1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 568 "Public Security Commendation."

"Comrade Jiang Xian!"

Upon seeing Jiang Xian, Sun Yingui excitedly grabbed Jiang Xian's arm, saying, "Thank you! Thank you so much! I will never forget your help to 'Bailong'!"

"Haha."

Jiang Xian said calmly, "There's nothing to thank me for. It's not like we helped 'Bailong'. You actually took the sponsorship money out of your own pocket back then. It's not about helping each other. We've helped each other."

"Oh, you're too kind. You're too kind."

Sun Yingui was incredibly friendly at this moment, "How can it not be a help? You probably don't know how popular our mineral water bottles are. The sales volume is no exaggeration to say it's ten times that before 'Stories from the Editorial Department' aired. If it weren't for your thoughtful efforts in giving our 'Bailong' such an ingenious advertisement, would we be making so much money now? You've helped us so much! We must thank you, Xiao Zhou, Xiao Zhou."

Sun Yingui called out a name, and soon a young man came over carrying a large duffel bag.

"Comrade Jiang Xian, Teacher Jiang, this is just a small token of my gratitude," Sun Yingui said, opening his luggage bag.

Seeing this, Jiang Xian's forehead vein throbbed, and he took a step back while waving his hands, "Oh dear, Mr. Sun, please don't do this! You mustn't, you mustn't!"

"Teacher Jiang, please don't be so polite."

Sun Yingui unzipped the zipper, revealing a jumble of things inside. "These are some local specialties from our hometown of Longhui. This is garlic, red-skinned; this is chili pepper; this is persimmon; this is pig's blood cake, which is meatballs made from pig's blood."

You can take this home and steam or boil it, or stir-fry it. Just put some hot oil in, add some Sichuan peppercorn powder and fry until fragrant, then throw in a few slices of ginger, stir-fry it a bit, and it'll be incredibly fragrant. Just add a little less salt.”

"Uh."

Jiang Xian scratched his chin.

People these days are both incredibly perceptive and incredibly foolish.

Use this to test cadres?

Which cadre cannot withstand such a test?

However, Sun Yingui wasn't completely oblivious to social niceties. After explaining the bag of things to Jiang Xian, he took out a red envelope and stuffed it into Zhu Hong's hand:
"Ahem, this is a thank-you gift from our 'Bailong' mineral water bottle to the crew of 'Stories from the Editorial Department'."

"oops."

Zhu Hong looked at the thick wad of banknotes inside and reached out her hand involuntarily. Then she immediately realized that this was wrong and quickly pulled it back. She had never experienced such a scene before and did not know how to refuse. She immediately looked to Jiang Xian for help.

It must be said that her pitiful appearance is very much like her sister Zhu Lin, making her look exceptionally endearing.

"Cough cough."

Jiang Xian coughed twice, intentionally or unintentionally blocking Zhu Hong's way. "Boss Sun, it's inappropriate to take money. We can't accept even a needle or thread from the people. Aren't you making us make a mistake?"

"How could it be a mistake?"

Sun Yingui waved his hand, "This is just a small token of our appreciation from 'Bailong Mineral Water Kettle,' it's nothing to us."

Wang Shuo and Feng Xiaogang, who were watching the red envelopes with their eyes almost red with envy, knew that this really meant nothing to him.

I remember the first time this person surnamed Sun came, he brought six or seven people with him, and they got out of a yellow minivan.

Feng Xiaogang witnessed it with his own eyes just now.

The owner of the mineral water jug ​​arrived in a jet-black Mercedes W123 to thank the film crew.

Feng Xiaogang had never seen such a big car before.

The Mercedes-Benz W123's body size is indeed the pinnacle of imported cars in China.

4725mm, 1764mm, 1435mm, wheelbase 2785mm.

The industry has always regarded the W123 as a benchmark for Mercedes-Benz, considering it one of the best four-door cars of the 20th century, excelling in design, craftsmanship, safety, practicality, and durability.

It is worth mentioning that in terms of safety features, this W123 absolutely represents the world's top level. Not only is ABS anti-lock braking system optional, but it also features airbags.

In addition, it features a more robust passenger compartment and a larger front-end collision buffer zone.

These devices directly meet safety design standards 30 years from now.

In addition, the W123 is equipped with a collapsible steering column, which further enhances the protection of the driver in the event of a collision.

Well, you might not believe it, but this Mercedes-Benz belongs to FAW (First Automobile Works).

That's right, FAW-Benz!
Starting in the 1980s, China's automobile industry entered a joint venture phase.

Beijing Jeep, Shanghai Volkswagen, and Guangzhou Peugeot were launched one after another.

