A Sense of Immersion 1

Guling Town was still a commune, with a population of around ten thousand.

It didn't seem like much now, but once tourism took off, tens of millions of visitors would pour into Mount Lu each year. Land and housing in Guling would become extremely scarce, strained beyond their limits.

A light rain began to fall on Mount Lu that evening.

After dinner, Chen Qi came out for a walk. They were staying on Hexi Road. A short walk northeast led to a cluster of villas closed to the public, and farther northeast stood the cinema.

He liked to sit outside the cinema, though he had never once gone in.

In history, after Romance on Mount Lu premiered, the cinema was promptly renamed Romance on Mount Lu Cinema. For decades, it screened that film alone, once or twice a day, breaking a Guinness World Record.

"Little Chen!"

"What are you doing here?"

Gong Xue and Zhang Jinling came along the path from the other direction, sharing a little floral umbrella and chatting and laughing. They seemed to be out for a walk too.

"I'm walking off my dinner. Finished your stroll?"

"Mm. Why don't you have an umbrella? Want to borrow ours?"

"No need. It's nice being out in the rain."

"Oh, you cultured types really are romantic. We couldn't do that."

Gong Xue only smiled at him without speaking. Zhang Jinling did all the talking, and now she asked, "Hey, what are you preparing for the party?"

"Tell a story, I guess."

"No stories! If you tell a story, I won't let you off! We've all agreed that this time you have to sing or dance. Not even a poetry recital will do!"

"You can't make things this hard for me. There are restrictions on the performances too?"

"Haha, anyway, we girls are going to sing together. You'd better think about what you're going to do. Don't make the male comrades lose face. See you!"

After rattling all that off, Zhang Jinling pulled Gong Xue away.

"Tch! Your face is even bigger than Gao Xiaosong's!"

Once they had left, Chen Qi stood there grumbling to himself. Everyone was looking forward to the party, forming groups and planning acts with all due seriousness. Even Tang Guoqiang had come to pester him about doing a men's duet.

A duet, his ass. He did know a little about the twin heavens of ice and fire, though.

Chen Qi wandered around a little longer before heading back to the hotel. He hadn't reached his room when he spotted Tang Guoqiang in the hallway.

"Come on, Old Tang! Out of all those people, why do you have to keep after me?"

They had gotten familiar enough that they no longer called each other comrade. In his trademark voice, Tang Guoqiang said with a laugh, "They don't look quite as good. Standing together, we'd look mismatched. You look good, and we're the same height. It would be a waste not to team up."

"All right, come in!"

Chen Qi opened the door and went inside. Tang Guoqiang pulled a cassette out of his pocket and said quietly, "Don't you have a tape recorder? I borrowed a tape from the hotel manager especially, so the two of us can practice."

"You win. Set it up yourself. I'm going to wash my face."

"Where's the tape recorder?"

"On the table!"

Chen Qi picked up the thermos and poured half a basin of water. As he splashed his face, Tang Guoqiang asked, "Does this take batteries?"

"Don't waste batteries. Plug it in!"

"This outlet doesn't work?"

"Use the one by the bed!"

"Is it inserted?"

"..."

Tang Guoqiang turned his head and frowned. "Why does that sound so strange?"

"Did it go in, then?"

"Did it go in?"

"Go in?"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Good grief. Tang Guoqiang was twenty-seven and about to get married, not an innocent young bachelor like Ge You who knew nothing at all. He said, "Little Chen, you know far too many things. Sometimes it's frightening!"

He shook his head and pressed the button. A melody drifted out.

"The fine wine's fragrance fills the air, the song takes flight, my friend, please drink a toast, please drink a toast..."

Toast Song was written in 1976. People continued to sing it for decades afterward, and it never lost its popularity.

"Come on, come on, let's practice!"

"Just a quick practice!"

"At least let's get the words right, so people don't laugh at us."

Tang Guoqiang was in high spirits. Chen Qi had no choice but to stand there in the room with him like a pair of great fools, listening to his lesson.

