Exciting 1979!

Chapter 463 Discussing Things with Vivian Chow (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Zhou Huimin didn't see the worry on Wei Ming's face; she was only happy.

She and Wei Ming were sitting opposite each other just now, but as soon as her mother left, she immediately moved next to Wei Ming, very close to him.

Amin first picked up a piece of poached chicken from Amin's plate: "Eat it, it's very tender."

Wei Ming sighed, "My arm suddenly lost strength, and I can't even lift chopsticks."

"Oh, you're impotent? Are you sick?" Zhou Huimin's first reaction was concern, but after three seconds, she suddenly nudged Wei Ming's arm with her own.

"Ugh~" Realizing what was happening, Amin used her chopsticks to put the food in Wei Ming's mouth, which was considered a very thoughtful service.

After taking a bite of the tender, juicy poached chicken, Amin continued, "Did you receive the sample I sent you?"

"Yes, that's the one about the lotus root fragrance fading and the jade mat feeling cool in autumn."

"How are you feeling?" Amin asked expectantly.

Wei Ming: "Hmm, it's very insightful, but I think there's room for improvement."

"For example, where."

"Let's eat first, and then we can discuss things slowly." As he spoke, Wei Ming put a piece of food on Amin's plate and lifted her chin to her stomach.

As for Zhou Ma, Wei Ming had clearly overestimated the sixty-something-year-old ghost. When Zhou Ma went upstairs, the show had already ended, so she arrived just in time. The three of them happily watched "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

After dinner, Wei Ming took the initiative to wash the dishes to leave a good impression on his future mother-in-law before going into the bedroom with Amin, where they closed the door and began discussing music.

However, as soon as the door closed, Vivian Chow blushed. Music was completely out of her mind; all she could think about was the Japanese movie she had watched at Wei Lingling's house a while ago.

She began to experience a dry mouth and fever.

"Amin, Amin~"

Wei Ming called out twice before waking her from her reverie.

“Ah, oh, you say.” Amin leaned against the bed, her legs dangling off the edge, and let Wei Ming sit in her chair.

Wei Ming said, "Do you know how popular you are in mainland China?"

"You said before that Pacific Records in Guangdong would release my records, and then all the money would be yours." Amin pouted, not because she was angry, but purely to be coquettish.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "It's just a few dozen yuan. I'll treat you to go out and have fun tomorrow, and we'll spend it all."

"I only earned a few dozen yuan, how could I be famous? I've earned a million in the last few months," Amin said proudly, all of which was money from her own savings.

"First Love: Vivian Chow" has sold over seven platinum copies, with more than 30 copies sold. "My Favorite: Vivian Chow" has also sold two platinum copies. This is only in Hong Kong. It also sold well in the Taiwan market. Moreover, she is her own boss, so there are no middlemen taking a cut. This income is comparable to that of a top movie star.

Wei Ming leaned closer and pinched her cheek: "You're really amazing."

Amin happily kicked her legs, lost her slippers, and simply lay down on the bed.

Wei Ming continued the previous topic: "Although you don't have much money now, it's because you haven't come to the mainland to develop your career. Once you come, as a friend of Hong Kong, your treatment will definitely be different from that of mainland singers."

This wasn't just to appease her. Later, a Taiwanese musician surnamed Hou came to the mainland and sang "Descendants of the Dragon." He was paid one yuan for every record he sold, something that mainland singers didn't do at that time.

"Do you know how many copies of your record have sold in just a few months?"

"How many?"

"More than 100 million copies were sold, and the most popular one was 'Pink Memories.' Now you are the most famous Hong Kong singer in mainland China, and you are known as one of the two greatest singers in China, along with Teresa Teng from Taiwan."

Vivian Chow covered her mouth in surprise. One million! Even the entire Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia combined didn't have that much for "My Favorite Vivian Chow".

Wei Ming laughed and said, "After saying all this, what I really want to say is, have you ever thought about singing 'A Spray of Plum Blossoms - The Fragrance of Red Lotus Fades and the Jade Mat Turns Cold in Autumn' in Mandarin? It's an exaggeration to say that you are on par with Teresa Teng right now. Do you want to live up to that title?"

If a song wants to gain the widest influence and reach in the Chinese music scene, it must be sung in Mandarin. Teresa Teng's album "Light and Elegant Feelings" sold millions of copies, which even the top Cantonese albums could not match.

