The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 253 Giving Gifts to the Department and Holding a Movie Study Session

In late March, the air in the seaside city was still damp and cold from the sea breeze, as if the ghost of winter was still lingering among the red-tiled roofs.

Damp cold is even worse than dry cold.

The gray, Soviet-style building of the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative was shrouded in the morning sea fog.

On the second floor of the side building, the corridor was filled with a faint smell of ink, and people were constantly walking by in a hurry.

At first, it was the person carrying the thermos to get hot water.

Then there are the people who take the receipts to get reimbursed.

Finally, there were the people rushing downstairs in a crowded throng:
"He's back! Our Director Qian is back! He's back with bags and packages!"

These words were like pouring a bucket of cold water into boiling oil, and the entire foreign business office instantly erupted into chaos.

An eager anticipation, almost to the point of lifting the roof off, surged like an invisible tide between the cubicles and the workbench.

Just as Zheng Jinhong was about to make a call, she quickly hung up the phone. In the deputy director's office next door, Sun Jian, acting as his number one lackey, practically launched himself and rushed downstairs.

Not to be outdone, the other young men also sped off in pursuit.

Even the most composed Cheng Xia couldn't help but step out of the office, his hands behind his back, and look towards the stairwell.

Soon, a series of chaotic footsteps, accompanied by the chuckling of several young men, approached from downstairs to the second floor.

Qian Jin appeared at the door.

He still carried a trace of the dust of his journey, his dark gray cotton Zhongshan suit was buttoned up meticulously, he carried a briefcase in his left hand and a military green overcoat draped over his right arm.

Sun Jian and several other young men followed behind him, surrounding him as he walked in the center.

These people were all carrying bags, all of them bulging with luggage.

"Director Qian!"

Li Yang had the loudest voice and was the first to shout.

The others joined in, shouting, "Director Qian!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Director!"

"Tomorrow is Sunday. I thought you wouldn't be coming today, Director Qian, and we'd all take the weekend off together..."

The calls that rose and fell instantly merged into a wave of joy.

Cheng Xia strode forward steadily, intending to take the cotton coat from Qian Jin's hand, but Qian Jin smiled and waved his hand to stop him:

"It's okay, Lao Cheng, I can carry it!"

He handed the briefcase to Cheng Xia: "Open it, inside is our department's first honor!"

Cheng Xia was pleasantly surprised.

He bowed slightly in respect, then took his briefcase and hurried into the main office, unzipping it.

There were some documents and various invoices inside, but the most eye-catching thing, which was what Qian Jin wanted him to take out, was a thick, dark red velvet certificate with a gold national emblem border!
At this moment, Qian Jin walked to the office door.

Cheng Xia looked at him tentatively and took out the bright red velvet certificate.

Qian Jin nodded.

Then Cheng Xia held up the certificate, just like the old baboon in "The Lion King" held up Simba the little lion.

Or it's like waving a victory flag: "Comrades, look what this is!"

Sun Jian asked Qian Jin, "Director Qian, what is this? Is this an honorary certificate awarded to you by the Central News Agency?"

Qian Jin laughed heartily and announced in a loud voice, "Comrades, I, Qian Jin, on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Office of our Haibin Supply and Marketing Cooperative, have completed the task assigned by the organization!"

"Old Cheng, open it and take a look. Inside is our department's advanced collective honor!"

This honor for being an advanced collective was awarded by the province, not by headquarters.

The headquarters handled the commendation work in the case of the poisoned bird's nest in a reasonable and well-founded manner.

The case was discovered, investigated, and supervised by Qian Jin. Qian Jin made a great contribution, so he was awarded a commendation from headquarters.

The Foreign Trade Office benefited from his success, and later, during the investigation and evidence collection phase, the Foreign Trade Office also assisted the task force with some minor tasks.

The headquarters did not award any prizes to the foreign business offices, but instructed the province to give a collective award.

For their new department, receiving an award and honor from the provincial federation was already a remarkable achievement.

A thunderous applause erupted without warning.

This applause was far more sincere than the applause at the awards ceremony; it carried heartfelt pride and joy, making the glass windows vibrate.

