Exciting 1979!

Chapter 390 Wei Ming's assets are inexhaustible, simply inexhaustible.

When I was celebrating the New Year with Xiaohong, the festive atmosphere in Beijing wasn't very strong; people still preferred the Lunar New Year.

From that day on, many families across the country began hanging up calendars featuring the four beauties of the Beijing Film Studio in 1982. There were also many that only featured Gong Xue, dressed in beautiful clothes from Oriental Plaza, which were fashionable, elegant, and clearly more pleasing to the eye.

Because Zhu Lin had not yet officially joined the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and no organization was there to help her with these matters, even the decorations in her home and the old villa were all of Gong Xue, so she could only look at these objects and think of him every day.

Then she received a letter from Xiaoxue, which said that she would be able to return to Shanghai before the end of the year.

The second day of 82 was Laba Festival. In the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Wei Ming and Xiao Hong were learning from their mother to pickle Laba garlic. The TV was turned on, and Xiao Hong said regretfully, "I heard that 'Huo Yuanjia' is going to be broadcast. Why hasn't it been broadcast yet?"

After watching a few episodes of a Hong Kong TV series, she felt that mainland Chinese dramas were somewhat lacking.

"I guess it will be after the Spring Festival. Many families will buy a TV set close to the Spring Festival." At this moment, "Animal World" started playing on TV. Wei Ming said, "Hey, this is not bad. It's quite educational."

The first episode is about Africa. In his previous life, Wei Ming had only been to Egypt, one African country. He really wanted to visit the African continent and experience different customs and cultures, provided that he could ensure his safety.

Fortunately, there were no narrations like "spring has arrived" in this episode, and the two siblings watched it smoothly. Then Wei Ming wrote something in the study for a while. Before going to bed, he found that there wasn't enough Xuan paper at home, so he went to Rongbaozhai after work the next afternoon.

It's been a long time since I've come here to buy goods. I have plenty of foreign exchange on hand, so I'll take this opportunity to see if there are any paintings that catch my eye.

As a result, he saw Li Hanxiang strolling on the street while riding his motorcycle.

"What are you doing, Director Li?"

"Little Wei, just take a look around, take a look at the Ming and Qing dynasty furniture."

Wei Ming knew that this guy must be here to buy antiques. He was a fanatical collector who had spent all his director's fees on this. He almost missed his heart surgery a couple of years ago because he didn't have the money.

Old Li's reasoning was: "Although the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace have agreed to let the crew film inside, there are still some scenes that need to be filmed in the studio, and some furniture from that era also needs to be used."

That's true. The Palace Museum allowed Li Hanxiang to take photos on location, but some areas were not open to the public, such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony and some palaces that house important cultural relics.

The Palace Museum's access to Li Hanxiang is still somewhat less than that granted to Bernardo Bertolucci for "The Last Emperor." Distance makes things better, and Li Hanxiang, this Hong Kong director, hasn't distanced himself enough.

Before the Spring Festival, Lao Li will stay in Yanjing, searching for furniture and collecting items at the same time, while also negotiating specific filming matters with Beijing Film Studio.

Wei Ming asked him how he planned to film the most important scene: the burning of the Old Summer Palace.

Li Hanxiang: "I discussed it with the set designers at Beijing Film Studio. If we were to make a miniature model according to my requirements, he estimated the price to be around 20 to 30 RMB."

Wei Ming sighed, "It's not cheap." After all, this is about the same amount of money to make an ordinary movie in mainland China. For example, "Joyful Reunion" was made for 30 yuan.

Li Hanxiang thought the price was acceptable. The miniature model mentioned here encompasses all the main landscapes of the Yuanmingyuan, which requires a great deal of craftsmanship.

Li Hanxiang said, "Then I asked how much it would cost to build a real set, not much, just the main landscapes. He said it would cost about 60 yuan."

Wei Ming: "Then you chose to build a real set, and then burn it all after you're done using it."

Li Hanxiang looked at Wei Ming: "Aren't you surprised? The people at Beijing Film Studio were terrified when they heard that I wanted to spend 60 yuan to build a real set and then burn it down."

Wei Ming smiled and said, "I just feel happy and grateful to Director Li for his contributions to the mainland economy."

"I'm glad you support me. I think the film will be incredibly impressive." Li Hanxiang said with great anticipation, then asked Wei Ming what he was doing there.

"Let's go to Rongbaozhai to buy some things."