Even in Hong Kong, "A Touch of Elegance" easily achieved platinum sales.

“Mandarin, huh?” Amin thought for a moment. She would be living on the mainland with Amin sooner or later, so what he said made sense. Besides, her Mandarin was already very good under Nina’s guidance.

"I'll give it a try. Could you put in that blank cassette tape on the table?"

"The fragrance of lotus fades, the jade mat is cool in autumn; I lightly loosen my silk robe and board the orchid boat alone. Who sends a brocade letter from the clouds? When the wild geese return, the moon is full over the western tower..." Accompanied by her own background music, Amin sang, and when it was in Mandarin, it had a very similar feel to the "Light and Elegant Sentiments" series.

After the song was finished, Wei Ming first applauded, and then offered his suggestions: "Your pronunciation must be gentle, melodious and clear. You can try to place the point of pronunciation on your soft palate... right here."

Wei Ming sat directly on the edge of the bed and began to work.

"I'm having trouble singing this; the lines seem a bit long," Amin said, panting.

"You need to make sure you inhale deeply and maintain a feeling of expansion in your ribs so that you can support long sentences." Wei Ming then placed his hand on her ribs, feeling the flow of her breath. He had learned these techniques from watching Teacher Gu Jianfen teach Lele.

Amin thoroughly enjoyed this close interaction with Amin, and became even more diligent in her studies.

Gradually, with Wei Ming's help and modifications, the song took on his shape and became closer to An Wen's "Moonlight Over the West Tower".

Previously, Liu Chia-chang from Taiwan had composed a song titled "The Moon Fills the West Chamber," but the version by An Wen from the 90s is more familiar to mainland China. It is entirely based on Li Qingzhao's original lyrics without any modifications and became a hit due to its powerful composition and arrangement.

An Wen is Qingwen from "Dream of the Red Chamber", so the style of this song has a distinct "Dream of the Red Chamber" flavor.

Finally, Amin sang the entire version, which was somewhat different from Anwen's version. It retained some of Zhou Huimin's personal characteristics, and the traditional flavor was not as strong, but it was still quite pleasant to listen to. It was like some ancient-style songs in later generations, which were fashionable while retaining the traditional flavor.

With this song, middle school students will probably no longer have to worry about not being able to memorize it.

Wei Ming said excitedly, "Amin, you have to put me on the list of composers. I also contributed to the composition."

Zhou Huimin said shyly, "It's not that I contributed anything; I feel like it was mostly you who wrote it, and it was much better than mine."

"No, I just made some modifications based on your work." At Wei Ming's insistence, the song was considered a collaboration between the two, while the lyrics were still written by Li Qingzhao.

The background music also needed some adjustments. Amin asked Wei Ming to hand her the pipa. Looking at Wei Ming, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with his body twisted, she said, "Are you uncomfortable like this? Take off your shoes and come up here to talk."

“Oh, I’ll take this,” Wei Ming said, taking the erhu and getting into bed. “I learned a little from an older brother named Hu Weili.”

Hu Weili has a deep understanding of traditional musical instruments, and the erhu prelude he added to Andy Lau's "The Days We Walked Together" was a stroke of genius.

So, with a pipa and an erhu, the two of them laughed and enjoyed themselves on the bed.

With Wei Ming's help, the song became more and more complete, and Amin was overjoyed. She felt that after a professional band completed the arrangement, it would be a work that could rival the album "Light and Elegant Feelings". In Amin's mind, it might not be as good as "Wishing We Last Forever", but it was a work of similar level to "Alone on the West Tower".

"Then what should this song be called? 'A Spray of Plum Blossoms'?" Amin asked excitedly.

Snowflakes are falling, the north wind is howling... This lyric immediately popped into Wei Ming's mind, along with the image of Yuan Hua making a phone call. No, no, it's too catchy.

Wei Ming suggested, "Let's choose a line from the poems, how about 'The Moon Fills the West Tower'?"

“Hmm, okay, I was just thinking of Teresa Teng’s ‘Alone on the West Tower’,” Amin said with a bright smile.

Wei Ming: "I saw that we had finished one song. If we write a few more, we can release another Mandarin album."

Wei Ming plans to alternate between Mandarin and Cantonese albums, and occasionally try his hand at English or Japanese albums.

