Exciting 1979!

Chapter 364 Gong Xue really stole the house.
Two of the three sheets of paper were written by Gong Xue, with the dates listed first, while the last one was written by Zhu Lin yesterday.

After reading these three messages, Wei Ming's mind was buzzing. This... this means they've both met each other's parents!
Gong Xue's first note was about auditioning for the female lead role in "Love in the Brush" in Shanghai, and Wei Ming didn't have any objections.

This period film, featuring the White Dragon Horse, Tang Sanzang, and Elder Jinchi, is of quite good quality and has garnered positive reviews and popularity. It would be great if the production team could put more effort into Xue Jie's period costume appearance.

The second note recounted her strange experience of being invited by her mother to her home to counsel her grandmother, where she also had a meal and spent the night.

Before Wei Ming returned, he was spotted by Zhu Lin, who had unexpectedly returned to Beijing. She also received a phone call from her mother inviting Gong Xue to dinner, and then went to the courtyard house to have a meal with her parents.

Wei Ming could imagine how embarrassed his parents must have been at that time.

Wei Ming was also very embarrassed. His image as the perfect son in his parents' eyes was completely ruined. "I'm still a child!"

I guess my parents will never treat me like a baby again. Maybe this is just the growing pains of childhood.

Zhu Lin also mentioned that Gong Xue is too popular now: "My mom even asked me for Xiao Xue's autographed photo. It seems I can't count on her for the Hundred Flowers Awards voting next year."

Although Wei Ming has only just returned to China, he can feel the popularity of "Mom, Love Me Again". Everyone he meets mentions the movie to him, and some even get teary-eyed when talking about the plot and songs.

This is clearly aiming to be the biggest hit of the year; without "Shaolin," who can compete?

No wonder the Shanghai Film Studio immediately invited Gong Xue to return and film "The Love in the Brush".

But Sister Xue and Sister Lin both went out to film, leaving me as a left-behind child again.

Hey~
~
At their home in the Overseas Chinese Apartment, the mother and daughter had dinner and watched TV for a while. CCTV was broadcasting a single-episode drama called "The Girl Selling Pancakes".

This drama was directed by Song Chong of Shanghai Film Studio, and the cast includes Guo Kaimin and Zhao Jing, among others.

At this point, Zhao Jing was basically confirmed to have no chance of becoming the female lead in "Love in the Pen," but she did get a supporting role.

When the TV series ended, Xu Shufen said, "TV series are still the best. One episode after another, you have something to look forward to every day."

Wei Hong said, "When I watch TV in Hong Kong, it's all TV series, but I only stayed one night, so I didn't know the beginning or the end. I was completely confused."

After returning home, she told her mother a lot about what was happening outside. Her mother loved to listen, so she started talking about Hong Kong TV dramas and programs.

At this moment, Lao Wei opened the door and came in. He had eaten lunch at work and was returning home. Seeing his daughter, he asked, "Why is it just my daughter? Where's my son?"

Wei Hong said, "My brother went to see Uncle Ping An off, he should be back soon."

Xu Shufen said, "That's hard to say, they might end up living outside."

Old Wei understood what his wife meant and agreed, saying, "They're probably not coming back."

Wei Hong didn't believe it: "That can't be, my brother just came back from abroad and didn't come home at night?"

As if in response to her words, a few minutes later, the roar of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle came from downstairs. Wei Ming was back!
Why not come back? Just to stay home all alone?
Upon seeing his parents again, Wei Ming, realizing he had been exposed, not only showed no embarrassment but also made excuses for his late return.

"I went to Tuanjiehu to see Yunyun and her grandma. She's probably due to give birth in another week or so. Xiaomei is having trouble deciding on a name."

Old Wei laughed and said, "It's really not easy to come up with a name with their surname. Look at their family's names: Mei Heping, Mei Shengli, and Mei Wenhua."

Wei Ming thought to himself, "You, Wei Jiefang and Wei Ping'an, aren't much better."

Xu Shufen said, "None of the names of the father and his three sons sound very nice. And this is a boy. I wonder what his name will be this time."

Wei Hong asked, "Did Sister Yunyun and the others consult you?"

"I'd like to ask for your advice. I'll have Xiaomei prepare a big red envelope for me on the day she gives birth, and I guarantee she'll give him a good name." Wei Ming laughed and sat down.

