Exciting 1979!

Chapter 430 A Twist of Fate: Hostage Exchange

After lunch, the sun was shining brightly. Wei Ming had already changed into his swimming trunks and stood by the pool in the courtyard. He then plunged into the pool.

Water splashed up, and it took a while for a large, healthy head to emerge from the water.

He waved to the two people wrapped in bath towels who were walking behind him and said, "Come on, it feels so good!"

Zhu Lin scoffed, "It's not like I haven't swum before, how could I not know?"

Gong Xue said shyly, "But this is, after all, broad daylight."

Wei Ming: "It's just swimming, what's the big deal?"

Zhu Lin glared at him: "It has nothing to do with swimming, you're the one who picked out the swimsuits for us."

They were wearing bikinis that Wei Ming had brought back from Hong Kong, made with very little fabric.

But as the saying goes, what's there to be afraid of when it's your own home? After complaining a few times, he still obediently went into the water.

Although the pool wasn't big, the three of them could still move around freely, but Wei Ming just liked to stick close to his two older sisters.

It wasn't just for no reason that she freeloaded; she would also discuss the book "Middle Age" that she had watched that morning with her sisters.

"This is a female-centric drama, and the core character is Lu Wenting, whom you play. In contrast, the core protagonist of 'Rickshaw Boy' is Xiangzi. It's just that Zhang Fengyi, a greenhorn, was overshadowed by the veteran actress Siqin Gaowa. In terms of character completion, Lu Wenting is no less impressive than Hu Niu. So I guess it's still uncertain who will win the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards next year."

As for Sister Xue's "Love in the Brush", it's almost out of the question. She doesn't have much screen time as the female lead, so there's not much room for her to develop her character.

Zhu Lin listened intently, while Xiao Wei's hand had already touched her body.

Seeing this, Gong Xue shook her head helplessly. She had agreed to just swim, but she was worried about getting the pool dirty and having trouble cleaning it up.

As expected, Wei Ming held back, but couldn't help it, and water started splashing everywhere. He released some energy in the pool, and the three of them went back to bed to lie down for a while.

The theater was even more packed in the evenings for "Middle Age". Zhu Lin's parents watched it at that time. The theater was full, but after the movie, they couldn't find their daughter and had no one to confide in.

Right now, Zhu Lin and Gong Xue are cleaning the drained swimming pool overnight. Humph, they'll never let that naughty boy cause trouble in the pool again.

Wei Ming has returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment to continue his creative work, sometimes writing short play scripts, sometimes writing comic book manuscripts.

He wanted to wait until the end of the semester before going to Hong Kong, so he went back to work at the school the next day.

Wei Hong came to find him at the library; she had just finished her final exam.

"elder brother!"

"Shh~"

"Brother~" Wei Hong whispered excitedly beside Wei Ming, "You're taking me to Hong Kong!?"

Wei Ming: "Did Uncle Ping An tell you?"

"Yes, he said the application has been approved!"

Wei Ming smiled and said, "It's a good opportunity to reunite with my parents, grandpa, aunt, and Grandma Lin, whom you haven't met yet."

"And the Hong Kong stock market!" She hadn't forgotten about that; she usually read a lot of financial books, including some rare foreign language books.

"Good good."

Wei Hong then noticed the camera next to Wei Ming and asked, "What's he doing?"

Wei Ming: "I'll take some photos for the graduates later."

A short while later, Liu Zhenyun and the others, who were ready, came to invite Teacher Wei.

The school only took a class photo for them, since developing photos is quite expensive. However, Teacher Wei didn't care about the cost and readily agreed to take photos with the graduating students who wanted to take pictures with their close friends. He even used color film bought from the Friendship Store, going through several rolls in a single day.

That day, he also received the photo he had taken with Xu Qing before, so he wrote a letter to the girl from the same city, encouraging her to develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically and practically.

He also wrote a letter to his hometown, asking the old Party Secretary and the principal to oversee the distribution of this year's scholarships and prizes, but the study tour would be postponed for a few days.

My siblings are going to Hong Kong, and Lao Wei isn't in Beijing either. He was supposed to go to Shanghai this time, but I'm worried about who will take care of them, so I'll wait until I get back from Hong Kong before making any decisions.

