Exciting 1979!

Chapter 342 The Queen Returns to the Palace, Three People Share a Room

Even if only half of the 500,000 units sold in a month were consumed in Hong Kong, Zheng Donghan was still amazed by Wei Ming's talent and ability.

So when he heard "First Love" on the radio, he immediately contacted Vivian Chow through Tam Yung-lun, wanting to sign her.

Signing Vivian Chow is practically the same as signing Wei Ming!
However, Amin refused. Firstly, her mother disagreed, saying that with the family's current good financial situation, there was no need for her to show her face in public.

Secondly, Amin also hoped to go to university. How could a high school student like himself be worthy of Amin, who was studying at Peking University through correspondence courses?

But deep down she still really wanted to sing. She often observed the reactions of young customers in the store when they heard "First Love," and she felt a great sense of accomplishment when she saw that everyone liked it.

Moreover, the song performed better and better on the radio. As the popularity of the album "Tomorrow Will Be Better" declined, Wei Ming's new work began to rise to the top, but it still couldn't break into the top five.

At this moment, Vivian Chow has already made a name for herself in the music industry, but many people still cannot connect her with the pretty young woman who sang "Tomorrow Will Be Better" at a charity concert.

~
Wei Jiefang and Wei Ping'an returned from Shanghai. When they got home, Old Wei had a bunch of keys in his hand, which he immediately gave to his son.

"Take it. I don't go to Shanghai often, so I don't need it." Old Wei's words had an underlying meaning: his son might need to travel to Shanghai frequently in the future.

Wei Ming accepted the money, but he couldn't possibly live in two old-style houses all by himself.

On the other side, after returning home, Wei Ping'an immediately rummaged through drawers and cabinets and found an old photo of his mother.

The photo wasn't displayed because it was a fragment, a whole photo cut in half.

The mother said the other half of the photo was her father, whom she had never met. Her uncle, Wei Senhao, said that her father was involved in underground work, so it was normal that no photos of him remained.

During his trip to Jueyuan Villa in Shanghai, Wei Ping'an felt that a corner of the house looked familiar. After returning home, he found the photo and compared it with the real one. Sure enough, the place where his mother took the photo was Jueyuan No. 2 House!
Is your mother from Shanghai? Why would she be taking photos there?

At this moment, Wei Ping'an realized that he didn't know much about his mother. He didn't even know where she came from or what her ancestral home was. He only knew that she wasn't a native of Hengzhou, and that was all he knew.

Holding the photo in my hand, wanting to know more about my mother, wanting to understand why my mother had taken photos at Jueyuan Garden, I'm afraid only my cousin who lives in the United States can give me the answer.

Wei Ping'an thought there would be an opportunity. Founder would be investigating the PC industry, and he might be able to go abroad with the experts.

I heard there's a place in the US called Silicon Valley, where companies like HP, Apple, and Intel are located. And both Silicon Valley and that aunt of mine are in San Francisco.

That evening, Lü Xiaoyan picked up the two children and complained to him that Xizi had given the Black Cat Detective doll to Xiaomei, a girl he liked in class.

Lu Xiaoyan made a veiled remark: "Some people start dating in high school, while others have been misbehaving since elementary school. It really is true that like father, like son."

Wei Ping'an gave an awkward laugh: "Giving a gift is no big deal."

Lele pouted: "He gave me the one!"

Wei Ping'an: "He deserves to be hit!"

After finishing their meal, Lü Xiaoyan quickly put the two children to sleep and then returned to her and her husband's bedroom, while Uncle Ping'an had already washed himself clean.

Half an hour later, Wei Pingan exhaled a puff of smoke: "Xiaoyan, there's something I need to tell you."

Lü Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat: "You met your first love?"

“What nonsense,” Wei Ping’an said, “It’s about this trip to Shanghai.”

"Work-related matters?"

"It's a family matter," Wei Ping'an said selectively. "You should know that Brother Jiefang has an aunt in the United States."

"Yes, I've heard you mention that you have an uncle in Taiwan. Luckily, you're not related to him, otherwise Peking University wouldn't have dared to admit you back then."

Wei Pingan said, "I used to think the relationship was distant, but now it seems that the feelings are quite close. You know, my aunt left a villa in Shanghai, and she has already taken it back from the government. She is too old to go back to China, so she decided to leave it to us brothers."

