Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 812 Two Major Teams Arrive in Beijing, Overbearing Grandmaster Suffers a Setback (Two Chapters Combined)
The commercial value of these secret recipes will not be evaluated here.

After all, this still needs to be tested by the market, but from this moment on, these roommates who handed over their belongings have all been tied to their own chariot.

The exact number of shares to be given next needs to be discussed with Lao Hu.

Of course, they couldn't give them too much, but it was enough for them to get a considerable amount of money.

This is something you can only add to, not subtract from. If you give them too much now, their appetite will grow later, and the team will be difficult to manage. So you need to think it through from the beginning.

This is something that team leaders must consider.

Only by gradually increasing their share of the benefits can we align with human nature.

This way everyone will know:
"Brother Fang has made our lives better and better."

instead of:
"Following Brother Fang is good, but it's not very stable."

Having lived two lives, he naturally puts more thought into these things, but it's also for the sake of leading the team better.

You can't lead a team well if you only have enthusiasm but no brain.

I'm also learning and reflecting on this dialect myself.

The main problem is that no one taught him, and the experience he has summarized now is all from his fragmented learning in his previous life, without forming a systematic whole.

Therefore, the system can no longer provide support.

However, the others were quite happy. Seeing that their secret recipes had been accepted by Fang Yan, they all felt that a better life was beckoning to them.

If it were anyone else, they would definitely have to think twice, wondering if they were being scammed out of the secret recipe. But Fang Yan and his group wouldn't think that way, since Fang Yan himself had more secret recipes than he could use.

We're asking for their secret recipe now just to give them a helping hand.

This helping out is like a form of recognition, similar to what happened to Yang Jingxiang and his group before.

Let's leave that aside for now. In the afternoon, the students who were doing their internships returned from the hospital and started sharing their medical cases from the morning.

They listened to the dialect below.

After listening to the lesson, everyone felt a huge sense of disappointment at the difference between the lecture and the one delivered in the local dialect.

Let's skip the next class and have a self-study session instead. Everyone, take a look at Wang Boyue's medical case notes. Isn't that better than listening to your classmates stammering through the lecture?
However, Fang Yan expressed a different opinion. If you've booked a lecture, you have to go and give it. The worse you are at doing it, the more you have to do it. After Fang Yan's explanation, the students who originally didn't plan to give a lecture suddenly felt like they had found the meaning of their lecture.

Then, in the second class, I went up and gave a lesson according to the requirements of the dialect.

Not to mention that he did speak much better than the students in the previous class, the main reason was that he deliberately started to imitate the style of teaching in a dialect, and even the pace of the class was the same, which made everyone feel like they were watching an imitation show, and for a while it was actually quite interesting to listen to.

The other students also seemed to have suddenly found the joy of lecturing, which was to imitate the class monitor.

Then came the last class, Ideological and Political Education, which, as always, was nothing special.

After the last class, Fang Yan quickly drove back to meet the two teams from Hong Kong with Lao Hu.

When he got home, Lao Hu was already waiting for Fang Yan.

"Didn't you go to greet them?" Fang Yan asked Lao Hu curiously.

Logically, everyone should have arrived by now, but instead of going over there first, he came here instead.

Old Hu said with a smile:

"Senior brother, you don't understand. For this kind of occasion, just send an assistant to receive them. We are the big bosses. It's already a lot of face for us to go and have a meal with them."

"The more mysterious we appear, the more intimidating we become to them, and the better they will work for us. If we get too familiar with them, they will start to act superior to us."

“People from Hong Kong are different from people from the mainland. They only care about money and not people. The traditional Chinese way of showing affection and camaraderie doesn’t work for them.”

"Really?"

"Really, believe me, the only person who can stand on equal footing with us is the director."

"Even the assistant directors shouldn't look him in the eye."

The dialect was both funny and exasperating; this was different from what I had imagined. I've certainly learned something new today.

Next, Fang Yan and Lao Hu talked about the Yugoslavian order.

"It's all arranged. Director Liao contacted the Ministry of Health directly. We'll go together tomorrow afternoon. We'll just follow the procedures. We definitely need to close the first deal," Lao Hu said to Fang Yan.

