Exciting 1979!

Chapter 348 This is too unfair, can't I just cry?!

"You're awake~" Wei Ming looked at Xue Jie's stunning beauty.

What time is it?

"It's ten o'clock."

"Oh, it's so late!"

Gong Xue quickly sat up, and Wei Ming hugged her tightly: "You worked so hard yesterday, what's wrong with sleeping a little longer?"

Thinking about how hard he had worked yesterday, Gong Xue became even more restless.

"I'm going to brush my teeth."

Wei Ming: "We still need to go see a movie, we can't watch it for another half hour."

Upon hearing this, Xuejie got out of bed and lightly kicked him with her bare little foot. What a naughty boy.

~
Meanwhile, the first movie of October 1st was still playing, and Little Gourd's misfortune went far beyond fever and having his palm pierced.

It turns out that the silence just now not only set the atmosphere but also served as a premonition. After arriving at the town clinic, the world of Little Gourd suddenly became completely silent.

After bandaging her hand injury, Hehua took Xiaohulu on a tractor to the county to have his ear checked. Snow was falling from the sky, which only highlighted the desolation and misery of the mother and son.

An elderly doctor at the county hospital asked Xiao Hulu what medications he had previously used.

"He had a high fever and was very sick, but after the village doctor gave him an injection, he felt much better. I don't know what his name was..."

As Lotus was racking her brains, the old doctor asked, "Was it gentamicin?"

"Yes, yes, that's the name. I was wondering what it had to do with Daqing."

The doctor said, "That's right. This kind of antibiotic is indeed very effective, but the side effects are also very serious. It can easily cause tinnitus or even deafness in children and the elderly. Your son is probably in this situation."

Wei Ming wrote this plot to popularize this common knowledge that is known to later generations.

In the 70s to 90s, due to the limited medical knowledge of barefoot doctors and the strained medical conditions in rural areas, sometimes they would disregard the consequences in pursuit of efficacy and cheapness. The inappropriate use of gentamicin caused many children to become deaf for life. It is estimated that as many as 30 children were deaf. There were such children in Wei Minglin Village.

Most of the deaf and mute dancers who performed the Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva at the Spring Festival Gala were associated with the use of gentamicin.

Ultimately, in 1999, these drugs were banned for use in children under the age of six.

Some viewers were already whispering and discussing whether this was a fictional creation of the movie or based on real events, since most of them had heard of this drug.

~
"true."

In Changchun, Zhu Lin didn't have any scenes to film today, so she took the initiative to invite Jin Yaqin and several other friends from the film crew to watch "Mom, Love Me Again".

She was crying while being happy for Xiaoxue. Xiaoxue played the role of Hehua so well that it was the kind of role that audiences would remember for a lifetime. It would be a perfect life for an actor to have a role like that.

Of course, there was also a hint of sourness, since this was a script tailor-made for her by Wei Ming, and she herself had never acted in any of Wei Ming's works.

Also, it seems unlikely that she will win the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress.

When Jin Yaqin and others discussed gentamicin, as a medical professional, she gave a definitive answer: this drug does indeed have significant side effects and can easily damage the kidneys.

Hearing her say this, everyone became worried about the little gourd's fate once again.

At this point, Gong Xue, who played Hehua, was already extremely haggard, possessing a kind of broken beauty. But she did not give up. When she realized that her son was not completely deaf, she felt that he could still be cured. The old doctor's advice was: "Go to a big hospital in a big city. I can't do anything here."

So Lotus, holding the little gourd whose hands were wrapped in gauze and who looked listless, boarded the train to Shanghai, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding hustle and bustle.

There was no background music in this segment, but Wei Ming specially "composed" a piece of background music for it.

Most of the music for this film was composed by Gu Jianfen and the composers from Beijing Film Studio. Wei Ming composed a piece called "Xiao Xiang Zi". You may not be familiar with the name, but you must have heard of it. As soon as this background music starts, you know that the protagonist's life is very hard.

