Exciting 1979!

Chapter 341 Ten Platinum, Dominating the Hong Kong Music Scene!

"You're talking about Sunny Days, right? I've heard my friends talk about it, how they both love and hate it, how they can't help but love it. Is it really that amazing?" Wang Shuo took the magazine, somewhat unconvinced.

“You’ll see when you take a look. You look at his, I’ll look at yours,” Zheng Xiaolong said.

The work by Wang Shuo that he read was a short story called "The Story of the Seagull." Because Wang Shuo was from the navy, this story also tells the tale of a young naval sailor.

Coincidentally, it also depicts some of the protagonist's ideological clashes during adolescence, sharing some thematic similarities.

When Zheng Xiaolong finished reading, Wang Shuo was engrossed in his own reading. Sensing someone watching him, he looked up at Zheng Xiaolong and said, "This novel is a bit long. Prepare some dinner for me; I'll eat here."

"Alright, you keep an eye on it."

Wang Shuo: "By the way, throw my article in the trash."

Zheng Xiaolong laughed and said, "Don't belittle yourself. It's not shameful to write as badly as Wei Ming. I know a few students from the Chinese Department of Peking University in 77. They were all the kind of people who published articles in magazines and newspapers as soon as they entered the university. But two years ago, when Wei Ming entered Peking University, the entire literature department was defeated by a security guard. They didn't even dare to call themselves cultured people anymore."

Wang Shuo sighed: "Keep it. I'll revise it and republish it later. I can earn some royalties and have a nice meal."

At this time, Wang Shuo had not yet developed his own unique style. He had read "The Tale of Two Donkeys" before and just thought that this kind of witty and sarcastic language style was very interesting, just like his own.

Now, seeing "In the Heat of the Sun," which continues and develops the style of "The Tale of Two Donkeys," Wang Shuo has gained some insights into the ingenious combination of Beijing's roguish charm and his writing style. Perhaps this is a path that suits him better.

He could even go to greater extremes than Wei Ming. Wei Ming's work still has a literary quality, while he could go all out on the path of being a rogue!

~
Beichizi Courtyard.

Gong Xue suddenly kicked open the bedroom window, and Wei Ming was behind her.

Although it was dark, and although the yard was big enough that the noise wouldn't reach outside, and although Wei Ming had chased away the cats and dogs that came to watch the commotion, it was still too much of a challenge to Sister Xue's sense of shame.

At this moment, Gong Xue, whose half-white body was leaning out of the window, felt that it was very bright outside, not like eight or nine o'clock.

She looked up and saw a huge, bright moon hanging high in the sky.

Sister Xue suddenly realized: "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

“Yeah~” Wei Ming pulled on one of her arms.

Gong Xue: "Then you should go home today."

Wei Ming: "I ate lunch at home. I still have two mooncakes in my bag. We can have them if we get hungry tonight."

"I mean you should be with your family tonight."

Wei Ming: "I'll spend time with you tomorrow. I'll spend time with you today so you won't miss home."

Hearing his words, Gong Xue felt a lump in her throat. Oh well, let him do whatever he wants. Luckily, it's a courtyard house, and luckily, they have such a large private space in the capital to let loose.

The next day, Wei Ming was going to stay home with his family. The main reason he didn't come back for the Mid-Autumn Festival was because Lao Wei didn't come back. So, his grandmother was invited by Mei Wenhua to Mei's house to celebrate the festival together.

Grandma is now in a dilemma. She wants to watch her granddaughter give birth, but she's also worried about the post-disaster reconstruction work in her hometown. She can't stay, and she can't leave.

Today, Lao Wei returned home in glory, his grandmother came back, his cousin Long Xiaoyang was also there, and Uncle Ping'an and his family of four were also invited over, so the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated later than usual.

"Xizi, this is yours, Lele, it's yours." Upon seeing the two elementary school students, Lao Wei first gave each of them a Black Cat Detective doll.

Wei Ming took a look. The needlework was fine, but the overall appearance was a bit rough. This was mainly because the black fabric of the sheriff was not black enough, the white fabric was not white enough, and it did not have the fluffy feel of a cat. In addition, the eyes were made of two yellow buttons.

Judging from Wei Ming's perspective as someone who accompanied his girlfriends to play claw machines in his later years, these two plush toys were definitely substandard and not industrialized enough.

However, the two little ones loved it so much that they held it the whole time during the meal. In an era of scarcity and a shortage of fabric, having such a toy was a rare treat, and the children weren't picky.

Old Wei told Wei Ming, "This was sewn by Widow Zhao in one day."

Wei Ming: "That hand speed is pretty good. What did the supply and marketing cooperative say?"

Old Wei laughed and said, "The supply and marketing cooperative said that with this quality, they'll sell them for five cents each, and they'll take as many as they can get their hands on. Now all the skillful women in the village are working hard to make money. Everyone is grateful to you for finding them such a way to make money."

Wei Ping'an said from the side, "Xiao Ming has found quite a few ways to make money for the villagers. One is growing crops in greenhouses, another is collecting goose and duck down, and there's also this Black Cat Sheriff doll."