As the applause subsided, the employees swarmed around Qian Jin, surrounding him in the center.

But pairs of eager eyes were fixed on the certificate in Cheng Xia's hand, as if they wanted to see it into their hearts.

People of this generation have a strong sense of honor.

Honor is more precious than money!
"Director! Let us take a look!"

"Yes! Read it to us! How did the higher-ups praise us?"

"Let me touch this national emblem. Now we're like an old cow that doesn't need a calf—we're incredibly awesome!"

With an extremely solemn expression, Cheng Xia slowly lifted the cover of the deep red velvet certificate.

On the snow-white paper inside, the three large, vigorous traditional Chinese characters for "Certificate of Commendation" were prominently displayed. Below that were the more specific details of the commendation, and finally, a solemn, bright red seal was affixed to the cover.

He cleared his throat, his voice trembling slightly with excitement—this was the genuine emotion of a veteran, without a trace of acting.

If there's one person in the foreign business office who cherishes this honor the most, it's undoubtedly Cheng Xia.

Cheng Xia tried his best to speak clearly and read aloud:
"...The Foreign Trade Office of the Haibin City Supply and Marketing Cooperative is hereby awarded the title of 'Advanced Unit in Foreign Trade Work of the National Supply and Marketing System in 1978'. This is to commend and encourage them..."

"Bravo!!!" Another round of even more intense applause and cheers almost lifted the roof off.

Everyone's face was glowing.

A strong sense of collective honor and belonging arose spontaneously at this moment.

"Just looking at the certificate isn't enough!" After the applause subsided, Qian Jin smiled and carefully handed the certificate to Cheng Xia, who was standing next to him with eager eyes.

He gestured for Sun Jian and the others to bring over several bulging travel bags, then looked outside.

There were no colleagues from other departments outside at the moment, so he gave Sun Jian a wink: "Go downstairs and keep an eye on things, don't let anyone come up."

Sun Jian knew they were about to distribute welfare items, so he quickly nodded: "Hey, boss, just you wait and see. If I let even a fly in, I'll shave my head as an apology!"

"Stop it," Li Xiang teased him. "Where would you get flies like this in this freezing weather?"

Sun Jian chuckled, scratched his head, and said, "Then I don't need to shave my head?"

Qian Jin unzipped his jacket, and a rich aroma mixed with the scents of baked pastries, pickles, and wine suddenly wafted out.

"These are all specialties of the capital, which is a good omen for my award. Everyone should receive one, and we should strive to ensure that everyone can receive an award in the future!"

"Come on, there's a lot of stuff in here. Open those three bags too. Inside are Beijing delicacies, roast duck, Poria cocos cakes, Liubiju pickles, and other good stuff!"

As Qian Jin rattled off the names as if they were his own treasures, he pulled each item out of his huge travel bag.

Vacuum-packed roast duck, white boxes of Poria cocos cakes exuding a sweet, milky aroma, jars of Liubiju liquor with a unique soy sauce fragrance, and pretty little yellow ceramic jars...

After taking out the small jar, Sun Meijuan sensed something was wrong: "Director Qian, what did you buy? Is it spoiled? I think I smell something foul."

"Your nose is amazing, it's not broken, because this stuff is inherently smelly." Qian Jin chuckled. "Wang Zhihe stinky tofu, smells bad, but tastes delicious!"

Cheng Xia immediately grabbed one: "Hey Director Qian, you're amazing! How did you know I like this kind of thing?"

Qian Jin tossed him a bottle of Niulanshan liquor: "I knew you liked this."

All four shopping bags were emptied, and the gifts that were taken out piled up on half of the temporarily cleared-out desk, making it feel like a mini-exhibition of Beijing's local specialties.

Finally, the bottle with the antique-style osmanthus-flavored aged wine was brought out.

"Each female comrade has a bottle of osmanthus wine, and each male comrade has a bottle of Erguotou!"

"Oh my, Beijing Eight Delicacies!" Zheng Jinhong's eyes lit up as she stared at the boxes of pastries.