"Son," Old Wei leaned closer to Wei Ming, "I read in the newspaper that you were a big hit in West Germany and made a lot of foreign exchange. So how much did you actually make?"

“More than a million,” he added, seeing his parents standing up in shock. “I’m talking about RMB.”

"We're standing for the RMB!" Old Wei exclaimed in amazement, but also a little worried. He felt more at ease spending some of the money. "If I didn't have to take care of Gangdan, I would really like to go back to my hometown and build another road."

Wei Ming laughed and said, "Road repair is no problem, but everyone is busy. We can wait until we go back to our hometowns for the New Year to repair it."

Xu Shufen sighed, "Will we be able to spend the New Year in our hometown?"

Wei Hong chuckled: "Living in Hong Kong isn't bad either; then the whole family can truly be reunited."

Old Wei and Xu Shufen looked at their daughter in surprise: "Xiao Hong, you..."

Wei Ming smiled and said, "We saw Grandpa when we were transiting in Hong Kong, and Xiao Hong knows about it too."

Wei Hong said, "Don't worry, I definitely won't talk about this kind of thing. I'll keep it to myself."

Old Wei asked, "Did you see Uncle Ping An?"

“Yes, we saw them. They even chatted privately for a bit behind our backs,” Wei Hong said.

Old Wei felt a little guilty, wondering if it was Aunt Liao.
It was getting late, so the family of four went to bed, but Wei Ming read an English novel for a while longer before finally falling asleep.

Without a girlfriend, he could only focus all his energy on work and study.

The next day, Wei Ming and Wei Hong went back to Peking University for work and school, speeding all the way.

On the way, the two discussed it, and Wei Ming said, "Once the publishing bureau gives me the money, I will give you the RMB that you plan to donate to Rubik's Cube Society to handle."

"That must cost a lot of money!" Wei Hong exclaimed excitedly.

"It should be around 40,000 or 50,000. I'll just give you 50,000 directly. It's not necessarily a good thing for a small gang to suddenly receive so much money."

Wei Hong: "I've thought it all out. We'll deposit it in the bank and then set up a scholarship in the name of the Rubik's Cube Club to help students from poor families."

"That's one way to do it. It's also part of your social practice. I wish you success."

When Wei Ming entered the library, he was naturally showered with compliments from his colleagues.

He promptly brought out a special sausage he had brought back from Germany and shared it with everyone, prompting his colleagues to exclaim that Teacher Wei was a man of both virtue and talent.

Another colleague told him, "Teacher Wei, don't forget you have an exam coming up."

They, as correspondence course students, also had to take exams. So, when Wei Ming returned to his job, in addition to reading English books and writing serialized stories, he also had to review library science knowledge. After two years, he would have to write a thesis to graduate.

However, news of Wei Ming's return from Germany quickly spread throughout the school, and Liu Zhenyun came to find him at noon.

"Teacher Wei, have you seen the latest issue of the 'Literary Gazette'?" he asked.

"No, are you talking about Germany?"

"Not only that, there's also 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes.' The Literary Gazette reprinted the preface written by Mr. Mao Dun for you, and also said that Yang Xianyi and Dai Naidie would translate the book for you. Finally, it reported the good news that the book had sold over a million copies. And this has only been half a month!"

It sold 100 million units in just half a month. It seems that 160 million sets won't be enough, and we'll have to print more.

"The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes" even sparked a small surge in popular literature during that period, especially in magazines like "Story Club" and the newly released "Legends of Today and Yesterday".

Liu Zhenyun added, "Given the influence of our book, the Mao Dun Literature Prize is practically a sure thing."

Wei Ming waved his hand: "Don't flatter me too much, kid. What do you need me for?"

"Hehe, hehehe," Liu Zhenyun said a little embarrassedly, "I recently borrowed Brother Liang Zuo's camera to take some photos, some of mine, some of Meizi's, and some of Uncle Jiefang's giant panda. They haven't been developed yet."

Wei Ming: "Bring it over here. I need to develop a batch of photos I took in Germany."

Photography is one of Wei Ming's great hobbies, and he gets a lot of enjoyment from it.

Liu Zhenyun saved some money, so he readily treated Wei Ming to a meal at the student cafeteria, this time ordering a meat dish.