Li Hanxiang had just come from there, so the two said goodbye.

Upon arriving at Rongbaozhai, the first thing Wei Ming saw was a foreigner looking at "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," so he quickly went over to join in the fun.

“This is a real gem, it should sell for a million dollars,” Wei Ming joked with the manager.

Manager Yu: "Teacher Wei is joking. It's not an original. If it were an original, it wouldn't sell for ten million."

In the end, the foreign customer actually bought it, and Rongbaozhai charged him $200.

To put this into perspective, among the authentic works by contemporary masters that Wei Ming bought here, only a few representative pieces cost over $200, while the rest could be bought for a few dozen dollars and are quite good.

But what can you do when it's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"?

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival" is indeed of extraordinary significance in the history of Chinese painting. Not to mention the original work by Zhang Zeduan of the Song Dynasty, even the copy by Qiu Ying is a national treasure. It is displayed in the Liaoning Provincial Museum. In the future, a copy of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" that cannot be determined to be a copy by Qiu Ying could sell for seven or eight hundred million.

Even a copy of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by Qiu Ying, made during the Qing Dynasty, can sell for around 100 million yuan. That's how valuable the five characters "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" are.

Of course, it is also related to the fact that photocopying technology was not so convenient at that time. This replica is a woodblock watermark replica developed by Rongbaozhai over several years. It was made by combining the expertise of many of the company's technical backbones. A total of 2150 woodblocks were carved. They were meticulous in the processes of outlining, carving, printing, and mounting. Moreover, the quantity was limited, and it was exquisite. There is a reason why it is expensive.

Wei Ming knew he would never own a real copy of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" in his lifetime, so he simply bought a replica, even though its appreciation potential was not as high as that of the real painting.

Since this replica can only be considered a renewable and reproducible handicraft, Manager Yu did not ask Wei Ming for foreign exchange; 400 RMB would suffice.

“Alright, we’ll settle the bill together later,” Wei Ming said, looking at the painting. “This donkey is nice. I have a connection with donkeys. This is… a painting by Huang Zhou.”

Manager Yu said, "Mr. Huang Zhou's donkeys are exceptional, after all, he is from Baoding."

Huang Zhou was actually from Li County, Baoding.

"No wonder the painting is so authentic, it captures life."

Huang Zhou's painting style features bold lines and vivid images, but at that time, his paintings were generally not very popular, and his prices were lower than those of his predecessors such as Wu Zuoren.

Wei Ming glanced at Huang Zhou and his horse, then bought a painting titled "Taming Horses" and a four-panel screen depicting a herd of donkeys, spending only a little over a hundred yuan in total.

However, he didn't come here to spend this small amount of money. He still has over a million RMB, over three hundred thousand USD, and tens of millions of yen in his domestic account. When will he ever be able to spend it all?

Manager Yu also noticed Mr. Wei's urge to spend money, so he led him up to the VIP living room on the second floor.

Rongbaozhai has many good items, but they don't release them all at once; they only decide to sell one item every few days.

"I'm sure you'll like this; I specially saved it for you."

"Oh?"

Manager Yu opened a wooden box and took out a beautifully bound booklet, about 30 cm x 40 cm in size, which was inscribed with "Booklet of Chairman Mao's Poems" and was a work by Fu Baoshi.

"There are eight paintings in total, and their titles are: Poetic Scenery of Shaoshan, Sunshine in the Land of Hibiscus, Tiger Crouching and Dragon Coiling, Today is Better Than Before, Autumn Wind is Again, the World Has Changed, Vast River and Sky, Poetic Scenery of Climbing Mount Lu, Goddess Should Be Well, She Should Be Amazed by the World's Change, and Red Flag Fluttering Like a Painting."

Wei Ming picked them up and started looking at them. As a fan of Chairman Mao's poetry, he was very familiar with the corresponding poems: "Seven-character regulated verse: Arriving at Shaoshan", "Seven-character regulated verse: Replying to a Friend"...

When they turned to the painting "Tiger Crouching, Dragon Coiling, Today Surpasses the Past," which represented the poem "Seven-Character Quatrain: The People's Liberation Army Occupies Nanjing," Wei Ming and Manager Yu exchanged a smile.

Manager Yu said, "It would be even better if this painting were called 'The Right Path of Humanity is Full of Vicissitudes'."