Uncle Ping An was deeply moved, as his nephew was indeed putting into practice the saying "those who get rich first help those who get rich later".

Wei Ming said, "We won't know the results of the greenhouse and the goose and duck down until this winter. I hope this will help the villagers."

Wei Jiefang said, "Now that the land has been distributed, everyone is more motivated. Even the lazybones have become more frugal. This year will definitely be better than last year, and it will definitely get better year by year."

Afterwards, Lao Wei showed everyone a group photo of himself with county leaders at the Weiming Bridge groundbreaking ceremony, and even a high-ranking leader from the region was present.

Finally, Uncle Ping An, who was at the division chief level, raised his glass and said, "Let us toast our loved ones far away to good health and wish our great motherland prosperity and strength."

Wei Ming looked out the window. The moon is fullest on the 16th of the lunar month, so today's moon must be even more effective in granting people's wishes.

Besides prosperity, everyone hopes for a peaceful country; no one wants to experience chaos again.

Old Wei said, "On the train back, I heard that the Russians held a military exercise, and it was quite a big one. Could it be targeting us again?"

The former big brother, now everyone in China calls him "Old Russian," the relationship has completely faded.

Wei Ming said: "The August 1st military exercise lasted for eight days and involved more than 500,000 troops. It was indeed a large-scale operation."

Wei Ping'an continued, "This is also the largest military exercise in human history. It is a show of force, but it is not aimed at us. Instead, it is to deter NATO. Poland is in a bit of a mess right now."

Men inevitably engage in political discussions when they get together, and even Long Xiaoyang got involved, feeling that he had learned a great deal during his two months in Yanjing.

At this moment, Lü Xiaoyan said, "Just wait and see, we're going to have military exercises too."

The next morning, Lao Wei and Uncle Ping An were going to Shanghai together. Uncle Ping An was going to a meeting, and he would also go with Lao Wei to inspect the old house.

However, even after taking possession of the house, no one lives there, so it still needs to be maintained and cared for, which is quite a hassle.

Uncle Ping An has been keeping this a secret from Aunt Xiao Yan, and he is looking for a suitable opportunity to confess part of it to her.

The next day, after seeing Lao Wei off, Wei Ming took out the newspapers and letters from the mailbox. Sure enough, the newspapers reported on the developments in our country.

Wei Ming vividly remembered this; in his previous life, he watched this documentary in his rural hometown around this time, and the whole village felt incredibly proud and secure. Of course, this sense of security was predicated on a lack of understanding of the scale and strength of the Soviet Union's August 1st military exercises.

After reading several mainstream newspapers, all of which contained news about the large-scale military exercise in North China, Wei Ming glanced at them and then went back to the letter.

One of the letters was from Dai Tielang, the director of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

The letter informed him that a sequel to "Black Cat Detective" was about to be filmed, and that the studio had approved funding for four more episodes.

There are five episodes in total. Wei Ming's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that, like in his previous life, there would be no more episodes after five?
Although Wei Ming had said long ago that he would not participate in the adaptation, Director Dai still mentioned his thoughts on the subsequent adaptation in the letter.

Most of the adaptations follow the novel's order, except for one thing: the episode about Rabbit Village was moved to the first five episodes.

It seems that family planning propaganda has affected the creation of animation, but it's good that Judy Hopps can make her appearance earlier.

After reading the letter, Wei Ming went to work at the school and happened to see Qiao Feng as he entered the campus.

"Brother Feng!" Wei Ming greeted him. Now Qiao Feng spends most of his time after get off work with his child and they rarely go out to eat together anymore.

With a gloomy face, Qiao Feng forced a smile at Wei Ming and said, "Good morning, Wei."

"Brother Feng, what's wrong with you? Is your Qiao Toubao being naughty?"

“He’s very well-behaved and healthy, and he can eat and sleep well,” Qiao Feng sighed. “It’s a pity he’s not a boy.”

After saying that, he added, "I'm not sexist, but my family, including my mother-in-law, all hope to have a son to carry on the family line."

Wei Ming couldn't help him with this. The policies were getting tighter and tighter. Didn't you see that even animation was being affected? The episode about Rabbit Village in Black Cat Detective might be repeatedly broadcast as propaganda by national TV stations and mobile projection teams.

Wei Ming could only comfort him by saying, "It's okay, Biaozi's family also has daughters."

Qiao Feng added, "There's another matter. Recently, your cassette tapes have become popular in major universities in Beijing. Because they didn't come through normal channels and are mostly Cantonese songs, a batch was confiscated a few days ago. Later, when Vice Principal Wang learned that you created them for fundraising, he asked us to return them to the students. It took a lot of effort."

Wei Ming smiled and said, "I heard about it from Xiao Hong. She was quite proud of herself, saying that she hid it well and it wasn't taken away."

The two-cassette tape set titled "Tomorrow Will Be Better: Chinese People Around the World Connected" originally circulated only in a small area of ​​Guangdong, but it has spread to Yenching University.

