Chapter 00016: Love on Lushan Mountain
# Love on Lushan Mountain
Chapter 16
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 16: Love on Lushan Mountain
After Liang Xiaosheng left, Chen Qi stood at the door of room 304 next door.
He knocked three times—because, for some reason, it seemed like knocking three times was the rule.
"Come in!" came the response.
The door wasn’t locked, so he pushed it open with a creak.
The room’s layout was similar to his, but it was cluttered.
The bed was covered in drafts, and the walls were plastered with storyboard designs.
A man in his 60s, with glasses and graying hair, was hunched over a desk, writing.
He had a dignified appearance, with sharp features.
It made sense—the man had been quite handsome in his youth, a trait that had clearly been passed down through the family.
After all, he had managed to charm quite a few women in his time.
"Who are you?" the man, Chen Huaikai, asked, looking up.
"Hello, sir. My name is Chen Qi. I just moved in next door today. I’m here to revise my script."
"Ah, the one about love, right? Sit, sit!" Chen Huaikai pulled over a chair and gave Chen Qi a once-over.
"You’re so young. How old are you?"
"Nineteen."
"Ambitious at such a young age. I didn’t even get into school until I was 21. You’re from the city, aren’t you?"
"How did you know?"
"Only city folks wear those red-soled shoes."
Chen Qi glanced down at his black cloth shoes with red soles and smiled sheepishly.
These shoes were from Neiliansheng, a famous brand.
The red soles were a mark of being from the inner city, while the white soles were for those outside the second ring road.
It was like a hierarchy of status, similar to how people who bought Louis Vuitton looked down on those who bought Gucci, and so on.
By the way, a certain leader was particularly fond of Neiliansheng shoes.
In the 1990s, he even had a pair custom-made, hoping to wear them when he visited Hong Kong after its return to China.
Unfortunately, he never got the chance.
Those shoes are now in the National Museum.
"Do you have a meeting tomorrow?" Chen Huaikai asked.
"Yes."
"I’ve heard about your script. It’s good. I hope it gets approved."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Chen Qi stayed for a short while before excusing himself.
He didn’t have a bad impression of the old man—he seemed quite approachable.
If possible, Chen Qi wouldn’t mind becoming friends with him, despite the age difference.
Imagine the famous director calling him "uncle" in the future!
Chen Huaikai was a third-generation director, part of the same era as Xie Jin.
He wasn’t as famous because he mostly made opera films and had a deep understanding of traditional performing arts.
When Farewell My Concubine was being made, he served as the artistic advisor, bringing in a group of renowned Peking opera actors to help out.
There were rumors later that Farewell My Concubine wasn’t actually directed by the famous director but by his father.
That wasn’t true, though.
Chen Qi always believed in sticking to the facts.
Farewell My Concubine was indeed directed by the famous director, as the screenwriter Lu Wei once said: "Back then, Kaige was humble and willing to listen to advice. The film brought together the best talents of the time, and together they created a masterpiece."
But after winning the Palme d’Or, the director became too full of himself and stopped listening to others.
Lu Wei said it was like "meeting a leader."
As the sky darkened, the guesthouse grew quiet.
The budding trees outside the window swayed gently.
Chen Qi finished washing up, filled a thermos with hot water, and soaked his feet in his room.
He felt a pang of nostalgia.
In his previous life, when he was in college, he had rented a cheap apartment with his girlfriend.
It was only 200 yuan a month, and the conditions were similar to this.
The other tenants were all students, and at night, the place would be filled with the sounds of creaking beds.
Chen Qi sighed.
Being single for too long made even Cai Ming look attractive.
"I must be hungry!" he muttered, quoting Lu Xun.
Back then, there wasn’t much to do at night, so people went to bed early.
Chen Qi suddenly regretted not bringing any books.
It was going to be a boring evening.
He closed his eyes, thinking about how he would present his ideas at the meeting the next day and wondering what his parents were doing at that moment.
Before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.
...
It was April, the time when spring turned to summer.
The days were getting longer, and the sandstorms had passed, leaving behind clear skies.
Chen Qi woke up early and headed downstairs with his "identity card," which allowed him to eat for free at the canteen.
The canteen wasn’t open yet, so he decided to run a few laps around the factory grounds.
A few others were also exercising, but he didn’t recognize any of them.
After his run, he found a large willow tree and started stretching under it, doing what looked like a set of exercises.
"Xiao Chen!" Liang Xiaosheng appeared, wearing a set of Meihua-brand sportswear.
This brand was made in Tianjin and was the official uniform of the Chinese sports delegation.