As they ate, their table, and the surrounding tables, became crowded with people, mostly familiar Chinese literature students. Wei Hong noticed that even her brother couldn't get close.

The students eagerly inquired about Professor Wei's observations and experiences at the Frankfurt Book Fair, as well as the dynamics of international literary development.

Wei Mingdao said: "The magical realism of Latin America is a trend in the world now. I predict that Gabriel García Márquez, author of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude,' will soon win the Nobel Prize in Literature."

One Hundred Years of Solitude? Gabriel García Márquez?
These terms are still too unfamiliar to young literary enthusiasts at Peking University today. The Chinese translation will not be officially published until 84. Once published, it will become a sensation throughout China and profoundly influence a large number of writers such as Mo Yan, Yu Hua, and Su Tong.

Based on the timeline, it's likely that the translation is already underway, but without the original author's permission.

Even as class was about to start, Liu Zhenyun and the others were reluctant to leave. Wei Ming smiled and said, "Just wait, I'll be writing a series of articles about this trip to Frankfurt. You can wait and read them then."

Liang Zuo, who was sandwiched in the crowd, said, "You're waiting to see which German sausage is the best, aren't you?"

After all, Liang Zuo had a high-ranking official in his family, so he understood Germany, but unfortunately most people didn't. Only Wei Ming understood the joke.

Wei Ming chuckled: "I'll write about what sausages are delicious, and I'll write about what books are good."

Originally, Wei Ming planned to go back to the courtyard house at noon, but now it's time to go to work again. He returned to his workstation in the library to continue studying diligently, occasionally chatting with the teachers and professors who came to borrow books. University life is so much better!

This kind of university library job, where you can slack off anytime, is even more comfortable for Wei Ming than not having a regular job.

After finishing his work in the afternoon, Wei Ming did not linger. He first went to check on the construction progress of the two-courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang.

The swimming pool project is a bit challenging for Master Lei, as he used to be a carpenter.

Later, he consulted the construction companies of the swimming pools in the city and even hired a water pump expert before he came up with a solution.

The pool isn't large, and it's conveniently located in a corner of the inner courtyard, but it's big enough for several people to splash around in, and there are no tall buildings around, so privacy is guaranteed.

Master Lei said, "You can still raise fish whenever you don't want to use it anymore."

Wei Ming laughed and said, "Master Lei, once this is done, there's another big project waiting for you."

Upon hearing this, Master Lei was both amused and exasperated. Working for Teacher Wei was indeed lucrative, but the projects were getting bigger and more difficult.

To satisfy Teacher Wei, his team is constantly upgrading and becoming more and more complete. If Teacher Wei were no longer their customer, where would all these people find so much work?

Master Lei and his apprentices had to work overtime to finish things for Teacher Wei before the end of 81. Then Wei Ming returned to Beichizi and bumped into Li Chengru at the entrance of the alley.

When Li Chengru saw Teacher Wei, he thought of classmate Zhu Lin.

"Professor Wei is back in China!" Li Chengru said proactively.

"Yeah, Chengru, has your class graduated yet?"

“I’ve graduated, I’ve graduated,” Li Chengru said. “I no longer work in the garment factory; I’ve joined a television station.”

Is that CCTV?

"Yes, CCTV's Arts and Entertainment Group." Li Chengru straightened his back when he said this. Although he was just doing odd jobs now, he felt that he would soon become the male lead and reach the pinnacle of his life. Knowing that Li Chengru had joined CCTV, Wei Ming guessed that "Journey to the West" was probably about to start preparations. He attached great importance to this matter. He had watched the CCTV version of the Four Great Classical Novels, "Journey to the West," the most, and also had the most regrets. In addition, he wanted to put two people in the cast.

Li Chengru ultimately didn't dare to investigate the true relationship between Wei Ming, Gong Xue, and Zhu Lin; such romanticism among literati has been a constant throughout history.

Wei Ming has a darkroom in the courtyard house in Beichizi. He develops photos here now to protect his privacy.

However, as Lao Wei's collection of antiques grew and the number of letters from readers increased, the house here became a bit insufficient. Once the house in Nanluoguxiang was renovated, Wei Ming planned to give this courtyard house directly to his parents.

