Going to Mount Lu

The Beijing Film Studio had grown up right there in the capital and had more clout than other film studios. After a little smoothing over, the General Political Department Drama Troupe released its people.

And so the two pairs of actors, Fang Shu and Zhou Lijing, and Gong Xue and Tang Guoqiang, officially moved into the guesthouse. This was what the guesthouse was actually for: providing services to film crews, unlike a certain individual who was freeloading here.

Not long afterward, the clothes from Hong Kong arrived.

In the original timeline, Romance on Mount Lu had provided Zhang Yu with forty-three outfits. She appeared in a new look every time she came on screen, dazzling young men and women across the country blind and making her wildly popular.

Now, during the early preparations, they naturally couldn't buy that many. Fang Shu and Gong Xue got three outfits each.

Morning.

It was midsummer, and daylight came early. The master chef at the Beijing Film Studio cafeteria had first-rate skills and could cook anything, even roast duck. With summer here, he had made a special addition of sour plum soup and mung bean soup, one bowl per person.

"There are seats over here. Let's sit here!"

"Mm."

Fang Shu got her food and found a spot by the window. Gong Xue smiled and nodded, letting Fang Shu make the arrangements.

Who knew what they had been thinking, but they had deliberately put the two women in the same room. Four years apart in age, one was a strapping Beijing girl and the other a delicate beauty from Jiangnan. Sitting together, they were a feast for the eyes.

"We're trying on the costumes in a little while. I heard they were all bought in Hong Kong. I can hardly wait."

Fang Shu tugged at her short-sleeved shirt and frowned. "Just look at our clothes. You could call them men's clothes or women's clothes. In all my life, I've never worn women's clothes."

"You look good in anything."

"That I know. Same goes for you. I think you're really pretty too."

"Thank you."

"Could you stop letting words pop out a few at a time? We may be rivals, but we can still be good friends!"

Fang Shu didn't think much of her classmates, but she was quite fond of Gong Xue. It was just that Gong Xue spoke softly and had a gentle temperament, like a ball of cotton that gave Fang Shu nowhere to put her strength.

This girl had always dared to love and dared to hate. When she married beneath her to Tu Honggang, she was ten years older than him and even bore him a daughter, only to be abandoned by the scumbag.

"Oh my, what a feast for the eyes. Such beauty could make a meal!"

On the other side of the room, Ge You gazed at them from afar, looking listless. Chen Qi gave him a smack. "Don't make that face. You look like a creep!"

"I'm only looking. I wouldn't even dare talk to them."

Ge You looked around and lowered his voice. "Hand on my heart, the studio may have its three golden flowers, but us mere mortals can't appreciate their beauty and elegance. Those two female comrades are different. Look at everyone else. They're worse than me."

"What are you two talking about? Why all the sneaking around?"

As they spoke, Tang Guoqiang came over with his food. Chen Qi said offhandedly, "We're talking about the costume fitting later. The female comrades get to wear pretty clothes, but you don't. That hardly seems fair!"

"Clothes are just clothes. It's all appearances!"

Tang Guoqiang patted his chest and said in his distinctively magnetic voice, "A true man should stand tall and upright between heaven and earth. He doesn't need to rely on such external things."

"'A true man is born between heaven and earth. How could he languish under another's command for long?' Isn't that right?" Chen Qi said with a smile.

"Ah, Little Chen, well said! You really are a talented scholar!"

Yes, yes, Lü Fengxian had said that. He'd also said he'd drifted through half his life and only regretted never meeting a worthy lord...

Tang Guoqiang drank his mung bean soup and shared what he had managed to find out. "I had a chat with Director Wang. She said that once the roles are settled, we'll set off for Mount Lu to experience it firsthand. We'll film as we go, and once that's done, we'll come back and build the interior sets at the studio.

"We have to capture the beautiful scenery, so winter won't do."

"Sounds like you already have it in the bag?"

"I wouldn't dare be conceited, but to be fair, I do have quite a bit of experience."

"Of course. Who else but you?"

Chen Qi curled his lip and glanced back at Zhou Lijing.

The guy sat eating alone, with no intention of talking to anyone or trying to get close to them.

Zhou Lijing had been a huge star in the eighties. Then, in 1994, he had been away filming while his wife was at home. She had hired several laborers to renovate the house, but they had killed her for her money.

Zhou Lijing had been despondent for a long time, and his mental state had suffered for a while. By the time he returned to acting, the world had already changed.

After breakfast, everyone gathered at the soundstage.