This item, wrapped in old yellow straw paper and tied neatly with paper rope, is a classic Beijing delicacy, a popular gift in the capital.

"Roast duck! This is the roast duck of the capital? My goodness, this is rare. We've only heard of it, but we've never seen it before." Several young men circled around the roast duck.

Cheng Xia opened the ceramic jar of stinky tofu.

Several people pinched their noses and said, "Hey, Deputy Director Cheng, what are you doing?"

"Who farted? Admit it, or I'll have to investigate you on this big day..."

Li Xiang asked with disdain, "How can this stuff taste good?"

Cheng Xia put the lid on and walked out with a smile: "You ignorant country bumpkin, this stinky tofu is the real deal. It smells bad but tastes delicious. I'm not going to get any vegetables for lunch today. I'll just have steamed buns with stinky tofu!"

Qian Jin opened a box of Poria cocos cakes:

"Try this, everyone. The saleswoman said it was a favorite snack of Empress Dowager Cixi. It's soft. One box for each person. Take it home for the elderly in your family who have bad teeth."

The young men quickly accepted the gifts, beaming with joy: "Thank you, Director! You've thought of everything!"

The office was bustling with activity, like it was Chinese New Year. Distributing local specialties was even busier and more organized than taking inventory of foreign trade goods.

Everyone carefully held their prized possessions, looking at them from left to right, their excitement and satisfaction impossible to hide.

These "gifts" from the capital were not just food and drink in an era of scarcity; they were a weighty reward and a token of affection.

The entire foreign business office was immersed in a warm, sweet, and joyful atmosphere. When Sun Jian returned later, he said directly:
"I wondered where I was. It felt like spring had arrived. The atmosphere was so warm."

Everyone chuckled happily.

Qian Jin returned to his office to handle official business, and after a brief period of joy, the others also got busy.

In the afternoon, the Foreign Investment Office held a meeting where everyone reported on the progress of Qian Jin's work in the capital over the past few days.

After the meeting ended, Qian Jin beckoned Sun Jian to stay: "Tell everyone privately that if you're free tomorrow, come to the office!"

"Around nine o'clock in the morning, in this conference room. Please have a few colleagues move all the tables away later."

Sun Jian agreed, then leaned closer with a grin and asked, "Director Qian, what are we working overtime for tomorrow?"

Qian Jin said, "I'll show you something good, something you've never seen before."

"Good stuff?" Cheng Xia's eyes narrowed immediately. "What could be better than this stinky tofu?"

Sun Jian lowered his voice and asked, "Director, what kind of scarce supplies have you gotten approval for this time? A refrigerator? A color TV?"

Qian Jin waved his hand mysteriously, putting his index finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture:

"It's something I promised to see, but I haven't been able to because I've been busy with work..."

Sun Jian immediately realized: "It's a movie! We can watch a movie tomorrow! It's a movie from Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan?!"

Cheng Xia suddenly realized what was happening and clapped his hands hard.

Qian Jin nodded with a smile.

Sun Jian was thrilled and asked, "Director Qian, you're not joking, are you? Our unit can show movies?"

"Good grief, they're showing a banned movie? It's not a martial arts film, is it?"

Qian Jin said, "You guessed right—but I'm not letting you watch the movie for fun, tomorrow's meeting is for learning! Learning Cantonese!"

Cheng Xia quickly replied, "I understand, I understand. I'll definitely pass on the news that I'm working overtime to study to every colleague!"

Qian Jin nodded, packed up his notebook, and left.

The next day, the supply and marketing cooperative building lost its usual hustle and bustle, becoming empty and quiet, with only the monotonous rubbing sound of the security staff's shoes on the cement floor.

However, the scene in the conference room on the second floor of the foreign business office was quite different.

The curtains were all drawn, the lights were on inside, and more than forty people gathered, filled with anticipation.

Their eyes were all on Qian Jin.

Qian Jin was fiddling with a movie projector at the back of the conference room.

A snow-white screen was hung on the wall in front. Sun Jian and his men were adjusting the angle of the screen. Li Xiang finally nodded: "That's about right, this will do."