A few years later, Xu Haifeng would win China’s first Olympic gold medal wearing a red Meihua tracksuit.
"Wow! Teacher Liang, you’re living the high life with that Meihua outfit!"
"This set costs dozens of yuan. I couldn’t afford it. It was a hand-me-down."
Liang Xiaosheng was also out for some exercise.
He watched Chen Qi’s strange movements and asked, "What kind of calisthenics are you doing? I’ve never seen it before."
"It’s not calisthenics. I read about it in a book. It’s called the Eight-Section Brocade..."
As Chen Qi spoke, he demonstrated the moves, bending his left leg into a lunge, leaning forward, and pushing his hands down his back toward his waist.
This move was called "Strengthening the Kidneys and Waist."
Men with weak kidneys could benefit from it.
"Eight-Section Brocade???" Liang Xiaosheng was taken aback by the name and lowered his voice.
"Is this some kind of Buddhist or Taoist thing?"
"Sort of."
"Be careful. Even though attitudes toward religion have relaxed a bit, it’s still a sensitive topic. Just say you made it up. Don’t mention anything about brocade or whatever."
"Thanks for the advice."
Chen Qi genuinely appreciated the warning.
He had learned this exercise in his previous life.
He would do the Eight-Section Brocade in the morning and the Longevity Exercise at night, drinking goji berry tea during the day.
It was all part of his health regimen.
After all, once a man hits 40, he becomes an expert in wellness.
Despite his warning, Liang Xiaosheng couldn’t help but ask, "What’s the point of doing this?"
"It stretches your muscles and strengthens your body. It’s just for health."
"Can you teach me?"
Huh? Chen Qi was surprised.
Was the qigong craze already starting? If he got involved, could he become some kind of master, "blessing" female celebrities every day? Of course, he was just joking.
Having lived through the qigong craze in his previous life, he knew better.
He was only doing this for his health.
"Sure," he said.
"We can practice together tonight."
"Great! I’ll definitely come!" Liang Xiaosheng was excited.
A little later, the canteen opened.
The Beijing Film Studio couldn’t compare to the massive factories that had their own hospitals, schools, and even radio stations.
But it was still a decent place, especially since it was a cultural institution with a unique atmosphere.
Chen Qi had his first breakfast there and spotted a few familiar faces.
He didn’t approach them, knowing he’d have plenty of opportunities to interact with them later.
After breakfast, he and Liang Xiaosheng headed to the main building.
On the third floor, in the eastern section, was the Literature Department and the office of Film Creation.
Film Creation was a platform where the studio accepted submissions.
Every film studio had a similar magazine.
If a script was selected, it would be published there.
Back then, there was no such thing as spoilers, and the magazine’s readers were mostly industry insiders.
The Literature Department’s job was to select scripts, work with authors, revise drafts, and finalize them.
Chen Qi entered a small meeting room and waited.
Soon, people started trickling in.
Including Liang Xiaosheng, there were five editors in total.
The leader was a man in his 40s with a southern accent.
His name was Jiang Huaiyan, the head of the Literature Department.
"Director Jiang, hello!"
"Hello, hello! I meant to visit you at the guesthouse last night, but something came up. Let me introduce you!"
Jiang Huaiyan was very enthusiastic.
He brought Chen Qi to the front and said, "You’ve already met Xiaosheng. He’s our youngest editor."
"This is Teacher Shi Wenxin. She’s been doing this since 1954 and is our most experienced member."
"Hello, Teacher Shi!"
"You’re quite the young talent!"
Shi Wenxin was a petite woman in her 50s.
She wasn’t particularly striking in appearance, but she had the air of a cultured person.
She stood up politely and smiled.
Chen Qi took note of her because her husband was Ge Cunzhuang, and her son was Ge You.
"And this is... this is..."
Chen Qi didn’t pay much attention to the other two, mentally labeling them as "Extra A" and "Extra B."
Once the introductions were over, the six of them sat down in the small meeting room.
Jiang Huaiyan held a copy of Chen Qi’s script and said, "When we received this script, we were very excited, but we also had some concerns. We discussed it for a few days and reached a consensus before inviting you here. Today, we’ll talk about its strengths and weaknesses. Don’t be nervous, Xiao Chen. Speak freely. Our standards are strict, but the atmosphere is relaxed. Why don’t you start by sharing your creative ideas?"
"I’m not the best at explaining, so please bear with me."
Chen Qi took the script and placed it in front of him.
On the cover were three bold characters: Love on Lushan Mountain.
(End of Chapter)