Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 473 Pre-wedding Honeymoon
Middle school students often hear this sentence in geography class:

If you were to drill a hole from China through the Earth's core, its exit would be in Argentina.

This involves a concept called "opposite point," which refers to the two endpoints of the same diameter of the Earth. Strictly speaking, Shanghai and Buenos Aires are opposite points.

Standing on my homeland, with Argentina's territory on the other side of my feet, the distance was so great that for a long time there were no direct flights.

No other conventional passenger aircraft in the world has enough fuel to support such a long flight.

Therefore, for countless literary and artistic young men and women like Xiao Liu, the curiosity aroused by just a few lines of dialogue in "Happy Together" made Ushuaia, the city known as the southernmost point of the earth, "the end of the world".

On September 2nd, the young couple, who had obtained visas quickly through connections at the Los Angeles consulate, along with their security team, boarded a plane. Their first stop was Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, to obtain visas on arrival.

This is one of the advantages of holding a US visa. The prestige of a US visa is equivalent to a prior endorsement in other countries. At least throughout the Americas, US visa holders are offered visas on arrival and e-visas.

The flight from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires crosses multiple time zones, and the couple arrived at their first pre-wedding honeymoon destination at 7:30 a.m. on the 3rd.

After completing the formalities at the airport, Liu Yifei was still excitedly humming the tune of "Until the End of the World," her long, wavy hair cascading down her shoulders like lazy clouds.

Wearing washed denim jeans with a simple cropped T-shirt, Lu Kuan kept trying to cover her belly button. September in the Southern Hemisphere is early spring, with an average temperature of less than 20 degrees Celsius.

"It might be cold outside, don't get cold."

"It's okay, I'll put on my jacket later. I feel like I get hot quite easily lately." Xiao Liu smiled and put her arm around his. The security team for the business visa kept a certain distance, wary of the reckless villains from the magical realism of South America.

"Menopause so early?"

"Get lost." The girl was in a good mood today, so she just laughed and cursed without resorting to violence.

Many tourists emerged from the airport, most of whom chose Buenos Aires as a hub to travel to other cities. Quite a few looked at the two of them with curiosity.

The man was tall and slender, and his casual T-shirt accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He exuded a relaxed air of nobility in every gesture.
The girl was perfectly proportioned, her long, straight legs encased in washed denim jeans, and a hint of coquettishness shone through the upturned corners of her eyes behind her sunglasses.

The two walked side by side, creating a picturesque scene.

It was Liu Yifei's first time in South America, and she wanted to share everything that was even slightly new to her. Lu Kuan, hearing his girlfriend's chatter in his ear, asked, "How come you have so much energy?"

"Because while you were revising scripts to earn money to support your family, I was sleeping soundly and looking as beautiful as a flower. Oh, and I also learned some Spanish!"

Washing Machine tentatively suggested, "How about we go back to the hotel to rest for a while and plan our itinerary?"

Unlike Italy, which is closely associated with film, which he is more familiar with, Argentina is a first-time visit for him, let alone Ushuaia.

Xiao Liu was starting to act like a brat, glancing at her boyfriend with her phoenix eyes and teasingly asking, "Are you feeling weak?"

Her response was a lecherous look, delivered in broad daylight, blatantly malicious.

Liu Yifei smiled and said, "What's there to plan? We have to go back to Beiping on the 9th. We only have 3 or 4 days of vacation at most."

"Since we're already here, why don't we spend the day here?"

Mr. Lu risked his life to accompany the beautiful woman: "Then let's go have breakfast. I've heard the South Americans from the 'Alien' crew talk about their food, which should be easier for us to accept than Western food."

South American staple foods are mainly corn tortillas and cassava bread, similar in texture to flatbreads and steamed cakes in northern China, and slightly better than the hard baguettes and sourdough breads of white people.

Xiao Liu didn't want to experience a standard tour, so he didn't even hire a tour guide or translator. Instead, he used the dozen or so hours he spent cramming Spanish and mixing in English to ask about the road conditions.

After some guessing and tipping, I received a note from the convenience store owner that supposedly had the most authentic local breakfast at this address.