The original song was from Japan. Wei Ming took it and renamed it "Lotus Flower". Even without lyrics, it can still make the audience cry. Wei Ming went all out to make Xue Jie's drama a success.

Coincidentally, Xiao Hulu's father, Hu Wanqian, and his newlywed wife were also undergoing checkups at this hospital.

They had been married for six months and, under pressure from their four parents, they tried to conceive, but to no avail, so they came for a checkup.

Hu Wanqian was dissatisfied. He had given birth to a son, so how could there be a problem?

But his wife retorted sarcastically, "Who knows if your son is really yours? I heard your ex-wife's family wasn't exactly known for its upright character."

Because his wife's father was very powerful, Hu Wanqian dared not refute him, and the test results proved that the problem was with his wife.

Hu Wanqian breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that it wasn't his fault, but his mother was worried after learning the result.

She didn't want her son to be childless, but she definitely couldn't divorce this daughter-in-law. Although she was uneducated and rude, her son would still need his father-in-law's help after graduation.

"Can't the hospital cure it?" Mrs. Hu asked.

Hu Wanqian and his wife shook their heads; there was no cure.

However, just as he was leaving the hospital, Hu Wanqian saw Hehua holding his son. He almost didn't recognize her. The woman who was once so beautiful that he had gone to great lengths to get her was now looking so haggard.

As for Lotus, she didn't even see him; her eyes were only on her son.

Hu Wanqian told his wife to leave first, and then told his mother about his discovery.

Mrs. Hu's eyes lit up, and an idea came to her.

“Nana and I will go home first. You can go back to the hospital to get checked out. If Nana can’t have children, she can be a ready-made mother.”

Hearing this, the audience was furious; they were trying to snatch the little gourd away from Lotus!
But what happened next was even more infuriating. When Hu Wanqian saw the penetrating wound on his son's hand and learned that his son might become deaf, he was filled with rage and vented his anger on Hehua.

"How do you take care of a child!" Hu Wanqian pointed at Hehua's nose, spitting as he spoke. "My perfectly healthy son has turned into this in just six months under your care. Are you even a qualified mother?! If you can't take care of a child, I'll do it myself!"

Seeing Hu Wanqian's shameless face, the audience members were so angry that they cursed loudly. Zhao Debiao, who was watching the movie at the time, snorted: "Damn it, he abandoned his wife and children and still has the nerve to talk big. I hope I never run into him."

Today, he and Yanzi left Zhao Zifeng with their mother and stole a half-day of leisure to go out to watch a movie and go shopping.

As a result, Yanzi got so angry that her breasts hurt, and Biaozi started swearing.

Seeing these two burly men with double doors trying to be themselves offline, Ma Xiaowei, sitting behind them, lowered the brim of his hat. Tang Guoqiang next to him had red eyes, clearly having just cried, and was now covering his mouth and chuckling.

They were all colleagues from the August First Film Studio, and they came out to watch a movie together. They never expected that the character Ma Xiaowei would be so evil. They'll have to be careful when they go out in the future.

Lotus didn't say a word in response; perhaps she herself was having some self-doubt after all this had happened.

At this moment, the doctor came out and told Hu Wanqian to keep his voice down. He immediately asked the doctor if the child could still be cured.

The doctor said, "Fortunately, the patient was brought in in time, and the medication was not too much. There is a certain chance of recovery, but it is quite troublesome and the cost is not low."

Upon hearing that "the cost is not low," Hehua, who was already at her wit's end and heavily in debt, looked at Hu Wanqian with a pleading expression.

Hu Wanqian did not immediately agree; he said he would go home and ask.

Finally, after discussing it with his parents, they concluded that if he recovered, they would take him in to raise, since he would at least be their biological child; if he couldn't be cured...

“We can’t rely on a deaf-mute person in the future,” Hu Wanqian’s father said coldly. “It’s better to just adopt a healthy one.”

Hu Wanqian only showed a fleeting look of pain on his face before nodding in agreement.

By this time, the crowd's anger towards Hu Wanqian had shifted to the entire Hu family, and they were unleashing a torrent of insults, calling him "inhuman," "bastard," and "fuck his mother."

