Exciting 1979!

Chapter 392 Winning a Grammy, Sheryl and the Other Two

Because this chorus evoked memories of that summer for many, many Hong Kong people were still listening to RTHK late into the night.

This song has been a great comfort to many people when they are down on their luck, and even after half a year, it is still fresh and new to listen to.

But because "Tomorrow Will Be Better" is so deeply ingrained in people's hearts, many listeners began to feel indignant, wondering why such a good song did not win an award.

Some people felt sorry for this song, and naturally, others felt sorry for songs like "I Just Like You," "Melinda," "You'll Only Win If You Fight," "Friends," and "A Real Man," especially young singers Danny Chan and Leslie Cheung, who now have many fans.

Wei Ming's dozen or so songs are so popular that even though four of them are among the top ten Chinese songs, fans are still not satisfied.

However, people in the Hong Kong music industry felt that it was a bit too much. They said that four out of ten of them were not enough. Last year was indeed a year in which Wei Ming's creative desire was bursting. He even had several globally renowned representative works in English songs.

The problem is that the Golden Needle Award, representing the highest honor, was given to him, which is a bit excessive. Wei Ming has only been writing Cantonese songs for about two years at most. Although he has some classics, can he be compared with those senior artists? What contribution has he made to Cantonese songs?
Joseph Koo, considered a frontrunner for the award, was too embarrassed for James Wong to say anything, but many of their friends couldn't stand it. For example, Ni Kuang angrily picked up his pen and began to express his anger.

However, his article wasn't published so quickly. The news that appeared in the newspapers the next day was mostly from the media on the scene. TVB and RTV also reported on the incident in their morning entertainment news segments.

However, TVB only summarized it in one short sentence before continuing to promote the Top Ten Jade Solid Gold Songs in two weeks.

RTV released more photos from the event and even interviewed several singers who attended the awards ceremony, including a close-up shot of Vivian Chow.

The teenage girl was tall, fair-skinned, and had delicate features. She had a well-behaved demeanor, and Zhou Huimin instantly captured the hearts of countless young men.

When Zhou Huimin went to school the next day, her best friends immediately surrounded her and chattered away.

Congratulations, Amin! You actually won a Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award!

"You'll be a big star in the future, don't forget us!"

"Amin, you're famous now!"

"Vivian is in big trouble!"

Vivian Chow: "Huh?"

"Look!" A close friend pulled out more than a dozen love letters from her drawer. Usually, she would only receive one or two a day, but today's sudden surge must be the aftermath of the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards.

Zhou Huimin glanced at the doorway and saw that there were many boys from other classes and even other grades blocking the doors and windows to watch the new singer Zhou Huimin.

"How childish and boring," Vivian Chow shook her head. But being a kind person, she didn't throw the love letter in the trash can in front of everyone. Instead, she said very seriously, "Right now, I just want to study and get into university. I have no interest in dating, so please stop writing this kind of thing. Thank you."

Let's take it out and find a secluded place before throwing it away.

As she said this, a boy ran over waving a love letter, and then a boy from her class chased him away.

Vivian said she didn't want to date, so they still had a chance. At this point, any slacker from another class who dared to harass Amin was asking for death!
During the morning class, her best friend had already received several newspapers with Ah Min's face printed on them, including even high-end elite newspapers like Ming Pao.

Although the article mainly talks about Wei Ming's four out of ten scores and winning his first Golden Needle Award, the photo chosen is of Zhou Huimin holding the Golden Needle trophy and smiling proudly.

In just one day, the mysterious singer Vivian Chow became an overnight sensation because of her beauty!
Although many young men and women liked to listen to her songs, these fans were basically unorganized and did not have any real fascination or worship for the singer. Most of them would just listen to her songs on the radio, and not many of them would buy her records.

Last night, Vivian Chow won an award, and after her official appearance in newspapers and on television, she sparked a Vivian Chow craze among teenagers. Many young men and women rushed to record stores at noon to buy her records with their lunch money.

While buying records, the men and women got to know each other and expressed their admiration for Vivian Chow. They all said that they liked her even before seeing her face, and it was definitely not just because of superficial things like her looks.