As the day of departure drew closer, Wei Ming had completed his preparations. On his last night, he left Xiao Hong alone at the Overseas Chinese Apartment and said his final goodbyes to his two older sisters at his home in Nanluoguxiang.

"This trip will last at least half a month." So Wei Ming wished he could spend all his energy and effort on them for the next half month.

It was past midnight when the two older sisters called a halt. They believed that Xiao Wei no longer had any mistresses in Hong Kong, wasn't that enough?

Zhu Lin said, "If you can't sleep, let's talk about movies."

"Yes, yes, when will 'The Legend of the Heavenly Book' be released? Xiao Qi is waiting for it." Gong Xue asked on behalf of his nephew.

Wei Ming: "I estimate I'll be able to go on it while I'm in Hong Kong, by which time the kids will all be on holiday."

Gong Xue: "That's great, but my 'Feelings in the Pen' is also in July."

"Oh, it's settled?"

"Yes, the end of July."

Wei Ming: "I'm sure I can make it."

Zhu Lin then asked, "So, who are you planning to cast in 'The Shepherd's Spring'?"

She believed that Wei Ming would definitely get the director's opportunity, so she directly asked about the filming plan.

Gong Xue: "And where do we plan to film?"

Wei Mingxian answered a simple question: "When I was writing it, I was actually based on my mother's memories of our hometown. It was basically created based on rural Sichuan. I might even film it in Sichuan, in a scenic spot."

Yesterday, the third national population census was completely completed. China's population (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) reached 1,031,882,500. All the data has been entered into the computer, which means that Wei Ming can start to use the power of big data to continue searching for his aunt, which will also make things easier in Sichuan.

As for who to hire to take the photos...

"I have already contacted Li Baotian about the male lead, Mr. Zhong. At first, he was hesitant to accept the role, saying that he didn't have a good image. However, after my persuasion, he has now gone to the Central Conservatory of Music to find the feeling of a musician."

Wei Ming also sifted through all the active male actors around forty years old before choosing Li Baotian. His acting is natural and down-to-earth, unlike the actors of the previous generation whose performances were not lifelike enough and whose acting was too contrived.

But as Teacher Li himself said, his appearance was a bit lacking, after all, he came from a comedic background, while Teacher Zhong in Wei Ming's original work was handsome and dashing, so he needed to immerse himself in the atmosphere of a musician.

"As for the principal and the village chief, I spoke with Grandpa Ge Cunzhuang and asked him to bring his son into the group."

"Is that Ge You, the tall and thin one?" Gong Xue had seen him before.

“Yes, that’s him. His hair is thinning a bit,” Wei Ming said. “Actually, I’m a little worried. The character of the son, the village chief, is the most annoying character in the novel. He’s practically the biggest villain. Ge You has too little acting experience. I also considered Chen Qiang and Chen Peisi, but Chen Peisi looks too comical.”

Gong Xue realized that he wanted the real father and son to play father and son.

Zhu Lin chuckled: "That's really mean. You can't just say someone is ugly, you can't say they're funny."

Wei Ming: "This is a very high compliment. Someone with Chen Peisi's appearance has a much higher starting point than others when it comes to comedy performance. Take Zhu Shimao for example. If the two of them were to perform comedy together, who do you think would be funnier?"

Both of them had worked with Zhu Shimao, and they said almost simultaneously, "Chen Peisi!"

Zhu Lin: "Besides, Zhu Shimao is incapable of being funny."

“Yes, he’s too serious,” Gong Xue added.

We've gotten a bit off-topic, so Wei Ming brought the conversation back on track: "The three most important adult roles are probably these three, and then there are the children's roles. Xizi will definitely have to take on an important role. If it clashes with your film 'Under the Bridge,' then you'll have to talk to the director and try to film your scenes together."

Gong Xue nodded: "It's truly rare to find a young actor with such good acting skills as Xizi. I'm not surprised at all that you used him."

Zhu Lin: "As for the others, I remember there were three or four minor actors with significant roles in the novel."

Wei Ming: "Let's look for that one slowly. I'll ask Xiao Wujing's dad. If he's suitable, he can be included."

