Chapter 00120: The County Magistrate Goes Fishing
# The County Magistrate Goes Fishing
Chapter 120
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 120: The County Magistrate Goes Fishing
Chen Qi had already met several officials, from high-ranking leaders in the capital to the local Auntie Wang.
This county magistrate, however, carried himself with a humble demeanor, as friendly as the old man next door, shaking hands with each of the main crew members.
"Coach Yu Hai, I've heard so much about you!"
"Comrade Li Lianjie, the national champion, your reputation precedes you!"
"And this is Ji Chunhua!"
"Ah, what a unique and extraordinary appearance!"
After making the rounds, the county magistrate smiled and said, "It's truly an honor to have you all here in Ji County. As your host, I must seize this opportunity to treat you to a simple dinner tonight. Of course, I can't afford to host the entire crew, so just those present here."
"How could we impose on you like that?"
"No, no, it's settled then. I'll come back tonight."
The county magistrate didn't bring many people with him, just a secretary.
The secretary's clothes were neat but old, with the arms of his glasses taped up—clearly a sign of poverty.
This was a common sight in the early 1980s in inland areas.
The coastal regions, which had opened up earlier, were different.
There, you had businesses with foreign investments, donations from overseas Chinese, and even smuggling...
Seeing this, Chen Qi took the initiative and said, "This is a rare opportunity. How about we take a group photo?"
"You have a camera?"
The county magistrate's eyes lit up.
"I have one. I'll go get it!"
Chen Qi fetched the camera and arranged everyone for the photo.
Li Wenhua and the county magistrate stood in the center, with Li Lianjie and Gong Xue on either side, and the rest lined up behind.
He snapped several shots and then turned to the secretary, "Where can we develop these photos? Could you come with me to get them developed? It would be nice to have a few as keepsakes."
Then he said to the county magistrate, "Actually, we have another small request. Could you write us a few words? It would be great to have something to prove that Tai Chi was filmed in Ji County with your strong support. It would make for a wonderful story in the film industry in the future."
"Ah, Xiao Chen, you really know how to talk! Well, I can't refuse such a request!"
The county magistrate was delighted and left with his secretary.
Li Wenhua came over and said, "Hey, isn't this a bit too much?"
"We're working on their turf. It's good to build relationships. If he can arrange a few vehicles for us, it'll make things easier, right?"
Chen Qi knew what he was doing.
After this little episode, in the afternoon, the secretary returned, accompanied Chen Qi to develop the photos, and brought back a calligraphy piece.
He also handed over a newspaper, saying, "You're all busy with filming and might not have time to keep up with other things. The leader specifically asked me to share a few words with you. There's an article here that he'd like you to read."
"..."
Chen Qi glanced at it and saw an article critiquing Romance on Lushan Mountain.
His heart skipped a beat, and he said, "I'll take it. Thank you for your kindness!"
"I won't disturb you further. See you tonight!"
The secretary, seeing that Chen Qi understood, took his leave.
Chen Qi hurried upstairs to his room and carefully read the article.
His brows furrowed as he read.
The article made two main points: first, that Romance on Lushan Mountain catered to the lowbrow tastes of the petty bourgeoisie, pandering to the masses; second, that the conflict between the two political parties was a historical misunderstanding, and even the four-year-long Liberation War was a mistake!
The first point wasn't too concerning, but the second was serious because it had political implications.
The underlying message was that Romance on Lushan Mountain erased the history of the struggle between the two parties, effectively glorifying the Nationalist Party.
"Damn it! What nonsense!"
"Taking things out of context! Throwing around accusations! Who says there aren't clickbait articles these days?"
Chen Qi slammed the table and looked at the author's name: Zhao Baohua.
"Zhao Baohua?"
He scratched his head.
The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
He took the newspaper to Li Wenhua, who was also startled.
"Xiao Chen, this article is quite critical. You need to respond. If they slap a political label on you, it'll be bad!"
"Do you know the author?"
"Let me think... I have some impression..."
After some thought, Li Wenhua said, "Oh, he's the deputy director of the art department at Changchun Film Studio and an editor. He's in charge of reviewing film quality and scripts, similar to our Director Jiang."
"Does he have any notable works?"
"Not that I know of."
"Alright, I got it!"
Chen Qi returned to his room and dug deep into his memory.
Finally, it came to him.
Zhao Baohua had indeed started at Changchun Film Studio but later moved to Beijing, where he founded China Film Weekly and began writing scripts.
He didn't have many works, but he had good connections with the film bureau leaders and was often their go-to writer.
In 1987, he helped the film bureau come up with the slogan: "Highlight the main theme, uphold diversity!"
This was the first time the term "main theme" was officially introduced.
The slogan itself wasn't problematic, but in China, things often went to extremes or were oversimplified.