"That's right, me too. I really like all three of her songs."

"Three songs? You're obviously not a die-hard fan. Vivian has already released her fourth song."

"You've heard 'A Pair' too! But I still prefer the Mandarin version, 'The Little Insects Fly'."

"I really hope Vivian can release an album soon."

"It doesn't matter. Amin's singles are also of very high quality. I never get tired of listening to them. Most of the songs on an album are not listenable. What's the point of just piling on quantity?"

"She'll definitely never get tired of listening to it. It's all specially tailored for her by Wei Ming. She's so lucky to have such a talented pen pal!"

At this point, a boy asked, "Do you think they might already be dating?"

As a result, the boy immediately became the target of everyone's criticism, and neither men nor women were allowed to speak to Vivian like that.

"She looks like the kind of well-behaved girl who would never date. She probably hasn't even held a boy's hand before."

“That’s right. I have a cousin who goes to the same school as Vivian. She said that Vivian was a well-known good student at school. When her family was struggling financially, she even taught children to play the piano. She’s already passed the tenth grade in piano!”

"Huh? Her family had financial difficulties? Isn't she Holiland Princess? That store had several branches, and she beat up McDonald's so badly they were left scratching their heads."

"Holiland hasn't been around for very long. It's a single-parent family. Her mother used to sell snacks, and it gradually grew up over time, according to my cousin..."

Thus, Zhou Huimin became a lovable and inspirational role model in their eyes.

Previously, when Zhou Huimin ate lunch at school, at most people would look at her, but now it's even getting to the point of being watched by a crowd.

Thankfully, the holiday is coming soon. I hope everyone can get back to normal after the holiday, otherwise how am I going to get through the next few years!

~
Wei Ming was unaware of Amin's troubles at the moment. He was lying at home, having drunk some alcohol yesterday to celebrate Uncle Ping'an's promotion, and felt that he was working on improving his alcohol tolerance.

Xiaohong and Xiaoming are both on holiday. I feel really bad because I just came back to work a few days ago and then had to go on holiday again.

Early in the morning, Xiaohong thoughtfully prepared breakfast for her brother, taking on the responsibility of being a mother in the family.

However, it's winter after all, so there's not much to eat. Chinese cabbage is still the main crop. Although there are communes with greenhouses like Sijiqing around Yanjing, the production is limited, and only a small amount reaches the tables of ordinary people.

Fortunately, Wei Ming had connections, so after dinner he rode his motorcycle with the little girl to Sijiqing Commune to buy vegetables from Grandpa Bu Dachun, which was also a unique experience of picking vegetables.

Years later, you'll still have to pay people to work in the fields—something unimaginable in this era.

"Uncle Dachun, isn't Brother Bu Suanzi coming back for the New Year?" Wei Hong asked, carrying a basket.

Bu Dachun said proudly, "He wrote that he wasn't coming back because the plane tickets were too expensive, and he could make money by working on projects with his mentor. He even sent me money—foreign exchange! This kid is so easy to take care of. If I had known he could make money on his own, I wouldn't have sold the motorcycle."

Wei Ming: "Now that I've transferred the money to you, hurry up and buy a courtyard house. It'll be so much better to retire in the city, just like those old city folks, walking around with a caged bird."

Bu Dachun chuckled: "Teacher Wei, come to my house later and I'll show you my new motorcycle."

Wei Ming almost blurted out, "Damn it! You used the foreign exchange your son gave you to buy another motorcycle?!"

Bu Dachun: "That's right, and that money isn't enough to buy a house, so I thought I'd buy a car first, so it'll be convenient to go wherever I want."

Seeing her older brother's speechless expression, Wei Hong chimed in, "Brother, didn't you buy the car first and then the house?"

Wei Ming: "How can that be the same? Because it wasn't easy to buy a house back then, and I believed that I would definitely be able to buy a house before the housing prices rose, so I bought a car first for the convenience of getting around. You old man, you..."

Old Bu seemed indifferent: "Actually, I really can't get used to living in the city. I think it's great to have a piece of land like this to tend to my vegetables when I get old. If I move to the city, who will you ask for vegetables when you want them in the winter?"