Poor old man Chen Qiang is already so old, and he's added another villain badge to his list. Tang Guoqiang finally understands why Pace resolutely refused to come to the movies; he probably already knew his father would get scolded again.

This marks the film's most poignant climax—the separation of mother and child.

The main highlight of this segment remains the performances of Gong Xue and Xi Zi.

In order to save her son's hearing, she decided to give up custody of him under pressure from Hu Wanqian.

When it was time to part, Lotus didn't dare say she didn't want him anymore. She told Little Gourd that she was going out to buy food.

Little Gourd couldn't hear clearly, so she wrote down a line of crooked words.

After she left, Xiao Hulu used one hand to carry the stool, climbed up with difficulty, and stood in front of the window looking at his mother downstairs, not wanting to let her out of his sight for even a moment.

However, instead of buying fried buns at the hospital entrance as she had said, her mother carried her luggage and walked further and further away.

Realizing something was wrong, Little Gourd immediately tried to run out the door, but his father and his grandparents, whom he was meeting for the first time, were at the door and stopped him from leaving.

They crudely explained that his mother didn't want him anymore, but Little Gourd could only see three grotesque faces, and couldn't hear what they were saying at all.

The switching between the subjective perspective and the little gourd's perspective made the sense of powerlessness overwhelming for the audience.

The camera then switches between the lotus flower and the gourd. The lotus mother runs, cries, and looks back, while the gourd is surrounded by three adults, struggling until the gauze on its palm bleeds again.

At the same time, the third interlude, "Is She a Mother or a Daughter," began to play. However, Wei Ming changed it to "Is She a Mother or a Child," and the lyrics were significantly altered to fit the plot.

This song, with lyrics by Tang Tian and music by Qian Lei, is a duet about a mother and daughter performed by Huang Qishan and Xilinna Yigao on the Spring Festival Gala.

You've definitely seen that line when scrolling through short videos: "I hope you are loved, I hope you are happy, I hope my hands can shield you from the wind..."

Wei Ming used these lines as the core, modifying some of the lyrics based on the story of the lotus and the gourd. On one side is a mother willing to give up accompanying her child as they grow up for the sake of the child's future; on the other side is a child who feels sorry for their mother and longs to be with her as she grows old. The singers are Zhu Mingying and Wang Fei, who sing the mother's and child's parts respectively.

Wang Fei, who is already in junior high school, has good talent and a very distinctive voice, while Zhu Mingying sings this song with great passion, able to empathize with the lotus flower in the story.

Because she had just divorced last year, although she gave her son to her husband, she felt it was for the child's good, and she was very heartbroken when she made the decision.

Listening to the two performers' heartfelt singing and watching the mother and son facing life and death on the screen, everyone in the movie theater who brought their children held them tightly, as if letting go would also lead to a heart-wrenching separation.

Little Pan Ying is crying now and can't breathe. Of course, she can't breathe mainly because her parents are both fighting to hold her, and she's wiping her tears and snot on her face.

The family of four in front is better; each person can hold one of them.

Lü Xiaoyan was a bit unconcerned about her image, hugging Xizi and crying loudly. If the little kids behind her knew that she was the editor-in-chief of "King of Fairy Tales," their illusions would probably be shattered.

Some male viewers had previously said that men from Yanjing (Beijing) had pride and would not cry, but in the end, they couldn't bear the scene of the mother and son separating. This scene was even more tear-jerking than the scene of the mother and son suffering together.

Neither the mother nor the son fared well after they separated; the only good news was that Xiao Hulu's ear was healed.

But his stepmother didn't treat him well. His father and grandparents pretended to care for him and bought him all sorts of things, but they passed the buck and made each other take care of the child.

Whenever Xiao Hulu lies in bed, images of his mother automatically play in his mind.

Lotus was also distraught in the days without her son, losing her appetite, sleeping poorly, and having no energy for anything.

Then the music started.