"what?"

“I took the opportunity to check it out while I was in Shanghai. It’s a three-story building, with each floor being several hundred square meters, and the yard is also large.” Wei Ping’an took out the keys. “If I go to Shanghai in the future, I’ll have a place to stay.”

Lü Xiaoyan's first reaction wasn't happiness, but worry: "Won't this be a policy mistake?"

Wei Ping'an said, "No, my name isn't even on the property certificate. It's all held on my behalf by Brother Jiefang. If this house is sold in the future, then we'll get our share."

"That's alright," Lü Xiaoyan breathed a sigh of relief, not worried about Jiefang's character at all. "But your aunt, who lives so far away, is really too nice to you."

"Maybe it's because I have a deep bond with my parents," Wei Ping'an thought, still pondering the half of the photo.

~
The next morning, Wei Ming dressed formally and went out.

Today marks the reopening of the Yenching Lu Xun Museum after its expansion, along with the reopening of Lu Xun's former residence in Yenching, so a special ceremony was held.

Wei Ming was invited by the authorities, after all, he had expressed his admiration for Mr. Lu Xun on many occasions in public, and he has been very popular recently.

Walking through Lu Xun's former residence, Wei Ming wondered if the courtyard house he lived in would have the chance to become a celebrity's former residence a hundred years from now.

When the time comes, we'll definitely make a point of visiting that window that he and Sister Xue opened, and we'll also have to sculpt a statue of Ginkgo and the Sheriff, that cat and dog pair.

Here, Wei Ming also met Zhou Haiying, the son of Lu Xun, who was also a Peking University student. The two had a very pleasant conversation, but Wei Ming was not very familiar with the 400-square-meter former residence.

He grew up in Shanghai, but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, this house no longer belonged to him. His mother donated all of his father's books and cultural relics to the country free of charge.

All he knew was that his father had bought it for 800 silver dollars, while Lu Xun's monthly salary when he worked at Peking University was 300 silver dollars, which meant that three months' salary could buy a courtyard house.

Wei Ming was very interested in Lu Xun's time working at Peking University, but unfortunately Zhou Haiying wasn't born yet and only knew a little about it through his mother's recollections.

Zhou Haiying majored in radio engineering and later joined the Broadcasting Bureau, the predecessor of the State Administration of Radio and Television. However, he was in charge of technology, so it was impossible to have a conversation with him about making TV dramas.

After attending the ceremony, Wei Ming left immediately. He had another matter to attend to today: looking at houses.

We've looked at several houses we're planning to give to Sister Lin, but none of them have met our standards. She has high requirements; she wants a three-courtyard house and is particular about location and transportation.

Fortunately, with the implementation of the policy, more and more good houses have been returned to individuals, and a large part of these people who are overly suspicious of everything want to change their environment as soon as they get the houses.

This provided Wei Ming with an opportunity to buy a house, and it was still Li Guangfu who helped him arrange it.

He joked, "Even if I resign from the Beijing People's Art Theatre, I probably won't have trouble finding a job. I can help people buy houses."

Wei Ming also laughed: "The private housing market will definitely heat up in the future, so it's not bad for you to find such a part-time job."

Starting with the previous two-courtyard house, Wei Ming insisted on paying Li Guangfu a brokerage fee.

At first, he made excuses, but when Wei Ming offered him foreign exchange certificates, he reluctantly agreed. He became even more proactive in helping Wei Ming find a house, spending almost all his spare time outside of work going door-to-door.

The Lu Xun Museum is located in Er Tiao Hutong near Gongmenkou in Xicheng District. The one Li Guangfu helped me find is not far from here, in the area of ​​Si Tiao Hutong near Gongmenkou and Fusuijing Hutong.

Wei Ming spotted the Fusuijing Building at a glance; it was a rare residential building in Yanjing City with an elevator.

If he needs to buy a house in the future, he will first consider apartments with elevators and villas.

This is a rather well-proportioned three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house). The location isn't particularly popular and it's somewhat hidden, but fortunately, the alleyways are quite spacious, so cars can easily get in and out.

Wei Ming stood in the courtyard, and from the right angle, he could see the white pagoda directly.

It's the white pagoda of Miaoying Temple, which is very famous. Artistic young people especially love this place. Wei Ming used to often talk about scripts and investments with people in the cafes around the white pagoda.

