Limitations

He Chengwei soon came by again.

He brought the latest issue of Story Club and a big bundle of letters, and took the second half of Kapok Kasaya away with him.

His colleagues in the film crew were quite calm about it. They had long known he was a king of stories, and were proud to share in his glory.

And so Chen Qi found another pleasure amid the tedium of life with the crew: opening letters for fun. They were much the same, most with little to say, and he couldn't be bothered to reply. He answered just one, from the Chengdu Jinniu District Cultural Center.

It was an interesting letter, asking him to write a novel set in Sichuan.

The land of Bashu had been rich in natural treasures and blessed with outstanding people since ancient times, and its legends and tales were beyond counting. Huanzhu Louzhu's The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shushan was itself a legend, while the Emei Sect and Qingcheng Sect in Jin Yong's works were also famous far and wide.

It had even given rise to a sect firmly associated with the region: the Tang Clan of Shu!

Whether in wuxia, xianxia, or xuanhuan, in novels or games, whenever that sect appeared, everyone knew it played with hidden weapons.

There was also the "grandmaster of a generation," Dharma Master Haideng, who was from Sichuan too.

All in all, a Sichuan setting was worth considering, but he had only just finished Kapok Kasaya and didn't want to turn himself into a worker grinding away at a job. He would leave it until the mood struck him.

"And you are?"

"I'm Geng Hua's older sister. You must be Zhou Yun?"

"Yes. Geng Hua mentioned you to me. Hello, sister!"

"Hmph! Don't call me sister. I couldn't possibly presume..."

Outside a villa, Gong Xue and Zhang Jinling were rehearsing their lines.

The heroine was an overseas Chinese from the United States, and the hero's background was no less impressive. His father was a high-ranking cadre, and he had come to Mount Lu because his mother was ill and needed to recuperate. An ordinary person's low point and a high-ranking cadre's low point were two different things. You might think they had fallen on hard times, but little did you know they lived in a villa.

So, at heart, Romance on Mount Lu ought to have been called "The love story of a young master and a rich young lady."

Zhang Jinling's face fell, and her tone was most discourteous. "Geng Hua isn't here! Two people came just now and took him away for investigation and to write an account. The two of you go out early and come back late every day, always finding secluded places for private talks, and you even have a contact point and a password. Do you know what that means?"

"Please don't come looking for him again!"

"Geng Hua is still young and has a bright future ahead of him. You can't be so selfish. You have to think a little about him too!"

Zhang Jinling's character was the equivalent of Huang Rong in The Return of the Condor Heroes, determined to tear the pair of lovebirds apart. Her large build and aggressive manner made Gong Xue look like a little lamb, flustered and frightened.

"Good!"

Wang Haowei clapped her hands and said with a smile, "You're working together better and better, and your understanding of the characters is growing deeper. At this rate, we can return to Beijing after National Day!"

"Everyone, take a break and have something to eat!"

At last, today it wasn't radishes and cabbage. It was cabbage and potatoes instead.

Chen Qi lined up with his lunchbox, then sat on a rock. He didn't tell a story, because National Day was approaching, and the crew would have two days off and hold an evening party to celebrate.

At present, there were only seven statutory holidays each year: one day for New Year's Day, three for Spring Festival, one for May Day, and two for National Day. It wasn't until 1999 that National Day, Spring Festival, and May Day were designated seven-day nationwide holidays by adding rescheduled days off to the statutory holidays-the Golden Weeks.

Rescheduled days off meant adjusted rest days.

And did you think they were letting you rest? How naive. They wanted you to spend money!

Chen Qi was astonished that the crew had two days off. In later years, who had ever heard of a film crew getting statutory holidays? Some crews working to meet a schedule kept filming right through Spring Festival.

"This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the country. It's a momentous occasion, and there are events being held everywhere. We're on Mount Lu, but we can't lag behind. There's a week left, so everyone should find time to prepare an act. Our conditions are modest; it's the thought that counts."

When Wang Haowei had finished, Tang Guoqiang paused, then suddenly said, "I have something to announce too, so I'll take this opportunity!"

"I'm getting married after National Day. The date was set a long time ago. I wanted to let everyone know today, but there are too many people in the crew, and the venue can't hold you all, so I won't be inviting everyone. But there'll definitely be wedding candy, so please don't take offense!"

"Oh, congratulations!"

"May you enjoy a hundred years of happiness together and soon be blessed with a child!"

The mood suddenly grew lively as everyone offered congratulations at once. Chen Qi asked, "Fine, we won't go, but do you have a photo? At least let us have a look!"

"Yes, yes, a photo!"

"Oh, you're embarrassing me!"

His face bright red, Tang Guoqiang nevertheless fetched his bag and pulled out a notebook with a photograph tucked inside. Chen Qi took a look. The woman had regular features and a fair, clean complexion, and was quite pretty. She was a doctor at the August First Film Studio.

She came from a family with a powerful background.

His marriage stirred up a storm. Everyone called him a Chen Shimei, saying he had driven his wife to her death, and so on.

But as for what really happened, not much could be said here, or it would be harmonized again. All that could be said was that it wasn't as public opinion had made it out to be. For an actor to play a leader, especially the Teacher, he had to pass a political vetting beforehand...

After the meal, filming resumed.

Wang Haowei called Gong Xue over and said, "After hearing what Geng Ying said, you decide to leave of your own accord. In a moment, we're going to film you utterly heartbroken. Run straight down this road, keep running, and cry. You need to be overcome with grief, understand?"

"I understand!"

Gong Xue nodded.

"All right, let's try it once first!"

For this scene, she had replaced her high heels with flat leather shoes. She wore a purple, cinched-waist dress and stockings thicker than long johns.

"Get ready!"

"Three, two, one, action!"

As soon as the words fell, Gong Xue began to run, looking utterly distraught as she went.

Wang Haowei was very satisfied. Chen Qi couldn't bear to watch.

Actors in this era were all rather mannered, speaking in affected tones, with a strong stage-play style and hardly any naturalism. But it wasn't their fault. The types of films were too limited, and there was a lack of films drawn from everyday life.

By the eighties and nineties, when the focus shifted to ordinary townsfolk, the acting would be different.

Wang Haowei was a good director, but she too couldn't escape the limitations of her era. Her filming style was rather exaggerated. For this scene, Chen Qi could already imagine it: intense music would surely be added in post-production, a woman running heartbroken through the woods, then suddenly a close-up, followed by a sudden pullback, like a spastic video edit...

"Good!"

"That felt good. That's exactly the effect I want. If you can do it, we'll shoot it for real!"

"I can, director!"

Gong Xue's confidence had grown by now too.

So they shot it for real, and she ran wildly through it again.

"Little Gong, you're quite talented!"

"We made the right choice casting you!"

When she came off, she was showered with lavish praise. She responded with a demure smile, though she couldn't help feeling a little pleased with herself.

"Good, very good!"

Chen Qi clapped, then gave her a thumbs-up and said with a smile, "You looked great running. Keep it up!"

"Thank you!"

Gong Xue replied with a smile, then turned away and gently bit her lip. Why had he sounded so insincere? Although the fellow had praised her too, she somehow felt he was just going through the motions, as though it were nothing remarkable.

Chen Qi had taught her how to act, so his attitude mattered a great deal to her.

(That's all...

Thin-skinned persimmons are quite tasty. I recommend them.)

(End of chapter)