Romance on Mount Lu

After Liang Xiaosheng left, Chen Qi stood outside room 304 next door.

He knocked three times. Knock, knock, knock.

He had no idea who had decreed that a knock at the door had to come in threes.

"Come in!"

The door was unlocked. He pushed it open with a creak and went inside. The layout was much the same, but the place was a mess. Manuscript paper covered the bed, storyboards plastered the walls, and an old man in his sixties was hunched over a desk, writing.

He wore glasses, his hair was graying, his features were regular, and he was a distinguished-looking man.

Come to think of it, the great director had been handsome and upright in his youth, composing poems and exchanging verses. It was all in the genes; otherwise, he could never have wooed Sister Hong, Sister Ni, Chen Hong, and Du Kefeng.

"And you are?"

Chen Huaikai asked, puzzled.

"Hello, sir. My name is Chen Qi. I just moved in next door today, and I'm here to revise a manuscript."

"Oh, oh, you're the one who wrote that romance script, right? Sit, sit!"

Chen Huai'ai pulled up a chair, looked him over, and said with a smile, "You're so young. How old are you?"

"Nineteen!"

"Young and accomplished. I was twenty-one before I even got into school. Your family's from the city, right?"

"How could you tell?"

"Only city people wear red-soled shoes."

Chen Qi looked down at his black cloth shoes with their red soles and smiled shyly.

The shoes were from Neiliansheng and came with either red or white soles. They were commonly known as "pianr-lan."

City people wore the red-soled ones, while those from beyond the Second Ring Road wore white soles. It was just like the luxury-goods snobbery chain: people who bought LV looked down on those who bought Gucci, Gucci buyers looked down on Prada buyers, and Prada buyers looked down on Zulijian buyers...

As an aside, a certain leader was especially fond of Neiliansheng shoes. In the nineties, he had a pair of leather shoes custom-made so he could personally set foot on Hong Kong soil after its return and take a look, but he never got to use them.

The shoes were later acquired by the National Museum.

"Is your meeting tomorrow?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, I've heard about your script. It's quite good. Do your best to get it approved."

"I'll take your words as a blessing!"

Chen Qi stayed only a little while before taking his leave. He had no bad impression of the old man, who was quite easygoing. If possible, he wouldn't even mind treating him as a peer and becoming friends across the generations.

Then, when the great director saw him in the future, he'd have to call him Uncle!

Chen Huaikai was a third-generation director, from the same generation as Xie Jin. He wasn't particularly famous, because he mostly made opera films and knew traditional performing arts inside out. So when Farewell My Concubine was being filmed, the old man held the fort and offered guidance. He also brought in a group of famous Peking opera performers to help and received the title of "artistic director."

In later years, rumors claimed that Farewell My Concubine hadn't been made by the great director, but by his father.

That wasn't right.

Chen Qi had always believed in criticism grounded in reason and evidence. He couldn't just hate for the sake of hating.

Of course the great director had made Farewell My Concubine. As the screenwriter Lu Wei had said, Kaige had been as modest as an open valley back then, unashamed to ask questions of those below him and good at listening to advice. The film had also brought together a group of the most formidable people of the time, and together they had created a classic.

But after winning the Palme d'Or, the great director came to regard himself as a member of high society and could no longer listen to a word of sense.

Lu Wei said it was "just like meeting a leader."

The sky slowly darkened.

The guesthouse was quiet. Outside the window, trees putting out fresh shoots and buds swayed gently. After washing up, Chen Qi fetched a pot of hot water and soaked his feet in his room.

He actually felt quite nostalgic. In his previous life, when he was in college, he and his girlfriend had rented a place off campus. They were poor then and could only afford a 200-yuan room, with conditions much like these. The tenants were all students, and every night the cannon fire raged, each bed rocking harder than the last.

Chen Qi sighed.

Alas, I've been single so long that even Cai Ming looks delicate and pretty.

"I suppose I must be hungry!

-Zhou Shuren"

There was no entertainment at night these days, so everyone went to bed early.

Chen Qi suddenly regretted not bringing a few books. Without them, it was too boring. He closed his eyes and thought about what he would say at tomorrow's meeting, then wondered what his parents were doing at that moment... He didn't know how long it was before he drifted off to sleep.

April was the time when spring turned to summer.

Daylight came early, and the dust storms had passed. It was a rare spell of fine weather.

Chen Qi got up early and went downstairs with the "proof of identity" he had been issued, which entitled him to free food and drink. The cafeteria hadn't opened yet, so he ran a few laps around the studio grounds. A few other people were exercising too, but he didn't know them.

After his run, he found a large willow tree and stretched his arms and kicked his legs beneath it, as though doing exercises.

"Little Chen!"

Liang Xiaosheng appeared in a Meihua tracksuit. Made in Tianjin, it was the official outfit of China's national sports delegation. Several years later, Xu Haifeng would wear a red Meihua tracksuit when he won the country's first Olympic gold medal.