"Ah~ ah~ every night I think of my mother's words, glistening tears like lupine flowers. The stars in the sky are silent, the children on the ground miss their mothers..."

Wei Ping'an stroked his daughter's head. It was Lele's voice!
For "Lupin Flower," Wei Ming used the version that Jenny Tseng performed on the Spring Festival Gala, with Lele singing the beginning and Li Guyi singing the end.

Although audiences in the north generally don't know what a lupin is, they can listen to this song without any problems. When they hear "the baby on the ground misses its mother," Kaka bursts into tears again, feeling like her tear ducts are about to dry up.

When I tried to wipe away my tears, I found that my handkerchief was so wet I could wring it out. This movie really went through so many handkerchiefs!
Later, Xiao Hulu entered a new school and started a new life, but he always looked back, as if he could see his mother if he turned around.

In reality, he almost saw it several times. Lotus, who couldn't bear to part with her child, secretly came to Shanghai to see him many times, but she didn't dare let him see her.

Finally, the movie begins. After a year of enduring hardship and biding his time, Xiao Hulu, with his generous allowance, hitches a ride home, ready to live a good life with his mother.

But soon his biological father, stepmother, and grandparents, with the assistance of the police, caught up with him.

Just as Xiao Hulu returned to the village, entered the courtyard, and was only a dozen meters away from his mother, Hu Wanqian and his group rushed over. He grabbed Xiao Hulu and prevented the mother and son from embracing each other.

When the police officers witnessed this touching scene, they formally asked Hehua if the child was hers and whether she wanted the child.

If she just says "yes," I'll risk losing my official uniform to help her!

At this moment, Hehua hesitated. She wanted to say yes, but Hu Wanqian left the child with his mother and went to his side.

"Think it over carefully. Is it better for Xiao Hulu to stay with you or with me? In the past six months at my house, he has been healthy and well-fed, and he has even gained weight. Moreover, Nana has overseas connections and can send Xiao Hulu abroad to study in the future. He should have a bright future ahead of him. Do you really want him to spend his whole life toiling in the fields like you, living a precarious life, because of you?"

A child's future is a parent's Achilles' heel, and the lotus flower, which wanted to take a step forward, ultimately stopped in its tracks.

When questioned a second time by the police officers, she shook her head while shedding tears, saying, "I don't want it anymore, I don't want the child, you can leave."

Upon hearing his mother say this, Little Hulu burst into tears. He knew his mother was lying; he clearly saw many new wooden and bamboo toys that his mother had made for him at home.

But he didn't understand why his mother didn't want him anymore. Was it because he hadn't done something right?

Amidst the little gourd's heart-wrenching cries, they got back into the car, ready to leave the village.

Only after the car had driven far away did Lotus begin to run wildly, wanting only to watch the car leave.

However, in order to take the shortcut, she walked onto a narrow wooden bridge. Because it had just rained, the bridge was slippery, and the eager lotus flower slipped off the bridge and fell into the river.

When she stood up from the river, blood began to flow from her head.

There's no cut to this scene; Gong Xue himself fell into the river.

But she didn't care about that. The river wasn't too deep, so she waded through it and chased after her son all the way to a big tree on a hillside. She climbed up the tree and waved goodbye to her son in a somewhat frantic manner.

After that day, Lotus went mad.

~
Wei Ming and Gong Xue had eaten breakfast before coming to the movie theater, and it was almost lunchtime by now.

Just then, the first audience members came out, and the scene was spectacular, with hundreds of people wiping away tears.

Those wiping away tears were those who had composed themselves, while others, still immersed in the story, were sobbing uncontrollably, despite attempts by those around them to comfort them.

Wei Ming said to Gong Xue, "Look at you, you acted so well that everyone cried so much."

Gong Xue: "It's all because you write so well."

Wei Ming: "Wear your mask properly, and you'll immediately be no longer an ordinary actor."

~
At Daguanlou, the first audience members of "Mom, Love Me Again" emerged.

Pan Ying's mother, with tears streaming down her face, solemnly promised her son, "In the future, Mom will never scold you or hit you again. You will be Mom's best, best son!"

