1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

The Cheng Xuemin family arrived in Yanjing on the evening of the tenth day of the lunar month, having traveled a long and arduous journey!

The next morning, Cheng Xuemin, carrying the thick script of "Shaolin Temple," drove his car back to work at Yan Film Studio.

Just as I arrived downstairs at their East Factory office building, I bumped into the old factory director, Wang Yang, carrying a thermos towards the water room. Seeing him return, he quickly put the thermos down in the corner.
"Xuemin! I heard you took your father-in-law and the others back to your hometown in northern Shaanxi for the New Year?"

"Happy New Year, old factory director!" Cheng Xuemin quickly stepped forward and wished the old factory director a Happy New Year again, then said, "Yes, yes, actually last year I had a plan to go back to my hometown to visit and pay my respects to everyone!"

"That's true, that's true!" The old factory director nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your father-in-law and his family must also be wondering which remote place their daughter has married into, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's the idea! We'll go over there and familiarize ourselves with the place!" Cheng Xuemin nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

"By the way, old factory director!" Cheng Xuemin mentioned it again, and immediately handed over the script, saying, "I had nothing to do at home during the Spring Festival, so I thought about writing. I combined the materials that Great Wall gave me before and wrote this script. Old factory director, could you please give me your opinion?"

"Huh? You finished writing that Shaolin Temple script so quickly?" Old Factory Director Wang Yang asked with obvious surprise.

He then took the script, and the first page read "Shaolin Temple," followed by "The end of the Sui Dynasty..."

The old factory director's eyes lit up immediately. As he looked at it, he exclaimed in amazement, "Good heavens, Xuemin, your efficiency is incredible! They've been working on this for over a year in Hong Kong and haven't even produced a decent manuscript, and you've got it done in just over the New Year?"

He read aloud as he flipped through the pages, “'Jueyuan, seeking revenge for his father, entered the Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts, but became embroiled in the conflict over saving the Tang Emperor…'”

This is gripping right from the start! Ten times better than those love stories and feuds written in Hong Kong!

The two walked towards the office. The old factory director became more and more excited as he looked around, slapping his thigh every now and then and exclaiming in amazement:

"You wrote the martial arts scenes in great detail! 'Tanzong teaches the art, catching bricks with cloud hands' 'practicing lightness skills with the Seven Star Stance', you must know what you're doing! And the characters, Jueyuan's stubbornness and Tanzong's compassion, are both well-developed!"

Upon arriving at the office, the old factory director, Wang Yang, slammed the script onto the table:
"This is it! I have no objections. You should quickly send it to the ministry for Old Wu to take a look. If he agrees too, we should quickly coordinate with the Great Wall team and try to start filming in early March!"

Cheng Xuemin nodded, agreeing with the arrangement, and then rushed off to the Ministry of Culture with the script.

In Old Wu's office, the cadres who had just finished their meeting hadn't left yet. When they saw Cheng Xuemin come in, they all greeted him with smiles: "Happy New Year, Director Cheng! The Tai Chi you filmed was truly wonderful and beautiful!"

These cadres hadn't seen the movie "Tai Chi" beforehand; they had only heard about how it generated over 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange and how amazing and awesome it was!
Therefore, it has certainly raised the expectations of the nation to a fever pitch.

So after its release during the Spring Festival, people all over the country rushed to the cinemas, eager to see what made the martial arts film Tai Chi, which had generated over 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange, so good.

This certainly includes all the cadres who are greeting Cheng Xuemin now.

"Happy New Year, Happy New Year, thank you all for your support." Cheng Xuemin replied with a smile, and was then welcomed into Old Wu's office by Secretary Yang.

After another round of New Year's greetings and polite exchanges, Cheng Xuemin walked up to Old Wu, handed him the script, and said, "Old Wu, the script for 'Shaolin Temple' is finished. Could you please give it a good review?"

"Ah? Xuemin, you finished it so quickly?" Old Wu was indeed surprised to hear this. He had been wondering what Cheng Xuemin had come to ask for instructions today.

Unexpectedly, they sent the script for "Shaolin Temple." But how long has it been since he took over the "Shaolin Temple" project?!
It seems like only one year has passed. I heard that he spent the New Year in his hometown in northern Shaanxi. How could he have had time to write a script?

The problem is, the script was already in front of him, and Mr. Wu couldn't help but be amazed by the young man's execution ability and creative speed!

With a look of utter astonishment, Old Wu took the script, put on his reading glasses, flipped through a couple of pages, looked up at Cheng Xuemin, and said with a smile:

"You young man, you're not even idle during the New Year? I thought you'd be resting until the fifteenth."

As he looked at it, he asked, "Where did this story come from? It doesn't seem like it was made up, and it's completely different from the version from Hong Kong!"

