Exciting 1979!

Chapter 294 Wei Ming Arrives in Hong Kong, Amin Eagerly Awaits (Please Subscribe)
The Wei Residence in Beitou Villa District, Taipei.

With his three wives and one sister-in-law out shopping, nearly eighty-year-old Wei Muchun put on his reading glasses and started reading the May issue of "Harvest" magazine, which had just been delivered to him a couple of days ago by his powerful student.

After waiting for several months and watching for several days, I finally saw the finale. The ending was similar to that of the three siblings: they fell apart and each went their own way, except that a fictional fourth brother was created.

He read the last chapter and the last paragraph several times, simulating in his mind the scene at the end of the novel where the brothers, having survived all the tribulations, reunite with a smile and forget all their grudges. The old man finally couldn't help but burst into tears, calling out "Father" and "Mother" in his native dialect, which sounded somewhat unfamiliar to him.

Before his wives returned, Wei Muchun quickly composed himself and then called his sister, Wei Lindi, who was in San Francisco.

"Have you read the novel that I asked Lingling to bring you?"

In a spacious Chinese-style manor in San Francisco, an elegant silver-haired old lady in a cheongsam holds a lazy orange cat: "I've seen it, it's neither here nor there, it's uncomfortable."

"It's already finished. I've read it and will send it to you right away."

"Okay, but have you listened to the record I sent you?" the silver-haired old lady on the other end of the phone asked.

"I listened to it, but I don't like foreign language songs. It even said it was to commemorate John Lennon, but I don't even know who that Lennon is."

Wei Lindi said, "But the lyrics and music of this song are by the same author as 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes'."

"Huh?" Wei Muchun was completely taken aback. He hadn't expected that the kid could actually write English songs. He thought that the Cantonese song "Flower in the Water" was his limit.

Wei Lindi added, "Moreover, this song is now popular in Europe and America, and it even reached number one on the Billboard charts in the United States. Lingling often hums it, but she doesn't know that the songwriter is related to her."

Speaking of this, Wei Lindi chuckled.

"Where is Lingling? Is she with you? I want to say a few words to her."

“No,” Wei Lindi said. “It’s graduation season, she must be having a graduation party with her classmates.”

"Is it a party or a date? Is she not in a relationship?" Wei Muchun asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things for you. Lingling has two degrees, so she has no time or interest in romance. Besides, she has high standards."

Wei Muchun hummed in agreement: "Lindy, I was deeply moved after reading Wei Ming's novel. Brothers are brothers after all, and compatriots are compatriots after all. After all, blood is thicker than water. It's been decades, and some things should be let go. My feelings for Xiao Ning are no less than yours."

Over the years, Wei Muchun has maintained contact with her younger brother and sister, but the two siblings never communicate directly; they always contact each other through Wei Muchun or Wei Lingling.

Including the recent incident involving the old villa at No. 2 Jueyuan, Wei Lingling will likely have to make another trip to Hong Kong, or even back to the mainland.

Wei Lindi sighed, "Big brother, I'm tired, I'm going to rest."

"Oh, I forgot, it's nighttime in America now. Goodnight, Lindy. Tell Lingling to call me back when you see her."

~
Lo Wu Railway Station, Hong Kong.

Located in the North District of the New Territories, this is the first train station for passengers entering Hong Kong. It is adjacent to the Lo Wu District of Shenzhen, and passengers from the Mainland need to go through immigration procedures here.

Since both Wei Ming and Ah Long can speak Cantonese, there is absolutely no problem with communication.

Upon exiting the train station, one could see 18-year-old Zhen Zidan holding a sign with the names Wei Ming and Zhao Debiao on it.

After filming "Heroes from Ancient Times", he returned to Hong Kong with Yuen Cheung-yan to develop his career, and became a member of Yuen Woo-ping's stunt team. He now does some stunt work.

He certainly didn't have the emotional intelligence to take the initiative to pick up the car; Yuan Xiangren sent him over because he was worried that Wei Ming and the others were unfamiliar with the area.

"Teacher Wei, Brother Biao, over here!" Danny greeted enthusiastically, grinning with his big white teeth, mainly because he was intimidated by Biao's tyranny and afraid that Brother Biao would beat him up.

