1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 116 Pregnant Again? (Long Chapter, Please Vote!)

"Xiaowei, Wenqiong, over here."

At Yanjing Railway Station, knowing that her younger sister and cousin were coming this morning, Liu Xiaoli specially arranged to come and pick them up.

Moreover, she was lucky; she hadn't been there long when she saw the two of them come out of the platform, and she quickly waved to them.

"sister."

"Cousin."

Liu Xiaoli took a closer look at her two younger sisters and asked, "You must have had a long journey?"

"Fortunately, we can take turns sleeping," Liu Xiaowei said.

"Wenqiong, are you carsick?"

"Big cousin, I don't get carsick on trains."

"That's good."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Liu Xiaoli immediately said, "Let's go home first. Mom knows you have a train this morning, so she got up early to go to the market and bought a goose to make you stewed goose in an iron pot. You're in for a treat!"

"Wow, sis, what you're saying is making my mouth water."

"Me too, I've been craving my aunt's cooking for ages."

"Haha, then you guys eat more later. I see you've lost a lot of weight, Wenqiong. Is it because of the pressure of studying in high school?" Liu Xiaoli asked her cousin.

"Wenqiong's grades aren't good either. I guess she's just trying to look good and maintain her figure." Liu Xiaowei and Zhou Wenqiong are only two years apart in age. They've been friends since they were little and always like to tease each other.

"No, Xiaowei, stop spreading rumors about me in front of my older cousin. I also want to go to university, okay? Besides, I've already improved my grades from the bottom of the class to the middle this semester."

"Keep it up! I believe you can definitely get into a good university next year, Wenqiong," Liu Xiaoli said with her blessing. Because she was admitted to the Jiangcheng Song and Dance Theater from a young age, she did not establish a 'friendship' with her two younger sisters like they did, but instead gained the authority of an older sister.

"Okay, thank you, cousin."

After the three of them boarded the subway back, Liu Xiaowei changed the subject and asked, "Sister, what has brother-in-law been busy with lately?"

"Filming."

"Isn't 'Andhadhun' still showing in theaters? Is he going to film another movie?"

"The Tuner was filmed last year, but it was only released in China last month."

"Oh, I thought it would be released as soon as it was filmed. I didn't know we had to wait so long."

Hearing their conversation, Zhou Wenqiong curiously joined in: "Big cousin, what movie is your husband filming this time?"

"It's similar in style to 'Andhadhun'."

“I like it. My cousin’s brother-in-law’s ‘Andhadhun’s’ movie, I watched it three times with my classmates.”

Liu Xiaowei then asked, "Sister, I remember there was a baby in the movie, was that my niece who played the role?"

"Yes, that was Sissi who played the role."

"Wow, it really is her! I was wondering why she looked so much like you and your brother-in-law when I saw her in the movie theater."

Zhou Wenqiong also belatedly showed a surprised expression.

The three of them got off at the Military Museum Station and walked only one kilometer to reach Siji Hutong.

"Courtyard No. 16, this is the house your brother-in-law bought last year."

"I heard it's a two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), is that right?"

"Correct."

"How much did you buy, sis?"

"Ten thousand."

"Wow, I guess I'll never be able to afford it in my lifetime."

Liu Xiaowei and Zhou Wenqiong exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of envy in each other's eyes.

But there was only envy, not jealousy.

In the living room, in the center of a four-square-meter little world surrounded by railings, Chen Qian, who is almost one year old, was playing with her toys by herself. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice and immediately looked up alertly. When she saw that it was her mother, a bright smile immediately appeared on her little face.

At the same time, she stuck her bottom out and climbed up from the carpet, repeatedly calling out, "Ah, Mommy..."

The next second, before she could even fully get up, she was lifted directly into the world from the small world.

But when the little guy realized that it wasn't his mother who was 'guiding' him, his eyes were filled with confusion.

"Sisi, what's with that expression? Huh? Don't you recognize your aunt? I'm your aunt."

Chen Qian, of course, did not remember this aunt who had held her when she was not even a month old. She turned to look at her mother next to her and gave her a pitiful look.

"Baby, this is your aunt, Mommy's sister. She held you when you were just born, don't you remember?"

With Liu Xiaoli's help, Chen Qian seemed to find a sense of security and was no longer so resistant in her aunt's arms. She even curiously looked at the other woman.

"Ah."

“Not Auntie, but Little Auntie.” Liu Xiaowei then slowed down her speech and said, “Come on, Qianqian, follow me and say Little Auntie.”

"Little Auntie."

"Why do you have to add 'Auntie' in the middle? Little Auntie."

The little guy got a bit impatient and pouted, squirming in Liu Xiaowei's arms.

"Sis, your daughter is really strong."

"Yes, she is a bit stronger than other children her age. Mom said so too. Give her to me, or she'll cry."

Chen Qian then calmed down in her mother's arms.

But a pair of big, dark eyes remained fixed on the two strangers.

Her maternal grandmother arrived at the scene at some point and explained when her granddaughter called her younger daughter "Auntie": "When Zhizhi was at home, she taught Qianqian to call her 'Auntie' every day, so she has already learned to say 'Auntie'."

"Mom, who is Zhizhi?"

“She’s the youngest daughter of Comrade Fu Qi and Comrade Shi Hui from Hong Kong. Her full name is Fu Mingxian. Last time, when Fu Sheng went to Hong Kong to promote the movie, he thought she was suitable for a role in the next film, so he brought her back with him. She used to live at home,” Liu Xiaoli explained to her two younger sisters.

