When the Mountain Flowers Bloom

Liang Xiaosheng was from Harbin, and he was thirty this year.

He had an older brother, two younger brothers, and a younger sister, and his family was rather hard up. After graduating from middle school, he went to haul timber in the Production and Construction Corps. The work was grueling, but he earned forty yuan a month to help support his family. He began writing then and became a mainstay of the corps' cultural troupe.

In 1974, a teacher from Fudan University came to recruit students. The Chinese department had only two places available, and Liang Xiaosheng won one with his talent for writing.

After graduation, he was assigned to the literary department of the Beijing Film Studio.

He was decent-looking and had a good job, so finding a partner should have been no problem. But he was an honest man, and at every matchmaking meeting he said, "I have a heavy family burden. My parents are in poor health, and I have to send them more than half my wages every month. I also have an older brother with a mental illness..."

That was why he was still unmarried at thirty.

He was not as famous as Mo Yan, Yu Hua, or Jia Pingwa, but he was still one of the representative writers of his time. His works included A Blizzard Tonight and Annual Rings. In later years, the television drama A Lifelong Journey, starring Lei Jiayin and Yin Tao, was based on his original novel.

Of course, he had yet to make a name for himself and was only a rookie editor.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I'm from the literary department of the Beijing Film Studio!"

Liang Xiaosheng's sudden visit left Chen Jianjun and Yu Xiuli frozen for five seconds. Chen Qi was also quite surprised; he hadn't expected him to be the one who came. He hurriedly said, "Hello, Teacher Liang, I'm Chen Qi!"

"..."

Liang Xiaosheng was even more surprised. He looked him over and asked, "If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"

"Nineteen!"

"So young and already so accomplished!"

He immediately sighed. At thirty, he was already the youngest editor at the Beijing Film Studio, and he hadn't expected an even more monstrous talent. In the film industry, every job relied on experience. Being older meant having plenty of it. Writing a screenplay at nineteen was like making a capitalist joke.

"Hello, hello! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

He shook Chen Qi's hand, then sat down in a chair and said, "We read your screenplay a few days ago. We've been discussing it ever since, which held us up for a while. Overall, we approve of it, but there are still some shortcomings. I came today to ask you to revise it."

"Uh..."

Yu Xiuli opened her mouth but held back, silently listening to their conversation.

Ha!

The guesthouse is finally here!

Gongs and drums were pounding in Chen Qi's heart, but on the surface he wore an expression caught between delight and bewilderment, not even knowing where to put his hands. "Really? Teacher Liang, you really want me to revise it? My screenplay really passed?"

"You can only say it passed the first review!"

"I'd already thank heaven and earth for passing the first review! I have no problem at all. I can leave right now!"

"There's no need to rush. Revising a screenplay doesn't take just a day or two. It can take a month at the shortest, or a year at the longest. Even after it's revised, when the crew is assembled and preparations for filming begin, the screenwriter has to be there so we can communicate whenever necessary. Our studio has a guesthouse specifically for room and board."

Liang Xiaosheng smiled.

"Huh? You mean my son won't be able to come home?" Yu Xiuli finally asked.

"Oh, no. He's free to arrange his own time."

"Dad! Mom!"

Chen Qi turned to his father and mother, his eyes moist, innocent and full of anticipation-blech!

His parents were completely baffled, but they had guessed that their son had written something the Beijing Film Studio had taken a liking to. It was an enormous opportunity. If your parents didn't hold you back or dampen your spirits, you could count yourself lucky. That was your good fortune!

Chen Jianjun said, "Teacher Liang, it's an honor for him that you've taken a liking to his work. We'll certainly support him too."

"That's good!"

Liang Xiaosheng nodded. "You'll probably need time to pack, so how about this? I'll meet you at the entrance to the Beijing Film Studio at five tomorrow afternoon."

"All right, all right. Thank you for making the trip."

After seeing Liang Xiaosheng out, his parents went inside and bolted the door, then had Chen Qi squat in the corner. They were just short of bringing out his great-grandmother's memorial portrait for a full three-court interrogation.

"Speak! What on earth is going on?"

"How did you get involved with the Beijing Film Studio?"

"What else have you been hiding from us, you rascal?"

"Mom, don't get worked up. Listen while I make something up... no, let me explain!"

Chen Qi could pull out a hair and blow it like a whistle; lies came as soon as he opened his mouth. "I started writing it about half a month ago. Back then, it hadn't been decided that I'd sell tea. I didn't have a job, but I always wanted to do something meaningful.

"I happened to like literature, so I secretly racked my brains and came up with this screenplay, then submitted it to the Beijing Film Studio. I didn't know whether it would make the cut, so I didn't tell you. I was afraid of losing face! I never expected it would actually be chosen."

When parents discovered that their child was talented, even enough to be called a genius, what did they think?

It was hard to say for other families, but Yu Xiuli was first shocked, then overjoyed, and immediately accepted this new development. "I knew it! I knew it! Our son was never destined to sell tea! He was quiet until now, but once he made a sound, it shook the world. Whoever said it was right: he was good at writing compositions when he was little. Being sent to the countryside held him back!

"That's right, I remember keeping his composition book!"

"All right, the boy's leaving tomorrow. Hurry up and help him pack," Chen Jianjun said.

"What's the rush? I'm going to visit the neighbors first!"

"..."

Chen Jianjun watched helplessly as Yu Xiuli swung the door open and marched out like a victorious general. A moment later, a conversation drifted in from outside.

"Xiuli, why are you still up so late? What are you wandering around for?"

"Oh, how did you know my son wrote a screenplay... The Beijing Film Studio. He's going there tomorrow. Oh, if you hadn't asked so late at night, I'd have been embarrassed to tell you all. What am I supposed to make of that..."

Chen Qi didn't make a big announcement. He told only Auntie Wang and Huang Zhanying.

Auntie Wang was already numb. She had yet to jump out of the plastic factory's baskets before he swung all the way over to the Beijing Film Studio. For a grassroots neighborhood official, the Beijing Film Studio was a little too far removed.

Huang Zhanying was happy for him, but she couldn't help feeling a little sad too. "Comrade Chen Qi, although our tea stall hasn't been open long, you've rendered meritorious service through sweat and toil. Business is getting better and better, and just when it's time to raise our cups and drink deep in celebration, you're heading off to the literary and artistic front!

"I've heard it's easy to develop a bad work style on the literary and artistic front. You mustn't let yourself be dazzled."

"Don't worry, Comrade Zhanying. My commitment to serving the people will never waver!"

"You two stop trading quotations and say something practical..."

Auntie Wang couldn't listen any longer and asked outright, "Little Chen, will you come back after you go? What about your employment status?"

"I'm only revising a screenplay, not transferring jobs. I'd like to keep my employment status with the cooperative, but I won't take my wages. After all, I won't be doing any work."

"That works too. What about the plastic sandals?"

"Didn't the plastic factory already agree? Once the weather gets hot, sell them. Surely you can't come to me for everything? I'm not a leader. Besides, I believe in Comrade Zhanying's abilities."

"Don't worry. I'll absolutely stand guard at this post for everyone!"

Huang Zhanying spoke with iron determination.

To be honest, Chen Qi really didn't want to give up the tea stall. He could develop it slowly; who knew if it might come to something in the future? Having given them all the instructions he needed to, he cupped his hands. "When the mountain flowers bloom, we shall meet again!"

"Speak like a human being!" Auntie Wang said.

"Let me know when the leaders come to inspect. I have to come back!"

(There's more...)

(End of chapter)