"Whoa! You're well-off, Mr. Liang, wearing Meihua!"

"This set costs several dozen yuan. How could I afford it? Someone gave me their old clothes."

Liang Xiaosheng was evidently exercising too. Seeing Chen Qi's strange movements, he asked curiously, "Which set of radio calisthenics is that? How come I've never seen it?"

"It's not calisthenics. I read about it in a book I picked up. It's called the Eight-Section Vajra Exercise..."

As Chen Qi spoke, he bent his left knee into a bow stance, leaned forward, and reached both hands behind him, slowly pushing them toward his waist along either side of his spine. The move was called "Hands and Feet Forward and Back to Strengthen the Kidneys and Waist." Male comrades with deficient kidneys could give it a try.

"The Eight-Section Vajra Exercise???"

Liang Xiaosheng was startled by the name. Then he grew a little nervous and asked in a low voice, "Is that some kind of Buddhist or Daoist thing?"

"You could say that!"

"Then be careful. Although attitudes toward religion have eased somewhat now, it's still a sensitive subject. Just say you're making up the exercises yourself, and don't bring up any Vajra Exercise."

"Thanks for the warning!"

Chen Qi thanked him sincerely.

Of course, he had practiced it in his previous life: a set of Vajra Exercise in the morning, a set of Longevity Exercise at night, and goji berry tea during the day, his dick rock-hard and life sweet... It couldn't be helped. Men over forty were all experts in health preservation.

Though Liang Xiaosheng had warned him, he couldn't resist his curiosity and asked, "What's the use of practicing it?"

"It loosens the sinews and stretches the bones, strengthens the body and builds fitness. It's just health preservation."

"Then teach me."

Huh???

Chen Qi was taken aback instead. Has the qigong craze already started? If I get involved, could I become a master? I could consecrate female celebrities every day.

Of course, he was only thinking about it. Coming from the future, he knew all too well about the so-called qigong craze, and he really did practice the Vajra Exercise to strengthen his body. So he said, "All right, we can exchange pointers tonight."

"Good, I'll definitely come tonight!"

Liang Xiaosheng was quite excited.

A little while later, the cafeteria opened.

The Beijing Film Studio still couldn't compare in scale with a large factory. Large factories had hospitals, schools, radio stations, and even, later on, television stations. But its facilities were quite good too, and as an arts organization, it was different in nature.

Chen Qi ate his first breakfast there and seemed to spot a few familiar faces. He didn't make a point of going over; there would be chances to deal with them in the future.

After eating, the two went to the main building.

On the east side of the third floor were the offices of the literary department and Film Creation.

Film Creation was a platform through which the Beijing Film Studio accepted submissions. Every film studio had a similar magazine, and if a literary screenplay was selected, it would be published there.

There was no such thing as spoilers these days, and the readers of such magazines were mostly people in the industry.

The literary department's job was to select scripts, liaise with authors, and revise manuscripts until they were finalized.

Chen Qi entered a small conference room and waited a few minutes as people trickled in. There weren't many: five editors in all, including Liang Xiaosheng. The one leading them was a man in his forties who spoke with a southern accent.

His name was Jiang Huaiyan, the director of the literary department.

"Hello, Director Jiang!"

"Hello, hello. I meant to visit you at the guesthouse last night, but something came up at the last minute... Come, come, let me introduce everyone first!"

Jiang Huaiyan was very warm. He led Chen Qi to the front and said with a smile, "You've met Xiaosheng. He's our youngest editor."

"This is Ms. Shi Wenxin. She's been doing this work since 1954 and is currently our most senior editor."

"Hello, Ms. Shi!"

"You really are a fine-looking young man!"

Shi Wenxin was a little old lady in her fifties, unremarkable in appearance but with the bearing of an intellectual. She politely rose partway from her seat and replied with a smile.

Chen Qi took a few extra looks at her.

Because her husband was Ge Cunzhuang, and her son was Ge You.

"This is... and this is..."

Chen Qi paid no attention to the remaining two, automatically labeling them Passerby A and Passerby B.

Once the introductions were over, there were six people in the small conference room. Jiang Huaiyan held a script in his hand-the very one Chen Qi had submitted-and said, "We were greatly excited when we received this script, but we also had some concerns.

"Everyone discussed it for several days and reached a consensus before we sent you an invitation.

"Today, let's have a proper discussion and see what its strengths and shortcomings are. Little Chen, don't be nervous. Speak freely. Our literary department's standards are strict, but the atmosphere is relaxed... Why don't you start by telling us about your creative approach?"

"I may not express myself well, so please bear with me."

Chen Qi took the script and set it in front of him. On the cover were three large Chinese characters: "Romance on Mount Lu"!

(End of chapter)