Chapter 00019: Everyone Has Their Awkward Moments
# Everyone Has Their Awkward Moments
Chapter 19
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 19: Everyone Has Their Awkward Moments
"Xiao Qing!"
"Xiao Qing!"
The sound of footsteps in the hallway grew louder and louder, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the door.
The door, which had been left open to avoid any issues of impropriety, played a crucial role.
The person at the door glanced inside and immediately stepped in.
It was a man around 30 years old, decent-looking but with a face full of exhaustion and an unusual restlessness, as if his emotions were on edge.
"You're here! Why are you staying at the guesthouse again? Come on, let's go home!"
He grabbed Liu Xiaoqing's arm, but she shook him off forcefully, saying, "I already told you, I'm here for work. Staying at the guesthouse makes it easier for filming."
"I've asked around. You don't have any work right now. Stop fooling around. I've already made dinner. Let's go home!"
"I'm not going back! You leave now!"
"Ahem!"
Chen Qi, seeing the situation, coughed twice and said, "Excuse me, this is my room. Could you please take your conversation outside?"
"Sorry, sorry! We'll leave right away!"
The man was surprisingly polite and started pulling Liu Xiaoqing again.
Their voices grew louder, disturbing the entire floor.
Even Chen Huaikai from the next room came out to see what was going on.
"What a mess!"
Chen Qi, feeling inexplicably disturbed, took a few steps closer, intending to mediate.
Just as he was about to speak, Liu Xiaoqing shook off the man's hand, and the man, losing his balance, stumbled and fell to the ground.
This is what you call experience!
If you fight back, it's mutual combat!
"Comrade, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
The man apologized, looking confused.
Did I touch him? I don't think I did.
If I didn't touch him, why did he fall?
"Wang Li!"
Liu Xiaoqing couldn't hold back and shouted, "Do you want to embarrass me in front of the whole factory?"
"That's not what I meant. Don't be angry, don't be angry! I just want you to come home with me."
"Home! Home! Fine, I'll go home with you! Get out, get out!!"
Liu Xiaoqing, now also agitated, pushed him out the door.
As soon as they left, Chen Qi immediately got up and peeked out the door to continue watching the drama, leaving Liang Xiaosheng utterly bewildered.
"I'll go home with you, but don't cause me any more trouble!"
"Okay, okay! As long as you come home, I'll do whatever you want!"
As they continued their argument, almost every room had one or two heads poking out, watching intently as they went downstairs.
Soon, a buzz of conversation filled the air, like a group of excited onlookers in a melon field, discussing the scene with great enthusiasm.
Chen Qi clicked his tongue and asked, "Is that her husband?"
"Yes, his name is Wang Li."
"How did it come to this?"
"That woman is trouble. That's why I told you to stay away from her."
Liang Xiaosheng explained.
Liu Xiaoqing used to be part of the Chengdu Military Region's drama troupe, while Wang Li was in the General Political Department's opera troupe.
They met through a mutual friend.
To put it nicely, she was extremely career-driven.
To put it bluntly, she would stop at nothing to climb the social ladder.
While most people were content or resigned to staying where they were, Liu Xiaoqing was determined to rise through the ranks by making movies.
However, the drama troupe had many restrictions, so she came up with a plan: she started wooing Wang Li.
She knitted him sweaters and pants, wrote him sweet letters, and even proposed marriage.
Since Wang Li was in Beijing, Liu Xiaoqing hoped that marrying him would allow her to transfer to the capital.
Men of that era couldn't resist such direct advances.
Wang Li was overjoyed, and they got married.
However, Liu Xiaoqing's transfer didn't go through.
She never really liked him, and now she grew even colder, even disliking any intimacy between them.
Over time, Wang Li became paranoid, always fearing that Liu Xiaoqing would run off with someone else.
He even locked her in the house when he went out to buy groceries.
Liu Xiaoqing, on the other hand, used filming as an excuse to frequently stay at the guesthouse, and arguments became a regular occurrence.
What was the attitude towards relationships back then?
Once a couple publicly acknowledged their relationship, they were expected to marry.
Otherwise, it was considered immoral.
Divorce was almost unheard of, and anyone who divorced would be the talk of the town for years.
Liu Xiaoqing, however, used her marriage as a gamble, betting everything on her career.
"What a bold woman!"
Chen Qi could only give a thumbs-up.
Comrade Huang Zhanying was right—the cultural front was indeed full of drama!
Liang Xiaosheng sighed, "Xiao Liu's work ethic is impeccable, but her personal life is a mess... Hey, do you know how much Director Wang spent to get her transferred here?"
"How much?"
"Eighty thousand!"
