jun was a typical representative of an intellectual young woman.

Her imagination of Lu Wenting was that of a typical intellectual, knowledgeable, cultured, and principled.

However, this female intellectual was too beautiful. Chen Rong then thought of Gong Xue, a beautiful woman he had met twice before. Because of Xiao Wei, Gong Xue was one of the few actresses he knew, but she had a very delicate temperament.

"what is her name?"

"Zhu Lin".

Zhu Lin's temperament is quite similar to Lu Wenting's, and she has also studied medicine: "How old is she?"

Wei Ming: "I'm 30 years old."

My age is 30 according to the traditional Chinese age reckoning, I'm not lying.

Wei Ming deliberately exaggerated, and Chen Rong still thought it was a little small, but it would still be okay with makeup.

Chen Rong was a little curious about the relationship between Zhu Lin and Xiao Wei, but didn't ask further. Instead, she said, "How about we meet next time you check my homework?"

Wei Ming: "Sure, I'll let her know later."

If this matter is successfully handled, Wei Ming doesn't dare to hope that Sister Lin can win the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress like Pan Hong, but at least it can become her representative work. Female intellectuals are completely her comfort zone, and she can play the role with more ease.

By early June, with the departure date drawing ever closer, Wei Ming finally finished the manuscript for "Jurassic Park Part II" and began writing Hong Kong film scripts as a hobby.

Sister Chen Rong also called to arrange to meet tomorrow.

Wei Ming immediately called Tuanjiehu. Fortunately, Zhu Lin was there, and Wei Ming invited her to see a play at the Beijing People's Art Theatre the next day.

Zhu Lin's voice was gentle: "And today~"

Gan!
You forced me to do this.

Wei Ming put down his work and rode his motorcycle out the door.

Zhu Lin lured Wei Ming over and told him some good news: "My period is here."

Wei Ming skillfully concealed his disappointment and calmly said, "So what if you're here? Come on, let me tell you about tomorrow's plans."

"It's just watching a play."

"Going to see a play is just a side thing; the main thing is to let you meet someone." Then Wei Ming mentioned Chen Rong and the adaptation of "Middle Age."

This novel, along with "The Spring of the Shepherd's Class," won the first prize in the National Excellent Novella Competition. It is quite powerful and influential. Zhu Lin has also read it and likes the female protagonist, Lu Wenting, very much. She sees the shadows of her mother and her mother's colleagues in Lu Wenting.

She never imagined that she would one day play the role of Lu Wenting.

"Don't be too happy yet. Even if Sister Chen Rong approves of you, she can only recommend you to directors and production companies. Most screenwriters and authors don't have my influence," Wei Ming said smugly.

Zhu Lin: That's right. Gong Xue starred in both works. She's so domineering and has no say in anything.

However, Sister Lin still threw herself into the young man's arms to express her gratitude, her hand still moving on his chest.

Actually, Zhu Lin lured Wei Ming over today to find out the contents of Melinda's telegram.

Before she could even ask, Wei Ming confessed on his own.

“I’m going to Hong Kong on Monday,” Wei Ming told her. “You told me that, I know.”

Wei Ming: "Besides going to Hong Kong, I also have to go to the UK."

"what?!"

Wei Ming took out the invitation letter from the British Embassy.

"There's no way around it. The British invited me sincerely, and this transaction involves a considerable amount of foreign exchange. I'm also worried about Melinda. After all, people of different races are bound to have different intentions, and I'm afraid she might help her fellow British to cheat me." Wei Ming deliberately chose to say what Zhu Lin wanted to hear.

Sure enough, Sister Lin's brows relaxed, and she didn't show her worry. Instead, she generously said, "Go ahead, go ahead, make a lot of foreign exchange from foreigners and bring glory to the country."

Wei Ming laughed and said, "We must bring glory to them!"

After the two lay down in bed, Zhu Lin suddenly buried her head in the covers. Despite her physical limitations, she was making things convenient for Wei Mingxing in another way.

"Good sister~"

Wei Ming could only offer a word of praise: "If Sister Lin could wear the white coat she used to work in right now, that would be wonderful."

~
The next day, when I arrived at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, I saw Zhu Lin in person for the first time and I had one thought: if my Lu Wenting were like this, I'm sure many people would like her.