Fang Yan nodded immediately upon hearing that they had resolved the problem, and said:
"If that's the case, then I'm relieved."

This is the first time in my two lifetimes that I'm doing international business, and I even brought in the clients myself. I still hope to succeed on the first try.

Then I chatted with Lao Hu for a while longer.

Then, Xiao Li and Chen Kaige also arrived.

They've been together these past few days.

Xiao Li can watch movies for free by following Chen Kaige.

Chen Kaige has been incredibly bored these past few days. Everyone else is busy, but he and Xiao Li have absolutely nothing to do.

These two seemingly unrelated people have gotten to know each other quite well over this period of time.

Once everyone was there, Lao Hu invited them to go to the Yanjing Hotel together.

Because we're going to drink tonight, Fang Yan isn't driving.

Today, the driver is bodyguard Cui Changshou, also known as Old Cui. Everyone else going there will ride in his car.

The Yanjing Hotel, which you can see from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital inpatient building, is not far away; it only takes a few minutes to drive there.

If it weren't for the fact that it lacks sophistication, I would have liked to go there.

When we arrived, Director Liao had already sent someone to make contact.

I met with the two film crews together with Lao Hu's assistant.

As soon as they got off the bus, they received two lists.

This is a list of people who arrived today.

Fang Yan immediately recognized several familiar names.

The title above is "Huang Feihong: Soaring Ambition".

Director: Chang Cheh.

A master of Hong Kong martial arts films, he directed films such as "Five Deadly Venoms" and "The Crippled," and was known for his masculine and hard-hitting style.

Assistant Director: Chu Yuan.

Chu Yuan established Gu Long's martial arts aesthetics with "Meteor, Butterfly, Sword".

Martial arts instructor: Yuan Heping.

He is skilled at combining traditional Southern Fist with comedic elements.

Liu Jialiang.

A direct descendant of the Hung Kuen lineage, he directed "Lu Acai and Huang Feihong" in 1976, capable of handling the real kung fu scenes with hard-hitting action.

Cast:

Thirteenth Aunt: Zhao Yazhi.

She participated in the Miss Hong Kong pageant in 1973 and won fourth place. She has played supporting roles in films such as "Eight Pounds of Gold" and "Money Crazy" and has some acting experience.

Liang Kuan: Fu Sheng.

Chang Cheh's favorite disciple, agile and skilled at portraying witty and humorous apprentice roles.

Yan Zhendong: Chen Guantai.

Suitable for tragic villains, the Iron Shirt Master setting matches his muscular appearance.

Villain: Lo Lieh.

He specializes in playing villains and is adept at portraying sinister and ruthless characters, fitting the image of a "colonial oppressor."

Photography: Huang Yuetai.

Music by Joseph Koo.

Art direction: Song Hongrong.

After reading the dialect, he handed it to Xiao Li.

Seventeen-year-old Xiao Li was going to act alongside 25-year-old Zhao Yazhi. At that time, Zhao Yazhi was still an actress who had already filmed two movies, and this was her first movie as the lead actress. Xiao Li was a complete newcomer, but he was very talented and should be able to handle it.

Then came another film, a traditional Chinese medicine movie based on Fang Yan himself.

The movie is called "Warm Spring in the Medical World." Fang Yan frowned as soon as he saw the title. Who would watch a movie with a title like that?

I'll have to talk to Lao Hu about it later.

The chief director is a relative of Hu Jinquan.

There is no assistant director.

The actor playing the dialect character is a box office draw: Ti Lung.

He has played many roles so far, including "Dead Corner", "Revenge", "The New One-Armed Swordsman", "The Assassin", and "The Sentimental Swordsman".

The box office results were quite good.

He's a bit older, already 32, but he's a seasoned actor and handsome.

The actress who played Zhou Zhaoqin was Miao Kexiu.

Born on January 31, 1952 in Hong Kong, with ancestral roots in Nanhai, Guangdong.

She is 26 years old this year and has a high level of international recognition due to her role in Bruce Lee's movies.

Just by looking at these two lead actors, you can tell they are clearly more committed than in the Wong Fei-hung movie.

Then there's also newcomer Derek Yee playing Fang Yan's assistant.

Wang Zhong also plays Lao Zhou.