Since the purchase was already made, what else could be said? Of course, it was time to admire Lao Bu's new car. It was quite a nice model, and Wei Ming seriously suspected that he might be looking for a partner.

In the afternoon, Wei Ming went to the school again. Because he was always taking leave, Wei Ming was embarrassed to collect his salary, but he had to collect the school's benefits. So he received a few ribbonfish and a bucket of oil.

I happened to run into Brother Feng, so I gave him the oil. There was so much peanut oil sent from our hometown that we couldn't possibly finish it all. Especially now that our parents aren't home, my brother and I can fry our own dough sticks at home.

After returning home, Xiao Hong made braised ribbonfish for her brother. After eating, Xiao Hong said, "Brother, we can't continue to be so decadent. I haven't done anything productive all day."

Wei Ming: "So what do you want?"

Wei Hong: "Brother, I'm very interested in the stock market you mentioned. Can we try our hand at trading some stocks?"

"You can't speculate on it at all; there's no such thing in China right now."

“I know, I was wondering if I could give the money to my parents so they could open an account and start trading. Then we could exchange letters to discuss the ups and downs, and I could experience what it's like to surf the stock market.”

Wei Ming laughed: "Remote stock trading? What's the point? You can't analyze the market in real time, it's all about luck. Whether you make money or lose money, it won't improve your skills. Since you're so free, why don't you go work at Xintiandi selling clothes?"

Moreover, Wei Ming has already done so, buying shares in companies under Li Ka-shing and Pao Yue-kong, showing his confidence in them.

Wei Hong pouted: "Fine, anyway, we can't just stay here like this, or we'll ruin ourselves."

"I wasn't sitting around. While you were cooking, I wrote several pages of a script, and I still have to write my novel later." He had just finished making excuses when the phone rang at home. It was a colleague from the Hong Kong office, delivering some good news that probably wouldn't be widely publicized in mainland China.

"Oh, okay, I understand, thank you."

Wei Ming hung up the phone, and Wei Hong asked curiously, "What happened?"

"Yesterday, Hong Kong's most important music awards ceremony, the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs, was held. Four of my songs won the Gold Song title, and I also received the highest honor, the Golden Needle Award." "Wow, that's amazing!" Wei Hong clapped her hands excitedly.

Wei Ming shook his head: "The Golden Needle Award was awarded for the first time, and then it was given to me. What will my colleagues in the Hong Kong music scene think? People in the industry probably hate me to death."

Wei Hong put one foot on the sofa: "The strong never care about the opinions of the weak, let them yell."

Wei Ming glanced at the little girl. As expected of the smartest person in the Wei family, she seemed to be very used to looking down on ordinary people.

However, Wei Ming felt he should write an article to respond and express his humility.

After finishing writing it, he faxed it directly to Ah Long in Hong Kong, asking him to deliver it to Ming Pao.

However, before Wei Ming's article was published, a major debate had already begun regarding the top ten Chinese songs.

Articles criticizing Wei Ming, spearheaded by Ni Kuang, began to appear in newspapers, arguing that awarding the Golden Needle Award to Wei Ming would damage the authority of the award and was too obsequious to the mainland.

"I don't deny that Wei Ming is talented, but what talent can surpass the contributions that masters like Joseph Koo and James Wong have made to the Hong Kong music scene over the decades? What outstanding works can overshadow the significance of songs like 'A Tale of Laughter and Tears,' 'Under the Lion Rock,' and 'I Swear to Go Through the Mountain of Knives' to the Hong Kong music scene and even Hong Kong itself..."

Of course, some scholars hold opposing views, believing that Wei Ming's charity concert "Tomorrow Will Be Better" has made the world aware of the kindness and unity of the Hong Kong music scene with its huge international influence.

Moreover, he created more than a dozen highly popular songs within a month, covering Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hokkien. This is such a high level of talent that even if it were just to encourage Wei Ming to continue creating great Cantonese songs, it would be fine to award him this prestigious prize.