Since Amin wants to pursue a career in music, her boyfriend should definitely give her his full support, not only by writing songs for her but also by cultivating her own creative abilities.

"Hmm, which poem should we start with next?" Amin couldn't wait to continue writing.

Looking at Amin's fair cheeks and long, flowing hair, Wei Ming asked, "Do you know Wen Tingyun's poem 'Bodhisattva's Charm: Small Hills Overlapping, Gold Gleaming and Fading'?"

Zhou Huimin shook her head somewhat ashamed. She recognized the name Wen Tingyun, but had never seen it while browsing through Song Dynasty poems.

"Wen Tingyun was a poet and lyricist of the Tang Dynasty, hailed as the foremost lyricist of the Tang Dynasty. He was also a romantic figure, and his story with the female Taoist priest Yu Xuanji is quite famous..."

Wei Mingxian first explained the historical background to Amin, and then talked about the content of the poem "Bodhisattva's Charm".

He saw a complete collection of Tang and Song poems next to him, so he picked it up and flipped through it, and soon found Wen Tingyun's famous work.

Wen Tingyun was very fond of the "Bodhisattva's Charm" poem and wrote 14 poems using this title. The one they read was the most famous. It is said that there were originally 20 poems, but only 14 have been passed down.

"Small hills rise and fall, their golden light shimmering; her hair, like clouds, seems to brush against her snowy cheeks. She rises lazily to paint her eyebrows, her makeup and dressing taking her time. Looking in the mirrors before and after her, her face and the flowers reflect each other. A new embroidered silk robe, adorned with a pair of golden partridges." Zhou Huimin recited this in Mandarin.

Although this poem did not leave behind any classic lines that have been passed down for thousands of years, it vividly portrays the languid beauty of a woman putting on makeup. Wei Ming was inspired by her face, and coincidentally, this is also a work that has been successfully performed in later generations.

The two discussed together how to make the short song sung, taking turns plucking the strings and playing the strings.

As they chatted, Amin asked, "Amin, are you cold?"

“I…” Wei Ming nodded when he saw that Amin was still wearing her nightgown. “I’m cold.”

So Amin quickly spread out the blanket and covered both of them, leaving only their heads sticking out.

~
Upstairs, after finishing watching The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Old Ghost and Aunt Zhou had a deep discussion about separating the milk tea business from Holiland, and finally made up their minds to do so!
Milk tea is indeed very popular at Holiland, but the problem is that many customers, especially female customers, come just for the milk tea. A large group of female middle school students come, each with a cup of milk tea, and can sit for an hour after ordering. This has a huge impact on Holiland's core business.

Moreover, as the variety of milk tea increases, the space required in the kitchen also increases, and a separate person is needed. Ultimately, in terms of profit, it is not as profitable as when there was no milk tea.

Furthermore, others have already started imitating their milk tea. Instead of waiting for others to grow bigger, they should focus on building a strong and successful industry themselves. Zhou Ma will personally take charge of this subsidiary.

Old Ghost said, "It just so happens that Ah Ming is in Hong Kong. You can ask him to choose a good name. If the name is right, the matter will be half settled."

Today, in addition to its main business of Holiland chain stores, Holiland only has one subsidiary called "Ping An Holiland". This subsidiary is specifically for cooperation with the mainland and is also for giving back to its hometown. So, although it belongs to Holiland Hong Kong, the parent company's shareholding is not large, and the main shares are held by the grandfather and grandson.

Zhou's mother glanced at the time. Oh dear, it's gotten so late already. Her eyelids started twitching uncontrollably, and she had a bad feeling.

"Okay, I'll have a meeting with Ah Bin tomorrow to discuss the specific details. This new store doesn't need to take up too much space, so we should be able to expand quickly."

After saying that, Zhou Ma went downstairs. Lin Ni had a feeling that there was going to be some excitement, so she quickly followed: "Afen, I'll go with you. I'll also ask Amin which hotel he's staying at. That kid is really something. It's not like we don't have a place for him at home. He insists on staying in a hotel."

The two pushed the door open and went in very quietly. They saw that Amin's bedroom door was tightly closed, but they couldn't hear anything even though they pressed their ear to the door.