That way, when Xiao Wu grows up, he can proudly say: "I've acted in director Wei Ming's movies. Have you acted in any?"

Gong Xue suddenly remembered: "What do you think of my goddaughter?"

It was the little girl they rescued on the train; Gong Xue had maintained contact with that family.

Wei Ming recalled, "How old was she?"

“She’s six years old now,” Gong Xue said. “And the little girl is developing quickly, she looks about the same age as Xizi. She also loves to sing and dance and isn’t shy on stage.”

Wei Ming said, "Alright, I'll see you when I get back."

The three of them chatted until after 2 a.m. before finally falling asleep.

The next day, Gong Xue got up early to prepare breakfast for Wei Ming, so that Wei Ming and Sister Lin could have a little time together. She was so virtuous.

After seeing off Wei Ming, who had eaten every last drop, and Zhu Lin, who had taken everything, Gong Xue was going to go work on the sewing machine; Biao Ma had already made all the arrangements.

When Wei Ming returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Biaozi and Xiaomei had already arrived, and Wei Hong had already carried their luggage downstairs, waiting for him.

Biaozi and Xiaomei knew the truth, but Wei Hong still thought that her older brother had gone to the courtyard house in Beichizi to do creative work in seclusion.

When they arrived at the airport, Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning were already there. They were dressed in their best clothes, with pens clipped to their chest pockets.

Zhang Yimou's wife also came to see him off. Knowing her husband was going to Hong Kong to film a movie, she was happy for him but also worried that he might get too caught up in the allure of the outside world and lose his resolve. Not everyone can resist the temptations of capitalism. Wei Ming laughed, "Perfect! Let my two brothers take your wife back to the city, Old Zhang."

"Could you take me to the train station? I'm heading straight back to Xi'an," Xiao Hua said.

Biaozi replied enthusiastically, "No problem."

Zhang Yimou held his wife's hand and said, "Don't worry, go back and wait for me. I'll go home to see you first after I get back. Go back now."

"Wait a minute." Mei Wenhua had something else to attend to.

He went to look at the mural at the airport; the nude woman was still being blocked, and the political climate was tightening up recently.

At the beginning of the year, Oriental Plaza almost succeeded in its expansion, but was scared back by a few small setbacks, and could only devote all its energy to spending time with its wife and children.

The two left with Zhang Yimou's wife. On the way to the train station, Xiao Hua kept covering her mouth, retching slightly.

Biaozi said, "Am I driving too fast? I'll slow down."

Xiao Hua patted her stomach: "Thank you."

~
This was Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning's first time on a plane, so they followed the siblings and imitated them. Even Wei Hong had been to Germany and knew how to fly.

They actually felt that flying was too extravagant, costing several times more than taking a hard seat to Guangzhou and then to Hong Kong. It was all paid for by Teacher Wei. If they had known, the two brothers would have taken the train to Shenzhen in advance to wait for Teacher Wei.

Before boarding the plane, Wei Ming prepared enough newspapers and magazines, and since the four of them were sitting close together, they could chat together.

Zhang Yimou actually wanted to see the script, but Wei Ming didn't give it to him. He didn't even intend to let the actors see the complete script; instead, they talked about current affairs.

The biggest news in China recently is the population census results. More and more data are being released, and this data will support a series of national policies, such as family planning and compulsory education.

According to statistics, out of the country's 1.03 billion population, illiterate or semi-literate people account for 23.6%, which is almost a quarter.

This includes both impoverished people who had no opportunity to go to school before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and out-of-school children in rural areas who currently lack access to education. Nine-year compulsory education will not be implemented for several more years, and there is no financial support to support its implementation now.

In many places, let alone education, even having enough to eat is still a problem, so the country really can't afford to be poor any longer.

Wei Ming turned the newspaper over and saw international news about petitions for Mandela.

After so much commotion, 2000 mayors worldwide have signed a petition in support of this issue, and its influence is growing. In addition, the United States and the Soviet Union, two major powers, have joined forces to exert pressure, which has put South Africa in a position of being universally condemned on the international stage. It is estimated that it will not be able to hold on for much longer.

