Chapter 00073: Aqi and Agui
# Aqi and Agui
Chapter 73
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 73: Aqi and Agui
"Young friends, let's gather together, send them to the crematorium, all turned into ashes, you a pile, me a pile, no one recognizes anyone, all dragged to the countryside to be fertilizer..."
After the New Year, Chen Qi hummed a youthful song as he returned to his loyal Beijing Film Studio.
He rode up to the entrance, did a stylish skid, and shouted towards the guardhouse, "Uncle? Uncle?"
"Why are you back again, kid?"
"Gonna stay for a while longer, sorry to trouble you!"
Chen Qi handed over a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, waved his hand, and left.
The old man pursed his lips, thinking this kid wasn't too bad, at least he knew how to respect his elders.
As the saying goes, even a gatekeeper at a prime minister's residence is a seventh-rank official.
He was the gatekeeper of the Beijing Film Studio, and those second-generation kids in the studio didn't show him enough respect.
Speaking of which, the 15th of next month would be New Year's Eve, and the second-generation kids from the film academy would soon be on winter break.
Chen Qi arrived at the guesthouse, Room 302 was just as he left it.
He boiled a pot of hot water, brewed some coarse tea in an enamel mug, pulled up a chair next to the radiator, took off his cotton shoes, and warmed his feet on the radiator.
Soon, the heat penetrated his socks, and his body warmed up.
He sipped tea from his big mug, flipping through the latest issue of Story Collection, swaying comfortably.
Ah!
This guesthouse felt as warm as home.
The September and November issues of Story Collection had published The Cotton Cassock, and the January issue had the first part of Invincible Mandarin Duck Legs.
As he read, he stumbled upon a small article:
"Since the restoration of the Story Collection name at the beginning of last year, we have received increasing support from our readers, and the results have been gratifying. As the new year approaches, we will host a small New Year tea party, inviting some authors and readers to gather together..."
Tsk!
Chen Qi had been invited to this tea party, but he didn't have that much capitalist time to spare, so he naturally declined.
Story Collection proudly announced it in the magazine, with a tone of pride in growing bigger and stronger.
"Looks like sales are doing well!"
He stroked his chin, his desire to start a magazine growing stronger.
By "start a magazine," he meant finding a unit to affiliate with, not starting one privately—private ventures were definitely not allowed.
The early '80s were a golden time for starting magazines, and the process was relatively easy.
"Maybe I can affiliate it under the Beijing Film Studio?"
As he pondered, he suddenly heard someone calling his name from downstairs.
He opened the window and saw a guy craning his neck, shouting, "Someone's looking for you at the gate! At the gate!"
"Got it, thanks!"
Chen Qi put on his cotton shoes, wrapped himself in his cotton coat, and ambled downstairs.
He thought it might be Huang Zhanying, but when he reached the gate, it was someone he hadn't expected.
"Old He?"
"Xiao Chen, finally got to see you! It feels like three years since we last met at Lushan!"
The visitor was He Chengwei, an editor from Story Collection.
He looked travel-worn, freezing like a grandson, carrying a big bag.
"Come in, come in!"
Chen Qi pulled him into the courtyard and shouted towards the guardhouse, "Uncle, this is my friend, here to see me!"
"Hmph!"
The cigarette buff worked, and the old man grunted in acknowledgment.
"Your place is really strict, wouldn't let me in no matter what."
"Of course, this is the Beijing Film Studio. Can you just waltz into the Shanghai Film Studio? What brings you to Beijing? Business trip?"
"Just came to see you!"
They arrived at the guesthouse and entered the room.
He Chengwei smiled, "You're a busy man, couldn't make it to the tea party, so the magazine sent me to pay a visit. Next month is the Spring Festival, so I brought you some local specialties. Hope you don't mind."
He opened the big bag, pulling out one item after another.
"Here's some White Rabbit milk candy!"
"This is five-spice beans from the Old City God Temple!"
"These are glutinous rice cakes, oh no, they got squished."
"This one's good, it's called Chongming cake..."