Amin had already written to Wei Ming to share the good news of winning the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award, but unexpectedly, another controversy arose in the public sphere.

It's obvious that fans think Ah Ming has won too few awards, but industry insiders think he has won too many, which is really excessive.

Amidst the clamor of debate, a media outlet suddenly broke a news story.

"You guys are still arguing about the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs and the Golden Needle Award, but little do you know that Wei Ming has already set his sights on the world. By the way, here's the nomination list for the 24th Grammy Awards. If you don't know what the Grammys are, don't call yourself a musician."

The Grammy Awards, established in the 1950s, have been a direct competitor to the Oscars. After more than 20 years of operation, they have indeed become one of the most influential music awards in the world, if we only consider pop music, then there is no other.

Musicians around the world take pride in owning an old gramophone.

The nomination list posted by this American-based media outlet shows that "Only Time" and "Moonlight Shadow" were both nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, respectively. Sarah Brightman was also nominated for Best Newcomer and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for these two songs.

Even Phil Collins, who sang "I Do," was nominated for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance for the song.

Although this is the least popular of Wei Ming's three English songs, it still managed to rank in the top ten in sales last year due to the huge impact of the British prince's wedding.

“It can be said that Wei Ming wrote three English songs that were among the top ten in the world in 81. Even the least popular one, ‘I Do,’ brought him millions of Hong Kong dollars in revenue. In Japan, a major music country, the famous singer Masashi Sada even performed his work at the Kohaku Uta Gassen. His influence began to spread to world powers such as the United States and Japan. Therefore, I fully support awarding the Golden Needle Award to Wei Ming. I can’t think of anyone else who deserves it.”

"Pah! Shameless!" Ni Kuang immediately sided with Wei Ming after seeing the article, thinking that he was already praising him before even winning an award, which was truly a case of worshipping foreign things.

Ni Zhen, who had returned from the United States for winter break, nodded in agreement. He was simply annoyed that a man about his age was acting so imposingly.

However, this nomination list is indeed very shocking to Hong Kong people. Everyone knows that the United States is the world's center of popular music. If Wei Ming's works can win awards at the biggest music awards in the United States, does that mean that he has broken free from the constraints of Chinese music and evolved into a global musician?
Wei Ming's article thanking the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs was published in Ming Pao after this report. Having just been nominated for several Grammy Awards, Wei Ming's high moral character and humility are all the more apparent.

After this article was published, the Hong Kong music scene could no longer find fault with him. Wei Ming adopted a very humble attitude, not only reiterating that the singers he collaborated with when creating Cantonese songs had provided tremendous help, but also stating that he would never keep this honor to himself.

He then praised Hong Kong music veterans such as Joseph Koo, James Wong, Wong Fuk-ling, Lo Kwok-cheung, and Cheng Kwok-kong, saying that he stood on the shoulders of giants and repeatedly listened to their works to understand some of the essence of writing Cantonese songs.

And they speculated: "Does the selection criteria for the Golden Needle Award look at the potential of musicians? Could it be that they gave it to me because I'm young and handsome?"

Later, even Wong Jim gave Wei Ming a thumbs up when talking about him on a TVB program, saying that the younger generation was formidable, which made Ni Kuang seem like he was caught in the middle.

Whether Wong Jim truly accepted it remains to be seen, depending on the outcome of the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, as he was the main judge for that award.

~
Wei Ming learned about the Grammy nominations from domestic news reports, and the attitude of domestic media towards the Grammys and the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs also reflects the difference between the two awards.

The former received extensive coverage upon nomination, while the latter, despite winning numerous awards, only garnered two simple reports in professional publications.

Furthermore, the US Embassy sent Wei Ming a congratulatory telegram and an invitation letter, asking him to attend the Grammys in the US next month, after all, it's their honeymoon period.

We'll discuss that later. Wei Ming's most pressing task right now is to go to Shanghai.

With only about ten days left until Chinese New Year, the two older sisters will most likely be spending the holiday in Shanghai. Wei Ming is going to accompany Xiao Hong back to their hometown for the holiday, so he thought he would spend some time with his two good sisters before the New Year.