During this process, Mr. Why was mentioned second only to Mandela himself, and District 9 became famous as a result.

This is not a novel with only political significance. Even setting aside all other external factors, it is a very good and moving novel. So Spielberg's desire to collaborate after reading the novel was not just polite talk.

He did consider adapting the story, but he preferred to adapt Jurassic Park.

Faced with overwhelming praise for "E.T.", Spielberg felt that "Jurassic Park" might create an even greater miracle.

"E.T." is doing very well at the box office, although its $11.9 million opening weekend is less than the $14 million earned by "Star Trek II" in early June.

But it has a strong staying power. Its weekend box office in the second week of release exceeded that of the first week. For the past four weeks, it has been the weekend box office champion. The arrival of new films has had no effect. It is foreseeable that it will be the weekend champion again in the fifth week.

The film has already grossed over $200 million in North America and is a huge hit in overseas markets. Authoritative institutions predict that the film will break the North American and global box office records of the first Star Wars movie. Haha, it's time for Lucas to draw his own poster.

Actually, the movie Wei Ming most wanted to see during his trip to Hong Kong wasn't one of those Hong Kong films, but rather to watch "E.T." in the cinema. He had seen it several times in his previous life, but only on his computer.

After a half-day flight, they even had an airplane meal with Hua Zi and Mao Zi, which made Zhang Yimou and Mao Zi very happy. However, they weren't used to the rice on the plane. They preferred noodles, especially Shaanxi-style oil-splashed noodles. Wow, they were delicious!
Wei Ming closed his eyes, counted three, and then reminded Lao Zhang and the others to look out the window.

Then they saw Kowloon Walled City from the air. The plane almost flew past the rooftops. It was so thrilling and exciting!
The dense buildings made Zhang Yimou want to take pictures, but it was too late, and the view was fleeting.

He had already taken several photos of the white clouds in the sky.

Wei Ming told him, "This is called Kowloon Walled City. It's quite chaotic inside. I've even been inside before."

When the plane landed, Wei Ming asked them, "Are you still hungry?"

The two shook their heads, but Wei Ming could tell that they were actually hungry. The airplane meal was only a small portion and didn't satisfy their hunger, but they were too embarrassed to ask for another serving.

After collecting his luggage, Wei Ming checked the time: "It's two o'clock, let's eat something else. Xiao Hong, do you want to eat Holiland?"

"Is that Holiland? I want to eat it!" She knew it was her grandfather's business.

Then Wei Ming led the three of them to the Holiland restaurant in the airport. The ordering method here was something they had never seen before. They had to order at the counter, get a number, pay, and then find a place to sit down and wait for their number to be called to pick up their food.

"Hello sir," the waiter said to Wei Ming, who didn't recognize him. "Our store has just launched a new bubble tea drink, and it's half price during the promotional period."

Wei Ming glanced at the colorful promotional images, which looked very appealing: "Okay, two cups of milk tea and two cups of cola, please."

After paying, Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning stared at the number in disbelief. They had just spent over a hundred yuan!

Of course, it's in Hong Kong dollars, and that's a lot too.

It cost over 30 Hong Kong dollars per person, but this is the airport; other shops aren't that expensive.

The four of them sat down for a short while before it was their turn. Feng Xiaoning remarked, "The food came out pretty quickly."

Zhang Yimou stood up and said, "You have to get it yourself. Some state-run restaurants don't do that."

Milk tea and cola are served by Lao Zhang and Lao Feng, while Wei Ming and Wei Hong use a different set.

Both grown men said they didn't like the milk tea; it was too sweet and not as stimulating as cola.

Wei Ming thought it was alright. He hadn't gotten used to it at first in his previous life, but after drinking it a few times with his girlfriends, he got used to it.

I just felt that this flavor was a bit monotonous. The milk tea flavors of later generations were so diverse, such as QQneinei which was so delicious that it tasted like Meow Tea, and Duck Shit Lemon Fragrance.

However, Wei Hong really liked it. She liked it from the first sip, and loved it even more when she sucked up the "pearls" at the bottom. She could drink and eat at the same time!
"Brother, what is this made of?" Wei Hong specially fed one to her brother.