The only difference is that some are the original Hong Kong versions, while others are copies based on that version, and the quality is lower. Even the copies cost seven or eight yuan a box, while the originals cost more than ten yuan a box without hesitation.

But regardless of the version, the impact on mainland audiences is enormous, whether it's the ones with positive themes or those about love.

At this time, "Huo Yuanjia" has not yet been introduced to the mainland, but "The Great Wall Will Never Fall" has already become a wildly popular film.

There's also "You'll Win If You Fight," which not only became a hit in the Minnan-speaking region but also enjoyed great popularity in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions. Several other Cantonese songs also performed well and are essential tracks for many traveling singers.

At noon, Wei Ming also ran into Liang Zuo and others from 77 Chinese Literature, both men and women. They surrounded Wei Ming and chatted for a while.

Half of the conversation was about "In the Heat of the Sun," and the other half was about the album "Tomorrow Will Be Better."

Liang Zuo wanted to talk about everything. According to him, some people at the China Conservatory of Music have started forming rock bands and have made a name for themselves with their song "No Longer Hesitating".

At this moment, Xia Xiaohong, who had treated Wei Ming to a meal, said, "Teacher Wei, you've written so many songs. We're about to graduate and will be scattered all over the world. Would you like to write a song for us too?"

The Class of '77 started in '78, so there are currently five grades of students on the Peking University campus at the same time. Early next year, this group of the first batch of college students after the resumption of the college entrance examination will graduate.

Moreover, some people have already left, such as Cha Jianying, who went to the United States to start her study abroad life during the summer vacation.

Liang Zuo joked, "Xiao Hong, your request is too much. Teacher Wei's song is worth at least ten million."

Wei Ming gave Liang Zuo's fleshy shoulder a hard squeeze.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Everyone laughed, and Wei Ming said, "I think Li Shutong's 'Farewell' is pretty good. No matter what you write, it won't surpass his. But if you really want it, then wait until graduation day to see it."

Although he hadn't formally agreed, Wei Ming kept this in mind. And it wasn't just going to be given to the 77th grade Chinese class; he also had friends in the History, Foreign Languages, and Law departments. He would be sending them off all at once, and he was actually a little reluctant to part with them.

The album "Tomorrow Will Be Better" was indeed a huge hit. Afterwards, Wei Ming heard several of his own songs on the radio, which suggests that the relevant departments had tacitly allowed these songs to enter the mainland.

Wei Ming is now a little curious: given that the mainland market almost tacitly allows entry, how many copies of this album actually sold?

He quickly got a more reliable answer.

Amin gave him this answer.

That day, Wei Ming received a letter from Zhou Huimin in Hong Kong. She mainly wanted to tell Wei Ming some good news: Holiland Western Fast Food Restaurant had officially opened!

Moreover, it was extremely popular, with its revenue in the first three days exceeding that of the original store in half a month.

“My mother has already started looking at houses, and Uncle Bin is considering opening branches and expanding Holiland throughout Hong Kong!”

The store had ample preparation time. Liu Bin made localized improvements to McDonald's, combining the trendy and fast-paced style of Western fast food with flavors that better suited Chinese tastes. His months of undercover work were no joke.

Perhaps they really can turn Holiland into a major brand in the catering industry, and Wei Ming, as one of the shareholders, would certainly be happy to see it happen.

After announcing the opening of Holiland, Zhou Huimin told Wei Ming some amazing news.

"At first, I saw it in the newspaper. They said that 'Tomorrow Will Be Better' sold 50 sets, or 100 million copies, within a month of its release! Later, I called Alan and asked Uncle Zheng. It's true that 50 sets were sold, and the sales speed hasn't slowed down at all. Maybe it can sell 100 million sets!"

Wei Ming could feel Amin's excitement from her words, because this achievement was truly remarkable.

The standard for a platinum record is 5 copies. Based on 50 copies sold, this is already a 10-platinum record sales figure in Hong Kong, which is a terrifying achievement that no one in the Hong Kong music scene can reach!
The current sales record in the Hong Kong music scene should be 35 copies of Sam Hui's "Half a Catty Eight Taels," and that's accumulated over many years, after all, it's a groundbreaking work that ushered in the era of popular Cantonese songs.

In addition, Xu Xiaofeng's "Through Wind and Rain" and Jenny Tseng's "Struggle" both sold more than 20 copies.

Although "Tomorrow Will Be Better" features both Paula Tsui and Jenny Tseng, due to the large number of singers, it is generally accepted that it is attributed to Wei Ming's album.

Wei Ming has now become the undisputed king of the Hong Kong music scene in just one month, and by a significant margin, which has indeed had a considerable impact on the Hong Kong music scene.

RTHK is now struggling with how to announce next year's Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs, as Wei Ming currently has more than a dozen songs battling it out on the charts.

And now there's another song with a fresh vibe and a cheerful rhythm, "First Love," which became popular thanks to a fast food restaurant.

Of course, the singer of this song, Vivian Chow, also became famous, along with speculation about her relationship with Wei Ming.
(End of this chapter)