After viewing all of them, Wei Ming was very satisfied. When he asked the price, it was 1600 foreign exchange certificates, which was equivalent to 200 yuan per piece.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "It's not cheap at all compared to Qi Baishi's original album of flowers, meticulous brushwork, insects, and plants."

I bought that set of photos for 1800 foreign exchange certificates, but it was 18 photos, and it's only been a year and a half.

Manager Yu smiled and said, "This size is still a bit larger, and the collectibles market is indeed quite hot recently."

Wei Ming didn't dwell on those things. He did feel a bit heartbroken when he first bought Qi Baishi's set of paintings, and it took him quite a while to scrape together the money. However, a year and a half later, 1600 foreign exchange certificates were insignificant to him. He had even eaten a meal in Hong Kong that cost 1000 Hong Kong dollars.

Afterwards, he bought some paper and ink supplies as usual. He had prepared the money before he came, so there was no need to go to the bank and deal with the money directly.

After returning home, Wei Ming spent several days writing and admiring his new treasures. The magnifying glass came in handy, and looking at the miniature figures in the Qingming Scroll was a pleasure. It also allowed him to learn about some details of daily life in the Song Dynasty. This thing was also very helpful for studying the history of the Northern Song Dynasty.

It's a pity that Sister Xue isn't here, otherwise I could have held her while admiring the paintings.

Just then, Wei Ming received a letter from Sister Xue, informing him of her address in Suzhou. So, Wei Ming wrote her a letter to express his good mood and also took pictures of the paintings and his new home in Nanluoguxiang to show her.

During this period, Wei Ming also received an invitation from RTHK through the Hong Kong Office to attend the "4th Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs" awards ceremony.

Wei Ming has a scheduling conflict because he has to attend the 77 graduation party. He also participated in the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards. Should he also participate in the Top Ten Jade Solid Gold Songs Awards? If he does, Xiao Hong will probably have to spend the New Year alone in Yanjing.

Another issue is that once I arrived in Hong Kong, I became infatuated with beautiful women, which delayed my writing progress. Writing English novels is very mentally taxing.

For these reasons, he declined the award, but arranged for someone to accept it on his behalf. If Zhou Huimin attended, she would accept the award for him; if she did not attend, Tan Yonglin would accept it for him.

After replying to the Hong Kong office, Wei Ming started moving and buying furniture. Biaozi mainly helped with this, and he and Xiaomei also had a get-together at Wei Ming's new home.

Mei Wenhua exclaimed, "Two doors and a lock—this is my own independent kingdom!"

Having grown up in a crowded courtyard house, Biaozi had always looked down on the quality of life in Beijing's traditional courtyard houses. But now, seeing the comfortable living environment of Wei Ming's two-courtyard house, he also had the idea of ​​buying such a large house. However, after learning that Wei Ming had spent more money on renovations and furnishings than on the house itself, Biaozi decided to settle for a smaller one, something similar to Xiaomei's.

Mei Wenhua: "Buy it now, the price will definitely go up in the future. After you buy it, find Master Lei to install it for you according to this level."

Mei Wenhua also envied the decoration here. He also hired Master Lei to decorate, but because he was not willing to invest as much in the decoration, the living experience was far inferior to Wei Ming's second courtyard. Previously, only his wife's family came to let them stay there, and now it has become a warehouse for Xintiandi.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "Master Lei is very busy now; you have to make an appointment to see him."

Knowing that Master Lei's ancestors were a family of imperial architects, Wei Ming introduced him to a big job, introducing him to director Li Hanxiang and the Beijing Film Studio.

Master Lei was overjoyed, not only because it was a job worth 600,000 yuan, which would provide him with more than enough to live on for the rest of his life, but more importantly because he was able to put his family's skills to good use.

Master Lei even offered to refund Wei Ming's renovation fee, but Wei Ming resolutely refused.

Before Biaozi and Xiaomei left, Wei Ming took out a book from his collection and tossed it to Biaozi. It was to help him understand Senggelinqin's life and the background of the late Qing Dynasty.

"Ming Moyuan..."

"You picked up the wrong book, this is 'Biographies of Famous People in the Late Qing Dynasty'."

After they left, Wei Ming went into the study. There was also a letter room next to it, which was specifically used to store readers' letters. However, the bungalow was prone to dampness and insect infestation, so he would have to buy more multi-story buildings to store letters in the future.