Liang Xiaosheng held up a number, saying, "When we went to negotiate, Chengdu demanded a transfer fee of eighty thousand. Director Wang didn't hesitate and paid it right away!"
"That's some determination!" Chen Qi was amazed.
"Of course! Director Wang values talent, especially young talents like you. Write this script well, and you'll have plenty of opportunities in the future."
…………
The next day, Liu Xiaoqing came again.
She brought a box of pastries as an apology for the previous day's incident.
The box was from Daoxiangcun, a famous pastry shop in Beijing.
There was also a Suzhou Daoxiangcun, and the two often competed.
Inside the wooden box, tied with a string, were eight different pastries: peach cakes, jujube cakes, sachima, and more.
It was the perfect gift for visiting relatives or matchmaking in those days.
Even well-off families would buy some for the New Year.
But children, being greedy, couldn't resist sneaking a piece.
Since it wasn't noticeable from the outside, by the time the adults opened the box, it was often empty, leading to a scolding.
Liu Xiaoqing brought this as an apology, showing she knew how to handle social etiquette.
Chen Qi remained polite, neither fond nor resentful.
In this world, everyone knows how to put on a smile.
Besides, Liu Xiaoqing was talented, and they might collaborate in the future.
The days of revising the script passed uneventfully, much like his usual days of slacking off at work.
That evening, in the cafeteria.
Chen Qi noticed that everyone was unusually excited, eating quickly and whispering among themselves.
Liang Xiaosheng was also busy, urging, "Hurry up and eat! After that, we need to move the tables!"
"Why move the tables?"
"We're showing an internal reference film tonight!"
"Is it an English film or a Hong Kong film?"
"Oh? You're quite knowledgeable!" Liang Xiaosheng was surprised.
"I've just heard about it. I've always wanted to see one. How often do you show them?"
"About every two weeks. Tonight, it's a Hong Kong film with martial arts."
"Oh, martial arts films are great!"
Chen Qi quickly finished his dinner and helped move the tables.
They stacked the cafeteria tables neatly on both sides, leaving a large open space in the middle.
They then set up chairs, creating a makeshift cinema.
Internal reference films, or "neicanpian," were special screenings, much like special supplies of cigarettes, alcohol, and tea.
From top leaders to military compounds, film studios, and cultural units, everyone had access to these films.
People were never equal.
In those days, while most struggled to make ends meet, some groups were already enjoying rock, jazz, and Teresa Teng's music.
Of course, watching these films wasn't something you could do openly.
It had to be done discreetly.
So, as the sun set, the Beijing Film Studio resembled a spy base.
Everyone tiptoed into the cafeteria, with guards at the door and even lookouts—conditions were still poor back then, but later, they would have dedicated screening rooms.
Chen Qi followed the crowd inside.
The room was dimly lit, and he could only see a sea of heads.
Just as he was feeling lost, he heard Liang Xiaosheng call out, "Over here!"
In the middle, the literature department editors and their families had gathered.
"Director Jiang!"
"Teacher Shi!"
He greeted them one by one and found a seat.
Looking around, he couldn't help but smile.
To his left was a young man in his early twenties, so thin that his head looked disproportionately large.
He had small eyes and a receding hairline, looking rather ordinary and shy.
To his right was a little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, with a broad forehead and bright eyes, wearing a cute hairpin.
"This is my daughter, Jiang Shan. This is Brother Chen."
Jiang Huaiyan introduced with a smile.
The girl looked at him, seemingly finding him quite handsome, and then said, "Hello, Brother!"
"Hello! Are you in elementary school?"
"Yes, I'm in elementary school. What do you do, Brother?" Jiang Shan asked brightly.
"I sell big-bowl tea."
???
Jiang Shan was puzzled, but Jiang Huaiyan laughed and explained it to her.
Meanwhile, the shy young man seemed to have mustered up his courage and finally spoke, "Hello, my name is Ge You. My mother mentioned you."
"Hello, hello! Nice to meet you!"
Chen Qi extended his right hand.
Ge You tried to do the same, but the space was too cramped, and his arm couldn't quite reach.
They ended up shaking hands awkwardly, like someone with polio, and Ge You kept nodding, "Pleasure to meet you. I heard you're here to revise a script?"
"Yes, I'm staying at the guesthouse for now. What do you do?"
He had touched a sore spot.
Sure enough, Ge You looked embarrassed and a bit self-conscious, whispering, "I'm preparing for an exam, just studying."
Ha!
The more he acted like this, the more Chen Qi wanted to tease him, just like he wanted to tease the little girl, Jiang Shan.
(Thanks to Qi Wang_Yue for being a patron!
That's all for this chapter...)