Wu Jing glanced at the sign: "Teacher Wei, isn't my name on the sign?"

Wei Ming: "You can't even read, what's the point of writing it?"

"I still recognize my own name," Xiao Wu said, a little annoyed.

Seeing that someone had come to pick him up, Ah Long pulled Wei Ming aside and said, "Ah Ming, I didn't expect someone to come to pick me up. Actually, I had asked someone to come too."

Wei Ming asked, "Is Uncle here to pick us up?"

"No, it's me..."

"Senior brother, over here, over here!" A figure called Ao Bai was seen holding up a sign. On the sign, besides Liu Rulong's name, there was also a cartoon image of A Long, who looked just like a giant panda.

At this time, Xu Jinjiang was only 20 years old. He had no beard, long hair with an artistic flair, and a youthful face, but he was very tall, nearly 1.9 meters. Wei Ming and Biaozi did not appear so tall in front of him.

He was a month older than Ah Long. Both of them had been disciples of Guan Shanyue, a master of the Lingnan School of Painting, since childhood. Ah Long became the senior disciple because he entered the school a week earlier.

Wei Ming naturally knew about the relationship between A Long and Xu Jinjiang. They had even appreciated many of Xu Jinjiang's artworks together. At the time, A Long said: "I didn't expect my junior brother to have such strong expressiveness. He is usually a very reserved person."

Although Ah Long and Xu Jinjiang had been separated for many years, they had kept in touch. When they met again, it was just like before, and they quickly became familiar with each other.

Wei Ming glanced at Xu Jinjiang and Zhen Zidan, one tall and one short, and said, "Very good, now we have connections in Hong Kong. May I ask who's driving?"

Zhen Zidan was a little embarrassed: "My income isn't high right now, but I can still afford a taxi."

Xu Jinjiang, who was prepared, jingled his car keys: "I borrowed a friend's car, come with me."

This is a typical minivan, the kind that can fit more than a hundred people in a fight.

Wei Ming pulled Zhen Zidan along, saying, "Danny, let's go to Qingniao Film Company. Maybe Ms. Xia Meng can give you a role."

Upon hearing this, not only Zhen Zidan perked up, but Xu Jinjiang also perked up and asked Wei Ming about his identity with a smile. After coming to Hong Kong, he started to work in various film crews with his art skills, but because he had no connections, he didn't have many job opportunities, so he was admitted to the TVB Artist Training Class.

Whether the film company is short of art directors or actors, I can handle it.

On the way to the car, Ah Long began to introduce Xu Jinjiang to the identities of these friends, with a focus on Wei Ming.

He writes novels, screenplays, and songs; some of the songs Xu Jinjiang has heard were actually written by him.

Zhen Zidan had already heard Brother Biao brag about these things on set, and she still thinks they're awesome when she hears them again now. After he came to Hong Kong, Wei Ming's songs remained popular and can be considered important representative works of Zhang Mingmin and Tan Yonglin.

But what surprised him most was: "Is 'Moonlight Shadow' also a work by Teacher Wei? This song is very popular in Europe and America!"

Ah Biao put his arm around his shoulder from behind: "Didn't I tell you? The fairy tale writer Wei something is also him. Isn't Wei something just Why? You're an American, yet you've forgotten all your English."

When Brother Biao spoke, Danny could only listen obediently, while his mind raced. Teacher Wei was so capable, he was practically an all-rounder in the cultural and entertainment industry, able to support an entire film crew all by himself. Could he write a script for himself and make himself famous?

After all, we all know each other and have even eaten together.

Xu Jinjiang chuckled and secretly observed that this Professor Wei from Peking University had a very high reputation.

Ah Long then asked Xu Jinjiang if he had any connections in the comic book industry. This was also the reason why he had told his junior brother to pick him up beforehand, since he and Ah Ming knew absolutely nothing about the Hong Kong comic book industry.

Wei Ming: Hey, don't include me.

"Senior brother, you've actually started drawing comics now?!" Xu Jinjiang asked in surprise. When they were young, they both aspired to become art masters like their teacher.

Ah Long scratched his head: "Making money is nothing to be ashamed of."

"That's true. I've started learning acting now, to see if I can become an actor and make a living." Xu Jinjiang sighed, "Everyone has fallen into depravity."