"La Boca, Caminito?" Xiao Liu frowned, his smooth brows furrowing. "This is that..."

"Yes, it's the Boca Juniors, the Boca Juniors."

During the men's football final at the Beijing Olympics, Boss Lu "took advantage of his position" to take a group photo with football legend Maradona and others in the stands, and afterwards asked Riquelme for an autographed jersey.

Riquelme returned to Boca Juniors from Villarreal in Spain in January 2008 for €12 million, a move that can be seen as a homecoming.

At the same time, Boca is also a relatively prosperous district in Buenos Aires.

Xiao Liu smiled slyly: "Did you want to come watch the game? You even had the nerve to say you brought me to the ends of the earth. What are you pretending to be romantic about?"

"Of course not!" the man vehemently denied. "But I just saw at the convenience store that there's a World Cup qualifier on the 6th, Argentina vs. Paraguay, at River Plate's Monumental Stadium."

Liu Yifei raised an eyebrow: "Sure! Judging from your performance these past few days, if you've made me happy, I'll let you watch the game."

"Can I only watch it?"

"Huh? Pah!" Experience makes perfect, and the girl was slightly taken aback before realizing what she meant.

She suddenly noticed a street stall surrounded by all sorts of diners, whose breakfasts looked familiar: "Are they eating fried dough sticks?"

Lu Kuan nodded: "Yes, it's a kind of fritter covered with frosting and cinnamon powder. Spaniards also dip it in hot chocolate sauce."

Wow! I want to try it!

The man was speechless: "Try it and you'll die."

Liu Yifei bought a serving with great interest. She took the fried dough stick covered in frosting from the owner, took a bite, and the rich aroma of cinnamon powder exploded on her tongue.

Unfortunately, the satisfaction on my taste buds quickly became overloaded, and the frosting got stuck in my teeth like grit. The sticky sensation slid down my throat to my stomach, as if it were about to crystallize down my esophagus.

"It's too sweet! It's so cloying!" The girl stared at the remaining half of the fried dough stick with annoyance. The frosting was melting slightly from her body heat and glistened sinfully in the sunlight.

Lu Kuan smiled and took a sip of mineral water: "Just this one sip, you'll need to swim for at least half an hour to make up for it."

"Stop talking, I'm heartbroken." Little Liu rolled his eyes pitifully, rolled up the remaining fried dough sticks in his hand, and prepared to give them to the homeless people on the street later.

We've seen quite a lot along the way.

Argentina was also hit hard by the financial crisis in 2008, with an inflation rate as high as 25%.

The informal employment, such as street vendors, which the two of them worked for, accounts for 40% of the employed population.

Large cities, especially Buenos Aires, have attracted a large influx of impoverished rural residents, resulting in persistently high urban crime rates.

The group arrived by car at Via Camino in the La Boca district, a must-visit stop for travelers.

The colorful streets are lined with corrugated tin houses built by Italian immigrants in the 19th century, their exterior walls painted in bright indigo, pale yellow, and carmine red, like an overturned palette.

Lu Kuan looked at the colorful scene before him with great interest, which was also a form of field research for him.

"what happened?"

"See that indigo house? Doesn't the bright yellow staircase on its left look like the color spectrum designed by Jacques Demy in 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'?"

Xiao Liu couldn't keep up with his artistic thinking: "This film is from the 60s. I've only heard the name. Let me explain in a way that I can understand!"

Beautiful women always make men want to show off. Boss Lu tutored his girlfriend: "Demi proposed a concept called 'the three primary colors of emotion' in this movie."

"This theory, which originated in Germany in the 60s, had a great influence on later directors. In short, he used a lot of red, blue, and yellow throughout the film to create a visual impact—"

Lu Kuan turned to his girlfriend: "Do you still remember Zhang Yimou's 'Curse of the Golden Flower'?"

Xiao Liu joked, "Hmm, yellow chrysanthemums and big breasts."

"He used one color, while Demi used three colors. Red symbolizes love and passion, like the red dress of the female lead Gina Viv and the warm-toned set of the umbrella shop."