The movie projector is almost installed.

Qian Jin took out a large stack of film reel cases from the canvas travel bag next to him. The plastic shells of the cases were printed with colorful pictures, and he selected one of them.

Cheng Xia, who was standing nearby, leaned over to take a look.

The figures on the box are dressed strangely, and in the center is a particularly eye-catching, bold title:

Drunken Fist.

"Is everyone here? Close the door!" Qian Jin ordered in a low voice.

Sun Jian immediately went to the door, closed it tightly, and locked it.

The atmosphere inside the room instantly became tense and exciting, like that of someone doing something wrong.

Cheng Xia couldn't help but ask, "Is this the Hong Kong version of film stock?"

Qian Jin nodded: "Yes, this machine is an old projector that I got through someone. The film is something I obtained by making friends with some colleagues in Guangzhou during my trip to the capital."

"These are all Hong Kong movies, all in Cantonese. You all better remember this, remember it well. We're not here to watch movies, we're here to learn, to learn Cantonese through movies!"

Sun Jian reached out and swept his hand over the group of people: "Did you all remember it?"

Everyone nodded vigorously: "We've got it, we've got it."

"We're working overtime to learn, to learn Cantonese!"

"Yes, um, lately I've been having a lot of trouble communicating with my colleagues from Guangdong and Hong Kong, as well as with foreign trade businesspeople. They don't speak Mandarin, they speak Cantonese, so I have to learn Cantonese too..."

Cheng Xia excitedly stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, asking, "Should we release it?"

In this era of highly closed information and where all imported films require layers of approval, "Hong Kong films" themselves carry a strong taboo connotation and an unimaginable allure.

Watching this kind of movie is indeed a violation of regulations.

But they weren't there to watch a movie; they were there to learn Cantonese, which makes sense.

This explanation instantly gave everyone a legitimate reason to feel their secret excitement and tension, and they straightened their backs a bit more.

Qian Jin nodded in satisfaction and, as if by magic, pulled a bulging net bag from under the table.

It was filled with sunflower seeds and roasted peanuts wrapped in newspaper, along with two packets of cheap orange segment hard candy.
"Here, you need spiritual nourishment, and you can't skimp on snacks! Don't be shy, treat yourself like you're watching a movie in a theater!"

The appearance of these incredibly down-to-earth snacks instantly brought the "work and study" atmosphere back to a relaxed and lively track, and everyone's last bit of restraint vanished.

"Click...squeak..." A slight friction sound rang out.

Following what he had learned, Qian Jin took a roll of film out of its hard plastic casing, placed it on the projector's turntable, pulled out the film head, and threaded the film.

He cranked the small handle on the side of the projector, and the machine hummed as it operated. A strong cone-shaped beam of light shot out from the top light hole and hit the white projection screen that had already been pulled down in front of him.

The screen first displayed a blinding white light and irregular jumping noises, accompanied by buzzing and squeaking sounds.

Suddenly, a sound effect combining opera drumbeats with strange electronic music burst out without warning in the silent conference room.

A flash of light appeared on the screen, and a clear, colorful image suddenly popped up:

A comical young man dressed in a cloth shirt from the Republican era, with a shaved head, is riding on the back of a skinny ox, swaying his head and singing something, with dust flying from under the ox's hooves.

"Wow—" Everyone was stunned and exclaimed in surprise.

sound!

It is definitely Cantonese!
But what attracts everyone is the cinematic quality!

The colors were so saturated and bright that they were somewhat mesmerized!
Everyone in the movie seemed to have an oily sheen on their face.

The colors of the clothes were so bright they were almost blinding.

Then comes the action.

The story begins with an assassin accepting a mission to kill.

The opening scene features a hard-hitting battle between two kung fu masters.

The pace was so intense, and the scene was so breathtaking.

It's completely different from the slow-paced, serious movies they've seen before!
The plot is simple, direct, and straightforward.

In the first five minutes, Wong Fei-hung first fought with his senior brother, and then sparred with his aunt on the street.