Seeing Lin Ni's mischievous grin, Zhou Ma, unusually, didn't knock. Instead, she brought out a plate of fruit, turned the doorknob, and said casually, "Amin, you're hungry... Ah, you're in bed!"

When Zhou's mother saw her daughter and Wei Ming lying in bed, covered by a blanket, with only their heads showing and very close together, Zhou's mother saw them.

Lin Ni thought to herself that she was just as expected. Luckily she had come along, otherwise the only heir of the Wei family would have lost a leg.

"Afen, calm down. Young people are bound to be impulsive, it's understandable." Besides, she's not young anymore. When she was Amin's age, she had already done *that* with Old Ghost, it's not a big deal.

Zhou's mother couldn't understand how he could do such a thing to her daughter, who was so young. Didn't he say before that he was very rational?

Vivian Chow quickly explained, "Mom, don't misunderstand. We didn't do anything like that. We were just making music."

"Are you making music or raising kids! You've even learned to lie!" Zhou's mother was even angrier, wishing she could rip off the blankets they were using to cover themselves.

Lin Ni also felt that the most urgent thing was not to make excuses but to admit her mistake. She thought that if they got engaged and had a formal status, the matter could be forgotten.

"Did you take any precautions?" Grandma Ni asked with concern. "We're not afraid to take precautions, as long as we don't actually end up with a baby."

“No,” Zhou Huimin said.

"What?! No?!" Zhou Ma was stunned. Was she going to be a grandmother?
Wei Ming said, "It's not that we didn't take any measures, it's that we really didn't do that. We were just talking about music, and we had a very pleasant conversation."

Hearing even the usually mature and steady Wei Ming spout such nonsense to deceive her, Zhou Ma was utterly enraged. She broke through Lin Ni's obstruction and yanked off the blanket, shouting, "I'll let you do whatever you want..."

Then she and Lin Ni were both stunned.

Under the blanket, two well-dressed individuals were visible. The girl was holding a pipa, while the boy held the resonator of an erhu in one hand and the bow in the other. They were just missing someone to play the instrument; otherwise, they could have formed a traditional Chinese style band and debuted.

They were actually making music! Under the covers?
Wei Ming explained sheepishly, "It was still a bit cold in March, so I covered myself with the blanket."

Zhou Ma's face turned pale and then flushed, as if the Calabash Brothers had walked across her face. She wanted to apologize to her daughter but was too embarrassed to do so.

Zhou Huimin was also a little guilty. They had indeed engaged in some intimate behavior while chatting, but Ah Ming had restrained himself, which was why they hadn't embarrassed themselves.

Because she felt guilty, she decisively took the initiative: "Since you don't trust me, Mom, then I'll leave, okay? Ah Ming, I'll stay at a hotel with you tonight!"

She started packing her clothes and musical instruments, as if she was really going to run away from home with Ah Ming.

Because Zhou's mother had misjudged the situation, she was now at a disadvantage, but she didn't want to lose her authority as a mother, so she gave Lin Ni a look, asking her to step in and persuade her to stay.

However, Lin Ni felt that it wasn't a big deal for the two to stay in a hotel: "Oh well, if they're going to stay in a hotel, they should both calm down."

Zhou Ma glared at Lin Ni, "You just want to stir up trouble, don't you?"

Lin Ni winked at her: Don't you trust my Ming's character? Don't worry, nothing will happen.

She whispered to Zhou Ma, "Amin is angry, and you are angry too. It wouldn't be a bad thing for the two of you to calm down for one night."

Zhou Ma recalled that Amin had booked a hotel room for her before, and nothing happened that time. She realized that she seemed to care too much about her, which led her to do things that were too extreme.

So, she, who had originally intended to stop Vivian Chow, eventually gave way and let them leave.

Wei Ming was surprised that his aunt actually let Amin go with him. He quickly promised Zhou Ma, "Don't worry, Auntie, I'll bring you back safely tomorrow."

Zhou Huimin never expected that her mother would actually let her leave. She felt a little smug, happy that she could spend the whole night with Ah Ming, but also a little apologetic towards her mother.

I think I acted a bit impulsively just now. This is probably just puberty. I would never have been able to bring myself to yell at my mom a couple of years ago.

Sigh, whose youth isn't rebellious?

Linni personally escorted them up the stairs, then turned and said, "Afen, I'll stay with you tonight. I'm a mother too, and my daughter went through this age. I have experience in this area."