She has started to consider issues from a cinematic perspective, recognizing that an actress's image and temperament can enhance a role.

The next three people entered the venue and chose seats at the back so they could talk without disturbing others.

Zhu Lin shared her own experiences with Chen Rong, saying that in her heart, her mother was a female doctor like Lu Wenting, so she had a natural advantage in playing this role.

Wei Ming was standing to the side, grading assignments and annotating Chen Rong's script pages.

After the play ended, Chen Rong suggested, "Let's find a place to eat and chat."

Zhu Lin confidently replied, "Okay."

She could tell that Professor Chen Rong was interested in her; she had a chance!

When she got home that evening, she turned on the desk lamp and looked at Wei Ming's annotations. Thinking about Zhu Lin, whom she had met that day, Chen Rong took out a new stack of manuscript paper and started writing the script again. When she wrote about Lu Wenting, she automatically put Zhu Lin's image into the role, and it felt easier to write.

~
That evening, Vivian Chow also wrote for a long time.

Today she saw two messages about Amin.

A song from the Western music scene, "Moonlight Shadow," written by Amin, has topped the music charts in the UK, Germany, Italy, and other countries. This week, it officially topped the Billboard Hot 1, a chart that symbolizes global pop music trends!

I don't know if any Chinese musicians have achieved this, but I only know of one, Vivian Chow. I really want to tell Alan Tam and Zhang Mingmin that Mr. Why is Ah Ming, and their expressions would definitely be priceless.

The second news is that the New Evening Post, a subsidiary of Ta Kung Pao, began serializing his novel "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes," which reportedly caused a sales boom.

She suddenly realized that Amin was such a great writer and literary figure, and that she was too incompetent compared to him, even too lazy to write letters and insisting on recording them on cassette tape instead.

It seems that starting with magnetic tape communication, Amin gradually lost his strong desire to express himself.

So today she picked up her pen and paper again and continued to communicate with Amin through writing.

However, because he was not satisfied with his writing, he revised it after writing it, and then copied it stroke by stroke on fragrant stationery.

After finishing all that, Vivian Chow rubbed her eyes before going to bed.

Tonight she had a dream in which Ah Ming traveled all the way to Hong Kong to find her, and she sang "Moonlight Shadow" for him. He said he sang it even better than Sarah Brightman.

Just as Amin's letter was sent, Wei Ming was about to leave for Hong Kong.

They will fly from Beijing to Guangzhou, and then take a train to Hong Kong.

Those who went to Hong Kong this time included Wei Ming, Zhao Debiao, Liu Rulong, and Wu Jing. Biaozi will temporarily act as Wu Jing's guardian.

Biaozi felt exhausted. He had to keep an eye on Mingge to prevent him from getting reckless and also keep an eye on Jingzi to prevent her from wetting the bed.

Everyone agreed to meet at Wei Ming's house, but before they arrived, Wei Ming received a phone call.

"Comrade Wei Tao?"

"Comrade Wei Ming, are you home now? Your original manuscripts have all been retrieved. I just came from Old Xia's house."

Wei Ming: "I'm at home, but I have to leave in an hour to catch a flight."

"Oh, there's still time, there's still time, I'll send it over to you right away." Then he hung up the phone.

Okay, then let's wait and see. He'll probably be restless until this manuscript reaches him.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Wei Ming thought it was Wei Tao, but it turned out to be little Wu Jing carrying a huge bag.

Behind him was his father, Wu Jinquan. He handed his son to Wei Ming, telling him to listen to his brother, and then left with peace of mind. The father showed no reluctance, and the son did not cry or make a fuss.

Wei Ming's maternal grandmother immediately gave the children fruit and candy.

Old Wei exclaimed in amazement, "He can act at such a young age?"

“Xizi is even younger than him, and she acts very well,” Wei Ming asked. “Jingzi, do you watch TV?”

"Are there Astro Boy and Donald Duck?"

“There’s none right now, so why don’t you read a book for a while?” Wei Ming pulled out his Chinese version of “The Lion King.”

Wu Jing said awkwardly, "I don't understand."

I almost forgot, he's only in first grade and doesn't know many characters.

Just as I was feeling awkward, someone knocked on the door again.

This time it's Comrade Wei Tao.

"Am I late?" he asked.

"No, we still have more than half an hour before we leave," Wei Ming said with a smile.