Jiang Dawei, another doctor.

Photography by Huang Yuetai, music by Gu Jiahui.

Ni Kuang was also involved in refining the plot, but he didn't come this time.

Fang Yan now knew that this movie must have cost more money than the previous one.

Fang Yan knows many of the people here, and Chen Kaige knows quite a few as well.

He was explaining to Xiao Li what all the people inside did.

Fang Yan said to Lao Hu:

"This name is not good. I don't want to read it just because I see the name 'Warm Spring in the Medical World'."

Old Hu said in dialect:

"The name was chosen by them in Hong Kong; we can change it."

Fang Yan nodded:
"It needs to be changed, otherwise I feel like no one will watch it."

Old Hu responded:

"Okay, it's up to you."

After saying that, he asked in dialect:

"Do you have a name in mind? If so, we can change it later."

He said in dialect:

"I haven't decided yet, but I think the name should be eye-catching."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kaige casually replied:
"Yes, Brother Fang is right. I think it should be called something like 'Transnational Rescue,' 'Speed ​​of Life and Death,' or 'Reversing Life and Death.' It needs to be something that has a catchy title."

Fang Yan's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and he said:

"Kaige, these names are all pretty good."

Old Hu Yipin nodded repeatedly in agreement:

"Yes, like father, like son! No wonder he grew up in the family of a great director!"

After being praised by Fang Yan and Lao Hu, Chen Kaige smiled and scratched his head:
"Haha, I was just saying."

Old Hu said to Chen Kaige:
"Just casually mentioning it, the names these people from Hong Kong came up with are much better. You have a lot of potential."

"Hahaha..." Chen Kaige laughed loudly, feeling comfortable with himself now.

I was just lazing around at home, but today I suddenly felt a sense of accomplishment. It's true that people need to find something to do, especially something they're good at.

At this moment, the staff member spoke to the group speaking in dialect at the door:

"Director Fang, General Manager Hu, everything is ready inside, they're all waiting."

Fang Yan and Lao Hu nodded: "Oh, okay."

"Then let's go."

Then they called Chen Kaige and Xiao Li together, and followed the staff into the hotel.

This time we arrived at an even smaller private room.

As soon as I pushed the door open, the people inside immediately stood up and stared at me.

Then the staff in charge of reception introduced the local dialect and Lao Hu and his group to the people present.

The first person to be introduced was Fang Yan:

"This is Director Fang, who is the prototype of the character in the film 'Warm Spring in the Medical World,' and he is also one of the investors in our film."

Everyone's attention turned to Fang Yan. They had already heard about Fang Yan before they came, but when they met him in person, they found that he was too young and had a very good appearance and temperament. He was the kind of person who could act in a movie.

Zhao Yazhi and Miao Kexiu were both looking Fang Yan up and down.

This young man is several years younger than them, and now he's an investor in their film.

Next up is Lao Hu.

"This is General Manager Hu Daohu. He and Director Fang are partners."

"We are fellow disciples," Old Hu corrected with a smile.

The staff member who made the introduction said:
"Oh right, they're also fellow disciples."

After speaking, Hu Daohu didn't even look at the people present, appearing very arrogant.

It perfectly matches the aura of a big boss.

Compared to the slightly aloof air of Fang Yan, Hu Daohu is more like the Hong Kong tycoon they imagine.

The kind with nostrils pointing upwards.

He didn't even glance at the two actresses.

They are the kind of people who don't give you any clues whatsoever.

"This is Li Lianjie, a national martial arts champion and the lead actor in this Huang Feihong series. He is highly skilled in kung fu and just returned from winning a competition abroad."

"This is Chen Kaige, the son of mainland director Chen Huaikai. He is a friend of Director Fang."

Next, Xiao Li and Chen Kaige were introduced.

Ironically, the most nervous person here was Chen Kaige, mainly because he knew these people.

I'm still quite excited to see it now.

Xiao Li has seen a lot of the world and appears very calm. Moreover, he is now consciously or unconsciously learning the local dialect.

Then, following Lao Hu's lead, he sat down directly, ignoring all the introductions from others.

He acted like, "I'm paid, so I'm the boss. You just need to get the job done. I don't want to know you or remember you. You're just someone who works for me."