Upon entering the study, Wei Ming moved the bookshelf against the wall. Behind it were switches that, when turned on, revealed a space one meter wide and four meters long hidden behind the wall, containing a heavy-duty German-made safe.

Wei Ming's most precious paintings, as well as some objects of special significance, are all placed here.

This small secret room was personally prepared by Master Lei and his two sons. The three of them, along with Wei Ming, worked together to put the safe inside. The safe was even built directly into the wall. The apprentices and employees were unaware of it. The reputation of the Lei family, with eight generations of practitioners, is still trustworthy.

Having made these arrangements, Wei Ming felt a little more at ease and decided to stay here for the night.

Then he didn't want to come back the next day. The room was big and there were few people. Even though Wei Ming was incredibly brave and wasn't afraid at night, he still felt uncomfortable. The bigger the room, the lonelier he felt. At this point, he started to envy Xizi's Calabash Brothers.

He really wanted Sister Xue and Sister Lin to have babies for him. He even thought that seven wouldn't be enough, and that it would be more interesting if there were nine princes vying for the throne.

Later, Wei Ming reflected on and examined himself. The reason why he wanted to have children at such a young age and even violated the policy to have more children was mainly because he had too much material wealth. It was all because he had money.

If someone were to acquire the same level of wealth as Lao Zong in the future, they would probably be worried about not having a son.

~
At this time, Gong Xue in Suzhou had already received Xiao Wei's letter. She looked at every word and every photo again and again, wishing she could fly to Yanjing immediately to have his child. At this moment, she was in her ovulation period.

"Comrade Gong Xue, come out for a moment." Director Yan Bili knocked on the door.

"What's up, Director Yan?"

Yan Bili said, "Several colleagues from CCTV came to see you."

Gong Xue roughly knew what it was about.

Suzhou has many ancient buildings, and they are well preserved, making it a favorite for period dramas. Yang Jie led a location scouting team here to see some gardens and ancient temples, and also to visit Comrade Gong Xue, whom Wei Ming had already persuaded.

At this time, Gong Xue had not yet removed her makeup and was wearing the costume from the play. Compared with her modern clothes, she had a different kind of beauty and looked like the young mistress of a wealthy family with excellent upbringing.

Gong Xue has exquisite and flawless features, but she lacks an ethereal quality and a fairy-like aura. She is more human. Perhaps this is due to the influence of her past roles. Yang Jie first thought of the young mistress of a wealthy family rather than the young lady of a wealthy family. Perhaps it is the maternal instinct that she cannot hide.

Director Yang Jie chatted casually with her and even had Wang Chongqiu take a few photos of her.

Just then, two young men dressed in modern clothes came in. They were Wang Bozhao, the male lead of "Love in the Pen," and Chi Zhongrui, the second male lead. Yang Jie's radar immediately went off, and she quickly called them over.

"Are you actors too? I've never seen you before."

Gong Xue smiled and helped introduce them. Wang Bozhao is 24 years old and still a student at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Chi Zhongrui is 29 years old, graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 77, and acted in a TV series for the first time last year. "The Love in the Pen" is his first movie.

Yang Jie carefully examined the two handsome men and felt that Wang Bozhao was more handsome, but because he was too handsome, he had a frivolous and arrogant feeling, which made him unsuitable for playing a monk.

On the other hand, Chi Zhongrui has a full forehead, a square jaw, and is tall. He looks gentle and approachable, and I can't help but start imagining what he would look like with a shaved head.

"Would you two like to act in Journey to the West?"

"Journey to the West?"

"Yes, these are two projects based on the Four Great Classical Novels that our CCTV just finalized this year, and there's also 'Dream of the Red Chamber'."

Upon hearing this, Wang Bozhao was eager to audition for the role of Jia Baoyu. He asked, "What roles can we play in 'Journey to the West'?"

Yang Jie pointed at Chi Zhongrui: "This Comrade Chi can play Tang Sanzang. As for you, with your handsome face, how about playing the White Dragon Horse?"

"Huh?" Wang Bozhao pointed at Chi Zhongrui, "Let Brother Rui ride me?"

Chi Zhongrui blushed deeply, and Gong Xue couldn't help but spit out his own words, "What kind of bastard is that?"

Wang Bozhao realized the ambiguity after he finished speaking, and Yang Jie laughed and said, "When you're riding, you'll definitely have to switch to a real horse. You're mainly playing the human form."

That would just make him a minor supporting character, while Rui Ge is definitely the male lead, or at least one of the main characters.