"It's a folk tale about 'the warrior monks saving the Tang emperor,' combined with some Shaolin history," Cheng Xuemin said with a sheepish smile, continuing his explanation:
"The script that Great Wall provided before was too scattered, so I changed the main storyline to Jueyuan learning martial arts to save the Tang Emperor. It retains Shaolin Kung Fu and also has a sense of national sentiment, so the audience should be able to accept it."

Old Wu nodded and continued reading. Secretary Yang, who was standing next to him, also curiously came over to take a look.

After reading for more than half an hour, Mr. Wu put down the script, took a sip of tea, and said, "Okay, this script is much better than the ones from Hong Kong!"
It should have both the strength of Shaolin Kung Fu and cultural depth; let's go with that. Have Xiao Yang accompany you to fax the script to Fu Qi as soon as possible, so the Great Wall Film Company can review it. After all, they're the full investor; we need to put their minds at ease.

"Yes, yes, if there are no problems on your end, Mr. Wu, I'll get right away." Cheng Xuemin nodded repeatedly, and was about to get up and leave when Mr. Wu called him back, saying:

"By the way, I've already consulted with my former boss about the North American theater chain! He really agrees with your idea."

"Furthermore, instructions have already been given, allowing you to go ahead and do it. If you encounter any difficulties, you can directly contact the local consulate!"

"Yes, yes! Thank you, Mr. Wu, thank you, Mr. Wu!" Cheng Xuemin felt a warmth in his heart, and turned around to be led to the mailroom by Secretary Yang.

The script was handed over to the mailroom staff, who helped fax it page by page to Hong Kong.

Cheng Xuemin dialed the fax machine, and Fu Qi answered the phone quickly. Cheng Xuemin greeted him on the other end, saying, "Happy New Year, Mr. Fu!"

"Happy New Year, Happy New Year, Teacher Cheng!" Fu Qi greeted him in a good mood, clearly surprised by the phone call.

"Mr. Fu, the script for 'Shaolin Temple' is finished and I've sent it to you. Please check it and contact me anytime if you have any questions."

"Oh? The script is finished so quickly? Great! Teacher Cheng, please send it over. I'm really looking forward to your Shaolin Temple!"

Upon hearing that it was a newly written Shaolin Temple script, Fu Qi on the other end of the phone was even more surprised and delighted.

Then they pressed receive, and the fax machine started sending the fax.

After faxing the last page, Cheng Xuemin waited for Fu Qi's feedback. He put away the script manuscript, chatted with Wu Lao in his office for a while, and then returned to Yan Film Studio.

As soon as Cheng Xuemin arrived at the East Depot's office, Zhu Lin rushed in, holding a notebook, and reported to him:
“Xuemin, when you weren’t here, Xiaoli came by on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. She said she had made up her mind and would go straight to the East Depot. She asked me to tell you that she went back to Jiangcheng to handle her job transfer and would be able to come over after the Lantern Festival.”

"Oh? She's made up her mind?" Cheng Xuemin was taken aback, then smiled. "Alright, then once she arrives, she can go straight into the Shaolin Temple film crew!" In the end, Tianxian's mother still chose to join her own Eastern Depot. That way...
Tianxian's mother can be considered the first formal employee to join Cheng Xuemin's East Factory since its opening, excluding Cheng Xuemin, the old secretary, and the old accountant!
Li Lianjie can't be considered the first, since his work relationship was firmly tied to the Sports Education Commission and the Sports School by Cheng Xuemin.

So if employee badges were issued, Liu Xiaoli, the "Fairy Mom," would definitely be number 004.

“Yes, that’s what she said too!” Zhu Lin nodded repeatedly, then said to Cheng Xuemin, “By the way, Xuemin, the factory has given ‘The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia’ to Director Chen Huaikai to direct, and Director Chen invited me to play the female lead!”

"Huo Yuanjia was given to Old Chen?" Cheng Xuemin was indeed very surprised to hear Zhu Lin's words. He hadn't heard the old factory director mention it that morning!
Then he asked, "You agreed?"

"I don't have the time!" Zhu Lin said with a carefree laugh in front of Cheng Xuemin.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xuemin smiled and said, "Sister Lin, you really don't have the time. You'll probably be very busy all year. Besides Shaolin Temple and Tai Chi 2, our East Depot has at least two more movies to start filming!"

"By the way, this is the newly written script for Shaolin Temple. Sister Lin, take it back and familiarize yourself with it. After I get everyone together, we'll start preparing for filming right away!"

"Okay, okay, Xuemin, keep busy, keep busy, I definitely won't let you down!"

When Zhu Lin heard Cheng Xuemin's words, she understood that he would cast her as the female lead in all the movies made by the Eastern Depot. She was overjoyed.

Not long after Zhu Lin left, Li Lianjie, also came to find Cheng Xuemin, complaining that she had been waiting for him to come back, saying that she had been bored to death by herself at the factory these past few days.

It turns out that Li Lianjie had already reported to work at the factory on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year after spending the holiday at home.