Over time, diversity faded, leaving only the main theme, which directly led to the decline of Chinese cinema in the 1990s.
At the time, some people viewed commercial films as a menace and television as the main culprit holding back the film industry.
They even called for policies to restrict the development of TV dramas, never considering that the problem might lie with themselves.
As for Zhao Baohua, he didn't have much real power—he was just a writer.
"..."
Chen Qi ran through the whole situation in his mind and decided not to worry too much.
He wasn't taking the direct route; he was carving out a new path, bypassing the China Film Group, the film bureau, and the conservatives, heading straight for foreign currency.
"Tsk! But I still need to call him out. How can an 80s clickbait writer compare to a 2024 influencer like me?"
"Do you even know what a microblog essay is?"
Chen Qi couldn't stand being wronged, so he quickly wrote a response and waited for dinner that evening.
...
It wasn't just him; everyone was looking forward to the dinner.
The food in Ji County wasn't great, so this was a rare chance to enjoy a good meal.
Around five o'clock, Li Lianjie, Yu Hai, Wang Qun, Huang Qiuyan, and other main crew members gathered in the small cafeteria of the guesthouse.
"What's good to eat in Henan?"
"Spicy soup, maybe?"
"Would they serve us spicy soup?"
"The county magistrate is hosting. There should be fish and meat at least. Spicy soup would be too cheap."
"I doubt it. Ji County is poor, and the magistrate doesn't seem well-off either. If we get a plate of stir-fried pork, that'd be good enough."
As they chatted, they waited from five to six, then from six to seven, their stomachs growling with hunger.
But neither the magistrate nor the food arrived.
Chen Qi glanced at his Swiss-made watch and said, "Should we go ask what's going on?"
"How can we do that? It's like we're desperate for this meal."
Li Wenhua was also getting restless.
"We have to get up early tomorrow for filming. Should we just eat something ourselves?"
"Ah? Then all this waiting would be for nothing. We wasted time and still didn't get to eat!"
Just then, the secretary rushed in, carrying a bunch of potatoes and cabbage, along with a thick slab of fatty pork.
The fat was two fingers thick, wobbling as he moved—clearly from a good pig.
In those days, people lacked oil in their diets, so fatty meat was prized.
It was satisfying and could be rendered into lard, which was stored in jars and used to flavor dishes—later, people switched to vegetable oil.
"Sorry, sorry! I'm really late!"
"No problem, no problem. We just came down. You brought such a big piece of meat—you're too generous."
Huang Qiuyan's eyes lit up at the sight of the meat.
Li Wenhua asked, "Why didn't the magistrate come with you?"
"The leader will be here soon. He wanted to make sure you all had something good to eat, so he went to catch a fish himself," the secretary explained.
"Where's the fish?"
"He hasn't caught it yet, so he sent me ahead!"
Oh dear!
Everyone held back their laughter.
Sincerity was indeed a killer move, and their goodwill toward the magistrate skyrocketed.
Chen Qi also chuckled.
Was the magistrate an amateur fisherman? You need to bait the hook, or the fish won't offer themselves up as sacrifices!
The secretary brought the ingredients, and they started cooking.
Around eight o'clock, the magistrate finally arrived, holding a big carp.
"In our Xinxiang region, no feast is complete without carp. Without a carp, the table isn't properly set. My skills are a bit rusty these days, but I got lucky today. Please try this authentic Yellow River carp!"
"Wild-caught?"
"Of course!"
That was great.
Chen Qi was eager to try it.
Yellow River carp was expensive in later years, and it wasn't always genuine.
The dinner began, with only two main dishes: pork and carp.
No wonder the magistrate said he couldn't afford to host too many people.
The magistrate had grown up in the countryside, catching fish for landlords as a child.
After joining the revolution, he eventually rose to his current position.
He was down-to-earth, relatively simple, but also had the shrewdness of an official.
He had come over to get more face time.
Ji County didn't have much to offer, but having a film crew here, especially with the popular Romance on Lushan Mountain crew, was a rare opportunity.
If handled well, it could make the newspapers and be reported to the city.
Chen Qi understood this perfectly, which was why he had suggested the group photo and the calligraphy.
The results were good.
When Li Wenhua mentioned transportation difficulties, the magistrate immediately arranged vehicles—though the county only had one car.
Chen Qi sometimes hated this era, but other times he loved its charm.
The dishes were devoured, and everyone was satisfied.
Even the delicate Gong Xue couldn't resist going for the fish—despite southerners not usually eating carp.
After dinner, they bid farewell to the magistrate and returned to their rooms to sleep.
Chen Qi, however, stayed up late to finish his article, sealed it in an envelope, and prepared to send it to a journalist friend in Beijing.
He loved a good argument, and he was ready to give it his all.
(End of Chapter)