"Chest out, head up. Open up your chest, put your whole heart into it, brim with enthusiasm... When you get to this part, add a gesture. Make a motion like this, and the effect will be even better..."

"Should I make my eyebrows dance and my face light up too?"

"That would be overdoing it, but your gaze has to be focused. There should be a sparkle in your eyes."

Chen Qi rolled his eyes. I never knew you were such a drama queen.

Then again, how introverted could a celebrity who endorsed excavators be?

In his previous life, Chen Qi had been born in 1980.

The lives of those born in the eighties were truly remarkable. They had lit kerosene lamps as children, encountered computers in their youth, and leaped straight to smartphones as young adults. Middle age was even more outrageous: the pandemic, the rivalry between China and the United States, Chang'e landing on the moon, and the United States was in the throes of a new youth movement, extraordinarily "Jew" and free...

It was as though they had lived through two centuries of change.

Counting from the founding of the nation, the events of this period had been viewed differently at each stage. Chen Qi's relationship with this history had been much like that of many others: ignorance, misunderstanding, sarcasm, actively learning about it, and seeing it anew...

In 1979 alone, there were many major events.

China and the United States established diplomatic relations, the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan was issued, the Shekou Industrial Zone was established, they fought the Vietnamese monkeys, and discussion began on making family planning a basic national policy... Every one of them was a milestone.

In the blink of an eye, it was October 1, National Day.

Guling Hotel was decked out in festive splendor, with great red cloths and red silk hung everywhere as though they cost nothing. Even without the film crew, a large state-run hotel couldn't afford to treat the occasion lightly.

The dining hall had long since been decorated. Tables and chairs stood in a ring against the walls, leaving an open space in the middle to serve as a stage.

A portrait of the current leader hung on the wall at the front, with a banner above it: "National Day celebration for the Romance on Mount Lu crew and all Guling Hotel staff!"

Everyone sat down like primary school pupils. Chen Qi looked at the things on the tables: a little fruit and candy, with sunflower seeds making up most of the spread. Amazingly, there were even a few boiled potatoes and sweet potatoes.

"All right, quiet down!"

"We're starting!"

Wang Haowei and the hotel manager, a woman and a man, were just right to serve as hosts. Both were bursting with enthusiasm.

"Thirty years ago today, the Chairman solemnly proclaimed the birth of New China from Tiananmen Gate Tower! Thirty years later, we have gathered here on Mount Lu to celebrate the birthday of our great motherland together!"

"..."

Chen Qi turned his head and whispered, "Who wrote that?"

"Director Wang wrote it herself," Tang Guoqiang whispered back.

"Pretty good!"

"I thought you were going to make a couple of snide remarks!" Tang Guoqiang said in surprise.

"What kind of person do you take me for? It's the motherland's birthday!" Chen Qi was even more surprised. I've always been serious when I should be, all right?

Over there, Wang Haowei finished her opening remarks and introduced the first act: several of the hotel's waitresses performing a loyalty dance. People had actually stopped performing the loyalty dance by the later years, but they didn't know any other dances. At least it was an act.

Next came Peking opera and poetry recitals, all performed by older people.

It was different when the young people's turn came. Gong Xue, Zhang Jinling, and several other female comrades sang The Spring Water Tinkles together, a song that had come out the year before.

"The spring water tinkles, the spring water tinkles, the spring water tinkles and rings, tumbling down the hillside, passing through the grassland..."

"Oh!"

The atmosphere came alive in an instant. Everyone clapped along, and Chen Qi joined in.

These were all famous songs, often heard in later years too. In another couple of years, there would be Camel Bells, Oh, Sea, My Hometown, Young Friends Gather Together, and others. They were all good songs.

"For the next act, I know everyone has been looking forward to it. He's the crew's famous king of storytelling, but today, everyone wants to see him perform something else. Please welcome Tang Guoqiang and Chen Qi, singing Toast Song!"

"Clap, clap, clap!"

The applause was especially enthusiastic.

(End of chapter)