Wei Ming went home for dinner that evening and continued working the next day.

By the third day, the photos were all developed, and Wei Ming started sending them out again—to the publishing bureau, to Germany, to England, and he also planned to intercept Bu Suanzi's father, the vegetable farmer Bu Dachun, at the canteen.

Upon seeing his son's photo, Uncle Dachun was moved to tears.

Wei Ming reminded him, "Your son asked me to tell you to buy a house in the city when you have money. He gets paid by working with his mentor, so it's easier for him to make money than for you."

"Oh dear, I was hoping to save up enough money to redeem my motorcycle." Bu Dachun said when he saw that Wei Ming had changed motorcycles.

"It's too late to redeem it, no chance. My dad really likes it, he'll buy the yard, remember that."

Finally, Wei Ming also sent a letter to Song Lian, a teacher in Zigong, Sichuan.

He had already seen the news about Xiao Hulu searching for his mother in real life, and this news directly boosted the popularity of the movie "Mom, Love Me Again".

However, there has been no new information for several days. He wanted to ask Teacher Song about the specific situation and whether he needed any help.

Teacher Wei has become a bit arrogant with all his money and can't stand seeing people suffer.

After a busy day, Uncle Ping An came to find him, and the two went straight to the Film Archive after leaving Peking University.

Wei Pingan said on the way, "I thought about it. My mother went to Shanghai before the Nanjing incident happened. Let's say it was 36 years ago. After 36 years, Hu Die probably won't have as many movies."

Wei Mingdao said, "Uncle, you were born in 43, so you only need to look for works from 36 to 43, which narrows down the scope considerably."

The scope has indeed been narrowed down, and the result is: "I'm sorry, Professor Wei, we don't have any of Hu Die's works from this period. Perhaps the Shanghai Film Studio might have some."

Wei Ping'an was greatly disappointed, but Wei Ming comforted him, saying, "When I go to Shanghai sometime, I'll help you look for it."

"When are you going?" Wei Pingan asked.

"Uh……"

Wei Ming doesn't need to go for now. When he got home, his mother was still waiting for him in the living room. Then she pointed to the phone and said, "Someone called you."

"Who?"

Before Xu Shufen could speak, the phone rang again, and she quickly answered it.

"Small……"

"Sister-in-law, it's me, Ping An. I'm looking for Xiao Ming."

"Hello, Uncle." Wei Ming answered the phone.

"Xiaoming, I'm home. Then I suddenly remembered that Hu Die is still alive. When you go to Hong Kong sometime, could you pay her a visit for me?"

“That’s good. Hu Die has worked with Director Li Hanxiang before, and Director Li and I are good buddies.” Wei Ming had something else he didn’t say. Given Hu Die’s relationship with Boss Dai, and Boss Dai’s relationship with his great-grandfather, it’s possible that Old Ghost also knows Hu Die.

After Wei Ming hung up the phone, Xu Shufen hurriedly said, "That was Xiaoxue on the phone just now. She said she's back from Shanghai."

After saying that, Xu Shufen waited for her son's reaction.

"Oh, I understand, Mother, you can go to sleep now." Wei Ming remained as steady as ever.

After Xu Shufen went inside, she and Lao Wei pressed their ear to the door to listen to the sounds outside. A short while later, Wei Ming came out.

It's confirmed. He definitely went to Xiaoxue's place to spend the night, and he was in such a hurry that it's already 10 o'clock.

Xu Shufen sighed. Her son's personal life was somewhat chaotic, which made her proud of his charm but also worried that something might happen.

Old Wei also sighed with regret: "That brat, how come he didn't learn his father's unwavering commitment to love?"

"Don't talk to your son like that. He's still a child and hasn't settled down yet." The mother still loves her son.

If Wei Ming heard this, he would probably be moved to tears. It seems that no matter how incompetent he is, he is still a child in his mother's eyes.

However, when they arrived at Tuanjiehu and met Gong Xue, the boy revealed his true colors and pounced on Sister Xue like a tiger.

"Stop messing around, I'm so worried!"

Gong Xue frowned as the naughty boy pounced on her. Wei Ming hadn't touched the three notes on the coffee table, so she had already read them.

"Do Auntie and Uncle know about the relationship between the three of us?" Gong Xue asked.