However, at this time, "The Love in the Pen" had not yet been released and become a hit, and Wang Bozhao was not that popular. In addition, students were somewhat less assertive when facing the director of "Journey to the West".

He nodded and said, "Then just call me when the time comes."

Chi Zhongrui was still in a daze; it was too magical, as if a huge pie had suddenly fallen in front of him.

He asked excitedly, "Director Yang, is it definitely me?"

"Xiao Wang, take a few photos of the two of them," Yang Jie instructed before answering Chi Zhongrui. "You're the second choice now. If there's no one more suitable, then it'll be you."

Before leaving Beijing, they visited the acting class at the Beijing Film Academy. A student named Wang Yue caught their eye, but compared to Chi Zhongrui, she was more resolute but lacked a compassionate face. She couldn't make up her mind yet, but the scales had already tipped in Chi Zhongrui's favor.

Hearing that there were competitors, Chi Zhongrui knew that things were not going to be safe. After Yang Jie and the others left, he was a little uneasy and even consulted Gong Xue.

He first thanked Gong Xue, because the other person had come to see Gong Xue, which was how he ended up meeting him, and he felt that he had benefited from Gong Xue's help.

"If you want this role, why don't you shave your head and go to a temple to experience life after we finish filming this movie, and imagine yourself as Xuanzang preparing to set off to obtain Buddhist scriptures?" Gong Xue suggested.

Chi Zhongrui suddenly realized something: "Comrade Gong Xue is right, thank you, thank you. By the way, did Director Yang Jie want you to play Chang'e or the Queen of the Women's Kingdom?"

Gong Xue shook her head: "She didn't say, she only said that I would definitely have a role."

Next, Yang Jie's team went to the Shanghai Film Studio to find Zhu Lin. The scenery in Shanghai was nothing special, so they could go directly to Hangzhou or Shaoxing. They wondered if the monkeys could surprise them.

~
In Hong Kong, the box office of "The Wrong Wedding Night" officially reached HK$1200 million, and there is still room for further growth. However, the annual box office rankings for 81 have already been finalized.

The top spot undoubtedly belongs to the record-breaking film "Security Unlimited" by the Hui Brothers, produced by Golden Harvest, with HK$1776 million. Next is "The Wrong Wedding Night" by Bluebird, with HK$1200 million (currently in theaters). The third place also belongs to Bluebird, "Heroes from Ancient Times" with HK$1150 million.

The fourth place went to an imported film, "For Your Eyes Only" from the 007 series. Roger Moore is now playing Bond. With a box office of 1103 million, it is the highest-grossing imported film in history. It also surpassed Jackie Chan's "The Young Master" last year by 10,000, causing this debut film of Jackie Chan to slip one place on the overall list.

The next Cinema City film, "Chasing Girls," only grossed a little over 900 million, so I won't go into details.

That year, Cheng Long suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Wu Jing, and Wu Jing's senior brother was about to make his appearance.

When Amin went to the Leftist Cinema to watch "Seven Days of Wrong Love" for the second time, she had already seen the promotional poster for "Shaolin Temple," which looked quite impressive.

As soon as Amin got home today, she found a beautiful new dress on her bed in the bedroom. She was overjoyed and quickly went over to thank her mother.

She was invited to the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, and after some hesitation, she accepted the invitation because she wanted to accept the award for Ah Ming.

"Mom hopes you win an award too. If you do, we'll put it in the store to attract customers," Zhou's mother joked. "Mom will be cheering you on in front of the TV tomorrow."

Vivian Chow: "Mom, the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards won't be broadcast live on TV, you can just listen to the radio."

Since it is organized by RTHK, it will also be broadcast live on RTHK audio.

With such high television coverage now, this kind of broadcasting format is definitely not able to meet the needs of the audience. TVB has a clear advantage in this regard. I can just broadcast the award ceremony and performances of celebrities on TVB. How can you compete with me!
Tonight, Tam Yung-lun called Amin to ask if she would be attending: "If you don't go, I'm going to be in the limelight tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll definitely go. If I can't carry it all, I'll ask you for help."

~
On the 8th, Wei Ming went to school early in the morning. Today was the day of the graduation ceremony, and Peking University was about to send off the Class of '77.

As soon as I entered the school, I heard the students' self-recorded song "Wish You a Safe Journey" playing over the loudspeaker.
……

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(End of this chapter)