“That’s perfect, let me tell you about it.” Wei Tao pulled Wei Ming down to sit and took out a thick manuscript from his bag, which he had already arranged in order.

Wei Ming noticed someone else's handwriting on the first page, with a small line of text written in a blank space.

Wei Tao apologized, saying, "These manuscripts have had a rather complicated history. Many veteran comrades have read them. Some of them like to take notes and make annotations while reading, and some couldn't help but write something down. I apologize to you on their behalf."

"No, no, no," Wei Ming said, looking at the group of young men. "This old comrade only cursed the Japanese, and I felt a sense of kinship with him. I just don't know which old comrade this is?"

Wei Tao mentioned a name, and Wei Ming immediately showed great respect: "The old chief is indeed a man of character. I never expected that he would also be one of my readers."

"Moreover, the old commander really liked this novel. He couldn't help but write a few lines whenever he came across an exciting part, and there are quite a few more later on." Wei Tao flipped to the back and pointed to a few places.

But this wasn't the only senior officer who left comments on Wei Ming's manuscript; on the last page of the novel, Wei Ming saw at least seven or eight different handwritings.

Inspired by this former leader, many other veteran comrades who received the manuscripts later expressed their opinions directly on the original text.

Some were simply praising it, some were reflecting on their own experiences and reminiscing about the past, and some were correcting certain descriptions of Wei Ming, explaining the true situation at the time.

Wei Tao came here to tell Wei Ming whose handwriting these were, so that he would have a clear understanding and that some parts could be changed when it was published, unless it was a matter of principle.

"I heard it from Mr. Xia. He has a wide circle of friends and can identify the writer by their handwriting." Wei Tao began to introduce them one by one from front to back.

"Wow, this elderly gentleman is reading this book at such a young age!"

"I never expected this leader's handwriting to be so neat and beautiful. It's quite a surprise."

"I know him, he's one of our army's fierce generals!"

"So you're that person's son. My apologies for not recognizing you."

After recognizing the handwriting of dozens of veteran comrades, Wei Ming exclaimed in surprise upon hearing another name, "Oh, this person has also read my book?"

Wei Tao: I'm not familiar with this person. I think it's because the protagonist's name is very similar to his.

Wei Ming nodded. This original manuscript should be carefully preserved in the future; it wouldn't be too much to say it's a family heirloom.

While Wei Tao was talking to Wei Ming, Old Wei stood at the door, keeping Biaozi and Along outside. He had overheard a few words and, upon hearing those names, knew that his son was discussing something important.

After Wei Tao finished speaking, he checked his watch and said, "Thankfully, I shouldn't have missed your flight. I'll be going now."

"Take care, I'll see you off. We're going down too, just in time," Wei Ming said with a smile.

He deliberately lagged behind a few steps, handed the manuscript to Lao Wei, and slipped him a handful of foreign exchange certificates.

"Dad, could you buy me a safe when you have some free time, and then lock this manuscript inside?"

"Okay, I'll go buy it after I see you off, and also..."

Old Wei solemnly said, "When you see him, kowtow three times for me."

Wei Ming patted Laozi on the shoulder, indicating that he would definitely bring it.

Upon arriving at the airport, Xiao Wu was amazed by everything that seemed new and exciting.

"What is this? Why is it blocked?" he asked, staring at a mural that was being blocked.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "The girl behind you isn't wearing any clothes."

Wu Jing, innocent and naive, asked, "Why isn't she wearing clothes? Is it because she doesn't have money to buy any?"

Wei Ming laughed and said, "Maybe it's just to keep cool."

After queuing for a while, the three adults and one child successfully boarded the plane. The child once again turned into a walking encyclopedia of questions, becoming curious about how airplanes fly.

Wei Ming tossed it to the patient A Long, who silenced Wu Jing with a paintbrush.

"Brother Long, could you draw me another wolf? A wolf standing up?"

After Wei Ming and others went to space, filming of "Mom, Love Me Again," which was being shot in a rural area of ​​northern Jiangsu, came to an end.

Gong Xue decided to go back to her home in Shanghai to spend time with her parents, eat something good, gain back the weight she had lost, and get back to her best condition before returning to Beijing.

Although she knew Wei Ming had most likely gone to Hong Kong, there was still Zhu Lin, and she couldn't lose face in front of her.
……

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(End of this chapter)