But on Cheng Xuemin's side of the East Factory, apart from the old secretary and the old accountant coming to sit in the office as usual to read the newspaper and drink tea, they themselves were idle and had nothing to do. How could they have time to arrange things for Li Lianjie to do?
Anyway, they just arranged for him to stay at the guesthouse, and told Li Lianjie to spend as much time as possible in the Yanying Film Studio's studio, to observe and learn.

All work arrangements will be made separately after Cheng Xuemin, the backbone of the team, returns.

"You should also familiarize yourself with the Shaolin Temple script more, think carefully about the protagonist Jueyuan, and think about how to design the action sequences for filming!"

Cheng Xuemin doesn't have any work at the moment, so he handed it over to Xiao Li. He could only give him a copy of the Shaolin Temple document and tell him to go back to the guesthouse and study it carefully before waiting for further notice.
When Feng Jiayou returned home that evening, she was changing the squirrel's clothes. When she saw Cheng Xuemin come in, she greeted him.

Then, remembering something else, he casually said, "Oh right, I was chatting with my second sister-in-law today, and she said that Gong Xue came to our house to pay New Year's greetings on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year!"

Seeing that we weren't home, they sat for a while and then left, leaving a note which I put on your desk.

"Gong Xue came by?" Cheng Xuemin was taken aback again. He picked up a note from the desk, which read "New Year's greetings, hoping for a reply" in neat handwriting.

He recalled the New Year's Eve party, where Gong Xue had told him that the Shanghai Film Studio had asked her to transfer jobs, but she had refused.

At the time, Cheng Xuemin was puzzled. Didn't Ge You bring back news that Gong Xue had already agreed to the Shanghai Film Studio?

Why did you suddenly not go again?
Moreover, wasn't Gong Xue always thinking of transferring to work and returning to her parents' side, just like Liu Xiaoli, the "Fairy Mother"?

Liu Xiaoli, the actress who played Tianxian Ma, was determined to be transferred back to Yanjing. Gong Xue had also wanted to be transferred back to Shanghai before, so why would she refuse the invitation from the Shanghai Film Studio?
"Didn't she say what she was hoping for a reply?" Cheng Xuemin asked his wife, Feng Jiayou, with a puzzled look at the brief note.

"She didn't say anything, just asked when you were coming back, saying she had something she wanted to discuss with you," Feng Jiayou said while coaxing the little squirrel. "Should we call her back?"

Cheng Xuemin thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Let's wait and see. Maybe she just came to wish us a Happy New Year."

As he spoke, he had some doubts in his heart!
Gong Xue rejected the Shanghai Film Studio, yet he came to his home specifically to find him. Could it be that he wanted to join the Eastern Depot?

Just after the Lantern Festival, a big piece of news came from Yan Film Studio.

Xie Jin from Shanghai Film Studio was transferred to Beijing and joined Yan Film Studio to take over the fifth directing team!
When Cheng Xuemin first heard this, he almost dropped the teacup in his hand.

Before the Lunar New Year, Xie Jin, representing the Shanghai Film Studio, went around Beijing trying to recruit people, looking for him, Zhu Lin, Gong Xue, and Li Lianjie, but he couldn't recruit any of them.

Now, things have taken a turn for the worse. Xie Jin himself has been transferred to Yan Film Studio. Life is truly unpredictable.

That afternoon, Xie Jin took the initiative to come to his door.

He was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, his hair was neatly combed, and when he saw Cheng Xuemin, he smiled and extended his hand: "Xuemin, long time no see, didn't expect that? I've come to Yanying Film Studio too."

"I really didn't expect this, Director Xie." Cheng Xuemin shook hands with him and poured him a cup of tea. "Your sudden transfer to take over the fifth directing team at Yan Film Studio is a promotion, a way of giving you more responsibility!"

Although Xie Jin had some fame at the Shanghai Film Studio, he was not yet at the level of independently managing a directing team.

At the Shanghai Film Studio, he was the second director in the third directing group, with a first director above him who was in charge of all the work.

Large studios like Yanying Studio and Shanghai Film Studio typically have a first director in each directing team who is a veteran second-generation director in China.

Xie Jin is considered a third-generation director in China, and is currently at a critical juncture of generational transition.

So when the Shanghai Film Studio couldn't free up a position, the ministry simply transferred him to Yan Film Studio as the first director of the fifth directing group, which was considered a promotion and an important appointment.

"Not at all, actually I owe a lot to you, kid!" Xie Jin took the teacup, his old face beaming with joy.

Then, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Let's get down to business. As you know, I'm new here and don't have any resources yet!"
So, I'm shamelessly asking you, bro, could you help me write a script? Preferably an action movie, since action movies are all the rage right now, and we want to jump on the bandwagon.

Cheng Xuemin smiled, took a script from the drawer, handed it over, and said, "I prepared this for you a long time ago!"

"But it's not an action movie. Lao Xie, you take a look first. If you think it's good, then you can make it."

…………

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