Entertainment 1998

Chapter 18 18, Memorial

Art is alive!
Good art can stand the test of time.

After Yu Feihong left classroom 325, Jiang Feng and brothers Guo Xiaodong and Guo Xiaofeng watched the 1998 Spring Festival Gala while drinking.

Even after more than a dozen reincarnations, when Jiang Feng saw many classic crosstalk and sketches such as "I'm on the Side of the Road", "Kung Fu Order", "The Prince and the Postman", and "New Year Greetings" on the TV screen again, he still laughed to tears.

Of course, there were many good songs in this Spring Festival Gala, such as "Big Flower Sedan", "Good Days", "Hero Song", and "Meet in 1998"...

Especially the song "Meet in 1998", which directly reminded Jiang Feng of his youthful years in his previous life. At that time, he was only twelve or thirteen years old, and his bedroom was full of posters of Wang Fei with a Nezha hairstyle.

Although he is from Shandong Province, Guo Xiaodong can't drink much. After drinking half a pound of Niulanshan Erguotou, he became drunk.

He originally said he was going to the bathroom, but after taking two steps, he fell asleep hugging the radiator in the classroom.

Compared to his younger brother, Guo Xiaofeng's alcohol tolerance is not bad. He is basically not at a disadvantage when drinking with Jiang Feng, who has a very good alcohol tolerance. He drank seven and a half taels of 50-degree liquor, and he was only slightly tipsy.

12 midnight.

The New Year’s bell rang, and the 98 Spring Festival Gala came to an end.

Jiang Feng stood up, walked to the mirror in the classroom, knelt down, and kowtowed to himself three times in a proper manner.

Looking at this scene, Guo Xiaofeng was a little surprised. Could it be that Jiang Feng was drunk again? Otherwise, why would he kowtow to him?
However, Jiang Feng didn't look like he was drunk. Before drinking, his lips were red and his teeth were white, and now his face was just slightly red.

Of course, Jiang Feng wouldn't tell him.

Brother, I am paying tribute to [Jiang Feng]. Due to the mistake of a drunk black dog, my soul came, but his soul disappeared.

……

January 1998, 1, the first day of the first lunar month
After watching the entire Spring Festival Gala and tidying up the classroom, Jiang Feng slept in the dormitory until 11 o'clock in the morning.

When Jiang Feng got up, the brothers Guo Xiaodong and Guo Xiaofeng, who also stayed in dormitory 413 last night, had already prepared breakfast.

Well, the so-called breakfast is actually just instant noodles in a bucket made with boiling water. There’s no other way. Today is Chinese New Year, and even if I have money, I can’t find a place to eat near the Film Academy.

"Jiang Feng, come down and eat something?"

"Each of us added two boiled eggs to our instant noodles."

Bucket instant noodles are very common for most people. They can be eaten when it is inconvenient to eat outside.

But for the Guo brothers, this thing is basically a luxury. Their meals when they go out to work are usually steamed buns and pickles. Sometimes they don’t even have pickles to eat.

Guo Xiaofeng said this last night when he was drinking. As he said this, tears were falling down his face.

"Thank you, Brother Dong, thank you, Brother Xiaofeng."

The two brothers treated him with the best things, and Jiang Feng thought he couldn't be stingy, so he put on his clothes, jumped out of bed, and took out the two pig's trotters that Yan Danchen gave him before leaving from the box.

The pig's trotters are vacuum packed, so they won't go bad yet.

Today is Chinese New Year, and the timing is just right to take it out and eat it.

Just as Jiang Feng threw the pig's trotter on the desk and was about to go to the bathroom to wash his face, Guo Xiaodong spoke.

"Jiang Feng..."

"Ok?"

"Just now, our homeroom teacher, Ms. Cui, called all the students in our class who had pagers, saying that it was the seventh day of the first lunar month, which is February 2, and asked everyone to gather at school. She would also be returning from her hometown in advance."

"Ah..., why? Do you know?"

Jiang Feng suddenly hated this era of poor information flow. In a few years, this would be as simple as sending a text message to a group of people, but now people don't even have pagers, let alone mobile phones.

If there is any emergency notification, the class teacher has to call each family one by one. If there is a phone at home, it will be fine. But for those like Jiang Feng who don’t have a phone at home, they can only use the most primitive way of communication - sending a telegram.

As for Guo Xiaodong's "fifth-hand" pager, he bought it on the black market for 50 yuan in order to make it easier for him to work and act as an extra.

The black market mentioned here is actually the place where thieves sell stolen goods.

Jiang Feng was just thinking about it when Guo Xiaodong spoke with a smile.

“When I received the pager from my class teacher, I immediately called her back and wished her a happy new year.

Teacher Cui told me on the phone that director Zhang Yimou will be shooting a movie in August or September this year, and it seems to be called "Memorial".

Our school is the alma mater of director Zhang Yimou and is his first stop for casting, so Teacher Cui plans to have our students prepare in advance for the auditions after the Lantern Festival.

commemorate…

These two words troubled Jiang Feng for nearly a day.

Because even as someone who has written entertainment novels and has done thorough research on Zhang Yimou's life, Jiang Feng couldn't remember for a moment when Zhang had ever made such a movie.

It was not until 2 o'clock in the morning of the next day (the second day of the first lunar month), when Jiang Feng was in the dormitory preparing to leave for Beijing Jiaotong University, the gathering place of the "Never Forget You" crew, that he finally remembered that the film "My Father and Mother" directed by Zhang Yimou was adapted from Bao Shi's novel "Memorial".

"Brother Dong, Brother Xiaofeng, where are you going?"

Jiang Feng packed his luggage and was about to leave. The brothers Guo Xiaodong and Guo Xiaofeng were also about to leave, each carrying a large bag.

"The New Year has already passed, and many construction sites have already started work. I plan to follow my brother to the construction site to do odd jobs for a few days, and then go back to school on the seventh day of the first lunar month."

Guo Xiaodong was honest and revealed his itinerary to Jiang Feng.

In the past, he basically would not have said it so bluntly. He would usually have said, "I heard that a certain crew needs a special actor, and I plan to go over and give it a try."

"Um…"

Jiang Feng thought about it for a moment, and before leaving, he turned back to give Guo Xiaodong some advice.

"Brother Xiaodong, listen to me. If you really want to pass Director Zhang Yimou's audition, buy a bus ticket and go back to your hometown in Yishui. Talk to the village chief, find a dozen children, and go to the village primary school to experience the work and life of rural teachers for a few days."

"what…"

Hearing Jiang Feng's suggestion, not only Guo Xiaodong, but even Guo Xiaofeng opened their mouths in surprise.

Where is this going?

We came here to go to college. Our family is poor, so we didn't go home to save tuition. But you want us to go back to our hometown and become rural teachers now?

“Yes, Brother Xiaodong.

To tell you the truth, I have read the original novel of the film to be filmed by director Zhang Yimou, which was published in the Chinese Novel Monthly. The name of this novella is "Memorial", the writer is Bao Shi, and the male protagonist of the novel is a rural teacher.

If you have never really taught in the village, you can’t act out some details just by acting.”

Speaking of this, Jiang Feng smiled.

He picked up his luggage and left the boys' dormitory first.

We are all good friends, so I just give a few suggestions. As for whether Guo Xiaodong listens or not, it depends on God's will.

That is why the most outstanding character in this film directed by Zhang Yimou is Zhaodi, um, the heroine. If the male lead was outstanding, how could I let him go? !
(End of this chapter)