Later, he even got into two fights with the tyrannical young master of the Li family and his boxing instructor.

The fast pace immediately ignited everyone's nerves!
That ugly, big-nosed actor wasn't very good-looking, but his fighting skills were amazing.

When the plot moved into the teahouse scene, the male actor fought against multiple opponents again. This time, he darted in and out of the simple wooden shelves of the teahouse with lightning speed.

When he was cornered with no way to escape, he flipped over and leaped up to the second floor, which was three or four meters high.

That wasn't a "jump" at all; it completely defied gravity!
The group of people who didn't understand 'wire work' were completely dumbfounded. Cheng Xia was so excited that he punched his thigh and exclaimed, "Holy crap! Lightness skill! There really is lightness skill!"

Qian Jin explained helplessly, "He's suspended by wires behind him, that's called wire work. Never mind, you guys watch first, I'll explain in detail later."

The ugly-nosed man was surrounded in the narrow teahouse. Facing a hail of fists, he didn't retreat but advanced, his body twisting and dodging like a flexible rubber band, his movements so fast they were almost invisible.

Even more outrageous is that when punches and kicks come, he can use tables, benches, or even a simple door frame pillar as fulcrums to make unbelievable dodging or counter-attacking moves.

His hands, arms, and legs seemed not to be human limbs, but rather incredibly flexible and infinitely resilient springs!

"Wow!" Zheng Jinhong was so amused that she couldn't stop staring at the screen, forgetting to even crack the sunflower seeds in her hand.

Li Xiang was so excited she stood up: "How did he get up there? Was that a fake scene? It must be a fake scene!"

The men reacted more strongly.

Sun Jian's breathing became rapid early in the morning. As he watched the protagonist's unimaginable dodging movements, he made "hmm, ah, oh" sounds in his throat, while his buttocks shifted unconsciously in the chair, and his palms were sweating.

When the protagonist used tables, chairs, benches, and even a roadside urinal as leverage to perform high-difficulty dodges, Sun Jian's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he couldn't help but growl:
"How the hell did they train like this?"

The appearance of "Drunken Master" mercilessly trampled on everyone's visual senses.

Qian Jin understood.

These young people used to watch mostly model operas, and their knowledge of martial arts films came entirely from publications like "Popular Cinema" and "Film Pictorial".

In reality, they don't understand what martial arts films or kung fu films are; they've just heard that they're good.

From the founding of the People's Republic of China to the present day, and from birth to the present day, they have never seen a martial arts film.

I've never seen a Jackie Chan movie.

Before last year, Jackie Chan was basically an extra. Last year, he starred in "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" (1978) and now "Drunken Master," showcasing his unique kung fu comedy style, which led to his sudden rise to fame in Hong Kong.

He is currently unknown in mainland China.

But a superstar is a superstar.

Although no one knew Jackie Chan, everyone could tell that this unattractive man was very good at making movies.

However, they were unaware at this point of the incredible action-comedy in this movie!

Soon the plot progresses, and Jackie Chan's young Wong Fei-hung meets his master, Beggar So.

Thus began the storm of action art...

As Cheng Xia finished performing a set of "Drunken Eight Immortals" moves, he suddenly sat up straight, causing the chair to make a creak.

As Jackie Chan was surrounded and attacked, his "martial arts performance with elegant movements" style, which combined the graceful yet powerful punches and kicks of a dance, left the audience gasping in astonishment and completely mesmerized.

Nobody's eating snacks anymore.

No one spoke.

Everyone was completely absorbed in watching the movie!
When the credits rolled on the screen and the cheerful yet slightly satirical Cantonese theme song played, the entire small conference room fell into absolute silence for over ten seconds.

The projector's turntable emitted a monotonous "tap...tap...tap..." ending tone, the beam of light went out, and the room was once again filled with only the dim light filtering through the cracks in the door.

No one spoke.

Everyone remained stunned, staring blankly at the now-blank screen.

It was as if my soul was still immersed in that unimaginable martial arts extravaganza, flung out by the rapidly spinning film, unable to return to its place for a long time.

"Do you want to see more?" Qian Jin asked.