The homeowner was a middle-aged man with a stubble beard who looked somewhat dazed.

Li Guangfu told him that the man had just been released, but his wife had run away and he had lost his job. Although he had a house, he was disheartened and was thinking of going to live with his relatives in Australia.

Wow, early immigrants to Australia, now Australia isn't a popular choice for Chinese immigrants, and there's hardly anyone to talk to there.

Although the location of this house isn't perfect—it's located inside a cluster of hutongs, requiring a couple of turns to reach the main road—the house itself is quite nice, about 1000 square meters, and well-maintained. Three organizations used to operate here, but they've all moved away now.

After much hesitation, Wei Ming decided to go with this plan. This way, Xue Jie would be in the East City, Lin Jie in the West City, and they would both have homes in the East and West, with the Beichizi set in between.

Moreover, the two houses are quiet and noisy, so if the two get tired of living in one, they can switch houses.

Although the guy who sold the house was dejected, he wasn't stupid. He knew Wei Ming and also knew that this guy had earned a lot of foreign exchange by writing songs and fairy tales.

But he also knew that Wei Ming had raised more than HK$100 million for disaster relief.

So he stated his bottom line directly: "Twenty thousand US dollars."

The $20,000 includes a 1,000-square-meter, three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) as well as some antiques and calligraphy left by the landlord.

Wei Ming asked curiously, "Aren't you taking any of these with you? They don't take up any space."

“My father loved these things, but they ended up not being well-received because of them. I don’t have any particular interest in these things. You are a scholar, so I might as well leave them to you. Actually, the best ones are all gone, and the remaining ones are not worth much money if there is no peaceful and prosperous era.”

Money doesn't matter to Wei Ming; he mainly enjoys painting. He's happy to look at paintings that suit his taste, even if they're worthless, like Wu Zuoren's painting of a panda embracing bamboo.

The other party was generous, and Wei Ming was equally straightforward, agreeing to pay $20,000.

"make a deal!"

We can have Lao Wei come over and appraise these things later, and then decide whether to keep them here or leave them in Beichizi.

We finally bought a big house for Sister Lin, but the paperwork still needs to be completed when she comes back. However, the landlord is in a hurry and wants to sell it as soon as possible and leave.

Landlord: "As long as you sell the house as soon as possible, I'll pay you less."

Wei Ming: "How about I give you more, and you wait a few more months?"

Just when the two were in a dilemma, Zhu Lin returned!
Because the 100th anniversary of Lu Xun's birth is just a few days away, and it is also the release date of the movie "Regret for the Past", the "Du Shiniang" crew specially adjusted the filming schedule and gave Zhu Lin five days off so that she could return to Yanjing City to participate in related activities.

In order to stay in Yanjing for a couple more days, Zhu Lin bought a plane ticket and flew back, losing more than a month's salary in the process.

Spending a lot of time with Wei Ming and hearing his theory that money can buy time makes me sometimes spend money recklessly.

Upon returning to Beijing, Zhu Lin immediately called the Overseas Chinese Apartments.

So when Wei Ming got home at noon, he learned from his grandmother that a girl surnamed Zhu had contacted him.

Wei Ming immediately called Tuanjiehu, but no one answered. He then called Beijing Film Studio and made some evasive inquiries, but Zhu Lin was not there either.

Did they go back to their parents' house?

After hesitating for a moment, Wei Ming decided to go and take a look at Tuanjiehu.
Meanwhile, Zhu Lin was laughing heartily while holding a chubby little girl. She was visiting Biaozi and Yanzi's house. The chubby little girl was Zhao Zifeng, and Xu Yunyun, who was heavily pregnant, was also there.

"It's such a pity I wasn't there when you gave birth," Zhu Lin said with a sigh, though she learned about it while corresponding with Wei Ming.

Yanzi didn't know how to respond. Saying "It's okay, Gong Xue is here" seemed inappropriate.

The chubby girl who had just been smiling suddenly started crying. Yanzi knew it was time for the baby to be fed, so she didn't hide it from Zhu Lin and Yunyun and started feeding her directly.

Zhu Lin's breasts swelled up from looking at it, and she missed Xiao Wei.

Yanzi was breastfeeding her baby when she heard the sound of a motorcycle downstairs. Yunyun immediately went to check and knew from the sound that it was either Biaozi or Wenhua from their family.