He Chengwei proudly held up a box of pastries, "There are two types, soft cake and hard cake. The soft one you eat cold, the hard one needs to be steamed."
"You're too kind, coming all this way just to bring me stuff."
Chen Qi was touched, but the feeling vanished as quickly as it came.
Hmph! It's just a tactic to keep me working for Story Collection.
Even Qidian sends gift packs to writers, he thought.
He brewed some tea for He Chengwei to warm him up and asked, "Got a place to stay? If not, you can squeeze in here with me."
"I do, I do! Luckily, I asked around before coming. Everyone says finding a place to stay in Beijing is tough, almost impossible. The editor-in-chief helped me contact a friend, so I'm staying at his place. I'll head back the day after tomorrow."
"Not much to do in winter, but you can visit the Forbidden City or the Great Wall."
"Yeah, actually, we've been wanting to invite you to Shanghai to properly host you, but you're always so busy."
"I really don't have the time, I've got a new script in the works..."
Chen Qi paused, then smiled, "Call me vain, but hasn't any film studio approached you about The Cotton Cassock or Invincible Mandarin Duck Legs? For adaptations or something."
"Uh..."
He Chengwei quickly thought over how to respond and decisively took the blame, "Maybe Story Collection's distribution isn't wide enough, and the reach isn't great. Your stories are so brilliant, given time, they'll definitely make it to the big screen."
Haha, smooth talker!
Chen Qi thought it was more likely that martial arts films hadn't taken off yet, and studios weren't willing to take the risk.
Once Tai Chi comes out, things will change.
After chatting for a while, he pulled out the second half of Invincible Mandarin Duck Legs and said, "I'm working on a new script. This is something I collaborated on with a friend. Since you're here, take a look."
"Collaboration, huh..."
He Chengwei's heart skipped a beat as he took it and read carefully.
After a few pages, he relaxed slightly, flipping to the end.
Once he finished, he let out a sigh of relief.
He didn't care about the collaboration—that was the writer's business.
All he cared about was the quality.
This "ghostwriter" was quite skilled, mimicking the storytelling style well.
That was enough.
"How should we credit it?"
"His pen name is Agui. We're a duo called 'Aqi and Agui.' From now on, whenever you see two names, it means we collaborated."
"..."
He Chengwei's mouth twitched.
Fine.
He stayed for half a day, and Chen Qi treated him to a meal before he headed off to his friend's place.
Chen Qi wandered around the room, looking at the pile of stuff.
Suddenly, he picked out a bit of each item, packed them into a bag, and added a page of manuscript before heading out.
…………
Back then, outside the Second Ring Road was considered the suburbs.
The Beijing Film Studio was near the North Third Ring Road, surrounded by farmland and pig farms.
To the west, near West Third Ring Road, there was a small theater connected to a large compound—the headquarters of the General Political Department's Drama Troupe.
The small theater was their rehearsal space, later renovated and renamed the Bayi Theater.
Gong Xue had just finished lunch and was resting with everyone.
After returning, she was immediately put back into rehearsals, reprising her old role as a medic with few lines.
Going from the female lead in Romance on Lushan Mountain to a minor role as a medic naturally left her with some emotional baggage.
"Gong Xue, someone's looking for you at the gate!"
"Got it!"
Who could it be?
Puzzled, she left the rehearsal hall and saw a familiar figure at the gate.
For some reason, she felt instantly nervous.
"Xiao Chen, what brings you here?"
"I need to ask you something."
Chen Qi opened his bag and smiled, "Today, an editor from Story Collection came to see me and brought a lot of Shanghai specialties. I thought of you since you're from Shanghai, so I brought some for you."
"No, no, that's not right. They brought it for you, it's not appropriate for you to give it to me."
Gong Xue quickly waved her hands.
"I've already brought it, you can't make me carry it back, can you? Besides, I have something to ask of you."
He pulled out the page of manuscript and said, "You know how to draw, right? Could you help me with a few illustrations? I've written some descriptions, take a look and see if it works."
(End of Chapter)