"Brother, why do we have to go to Shanghai for this meeting, and we're not allowed to bring our families?" Wei Hong pouted.

"It's a meeting at Harvest magazine, and yes, family members aren't allowed to bring them. So for now, you'll just focus on helping out at Xintiandi. Your brother-in-law Mei is looking at properties to expand Xintiandi. You're smart, so keep an eye on things." Wei Ming patted Xiao Hong heavily on the shoulder, as if he had given her a heavy burden.

Wei Hong immediately felt a sense of mission.

Actually, Wei Ming, as her older brother, felt a little guilty leaving Xiao Hong alone in Yanjing. However, even if she was slow to notice, if he kept her by his side and she was being affectionate with her two older sisters, she would probably be able to see through the problem.

When Wei Ming arrived in Shanghai, the old house was empty, except for Gong Xue's calendar, which had its first page turned.

~
When Wei Hong and Mei Wenhua found a 800-square-meter, two-story street-front shop in a good location and were about to pay for it, the situation suddenly changed.

Seeing the overwhelming discussion in the newspapers about the "Eight Kings" incident in Wenzhou, Mei Wenhua was so frightened that he quickly returned the shop and began to silently chant: "You can't see me, you can't see me."

The eight kings are Hu Jinlin, the "King of Hardware"; Cheng Buqing, the "King of Mining Lamps"; Liu Dayuan, the "King of Screws"; Li Fangping, the "King of Contracts"; Wang Maiqian, the "King of Secondhand Goods"; Ye Jianhua, the "King of Catalogs"; Zheng Xiangqing, the "King of Coils"; and Zheng Yuanzhong, the "King of Electrical Appliances".

He was afraid of being labeled a "clothing tycoon," which would prevent him from spending the New Year at home. Besides, he had his own little baby, whom he couldn't bear to see for even a day.

In fact, there were signs before the wind shifted. A few days earlier, Han Qingsheng, an engineer in Wuhan, was arrested for giving technical guidance to a private company and accepting money.

Wei Ming also saw the news in Shanghai and couldn't help but worry whether his aunt's plan to acquire land and open a factory in China was still possible.

So he made a long-distance call to Hong Kong, but the factory said she was still in mainland China, so it was difficult to contact her.

When Wei Ming returned to the old house, Zhu Lin was already back, waiting for him on the sofa in thin pajamas.

Wei Ming smiled after seeing it: "Aren't you cold wearing so little?"

Zhu Lin: "Are you afraid I'm cold? Come over and hug me."

Wei Ming quickly went over and hugged his good sister tightly, desperately inhaling the scent of her hair.

Then he realized, "Wait, it's only been a few days since we separated, how come I already have gray hair?"

"This was dyed on purpose, and they even did my makeup every day during filming, as I'm getting older."

"There's no other way. My sister looks like a girl in her early twenties. How can she look middle-aged without this kind of makeup?"

Zhu Lin poked his forehead: "You're so sweet-talking."

"Then you should try it~"

The atmosphere gradually became ambiguous. Zhu Lin saw a wolfish glint in Xiao Wei's eyes; he was about to devour him alive.

"Let's go upstairs first, not in the lobby, hey, no..."

"Don't worry, both doors are locked."

"I... I feel cold."

"You'll be on fire soon!"

They had actually been separated for over a month. Lin's period had just ended this month, and the fire was like dry tinder, easily ignited, spreading from downstairs to upstairs. The most terrifying part was the process of going upstairs.

Even if you gave Zhu Lin eight brains, you couldn't have imagined that it could be done on the stairs!

That night, the two of them let loose and burned with abandon.

However, Wei Ming was free the next day, while Zhu Lin had to go to the film set early in the morning because of makeup requirements; she had to arrive earlier than the other actors.

When Wei Ming woke up and reached out to touch the person beside him, Sister Lin was already gone, but the replacement had arrived.

"Ah, I'm back! Sister Lin, come and welcome me!"

It was Sister Xue's voice.

Wei Ming quickly gathered his clothes, covered himself with the blanket, and pretended to be dead.

……

(Guaranteed minimum today~)

(End of this chapter)