Wei Ming: Hey, you haven't completely fallen from grace yet.

"Oh, buddy, you're going to be an actor too?" Zhen Zidan looked at the other person and felt that he looked fierce and intimidating, unlike herself who was kind and approachable. She guessed he wouldn't become famous.

“Yes, I also attended TVB’s artist training class. It’s always good to have more skills,” Xu Jinjiang said truthfully. “Maybe a production crew will hire me as a set designer because I can act.”

Xu Jinjiang only had a slight understanding of the comic book industry, and knew people like Huang Yulang, Shangguan Xiaobao, and Shangguan Xiaowei, as well as the names of their works.

On the contrary, Zhen Zidan knew it like the back of her hand and spoke eloquently about it.

"Wow, that 'Dragon Tiger Gate' movie is amazing! Let me tell you, do you know the 'Electric Dragon Drill' scene...?"

"Dragon Tiger Gate" is the representative work of Hong Kong comic book tycoon Wong Yuk-long. It was originally called "Little Rascal". Later, Yen Tsz-dan starred in a movie version.

He can even clearly explain the grudges and rivalries between these cartoonists, which shows that this kid has read a lot of comics since arriving in Hong Kong.

Wei Ming asked Zhen Zidan, "What kind of comics did you like to read when you were in the US?"

“Back in the US, my mom was very strict. She made me practice martial arts and piano, so she wouldn’t let me watch anything. But I knew that Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man were very popular. Oh, and the Fantastic Four too. Almost all my male classmates were comic book fans, and my female classmates were obsessed with Barbie.”

Xu Jinjiang tossed his long, artistic hair: "You're still practicing the piano? What kind of piano?"

"piano."

"So you're also in the arts, my apologies for not recognizing you sooner." Xu Jinjiang reached out to shake hands with Zhen Zidan in the passenger seat.

The car immediately started to shake. Biaozi swayed, pressing Jingzi down between them: "Ah Long's junior brother, concentrate on driving!"

Zhen Zidan and Xu Jinjiang both shuddered. At this moment, Xu Jinjiang was far less ferocious than Biaozi.

Wei Ming asked with a smile, "Xiao Xu, how much does a used minivan like this cost in Hong Kong?"

“It’s not much money, a few thousand dollars, I mean Hong Kong dollars,” he asked. “You don’t want to buy it, do you? My friend was planning to sell it anyway, and he wants to add money to buy a used car.”

A few thousand yuan isn't expensive. Wei Ming took a look and thought it was pretty good. The space was very spacious and the car was in good condition. It would be an exaggeration to say that it could fit a hundred people, but it would be fine for ten people to squeeze in.

I've been running around a lot lately, so having a car would definitely be a lot more convenient. "Go back and tell your friend to give me a reasonable price; I'd like to get one." Plus, I can drive it for a few days and then let Lao Gui drive it, so I won't feel bad about it.

“Okay, I’ll try my best to lower the price for you,” Xu Jinjiang said.

Soon, the car arrived at Sham Shui Po District in Kowloon, a place with a thriving textile industry. Ms. Xia Meng's husband runs a garment factory there, but business is just so-so.

Later, the couple founded Bluebird Film Company, which was also located here.

At this moment, Ms. Xia Meng had just met with a young man.

She didn't hide anything from the young people and made it clear that filming "Boat People" required going to Hainan, which is mainland China: "I hope you think it through carefully, because once you sign the contract, there's no going back."

Liu Dehua: "Ms. Xia, may I go back and discuss this with the company?"

“Of course,” Xia Meng stood up and shook hands with the handsome young man. “I look forward to working with you. I have high hopes for you.”

The 20-year-old Andy Lau was a little confused. He had an impulse to sign the contract now without thinking about it anymore. But he was not an impulsive person after all. He still wanted to realize his dream of becoming a star through TVB.

After saying goodbye to Xia Meng and Xu Anhua, Liu Dehua went downstairs and was then stopped by someone.

"Andy Lau!"

Liu Dehua saw a large group of people, including a sleepy child being held in the arms of a muscular man, while walking in the middle was a guy who was even more handsome than himself.

"Oh, Ah Jiang," Liu Dehua greeted them. They were both students in the tenth training class of TVB.