Well, as the eldest son of the Republic's automobile industry, China's First Automobile Works (FAW) has set its sights on Mercedes-Benz with great foresight.

Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, also had the idea of ​​entering the Chinese market. The two sides hit it off immediately, and FAW signed a strategic agreement with Mercedes-Benz right away.

FAW's idea is to learn from Mercedes-Benz's advanced car manufacturing concepts through cooperation, and then use that knowledge to upgrade the technology of Hongqi cars.

Therefore, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was actually produced in China as early as the 80s, making it one of the earliest domestically produced luxury sedans.

It wasn't called Mercedes-Benz yet; it was called Mercedes-Benz.

However, the production of this batch of E-Class sedans was very limited, with a total of approximately 828 units.

These 828 Mercedes-Benz W123 series sedans assembled by FAW were mainly sold to Shouqi Company in Beijing after leaving the factory for use in receiving foreign guests. Some were also sold to enterprises as official vehicles, and a small number were bought by individual business owners who were eager to try their luck. However, due to the restrictions on vehicle class, there were not many private car buyers at this time.

Sun Yingui was clearly one of the buyers of these cars.

Wang Shuo and Feng Xiaogang had both heard people boast about this Mercedes-Benz 230E, saying that its list price was 60 yuan, and the extended luxury version's on-the-road price reached 90 yuan.

Sun Yingui drove off in such an expensive car without hesitation, which shows just how much the airing of "Stories from the Editorial Department" made his "Bailong Mineral Water Bottle" a hit.

"Sigh, why can't we TV drama writers drive cars like this?" Feng Xiaogang sighed.

"Why can't it be started?" Wang Shuo glanced at him.

"Ok?"

"Isn't our boss a TV drama writer? A screenwriter?" Wang Shuo reminded him. "Do you think they can't afford this?"

Feng Xiaogang's eyes lit up. "Boss, you're really that good?"

"Definitely a lot."

Wang Shuo said, "You don't write novels, so you might not understand. I've thought about the royalty system that the boss mentioned. It's terrifying, absolutely terrifying. Let me put it this way: with the few works the boss has now, plus this royalty system, the money he's earned is enough for me to live from childhood to old age, from one year old to ninety-nine years old, without doing anything else. I could live like that for several lifetimes."

"oops."

Feng Xiaogang picked at his teeth. "I never expected this. You know, he's usually so unassuming, I really didn't expect him to go this far."

"Sigh, it's a matter of whether our boss wants to or not. But he's a very low-key person, and he's still willing to eat from the same pot as us. If I had his reputation, I would have been putting on airs long ago. I would have gone to the Fourth Hair Salon every day to get a haircut," Wang Shuo said.

Siliang Hair Salon is a collaboration of four renowned hair salons in Shanghai, making it one of the premier high-end hair salons in Beijing.

Well, in later generations, a man's haircut would probably cost around 25 yuan per head.

In the late 80s and early 90s, the shampooing, haircutting and blow-drying service offered by Siliang Barber Shop was what we commonly call a "wash, cut and blow-dry" package, which cost 25 yuan!
"If I were rich," Liang Zuo said, smoking a cigarette. "I'd eat KFC at Qianmen every day." Yes, KFC is popular all over the world, and not long ago, this trend even reached Beijing.

The first KFC restaurant in China was opened in Qianmen, which was also the first Western-style fast food chain restaurant in China.

The price is still not very cheap.

A "Colonel's Choice Chicken Fillet Burger" costs 8.5 yuan, and a crispy chicken leg burger costs 10 yuan.

Chicken nuggets are 6.5 yuan each, so two nuggets would cost 13 yuan. The menu allows you to order a maximum of 15 chicken nuggets, but there's no discount for ordering more; 15 nuggets would still cost 97.5 yuan.

Other items include large fries for 6.5 yuan, drinks like Coke, Mirinda, and 7UP for 4 yuan a cup, and chicken wings, sundaes, and corn sticks for 6.5 yuan each.

The price of things is the same every day.

No crazy Thursdays!
In short, the price hasn't increased much compared to decades later.

The reason Liang Zuo knew so much about it wasn't because he had eaten there—he hadn't—but because he had seen KFC's menu.

It's worth noting that this KFC is now a very popular tourist destination and a trendy wedding venue.

That's right, they got married at KFC!
This is truly a unique characteristic of this era.

"I'm going to be rich!"

Hearing Liang Zuo talk about KFC made Feng Xiaogang's mouth water, and he started daydreaming, muttering, "If I were rich, I'd find a bunch of girls, find those female celebrities, and have them dance for us guys every day."