In later years, soundstages were spectacular, packed with all kinds of advanced equipment as though it cost nothing, their exteriors uniformly attractive. None of that existed now. The Beijing Film Studio's soundstages were actually factory buildings made of red brick.

The windows were old-fashioned too. Once pushed open, they had to be propped up with hooks to keep them open.

Wang Haowei and the others were all there, and the makeup artists were busy doing Gong Xue's and Fang Shu's makeup. Chen Qi wandered around, looking at the outfits.

One was a white, fitted-waist suit; another was a white puff-sleeved blouse with purple flowers, paired with red bell-bottoms; and another was a sleeveless dress. There were also some pieces of jewelry, hair clips, high heels, and the like.

"These are the most fashionable Western outfits???"

"Bell-bottoms. They really bear the mark of the times."

To everyone else, they looked stylish and Western. To him, they looked retro.

"Done!"

"Time to change! Anyone who doesn't belong, clear out. Take the hint!"

A simple changing room had been made by enclosing a space with black curtains, but the male comrades still went outside together. They came back after a while and, as if by agreement, let out an "Oh~."

Before them stood two youthful, beautiful women, wearing the puff-sleeved blouses and red bell-bottoms.

"Zhou Lijing, Tang Guoqiang, stand over there. Let's take a few photos!"

The actors paired off, and the cameras clicked away.

"..."

Wang Haowei frowned, staring at Fang Shu.

If she dressed plainly and wore her hair in two braids, she still had an air of innocence. But once she put on heavy makeup and Western clothes, she instantly became a mature woman. At 172 centimeters tall, she looked even more aggressive.

Wang Haowei suddenly recalled Chen Qi's description.

Then she looked at Gong Xue. Perhaps because of the makeup, she also looked a little unnatural, but the makeup could be improved. What mattered was the overall impression, and in that respect she was better than Fang Shu. Her lively charm was the hardest quality to find.

"Next outfit!"

"Change into the next one!"

After they had changed through all three outfits, Wang Haowei had a good idea of where things stood.

More meetings followed, meeting after meeting, until the cast of Romance on Mount Lu was finally settled:

Gong Xue as the female lead, Zhou Yun.

Tang Guoqiang as the male lead, Geng Hua.

Zhang Jinling in the supporting female role of Geng Ying, the male lead's older sister.

Zhang Jinling belonged to the Beijing Film Studio. She was twenty-eight that year, a year older than Tang Guoqiang, with a plain, mature appearance. One look and she was a traditional woman who would shoulder any burden without complaint.

Speaking of the Beijing Film Studio's three golden flowers, Liu Xiaoqing, Li Xiuming, and Zhang Jinling all had broad faces and big frames. In this respect, they were the exact opposite of the Shanghai Film Studio's golden flowers, each of whom was more delicate than the last.

Once the cast had been selected, Gong Xue was sent to stay at the International Hotel for a week to experience life there.

It had to be said, they really spared no expense making films these days.

Then came more meetings, meetings that went round and round. Just as Chen Qi was about to throw up, the crew was finally ready to set off, hurrying to capture the beautiful scenery of Mount Lu. They couldn't put it off any longer; they had to finish filming before winter.

The night before departure, at home.

The power was out again today, and a candle burned on the table.

A candle was a luxury. Rural families couldn't bear to use them and generally made their own kerosene lamps: take a glass bottle, punch a hole in it, stick a cotton thread inside, and pour in kerosene. It was makeshift, but it gave light well enough.

As Yu Xiuli packed his clothes, she complained, "You've only just come back to the city, and now you're going far away again. I heard Jiangxi is full of educated youths sent down to the countryside, and the bride prices are high too. Don't let them keep you there again!"

"He's going with the Beijing Film Studio. How could he get stuck there?"

"You never know. Do you know which way the wind's blowing?"

To the right, of course!

Chen Qi rolled his eyes and reassured his mother. "I'll definitely write to you. This is a state assignment, and as the screenwriter, I have to go with the crew. There's nothing I can do."

"Take that tape recorder with you. When you miss us, you can listen to Teresa Teng," Chen Jianjun said.

"What a deeply loving father you are!"

Chen Qi smiled. He also felt a little sadness at the impending parting; after all, they had grown attached. He said, "Dad, Mom, I've been at the Beijing Film Studio all year, and now I'm going away again. I can't stay here with you. I'm sorry."

Oh my!

That one sentence brought tears to both their eyes. For a moment, the whole family was happy, basking in harmony.