This year's class produced some notable figures. Besides Andy Lau, Xu Jinjiang, and Leung Ka-fai, who are the three most famous, there were also Carrie Ng, Jaime Chik, Jacob Cheung who later became a director, and Lin Jin, who played the role of "Ding Ni Ge Fei" in "Crazy Stone".

Xu Jinjiang: "These are all my friends. Except for this one who is from the United States, these are all from the mainland. This is my senior classmate who studied painting. This is my senior classmate's classmate. This is my senior classmate's colleague. This is my senior classmate's colleague's junior classmate. Haha, they are all my own people."

Andy Lau's lips twitched slightly: What a true friend.

Wei Ming asked, "Are you here for an audition?"

"Ah, how did you know?" Liu Dehua, feeling a little guilty, was startled. Did this person have some kind of prophetic ability? What White Dragon King?

Wei Ming: "This is the office of Qingniao Film Company. You are studying acting. If you don't come to audition, are you here to get a haircut? That's logic."

Andy Lau was even more shocked. The previous points could be explained by logic, but how do you explain the haircut?

Even Xu Jinjiang, who doesn't socialize much, didn't know that he used to study hairdressing!

Is it just wild guessing?

"What's the name of this senior's classmate?" Liu Dehua asked thoughtfully.

"Wei Ming, you can just call me A-Ming."

Liu Dehua had heard songs written by Ah Ming, but he only remembered Tam Yung-lun and Cheung Ming-man.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Andy Lau left. He still needed to consult with his company about whether he could take on this film. He was currently an unknown actor who had just played a henchman of Chow Yun-fat alongside Leung Ka-fai in the TVB drama "The King of Gamblers," and had even been scolded by the director for adding scenes without permission.

In "Boat People," this role is essentially the second male lead, and it's the second male lead in a movie!
After Wei Ming and the others went upstairs to announce their arrival, they soon met Ms. Xia Meng, who was accompanied by Xu Anhua. When she saw Wei Ming, her eyes lit up. "What a handsome guy! If Andy Lau isn't going to act, he would be a great choice."

She thought it was an audition, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding.

"Xiao Wei, A Long is here too~" Xia Meng had seen the two of them before, but she had only seen Biaozi and Wu Jing in the movies. One of them wasn't as fierce as in the movies, and the other seemed to have grown a bit taller than in the movies.

She was quite surprised: "I knew you were coming, but I didn't expect it to be so early. Our movie isn't even showing until next week."

Wei Ming laughed and said, "If I come over next week when the movie is released, it will be too late. I came early to see if there's anything I can do."

Xia Meng wasn't really that interested in this movie; she preferred art films. However, at the time, the director and actors couldn't be finalized, and the mainland authorities had high expectations of her. Fortunately, Xiao Wei volunteered, which led to her joining this cross-strait co-production martial arts film. But she preferred art films, so she never went to the set herself.

Of course, she still hopes to make a profit: "We have done everything we should. All the cinemas in Shuangnan Cinema Circuit have posted announcements for the new film, and Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po will also help us with publicity."

"And then?" Wei Ming asked.

"What else can we do? You mean TV stations? Those are very expensive. Our costs aren't high, and our expectations aren't high either." Xia Meng felt that she had done everything she could.

Wei Ming then asked, "What is the expected box office revenue?"

Xia Meng thought for a moment and said, "300 million."

How much money she makes in mainland China is irrelevant to her. As long as the Hong Kong dollars she invested are worth 300 million at the box office in Hong Kong, she can barely break even and get "Boat People" started. If she makes a little money overseas, then her efforts won't be in vain.

In my previous life, Hong Kong box office figures were roughly around this amount, but that was in 1983, and it only ranked around 40th among Chinese-language films that year.

The 300 million box office of 81 places it around 20th, which is a different level of difficulty.

Although Wei Ming was confident that his script was more compelling, he hadn't actually overseen the entire action sequence.

So he asked, "Aunt Xia, can we watch this movie beforehand?"

"You can't watch it here. Since you're here, why don't you stay at the Great Wall dormitory? You can watch movies there too."

Xia Meng did not refuse the request. Young people are full of youthful passion and enthusiasm. They made a movie together and naturally hope to see it as soon as possible. She was the same way when she was young.