Mr. Pan also said, "As long as you're happy, whatever you do, your parents will support you."

Pan Ying's eyes darted around: "Can I change my name?"

He's starting to like Wei Ming a bit, and since his dad's from Guangdong province, why not call him Pan Yueming?

Like many families, after watching this movie, the parents' love for their children, especially the mother's love for her son, suddenly increased, and they wished they could let their son live in a sweet paradise.

This condition will likely last for three days. After three days, stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat will be served.

Upon seeing the spirits of the first group of spectators, Wang Qiankun of Daguanlou sensed a business opportunity. He immediately rode his bicycle out to the market and bought a batch of handkerchiefs wholesale.

After returning, I put up a sign at the entrance of the cinema: "It is recommended to bring a handkerchief before entering the theater. Do not wipe your tears and snot on your seat or other audience members!"

New viewers have already experienced the tear-jerking power of this film from the reactions of the previous audience. Some people didn't believe it, while others actually bought handkerchiefs from Wang Qiankun, making him a small profit.

Liu Huan, a freshman majoring in French at the School of International Relations, strolled around Dashilan with several classmates.

Seeing the movie theater's audacious claims, the four boys, skeptical, decided to give it a try.

Liu Huan said, "I didn't shed a single tear while watching 'Little Flower'."

However, he only lasted 60 minutes of the two-hour movie before breaking down in tears.

However, he was considered to have lasted the longest, while his three classmates had already collapsed after about half an hour, and all four of them had tears in their eyes.

After leaving the movie theater, Liu Huan began to analyze the film with his classmates.

The plot is certainly good, and the acting is indeed superb. "However, I think the music in this piece is exceptionally well-written and used very cleverly."

“That’s right, I couldn’t help but sing along as soon as I heard the song ‘Only Mother is Good in the World’,” a student said. “I heard that the music for this movie was composed by Mr. Wei Ming, who is really talented.”

Liu Huan said, "The song 'Only Mother is Good in the World' is actually an old song, not written by Teacher Wei. However, the later songs should be his work. He truly deserves to be China's only international-level musical talent."

As they walked and listened, Liu Huan suddenly stopped: "Listen, it's 'Mother in the Candlelight'!"

They followed the sound to a cassette tape store, where the tape being played was called "Mom, Love Me Again".

This is the soundtrack album of the same name as the movie, which includes several songs and some background music.

With the release of the film, Pacific Records simultaneously distributed these cassette tapes across the country.

One million tapes were quickly consumed.

Making so many at once shows that General Manager Liao trusts Wei Ming too much. There's nothing he can do; Wei Ming's track record is well-documented.

From his earliest hit "The Shepherd's Spring" to his later hit "Tomorrow Will Be Better," as well as his two English singles, none of them have sold less than 100 million copies.

Although "Tomorrow Will Be Better" doesn't have as many catchy new songs as the Hong Kong version, it became a huge hit because the song is so classic and many famous singers' representative works were included on this album, with sales exceeding 300 million.

With the combination of Nan Zhu and Bei Li, as well as the recently popular Zhu Mingying, Liao Mingzu is confident that "Mom, Love Me Again" will sell at least two million copies!

In just half a day, this small shop had already sold ten plates. Liu Huan quickly took out his money and bought them, making it eleven plates!

~
Chengdu.

At Xu Shufen's prompting, Lao Wei finally agreed to leave his panda son for half a day to accompany her to see a movie.

This film can support the son's script, the future daughter-in-law's half performance, the nephew's role, and the niece's song.

The Chengdu cinema has already put up posters of Gong Xue and Xi Zi, showing that it attaches great importance to the project.

The real "Little Gourd" Hu Delu also bought a ticket to see the movie.

Because of the increasing amount of newspaper coverage about this movie, Hu Delu's biological father and stepmother have been arguing quite a bit these past few days, which has undoubtedly made him feel a bit better. He even got a trendy hairstyle today...

(End of this chapter)