Only two directors could exchange a few words with Lao Hu.

These people don't all speak Cantonese, as Sun Jialin said.

They can speak Mandarin too.

There were no problems communicating with them.

After eating for a while, Fang Yan still had a couple of drinks with the crew.

Although Lao Hu said not to pay attention to the actors, Ti Lung and Miao Kexiu still acted like they were easy to get along with.

Fang Yan still gave the two box office guarantees some face and chatted with them for a bit.

Finally, Fang Yan mentioned wanting to change the movie's name.

No one present had any objections, after all, Fang Yan was an investor.

In the end, Fang Yan chose one of the three names that Chen Kaige had provided, and it was called "Reversing Life and Death".

Anyway, any random one is much better than something like "Warm Spring in the Medical World".

Next, it was up to the professionals, and Fang Yan listened to their director report on the upcoming arrangements.

"Reversing Life and Death" has low requirements for the location and can be filmed quickly.

"Once Upon a Time in China" required specific sets that needed to be built, and also required Leonardo DiCaprio and his team to design the fight choreography.

Regarding the dialect, I made a request: avoid the stiff, hard-hitting action sequences typical of Hong Kong films; the dialogue should be smooth and visually appealing.

These words immediately displeased Liu Jialiang, the martial arts instructor.

How can I make my shots smooth and visually appealing, without resorting to rigid, formulaic techniques?
He spoke in dialect:

"There needs to be a sample, right?"

Fang Yan glanced at him and said:
"Don't worry about that, we'll have samples."

Liu Jialiang's expression was not good, but this was Fang Yan's territory, so he had no choice but to hold it in.

At this point, Lao Hu directly said:

"You can go back."

"What?" Liu Jialiang was taken aback and looked at Hu Daohu in astonishment.

Hu Daohu said calmly:

"I told you you can go back to Hong Kong now."

Liu Jialiang was stunned. He didn't expect that he would be fired by Hu Daohu for just saying one sentence and before he could even say anything in Fangyan.

At this moment, director Chang Cheh said to Hu Daohu:
"Mr. Hu, Master Liu is the grand-disciple of Lin Shirong, a direct disciple of Wong Fei-hung. His father was a direct disciple of Lin Shirong, and many people in our team were brought by Master Liu."

After saying all this, he originally wanted Hu Daohu to think it over carefully, but Hu Daohu asked him instead:
"and then?"

At this moment, Zhang Che felt he was about to be fired too, so he opened his mouth:

"..."

Then he didn't say a word.

Hu Daohu said to his assistant:

"We'll buy Mr. Liu his plane ticket back tomorrow, and we'll send his team back with him."

"Okay." The assistant nodded.

Hu Daohu's attitude was very clear: do whatever I tell you to do; I'm not giving you money to act out or put on a bad face.

No matter who you are, I can fire you anytime I'm unhappy.

Liu Jialiang is actually quite famous as a martial arts instructor in Hong Kong. Of course, he is also extremely domineering and may even bully people.

Fang Yan knew quite a bit about how he bullied people by taking advantage of his status.

For example, in 1975, dissatisfied with Chang Cheh's excessive use of blood to depict violence, he led the entire "Liu Family Team" to leave the Shaw Brothers production team, causing the filming of "Five Deadly Venoms" to be suspended for 17 days.

In another past life, during the filming of "North and South Shaolin," Liu Jialiang told Li Lianjie that they would be shooting the sunrise at 3 a.m. the next day and asked him to inform the mainland actors to arrive on time. Li Lianjie woke everyone up at around 2 a.m. the next day, and everyone arrived early despite the freezing cold. However, they waited for seven or eight hours, and Liu Jialiang finally arrived late with his large group at around 10 a.m.

When Jet Li stepped forward to question him, Liu Jialiang dismissed him by saying he had "overslept," and then announced that filming was over because they had missed the best sunrise shot, leaving the actors waiting all night for nothing.

A few days later, some issues arose regarding the disparity in treatment, which made Li Lianjie feel deeply humiliated, ultimately leading to a complete break with Liu Jialiang.