The left-wing film studio has gradually moved from Houwangmiao to the current Qingshuiwan. Great Wall, Phoenix, and Xinlian basically all film here, including the post-production of "Shaolin Temple" and some studio scenes.

Xia Meng personally brought a group of children over and settled them in their accommodations first. Although Qingniao was her private property, it was also regarded as a left-wing film company, so finding a dormitory was a minor matter.

Afterwards, she took several children to see the full version of "Heroes Have Emerged Since Ancient Times".

Slightly different from Wei Ming's memory, Xu Xiaoming, although a novice, was very skilled at shooting action films, which was also thanks to the hard work of the Yuen Clan team.

In terms of the cast, Biaozi was the biggest surprise. First of all, it was thanks to Wei Ming's script. The character was actually quite ordinary in the novel, but after it was decided that Biaozi would play the role, Wei Ming transformed Biaozi into a character like "Yan Xiaoguo" in "Bodyguards and Assassins".

In the eyes of the righteous, he is a villain who brutally murders loyal officials, but in his own eyes, he is a kind and righteous person who is loyal to the emperor and the country and eliminates traitors for the court. His few appearances in the movie are all amazing.

Especially the last major battle.

When Wei Ming visited the set, he didn't see the final action scene where everyone worked together to defeat the big boss. He was surprised to find such a thrilling scene filmed in the stunning Jiuzhaigou. It was a mix of talking and fighting, and it felt like it lasted for almost half an hour, giving viewers an adrenaline rush.

Biaozi himself also participated in the action design, and he put into practice the key points of new action scenes that Wei Ming usually told him.

In the end, Biaozi collapsed in the beautiful lake, which resembled a palette of paints; he was the epitome of beauty, strength, and tragedy.

After watching, Biaozi, Wu Jing, Zhen Zidan, and the two audience members who were not present, A Long and A Jiang, all applauded enthusiastically.

Especially Biaozi, who now feels incredibly strong, having barely managed to defeat a group of main characters.

Even though Xia Meng watched it a second time, and even though she didn't like this kind of fighting movie, she still thought it was well-made and that young people would definitely like it.

Wei Ming can conclude that this film is much better than the one in the original timeline. It may not have the same beautiful and graceful fighting style as "Shaolin Temple", but the comedic scenes are not weak and the action is more intense.

But does a good movie always guarantee a good box office?

Actors, promotion, and screening schedules are all crucial.

By the way, regarding the screening schedule, Wei Ming asked a crucial question: "Aunt Xia, how many cinemas in Hong Kong will be showing our film?"

"The entire Shuangnan Cinema Circuit comprises eight cinemas."

Wei Ming stroked his chin and said, "Only eight families?"

Moreover, if I'm not mistaken, with the decline of left-wing film forces, there aren't many good films available, so these eight cinemas probably have far fewer viewers than Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest.

~
The left-wing cinema chain is called the Shuangnan Cinema Chain, named after the two leading cinemas, Nanhua Cinema and Nanyang Cinema.

There is another cinema in the Central and Western District of Hong Kong Island, called Ko Shing Theatre, which belongs to the South China Cinema Circuit. However, it has a very long history and is quite old, with a kind of beauty from the last century.

In addition, the film was not good, so naturally there were few viewers.

But recently, Vivian Chow, who loves the house because of her love for it, has become a regular here. She often comes here to be influenced by left-wing films, to experience the atmosphere of Mandarin, and to try to have common topics with Ah Ming.

She had recently watched "The Herdsman," a film imported from mainland China and adapted from Amin's novel, and her review of the film was included in the letter she had just sent.

She seemed to struggle a bit with Amin's literary works, but the movie looked great; it was no wonder Amin adapted it himself, and I heard it was based on the stories of Amin's father's generation.

Oh, and the female lead is also very pretty; she's the kind of girl you'd remember at first glance.

Today, she passed by here again and happened to see information about the new film "Heroes Have Always Been Born Young".

Isn't this the novel by Wei Kuangren, the author of "The Qin Terracotta Warriors: A Battle Between Ancient and Modern Times"? It's actually been made into a movie.

She didn't recognize any of the actors, nor was she familiar with the director, but when she saw the screenwriter, Amin's eyes lit up.

Wei Ming? Ah Ming!
……

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(End of this chapter)