Aunt Zhou sighed, "Thank you, but did Ah Ling have a boy like that around her when she was that age?"

"Oh, no, but there is a short-haired girl at their school who is a sports student."

"What?!" Zhou Ma immediately forgot her sorrow and pulled Lin Ni into the bedroom. "Tell me about it."

~
Wei Ming stayed at the Peninsula Hotel again this time, which is considered a bit luxurious for his spending habits.

Fortunately, we chose this five-star hotel with excellent service; otherwise, it would have been bad if some random people had seen Amin and me checking into a hotel together.

They stayed in a standard room with two large beds, which was very spacious. Wei Ming arranged it so that Ah Long could stay overnight if they stayed too late chatting.

As for the fact that Amin did not book a room for him alone, Amin had no objection whatsoever.

"It's getting late, let's rest. Which bed do you want to sleep in?" Wei Ming pointed.

Amin chose the one closest to the restroom, while Weiming automatically matched her with one by the window, which had a good view.

“But I can’t sleep,” Amin said.

Wei Ming gently hugged her: "It's okay. Apologize to your mother tomorrow. She won't hold a grudge against you."

“I’m not thinking about that, I’m thinking about Bodhisattva Man,” Amin said playfully in his arms.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "I'm not sleepy at all. Let's continue talking about Bodhisattva Man."

"Well, it's good that I brought my instruments, but it's a pity I didn't bring a guzheng." Amin said enthusiastically.

"Bringing it is useless; neither of us is good at it."

Amin: "I'll learn what I'm good at, and I'll enroll in a class after you leave!"

Wei Ming: "I just thought of something. Will this interfere with your class tomorrow?"

Amin sat directly on Wei Ming's bed: "I can take sick leave."

Wei Ming rarely comes here, and even if what happened tonight hadn't happened, she would still have asked for leave tomorrow.

"Alright alright."

Young people need less sleep, and the two chatted until after 2 a.m., talking about everything from the poem titles "Bodhisattva's Charm" to "Manjianghong," "Niannujiao," and "Rumengling."

Amin strongly agrees with Wei Ming's viewpoint. He believes that "at the beginning, we can completely adapt songs by relying on the original text of ancient poems. Later, we can use ancient poems as elements in the songs, using a few lines. In the end, we can even not use a single ancient poem, using only our own lyrics, but the songs still have an ancient style. When you reach the third level, you should be able to create music independently."

This is also the idea that Wei Ming designed for Amin's new album. It started with ancient poems and lyrics, then moved to using ancient poems and lyrics as part of the songs, and finally only ancient style elements remained. This album does not need to be a classic in every song, but it will definitely give a great shock to the current Chinese music scene.

This will be a completely new musical style, starting with "Light and Elegant Sentiments" and forging a different path.

Zhou Huimin is destined to be the originator of the ancient style!

In her excitement, Amin fell into a deep sleep in Wei Ming's arms. It was almost three in the morning. She was pressed against Wei Ming's arm and couldn't pull away, so she could only make do with sleeping.

Holding your beloved in your arms, it's inevitable that they'll wander into your dreams.

Amin's smile never stopped that night, and she even made two "hmm" sounds as dawn approached.

As dawn approached, Zhou Ma said to Lin Ni, "That's enough chatting, we need to go to sleep. We have an important meeting to attend today."

Lin Ni yawned: "Isn't it because you dragged me around asking all sorts of questions?"

"You've asked me a lot of questions too, and I've told you the most private things, hmph."

Unlike Wei Ming and Amin, who slept in each other's arms, the two slept back to back.

However, not long after I slept, there was a knock on the door.

Old Ghost called from outside, "The driver's here. Do you still need to go to work?"

Zhou Ma sat up abruptly, opened the door, and told Lao Gui, "Tell the driver to wait."

"So Amin doesn't go to school?"

"She's not feeling well today and is on sick leave. Also, there's a meeting about the subsidiary this afternoon." After saying this, Zhou Ma closed the door, muttering under her breath: "That pervert! 'One pear blossom overshadows the crabapple,' ugh!"

……

(Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Little Monster's third birthday! Thanks for your support! Guaranteed update tonight~ Check the comments section, the "Bent Buddha" fan title event is officially open! Requesting double monthly votes!)

(End of this chapter)