"Blue represents melancholy and separation, such as the cold blue environment when Gina Viv is with her mother, and the military uniform when the male protagonist Guy is serving in the military, etc."

"Yellow symbolizes hope and innocence, like the bright yellow bicycle and the warm street light when the male protagonist first appears."

The young director summarized: "Leaving aside other aspects of this film, its use of the three primary colors of emotion was astonishing at the time and influenced many later directors."

"My perception and use of color is average, so I was somewhat moved when I saw it just now. I wonder if I can try an idea in 'Ball Lightning'."

After his interpretation, Liu Yifei looked more closely at the contrasting colors of rouge red and pale yellow, and the geometric patterns of light and shadow cast by the sunlight on the indigo wall, which indeed had more meaning to interpret.

Lu Kuan remained silent for a while before slowly saying, "Boca is a neighborhood that arose because of the docks. It was originally a settlement for sailors and immigrants."

"Think about how they left their homes to come here—"

"The gloomy fog of the Río de la Plata is grayish-white, the cold touch of the tin shacks is black, and the melancholy of homesickness is blue. Could these be called the three primary colors of negative emotions?"

Liu Yifei's eyes widened in surprise: "So that's why immigrants paint their houses in these warm colors, right? Because color can indeed affect people's mood."

"Yes, Argentina has a significant number of Italian immigrants. You remember Messi in the Olympic final, right? He's an Italian immigrant. Having left their homeland, these immigrants are naturally passionate and outgoing, and they need to use this highly saturated color scheme to counteract the 'negative primary colors'."

"Similarly, in 'Ball Lightning,' when Lin Yun..." Lu Kuan frowned, paused, and continued:

"When Lin Yun is performing quantum collapse, is it possible to make the ambient color suddenly tear apart from the cool tone, revealing several streaks of chrome yellow?"

"Or what if we used color to counteract the observer effect in quantum mechanics?"

He didn't seem to have thought it through himself; he was just rubbing his chin, his eyes flickering in the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the building at a 45-degree angle.

Looking at his sharply defined profile, his slightly furrowed brows, and the way his pupils contracted when discussing colors, Xiao Liu noticed the unique sensitivity and obsession of an artist.

In that instant, the girl had no time to ponder the profound meaning of color in the film he was explaining—

My mind is filled with thoughts of how handsome my husband is, and I wish I could stand on tiptoe, wrap my arms around his neck, and give him a kiss!
After pondering for a few seconds without finding a solution, Boss Lu waved his hand and beckoned to Afei and the others: "Let's go eat."

Liu Yifei chose an old shop on the street. The sign that read "El Obrero" looked very weathered. The Coca-Cola antique lightbox had a slogan that read "5 cents a bottle" from the 1940s that was particularly eye-catching.

Just as the owner of the road said, the dark green on the signboard represents the Italian immigrants' nostalgia for their homeland's olive groves.

The convenience store owner's so-called most authentic breakfast in the capital, besides Argentine croissants and sweet pastries favored by sweet tooths, does indeed offer several options that are relatively more suitable for Asian tastes.

The young couple both chose savory beef dumplings, seasoned with onions, olives, and cumin, which tasted decent.

There were quite a few diners, and some of them even recognized Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei, and went up to talk to them and ask for autographs.

Just as Chinese people have trouble distinguishing faces from foreigners, foreigners also have difficulty differentiating Chinese people.

Even for a Berlin Film Festival Best Actress like Liu, the influence of the European Film Festival doesn't necessarily extend to South America, especially since she also has a hat and sunglasses.

It's worth mentioning that the person who recognized Boss Lu was someone who watched the men's football final at the Beijing Olympics and remembered him and Maradona appearing on camera for an extended period of time.

Liu Yifei looked around with interest. There were movie posters of Audrey Hepburn on the walls, as well as scarves and slogans supporting various sports teams.

Next to Maradona's autographed jersey on the wall is a 1950s union strike flyer; this shop was once a gathering place for dockworkers.

Xiao Liu had a lot of performances to do later, so she only ate half of what she had eaten before handing the fork to her boyfriend, indicating that he should finish it off for her.