But today nothing is right: "It's my cousin who's here!"

Wei Ming parked his motorcycle downstairs in the building next door.

Upon hearing Yunyun say "cousin," Zhu Lin got up to take his leave.

"I suddenly feel a little tired. I'm going back to take a nap. Goodbye, Swallow. Goodbye, Yunyun. Little Phoenix, mua!" She even blew a kiss to Zhao Zifeng at the end.

After entering the house, Wei Ming did not see Zhu Lin. By process of elimination, he figured she must be at her parents' house. He was about to make a phone call when he heard footsteps outside the door.

"Hey!" Wei Ming exclaimed in surprise, it was Zhu Lin!
Wei Ming was able to distinguish between Zhu Lin's and Gong Xue's footsteps, partly due to the difference in their weight and partly due to their personalities; Xue Jie's pace was slower, while Lin Jie's was slightly faster.

She was in a real hurry. When she opened the door and saw Wei Ming holding a microphone, she gave him a bear hug without even thinking of closing the door.

"You and Xiaoxue have been causing quite a bit of trouble on my bed lately, haven't you?"

Just as Wei Ming was about to kiss him, Zhu Lin said this.

He felt guilty. They mainly stayed in Xuejie's room, but sometimes they would move to other places, such as when the sheets got wet.

"Hmph~" Zhu Lin pinched Wei Ming's waist as punishment, then closed her eyes and let him kiss her.

After a long silence, he asked, "Why are you back at this time? How many days have you been back?"

Zhu Lin explained the situation: the round trip took two days, one day to attend the event, one day to give an interview, and one day to visit his parents, so he only had one day that was entirely his own.

Wei Ming, who had originally planned to execute Sister Lin on the spot, quickly withdrew his hand when he heard how urgent the time was.

"Since time is limited, come with me."

"what?"

"Complete the formalities."

Zhu Lin's heart skipped a beat. The paperwork? It's illegal, isn't it? And I didn't bring my household registration booklet!
Then, when passing the Civil Affairs Bureau, Wei Ming didn't stop at all. Finally, the car stopped in front of the courtyard house in Fusuijing. The gate was also very grand, but the stone lions were gone.

"Buying another house?" Zhu Lin felt that the house in Tuanjiehu was enough, even enough for one more person.

Wei Ming: "But it's pointless to just keep all that money in the bank. I'd rather buy you some real estate. You'll have it, and she'll have it too."

"I know, it's an old villa in Shanghai."

Wei Ming: "I also bought a two-courtyard siheyuan in Nanluoguxiang."

Zhu Lin: "..."

This time, Wei Ming didn't bring Li Guangfu with him. Instead, he went directly to the landlord and asked Zhu Lin to follow the procedures with him.

Although he knew Zhu Lin was a recently popular actress, the landlord, with a half-dead demeanor, did not show any surprise.

It was already late, and there wasn't enough time to go to any government office, so they agreed to meet again tomorrow.

Wei Ming and Zhu Lin then returned to Tuanjiehu. It was already dark when Zhu Lin asked, "Xiaoxue, are you coming back today?"

I feel a little shy thinking about the possibility of all three of us living here.

Wei Ming then realized that she would usually be back by this time, so what was going on today?
Wei Ming immediately called the Beijing Film Studio guesthouse, and Xue Jie was indeed there.

"Why don't you spend some quality time with Sister Lin today?" Gong Xue said in a low voice.

It turned out that she had returned when Wei Ming and Zhu Lin went out and saw Zhu Lin's luggage, so she deliberately avoided them to prevent any awkwardness.

However, the more embarrassed and shy she became, the bolder and more reckless Zhu Lin became.

She snatched the phone from Wei Ming: "Hey, come on, come on, I miss you too."

Upon hearing this, even though Wei Ming knew the risks were enormous, he couldn't help but want to agree on Gong Xue's behalf.

"If you miss me, come back to the Beijing Film Studio to see me. You must be back this time because of 'Regret for the Past'."

"Ah."

"See you at Beijing Film Studio tomorrow."

“Tomorrow probably won’t work,” Zhu Lin said, drawing out his words. “Xiao Wei bought me a big house, and the transfer of ownership is still pending.”

She naively anticipated Gong Xue's reaction, but he simply said, "Someone's calling, I'll hang up now."