There was also the time when Liu Jialiang was filming with Wu Jing, they took their acting too seriously and changed their tactics at the last minute without prior notice, catching Wu Jing completely off guard. He recalled that Liu Jialiang really used force that time, and Wu Jing almost cried out in pain.

Furthermore, he particularly favors straightforward, hard-hitting acting and opposes the use of any comedic elements or wire work.

Old Hu fired him now, and although he lost a martial arts team, it's actually a good thing.

With him around, arguments are bound to break out sooner or later. It's better to get rid of him sooner rather than later, and also use this opportunity to make an example of him.

Moreover, Yuan Heping's style is quite suitable for the current situation. He could even have his second senior brother, Ding Jian, lead a team to provide martial arts instruction, which would also allow people from the mainland to participate in the production.

This will give me experience for future filming.

Anyway, he can't lose out no matter how he thinks about it.

"You'll regret this! Don't come looking for me then!" Liu Jialiang, who also had a short temper, couldn't hold back any longer and left after uttering those harsh words.

"Take care, and don't bother seeing me off." Old Hu chuckled as he watched Liu Jialiang walk toward the door.

Turning to Director Liao's people, he said:
“Master Liu has quite a temper. I’m afraid he’ll cause trouble on the plane tomorrow, so I’d better not buy them plane tickets and let them figure out how to get back themselves.”

"Okay." The person in charge of reception nodded.

This completely stumped Liu Jialiang.

Standing at the doorway, it's awkward to leave or stay.

This time, they've clearly decided to take him down. This isn't Hong Kong, and Hu Daohu isn't just an actor on a film set; he's a legitimate big boss.

They were able to charter a plane to bring their team from Hong Kong and even gave them a generous deposit.

Now, just because he expressed a little dissatisfaction with Fang Yan, Hu Daohu took a series of actions that Liu Jialiang never expected. This big boss was so "petty".

But this isn't Hong Kong after all; if they want to do it this way, there's really nothing he can do.

In the end, he could only turn to Hu Daohu and say:
"Mr. Hu, what exactly did I do to offend you?"

"If you can't figure it out, then think about it slowly." Hu Daohu smiled.

The other directors and lead actors on set remained silent, trembling with fear.

Fang Yan didn't mean to be a good guy and say forget it; instead, he wanted to see how Master Liu, who was used to being domineering on set, would handle things.

Hu Daohu glanced at Fang Yan, then addressed the rest of the group:

"Please don't worry, our cooperation will continue. Please rest well today and start work tomorrow."

Upon realizing that it was none of their business, the members of the "Reversal of Life and Death" team stood up and took their leave.

As they were leaving, Miao Kexiu suddenly stopped and, in a low, somewhat hesitant voice, asked Fang Yan:

"Mr. Fang... I'd like to ask if you can provide medical care here?"

"Are you feeling unwell?" Fang Yan asked, noticing that Miao Kexiu seemed quite healthy.

Miao Kexiu said:

"No, a friend of mine has heard of you and asked me to inquire if there's a treatment for paroxysmal headaches."

He said in dialect:

"You'd have to see the patient to know for sure; a headache isn't necessarily a problem with the head."

Miao Kexiu nodded:
"Oh, okay, she's coming to visit the set in a while, I'll have her come and see you."

He said in dialect:

"Okay, just have her contact me then."

After saying that, she quickly followed the group.

All that's left are the members of the Wong Fei-hung movie crew.

Finally, Zhang Che stood up and said:

"Alright, everyone go back and rest. We'll start setting up the set tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up and ignored Liu Jialiang.

One by one, they walked outside.

Liu Jialiang stood at the door, unsure whether to leave or stay, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

"Let's go, it's time to head back," Old Hu said to Fang Yan and the others.

Fang Yan nodded.

Chen Kaige and Xiao Li had no intention of speaking up for Liu Jialiang; they had witnessed a different side of Lao Hu today.

He obediently followed behind, ready to leave immediately.

At this moment, Liu Jialiang suddenly said:

"Mr. Hu, I was wrong! I shouldn't have said anything. You...you're so kind, please let me off the hook!"

Hu Daohu stopped and turned around:

"I've realized you really have no tact. Shouldn't you apologize to me?"

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

There will be an extra chapter later!

(End of this chapter)