He then propped his chin up and looked around—observing the characters and the environment, and experiencing different roles and situations in the process, has become an actor's instinct.

"I read the data on the plane and realized that Argentina's economic situation was not good, but I always felt that they were still full of enthusiasm."

As if to confirm her judgment, the old man at the next table started playing the bandoneon accordion, and the tango melody mingled with the aroma of coffee.

"The people here are like this. In 'The Motorcycle Diaries,' when Che Guevara was traveling through South America, he saw miners coughing up blood while playing football in the mining area."

"Or like Borges's 'The Aleph,' one can glimpse infinity even in a despairing street corner."

After breakfast, Afei arranged for staff to settle them in at the hotel, while he maintained a safe distance from the two.

Unlike back home, where I mostly just served as a driver, I rarely had the chance to pickpocket in the US. Today, I was only passing through a slum when some clueless pickpockets appeared.

Lost in their "pre-honeymoon," Liu Yifei barely noticed the presence of others. If she had a choice, she would rather be capricious and forgo any security. The two took the opportunity to stroll along Caminito Street in Boca, passing by the colorful tin-roofed houses that were filmed in "Happy Together," and took a couple's photo against the contrasting background.

The weather in Buenos Aires was indeed a bit chilly, so she straightened the hem of her T-shirt and put on a brightly colored cardigan, excitedly asking her boyfriend to take a picture of her.

This must be the biggest advantage of having a director boyfriend whose skills in camera work, color theory, and composition are world-class.

As Lu Kuan adjusted the camera, the girl habitually made a peace sign, leaving him speechless.

"Don't treat taking photos like a static scene; imagine yourself acting in a movie."

"what?"

"The pose is too tacky! I won't allow this kind of photo to come from my hands." Boss Lu carefully instructed his girlfriend on how to "show off her sex appeal":
"Now you play a French woman who has found an antique camera at a flea market, walking happily down the street with one hand in her pocket."

He stepped forward to adjust his girlfriend's clothes, first tilting the brim of her hat at a 15-degree angle to her brow bone: "The hat should convey a sense of story, not make her look like a wholesale vendor."

Boss Lu fiddled with it for a while as if it were a Barbie doll, then stepped back to the best position: "Walk over here like you're in a movie, give me a cool, casual, and romantic feeling."

"Temporarily sever the nerves in those two uncontrollable fingers of yours!"

Xiao Liu smiled and agreed. She understood the idea of ​​making a movie. She put her left hand in her pocket, touched the brim of her hat with her right hand, and tilted her chin towards the camera.

The tassels of a colorful knitted cardigan brushed against the ripped jeans, and the exposed skin looked like blank spaces on a carefully designed canvas under the light.

"Okay, perfect! One more!"

This time, the renowned director stood still and gave instructions: "Stand against the wall, sweep your hair to the right side, put your left hand in your pocket, and place your left foot on the wall."

"You need to be careful with the hand you hold your phone. Imagine Audrey Hepburn eating ice cream on the Spanish Steps in 'Roman Holiday.' Your fingertips should be in a relaxed parabolic arc."

Liu Yifei exclaimed, "What about my expression?"

"Expressions?" Boss Lu gave his girlfriend a "Wang Jiawei"-style instruction: "Just remember one sentence: what the audience is really obsessed with is the freedom that is escaping from your body."

"It gives me a sense of freedom."

The actress cursed inwardly, "Even washing machines are getting abstract now, adopting the style of Ashes of Time."

The movements weren't too difficult this time, but they were a bit hard to find. However, the chemistry between the lovers, who were now in perfect harmony, improved a lot, and Xiao Liu still performed it perfectly.

With his left shoulder gently resting against the weathered stone pillar, his right thumb deftly danced across the keyboard, his right leg straightened, and his left foot lightly tapped the ground like the pause of a tango.

The peacock blue tassels of her knitted cardigan drooped down as she leaned slightly forward, swaying like countless tiny pendulums in the sunlight.

At this point, the art was complete.

"Great! Not bad!" The photographer flipped through several photos and couldn't help but admire himself.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Liu Yifei eagerly leaned forward, her hair, which was fluttering in the breeze and carried a delicate fragrance, stirred the man's heart.