Seeing that Wei Ming did not deny it, Gong Xue covered her face and said, "Oh dear, I'm so embarrassed."

Wei Ming chuckled: "Don't worry, she doesn't know that the three of us slept in the same bed."

"We've never slept in the same bed, don't talk nonsense." Even if there were no bad people here, Gong Xue would never admit that he only lay down for a while and then left on his own.

Wei Ming hugged Xue Jie and comforted her, "My parents are confused too, but one thing is for sure, they really like you and are willing to accept you."

"You like Sister Lin too, right?" Gong Xue knew that when Wei Ming's parents invited her to dinner later, Zhu Lin went. With Sister Lin's eloquence and personality, she must have made the uncle and aunt very happy.

Wei Ming picked up Zhu Lin's note and laughed, "Now Lin-jie is so envious of you. Look, she's even jealous of her mother."

Gong Xue looked at the note again and was also very happy.

“Sister Lin went to Suzhou this time, and we don’t know when she will be back,” Gong Xue said. “We had agreed before that we would visit her home when we had time.”

Gong Xue was just a cover for Zhu Lin to stay out overnight, so Zhu Lin's parents always thought the two were very good friends.

Wei Ming said, "We don't necessarily have to wait for her to come back. Don't you know where she lives? You can go and visit her now. I just brought back some sausages from Germany, which can be given as a gift."

"Huh?" Gong Xue was taken aback. "I'm going to visit her parents with your gift?"

Wei Ming hugged Xue Jie tightly: "Isn't it exciting?"

"You're so mean!" Gong Xue said, tilting his head back.

Unable to resist the praise, Wei Ming immediately unwrapped her packaging right there on the sofa.

"Oh, wait a minute, let me tell you about that movie from Shanghai Film Studio."

Wei Ming: "There will be plenty of time later."

However, the two didn't have time until after midnight.

Gong Xue said, "The film will start shooting in November, and we will also be shooting location scenes in Suzhou."

"Ah, then you and Sister Lin can be reunited!" Wei Ming said enviously, wishing he could join them.

"Yes, so I can probably only stay with you for a week." Gong Xue touched his face, her eyes full of reluctance.

"A week is enough." Wei Ming hugged her tightly, wishing he could meld her into his body.

"I'd like to learn calligraphy from you this week; the director wants me to practice small regular script."

Wei Ming: "What future is there in learning from me? I'll find you a teacher. I'll ask my dad later; he might know Qi Gong."

Upon hearing that she was to be taught by such a renowned expert, Gong Xue was a little apprehensive. However, she was already used to following Wei Ming's arrangements. Despite his young age, he was particularly good at helping her make decisions.

This included visiting Zhu Lin's parents the next day.

Gong Xue hesitated, "Why don't you go yourself?"

Wei Ming: "Okay, let's go together. It just so happens that Sister Lin's mother has met me before."

"Then I'll go by myself." Gong Xue snatched the bag of sausages, entered the Industrial College by scanning her face, and the security guard enthusiastically told her how to get to Professor Zhu's house.

Wei Ming waited on the motorcycle for more than an hour before Gong Xue finally came out.

"Why did it take so long? Are you two so enthusiastic?" Wei Ming asked Gong Xue with a smile.

Gong Xue: "They're so enthusiastic! Even the neighbors came. I originally planned to just drop off my things, chat for a bit, and then come out, but we've been talking for ages. You must be getting impatient, right?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little thirsty."

"Let's go back and buy a bottle of water."

Wei Ming: "Go back and eat your saliva."

"You little rascal~"

After putting down Gong Xue at home, Wei Ming went home again at noon to ask Old Wei if he had any connections with Qi Gong.

As luck would have it, Mr. Wu Zuoren, our neighbor, was at his house. Yesterday, Xu Shufen had given him a bunch of German sausages, and this was a return gift.

Upon hearing Wei Ming mention Qi Gong, he asked what it was about.

Then Wei Ming said, "I have a friend who wants to learn calligraphy because the plot requires it for a period film."

What period of time is this film from?

"During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, small regular script was the best."

“During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, besides Qi Gong, there was another person whose small regular script was worth learning from,” Wu Zuoren said with a smile, “who was perhaps even more suitable than Qi Gong.”

"Who?"

"Wu Yuru".

……

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(End of this chapter)