Zhu Lin heard the "beep beep" sound and his punch went limp and powerless. Damn it.

Seeing Zhu Lin hang up the phone, Wei Ming, who was somewhat disappointed, cheered up again, thinking that there would be plenty of time in the future.

He immediately picked up Sister Lin and carried her in his arms. "Come on, the days are long."

However, just as he entered, Zhu Lin pointed to the door next to him and said, "Go there."

Wei Ming was taken aback, then laughed: "Sister is so naughty~"

That night, the two of them completely ruined Gong Xue's bed.

The next day, Wei Ming accompanied Zhu Lin to run the paperwork again. It took more than a day to finish, but they always managed to get it done before leaving.

However, she had to go back to work on the third day after she returned.

This time, she met director Shui Hua and male lead Da Shichang again.

Furthermore, Da Shichang revealed that he had met with people from Changchun Film Studio, and he is highly likely to be the male lead in "Middle Age".

Zhu Lin was very happy. Da Shi had a gentlemanly demeanor, good acting skills, and was an acquaintance. Working with such an actor saved her the trouble of getting to know and adapt to him from scratch, and she didn't have to worry about that brat getting jealous.

Today, "Regret for the Past" was screened at the Beijing Film Studio Auditorium. Zhu Lin finally met Gong Xue, which was also the first time the two had met since their relationship with Wei Ming became public.

However, Gong Xue deliberately avoided mentioning Wei Ming and only praised Zhu Lin's acting skills.

"Although it was filmed before 'Joyful Reunion', and although I think your acting in 'Joyful Reunion' has improved, I feel like you don't even need to act as Ziju. Just standing there is enough to make you look right."

Zhu Lin: "So, do you think this movie is good or not?"

"Uh, this..." Gong Xue couldn't continue praising it; it was indeed a bit dull, and he didn't feel it was the type that the general public would like.

Zhu Lin said nonchalantly, "It's okay. It's impossible for every movie to be as popular as 'Joyful Reunion.' I'm already satisfied with having one. Don't you have any movies to film yet?"

Gong Xue shook his head: "I'm not in a hurry either."

"Yeah, only when I'm not filming can I properly keep an eye on that guy and make a mess of my bed."

Finally, the topic turned to that man. Gong Xue blushed and began to stammer, "I didn't stop acting because of him. It was all his choice, and... and he always washed your sheets..."

Zhu Lin laughed: "Oh dear, I forgot to wash it for you. Why don't you wash it yourself when you get home today?"

Gong Xue: "I don't want to. You've come back so rarely, I won't bother you."

"I really won't bother you tonight, I'm going back to my parents' house to stay."

"Then I won't go either." Gong Xue shook her head. She had already monopolized him for so long, and she planned not to compete or fight for him for the next few days.

"Whatever," Zhu Lin shrugged, then asked, "You've seen the videotape of that charity concert, haven't you?"

"Hmm, you watched it too?"

Zhu Lin: "I watched it yesterday. What do you think of the song 'Melinda'?"

Gong Xue: "The singers are quite good-looking."

Zhu Lin was so angry that she tried to pinch her: "Be serious."

Gong Xue immediately started singing: "Thanks thanks thanks thanks Melinda, who can replace your position?"

Zhu Lin: "And that line, 'I have wronged you with my love, this beautiful dream will forever remain in my heart,' I even suspect that Melinda was there during the concert."

Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.

Let's not let the two of us fight to the bitter end and end up with nothing, only to benefit foreigners. We can't do something like giving to foreigners rather than our own family.

After a moment of silence, Gong Xue suddenly asked, as if she had made up her mind, "What day did you leave?"

~
Zhu Lin and Gong Xue are both absent today, so Wei Ming can take a break and finish up "Jurassic Park 3" on this day.

I just lie in bed and instinctively want to hug something to sleep, but in the end I can only hug my pillow.

The next day, which was also the second to last day before Zhu Lin left, Wei Ming personally cooked a farewell dinner for her, all of which were famous Sichuan dishes taught to him by his mother.

However, just as the two started eating, the door creaked open.

Gong Xue opened the door somewhat awkwardly and saw the two of them eating: "Did I come at the wrong time?"

Wei Ming's movement of picking up food froze instantly.

Zhu Lin pulled the person over and closed the door: "No, you've come at just the right time!"

(End of this chapter)