"It's probably cassava. Drinking too much of this kind of milk tea can easily make you fat," Wei Ming said, trying to scare her.

Upon hearing this, Wei Hong liked it even more: "Really? I really want to gain some weight! I want another cup!"

Wei Ming thought to himself, "Is that just gaining weight? You clearly want to grow your breasts. I don't want to call you out on it, but as Wei Hong's older brother, he still ordered one last drink for his sister."

Many customers in the store were also trying this new type of drink, especially the girls, who seemed to really like it. They were still sipping the drink even after they had finished it, which made their boyfriends next to them momentarily lose their focus.

However, this bubble tea is not cheap; even at half price, it's just as expensive as regular Coca-Cola. It may become another major profit driver in the future.

While the milk tea impressed Wei Hong, hamburgers and fried chicken were their favorites.

This stuff is very oily, and the seasonings are carefully proportioned to appeal to a wide range of tastes, so very few people don't like it.

Parents whose children don't like to eat meat might consider making an appointment with Dr. Ken or Dr. Mai.

There's a newly opened luxury hotel right next to the airport, but it's too extravagant for Lao Zhang and his group to stay there. Wei Ming had already informed A Long before he came that he should rent a place near the company for a month.

So Wei Ming then took them by taxi to the Madman Comics Company.

Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning, who were already feeling a bit dizzy from carbon monoxide poisoning, kept their eyes glued to the window as soon as they left the airport, and even after getting into the car, they kept staring at it.

Is this Hong Kong? So many cars, and such tall buildings!

Zhang Yimou couldn't resist taking out his camera and snapping a picture of the world outside the window.

Not to mention the two of them, even Wei Hong felt that Hong Kong was more developed and looked richer than Frankfurt.

When Wei Ming arrived at the Madman Comics Company, he could clearly feel that there were more people, including several unfamiliar faces. The company had made money recently, and Ah Long had been recruiting a lot of people, some of whom were even poached from Jade International.

Jade International also tried to poach talent from Madman Comics, but they couldn't because Madman Comics already had its own works. After all, they left, but they couldn't take their works with them.

Moreover, as long as the copyright of a work can be developed, the profits are really high. Xie Zhirong, Niu Lao, and Ma Rongcheng are role models for everyone.

Although they can't afford a house yet, all three of them have already bought cars and drive to and from get off work. They've also found girlfriends soon, and houses aren't far away.

But in Jade Lang International, there's no such prospect; they all understand this principle.

Stepping into this comic book world, Wei Hong, Zhang Yimou, and the other two were overwhelmed by the sights. The walls were covered with colorful comics of various styles, creating a vibrant and dazzling environment. It felt like working in such an environment would make anyone happy.

When Feng Xiaoning saw Liu Rulong and Liangzi, she could hardly recognize them. Compared to them, she felt like a country bumpkin.

Okay, it's not just similar, it is!
Liu Rulong and Liangzi are both dropouts from the Film Academy and are familiar with Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning, especially Feng Xiaoning. They both belong to the Fine Arts Department, but with different specializations.

Seeing that they had started catching up, Wei Ming said, "Alright, you two stay with Liangzi and the others for now. I'll come back to talk to you about filming tomorrow."

Wei Ming knew that A Long had a thousand words to say to him, but he also had a thousand words to say to A Min, so A Long, you can go to the back of the line first.

Zhou Huimin is on summer vacation now, but she doesn't know that Amin is coming to Hong Kong. She thinks to herself: "Sigh, I might as well go back to Beijing with Uncle Jiefang and the others."

Unfortunately, my mother wouldn't agree. She could keep an eye on things in Hong Kong, but who knows what the two young people might do once they're on the mainland? What if they come back pregnant? Will they still be able to go to university?

At this moment in Beijing, Wei Jiefang and Xu Shufen, carrying large and small bags and dressed in fashionable attire, stood at the entrance of the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

Old Wei opened his arms wide: "Son, daughter, your parents are back!"

Old Sun took a while to recognize the two old acquaintances when he saw this scene. He chuckled and said, "How interesting. Are you exchanging hostages? Your son and daughter just left, and you're back already?"

(End of this chapter)