"Oh, how tacky."

Wang Shuo couldn't help but complain, "Look at your meager aspirations?"

"Yes."

Liang Zuo couldn't help but join in the criticism, "Haven't you ever seen dancing before?"

"Hehe." Feng Xiaogang grinned but didn't say anything.

As for Jiang Xian, he ultimately didn't accept Sun Yingui's money. After making excuses for a long time, he finally accepted Sun Yingui's bag of local specialties and distributed it to the "Stories from the Editorial Department" production team.

This is not the first time that employees of "Seahorse" have received such benefits.

As each episode of "Stories from the Editorial Department" airs, more and more companies come to express their gratitude.

These days, people who make TV dramas share a consensus: the hardest part is not finding actors or writing scripts, but raising funds.

Even national institutions like the Television Art Center only receive a portion of government funding. Apart from that, most of the filming costs need to be raised from various sources in society.

However, when they raised funds, they mainly approached restaurants and small business owners in the clothing industry.

No one has ever approached a company directly like Jiang Xian has.

The idea of ​​embedding advertisements in TV dramas is truly ingenious and a first in the domestic TV drama industry.

Clearly, the screenwriters under his command were no pushovers; they were incredibly responsible, crafting dialogue and plots that were remarkably plausible and logical, leaving the client extremely satisfied.

Then, when the advertisement aired on television, its effect was even more surprising.

Since the airing of "Stories from the Editorial Department", almost all the products featured in the show have become hits!
It's fair to say that this drama reflects the current consumption trends of ordinary people: what to eat, what to use, what to wear. It's simple, just learn from Li Dongbao and Ge Ling!

They do whatever they order around, and we do the same.

Bailong mineral water kettles are just a microcosm of the businesses that have been making door-to-door visits recently.

The number of companies visiting Haima has almost worn down the threshold of the company.

Aside from those expressing gratitude, many more came to "give money."

Everyone knows that "Stories from the Editorial Department" is filmed and broadcast simultaneously. No matter how many episodes are left, as long as their own products can make an appearance in the TV series, that's fine!

Jiang Xian did not accept all offers.

We have plenty of sponsorships, but we can't be too greedy.

Inserting a couple of commercials into the plot makes it easier for the story to stay coherent, but it also leaves the audience with a lingering sense of unease.

But if it's filled with advertisements everywhere.

Wouldn't that be self-destructive?

Who can stand watching this kind of show?

So I screened out a bunch of ads and personally rejected sponsorships totaling several million.

Jiang Xian was also heartbroken.

However, he understood that there was no other way. Filming a TV series was a long-term project, and "Haima" was also a place that would be operated for a long time. They couldn't just make a quick buck and then leave.

The final episodes of "Stories from the Editorial Department" totaled exactly 24, which was exactly the number of episodes that CCTV and Jiang Xian had agreed to buy out. They didn't lose money, and they didn't need to pay any more.

With the airing of the 24th and final episode of "Stories from the Editorial Department" on television, the social response to the show reached an extremely exaggerated level.

Yes, on the day the finale aired, a district in Wuhan experienced a power outage, so episode 24 of "Stories from the Editorial Department" was unavailable. That evening, the city leaders' phones were bombarded with calls from the public.

In addition, after the television broadcast ended, based on the phenomenon of "everyone staying out of town" caused by the broadcast of the TV series, the Public Security Bureau conducted a special survey and found that the social crime rate decreased after the broadcast of "Stories from the Editorial Department".

To this end, the Public Security Bureau held a special celebration party, inviting the entire crew of "Stories from the Editorial Department," also known as the "Haima Film and Television Creation Center," to be commended.

In this way, the "Seahorse" became famous throughout the world.

Another thing is that, for some reason, these days, a collarless and sleeveless white T-shirt suddenly became popular overnight.

This white T-shirt is a little different from ordinary T-shirts in that it has slogans written on it.

It's not exactly a political slogan, nor is it serious; it's just some rebellious, satirical, and venting slogans that undermine lofty ideals.

People call this a cultural shirt.

Almost overnight, almost everywhere you went, people were wearing white T-shirts.

With the airing of "Stories from the Editorial Department," the slogans on the T-shirts quickly became famous lines from the TV series:

"Money isn't everything, but you can't do anything without it."

“When nudity becomes art, it is the most sacred. When morality degenerates into hypocrisy, it is the most depraved.”

"Are you hungry? You have no energy. Are you full? You have even less energy."

"Turning over means standing up on your own, not riding on someone else's back."

"Brother, why is life so hard to walk?"

"."

(End of this chapter)