The girl couldn't take her eyes off it and gave her boyfriend a thumbs up: "It's really good, this washing machine is amazing!"

Boss Lu said smugly, "I know every inch of you, inside and out, so how can I take pictures of you with ease?"

"Really?" Xiao Liu teased, hooking her arm around his. "Well, you're the same. I've touched you all over. Maybe I'll take some pictures of you tonight too."

She paused, then whispered in her boyfriend's ear, "How about taking nude photos?"

"Wow, you like playing this game? Women before marriage are really something! Let's have a match tonight."

The washing machine looked delighted, which made Xiao Liu give up: "I wish I could be as shameless as you!"

"almost."

Having eaten a hearty breakfast, and with Liu Yifei in a period of passive appetite silence, the two decided to head straight to their next destination after touring Caminito Street in the Boca district.

but. . .

Where to go?

"Whatever, you choose."

The downside of traveling at will is that you have no destination at all, but this isn't a big problem for Xiao Liu.

She's currently content with love, as long as she doesn't go to places outside her "artistic papermaking" circle, lest she and her boyfriend run out of things to talk about.

Besides that, she was happy to sit in a coffee shop with the two of them until dawn.

Mr. Lu can't do that yet. He can't stand being bored when he suddenly has free time. He either looks at colors to inspire his thinking, like he does in the morning, or he goes to a museum to appreciate artworks.

The man flipped through an English-language travel brochure: "Cologne Opera? One of the world's three largest opera houses, absolutely magnificent."

Liu Xiaolv refused: "I'm not going. I don't understand opera, and neither do you. Nobody explains it to me."

"A Latin American museum? It has Frida Kahlo's 'Self-Portrait with a Broken Neck,' by the Mexican surrealist female writer."

Liu Xiaolv shook her head: "No, those who are superhuman are all crazy. I'm just a female literary youth, and I don't want to evolve to that level for the time being."

"Feeding pigeons in May Square? It's also a filming location for many movies, such as Happy Together."

"No, I'm not going. Pigeon droppings are too disgusting. I got them in Italy last time. There's no need to go through all that trouble."

Boss Lu was already considering giving up: "Then let's go to the Church of San Ignacio! Let's go see the frescoes on the dome!"

"No way! God is too busy listening to Argentinians repent for their inflationary suffering to give you a washing machine to bless."

"Then you choose!" Lu Kuan looked at his girlfriend speechlessly, but vowed, "If I ever believe your 'whatever' attitude again, I'm a dog!"

"You always have! You just love... haha!" Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh, taking the booklet and randomly pointing to a spot: "Right here!"

"Recoleta Cemetery? Strolling around a graveyard in broad daylight? Are you trying to give them a feng shui reading or something?"

Xiao Liu smiled and said, "When I was little, I watched the opera 'Evita' and everyone said she was the world's first feminist. I was a little curious."

The washing machine feigned anger: "You little rascal, Liu Xiaolv, riding on me isn't enough, you want to ride on my head now, huh?"

"No, no, you're the boss in our family!" Liu Yifei coaxed, tiptoeing and whispering sweet nothings in the man's ear as they headed towards their destination.

There are two works based on Eva Perón, the former First Lady and First Lady of Argentina.

One is an opera directed by Broadway legend Harold Prince in 1976, which uses the "Brecht-style alienation technique" that Liu Yifei is currently researching to require the actors to perform. The famous song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" comes from this production.

Another one is an American film starring Madonna in 96, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The afternoon sun at two o'clock cuts through the wrought iron arches of Recoleta Cemetery, stretching the shadows of the Gothic fences into thin lines like lyre strings.

Eva Perón's coffin was placed in the deepest part of the family cemetery. The black marble coffin was surprisingly simple, with only her birth and death dates and the inscription "I will return, in countless forms" engraved on it.

Liu Yifei's fingertips brushed against the rusty bronze plaque, the Spanish word "Eva Perón" engraved on it gleaming with a warm, matte sheen in the sunlight.