These words finally brought everyone back to their senses.

"My goodness..." Sun Meijuan let out a long, extremely unladylike sigh, as if she were about to exhale all the breath she had been holding for over an hour.

Her hands were still clenched tightly as she hurriedly said, "Look, look again, I... I didn't see it clearly..."

Others exclaimed, "That's it? That was fast! That was fucking awesome!"

"It's more than just exhilarating! It completely changed my understanding of fighting!"

Sun Jian suddenly stood up and raised his leg to kick, but Cheng Xia pressed him down.

Cheng Xia's face was expressionless, and his eyes were sharp.

The pretentious act was spot-on; Qian Jin looked like a complete idiot.

Sun Jian pushed Cheng Xia aside, his hands unconsciously gesturing in the air as he imitated a dodging move he had just seen: "Like this, twist your waist, turn your body, and whack! The enemy flies away!"

"Awesome! So awesome!"

He was muttering to himself, imitating broken Cantonese, "'Don't hit me, ha!'"

Li Xiang and Zheng Jinhong were still immersed in those amazing and funny moves and expressions, and couldn't help but burst into laughter when they saw this scene.

Cheng Xia solemnly said to Qian Jin, "These people are really skilled. They can jump so high, and some of them can smash tables and chairs with a single punch..."

"It's all fake!" Qian Jin said speechlessly. "Their high jumps were achieved by using the camera's positioning. And those tables and chairs are made of foam, so you can smash them with one punch!"

Cheng Xia retorted, "What about the bottle? That bottle smashed on my head with a 'clang,' isn't that hard qigong?"

"It's hard qigong, that's what they practice in the army," someone chimed in. "I heard it from my brother, one slap and you'll shatter a brick!"

Qian Jin explained, "Hard qigong may exist, and soldiers in the army may actually practice it, but it's not what's depicted in the movies."

“Those bottles are made of syrup. They look like glass, but they are actually sugar flakes, so they are very brittle.”

Cheng Xia was stunned.

He swallowed hard, and finally asked, "Who's that actor with the big nose? Is he called Wong Fei-hung?"

“Huang Feihong is the character’s name,” Sun Jian said.

Cheng Xia said, "Anyway, I think he's amazing. This person, his control over his body is incredible."

Qian Jin said, "You're right, his name is Jackie Chan, and he'll be the top star of Chinese kung fu movies in the future!"

He casually picked up the orange candy in his hand and put it in his mouth: "But don't just watch the fight, you need to learn Cantonese!"

"Cantonese will be very useful when we deal with Hong Kong businessmen at the Canton Fair in the future!"

"Furthermore, I want to remind you all again that this is a film viewing for learning, it's for learning! And this kind of learning should be done regularly, it should be held periodically, this is our department's internal reference learning meeting!"

"Great!" everyone shouted happily.

"No problem, Director Qian, I'll respond to the call to learn!"

"This kind of learning opportunity is absolutely necessary!"

When will the next time be?

Everyone chimed in with their own voices, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.

What started as a simple visit to see some "foreign delicacies" has now become a truly rewarding "internal learning" experience. This legitimate sense of "privilege" fills everyone with a sense of belonging and a subtle pride as "pioneers."

A special kind of cohesion quietly grew and fermented in this small meeting room filled with the aroma of film and peanuts, warm enough to dispel all the chill of early spring.

Not wanting to spoil the fun, Qian Jin said, "Keep your voices down, are you afraid others won't know we're having an internal training session?"

"Those who need to go to the toilet, go to the toilet; those who need to go outside to smoke, go outside to smoke. From now on, smoking is not allowed during movies. Keep the doors and windows closed; this smoke is interfering with watching the movie."

The girls immediately chimed in, "Yes, let's respond to Director Qian's call!"

"You have to listen to Director Qian. Anyone who doesn't will face my wrath!"

Qian Jin laughed and said, "Alright, hurry up and get busy, the second round is coming up soon."

The door opened, but no one went out to use the restroom; they were all staring at him expectantly.
"Director Qian, start the movie right away!"

(End of this chapter)