In Buenos Aires in September, there weren't many tourists at midday. After looking around for a while, Xiao Liu asked curiously:
"If you were Perón, would you like her because of her experiences?"

Eva Perón took her husband's surname; her original name was Eva.

Liu Yifei asked this question out of curiosity, simply because the legendary woman's experiences were rather "shocking".

Or rather, it's a set of values ​​that differ from those of the average Chinese person.

She was born into a poor family in Argentina in 1919 and suffered discrimination as an illegitimate child.

At 15, in order to go to the capital, she used her body as a bargaining chip to lure a wandering singer. After being abandoned, she simply became a high-class prostitute to support herself.

She met Colonel Perón during a military coup in 1943, and this ambitious woman took the initiative to confess her feelings and won his favor.

After Perón was imprisoned, Eva Braun used her previously accumulated connections in high society to organize a labor movement in Perón's name, helping him to be released from prison and elected president.

Later, her ambitions grew, and she dedicated herself to leading the cause of women's rights, receiving both praise and criticism. She died of uterine cancer at the age of 33.

Liu Yifei is sometimes curious about what kind of woman he would like if she hadn't come along.

Could it be someone like Eva Perón, with her methods, courage, and ambition?
Like Bingbing, or perhaps a red daughter who would be more helpful to his career?

Lu Kuan glanced at Liu Xiaolv, wondering if she had come on a whim or was planning to dig a hole for herself.
Women tend to overthink things, both before and after marriage.

Boss Lu answered truthfully: "If I were a warlord, of course I would need a partner who could bring brothel tactics into the presidential palace."

He turned to the side and tucked a strand of Liu Yifei's wind-blown hair behind her ear: "But I'm just a lousy moviemaker, what do I need a woman who's good at politics?"

"Why are you suddenly asking about this? Are you trying to pull some tricks on me since we're getting married soon?"

Liu Yifei smiled gently: "Of course not, it's just that I felt inspired by the magical experience I had with South Americans this morning."

"Actually, I think you are quite similar to them at times. You are both idealistic and realistic, which makes it hard for outsiders to see clearly."

The man smiled and said, "Artists are all very pretentious and selfish. They usually say they don't seek things outward, but it's as if they're always exploring their own hearts and searching in the spiritual world."

"But that's not actually the case. The more a neurotic someone is caught between idealism and reality, the more they need a stable emotional support."

"In this way, I can get inspiration to create when I am sick, and I can also be anchored so that I don't deviate too much from my normal life."

Lu Kuan said seriously, "If not, then we really have to live like magical realists."

Xiao Liu said happily, "Then I'm the anchor point?"

"Shouldn't you, a literary young woman, be reading Wang Xiaobo?"

"Look, what are you trying to say?"

Boss Lu also indulged in a bit of romance: "Wang Xiaobo once wrote a sentence for Li Yinhe—'When I cross over all that is decadent and wage war against eternity, you are my battle flag.'"

Liu Yifei's eyes suddenly lit up, as if they were filled with sunlight.

Her lips curled up high, and a light blush rose on her cheeks. Suddenly, she stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around Lu Kuan's neck.

"I want to kiss you!" Her voice was filled with undisguised joy. Before Lu Kuan could react, she tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss carried the warmth of the South American sun, yet also a touch of girlish domineering, as if she wanted to savor every flavor of the sweet words spoken just now.

After visiting the cemetery, the cheerful young woman readily agreed to accompany him to several other attractions that interested him. Today, the sight of a Chinese couple could be seen everywhere in Buenos Aires.

Enjoying the arias of opera singers waiting to go on stage under the gilded dome at the Cologne Theatre;
The Latin American Art Museum displays Frida Kahlo's "The Two Fridas," which debating the metaphor of "division and wholeness."

At the Athenian Bookstore, I admired a rubbing of a first edition of *One Hundred Years of Solitude* on a mural beneath the spiral staircase.

As the setting sun painted the surface of the Río de la Plata red, the shadows of the two, their fingers intertwined, stretched long and long.

It seems to follow the legend of the antipodal point at the Earth's center, winding its way back to the twilight of its hometown.
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(End of this chapter)