"Isn't there a guesthouse?" Liu Xiaowei still didn't quite understand.

“Zhizhi is only 11 years old. And Fusheng went to Hong Kong, where her parents take good care of him.”

"Oh, I thought so."

After greeting the child, the adults exchanged pleasantries for a while.

The child's maternal grandmother said, "Xiaowei and Wenqiong, you must be hungry. Wash your faces with hot water first, and then you can eat. I've already made your beds. Judging from your expressions, you must not have slept well last night. After you finish eating, take a bath and go to sleep. We can talk about anything after you wake up."

"Aren't you waiting for your brother-in-law?"

"Your brother-in-law won't be back for lunch, so you can eat without worry," Liu Xiaoli said.

The mother-in-law added, "I've already ladled a bowl of goose meat for Fusheng."

"Where is your brother-in-law filming?"

"Beijing Film Studio," Liu Xiaoli said. "If you're interested, when your brother-in-law comes back tonight, I'll talk to him and ask him to take you to the film set for a trial run tomorrow morning."

This suggestion caught the attention of both Liu Xiaowei and Zhou Wenqiong.

The two of them said in unison, "Okay, okay!"

……

Chen Fusheng had no idea that his wife had arranged something for him.

But he knew that two of his sisters-in-law would be coming to his house today.

Of course, he didn't have time to think about that right now; his mind was entirely focused on the scene they were about to film.

This scene appears in Shi Hongzhe's memories. It tells the story of Shi Hongzhe, who is in a slump. He is not only stuck in a bottleneck in mathematics, but also sees no glimmer of hope in life. So he plans to hang himself at home. At this time, a new family moves in next door. They are a young mother and daughter. Since they have just moved in, he is also a new neighbor in their eyes, so he comes over to say hello.

Then, by a twist of fate, he saved Shi Hongzhe's life.

This foreshadowed Shi Hongzhe's later involvement in the scheme, even to the point of murder, to clear Chen Jing and her daughter's names.

Therefore, this plot is very important, but it cannot be thrown at the audience right away, after all, this is a suspense film.

The director's goal is to make the audience realize the truth only at the very end.

"click"

The actors rehearsed again, but Chen Fusheng was still not satisfied.

He called out, "Actors, come here, I'll go over the scene with you again."

Zhang Guorong, Gong Xue, and Fu Mingxian didn't dare to waste a second and quickly surrounded them.

The reason for this is that Chen Fusheng is a completely different person during filming than he is in private.

If anyone is not serious or makes too many mistakes, no matter who it is, they will be scolded by the director.

Don't ask how everyone knows.

“Zhang Guorong, your emotional transition was unnatural. I told you, before you hanged yourself, you should have been numb, numb to the point of having no attachment to the world, not expressionless. And when your neck touched the knot, because you knew you were about to leave this world, your eyes and every expression needed to convey a calm of impending release. When you were facing death with equanimity, and were suddenly interrupted, you shouldn't have panicked, but rather showed a sense of bewilderment and helplessness at being deprived of even the last bit of your right to end your own life.”

After a week of filming, Zhang Guorong was completely convinced of the power of this man who was younger than her.

So when he listened to him talk about the play, he listened very attentively, paying close attention, afraid of missing a single word.

However, after listening, there were still some parts he didn't know how to act, so he asked, "Director Chen, did the feelings of confusion and helplessness you mentioned at the end appear simultaneously, or was there a process of transformation?"

"If you can portray both of these emotions at the same time, that would be the best. But if you can't, then let it develop gradually, from a blank or empty look to something slowly emerging. Of course, what emerges is not vitality, but the bitterness and helplessness of being interrupted when hanging oneself."

"Okay, thank you, Director Chen. I understand. I'll go and digest this a bit more."

“Hmm…” Chen Fusheng nodded, and just as he was about to shift his gaze away from Zhang Guorong, he suddenly noticed that there was a problem with his makeup as well. So he looked around but couldn’t find the makeup artist, so he could only say to his assistant director Chen Kaige: “Kaige, go and call the makeup artist and have her touch up Zhang Guorong’s makeup. Remember to tell her to make him look more mature and weathered.”

"Huh?" Chen Kaige had just been listening to Chen Fusheng explain the scene to Zhang Guorong. He was still thinking about how he would explain the scene if he were the director when he was suddenly called. So he gave Zhang Guorong a live lesson on how to act out the blank and bitter emotions he was asking for advice on.

"I'm sorry, Director Chen, I was listening to you explain the scene, and I got a little distracted."

Chen Fusheng repeated his question again, then added a reminder: "Don't get distracted next time."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Chen Kaige breathed a sigh of relief.

These past few days working as Chen Fusheng's assistant director, the little poet's biggest takeaway is that while you can really learn something from the training, the pressure is immense.

But if he were given the chance to choose again, he felt he would still choose to be Chen Fusheng's assistant director!
Chen Fusheng, of course, was unaware of the young poet's inner thoughts. He had already turned around and started explaining the play to Gong Xue and Fu Mingxian, who played her daughter in the play.

“Gong Xue, you and your daughter were happily coming over to greet the neighbors. You first noticed the door wasn't locked, and it opened easily when you pushed it open. Here, you should have shown a slightly puzzled expression. Then, as you pushed open the door, you were struck by the image of someone inside with a rope around their neck, preparing to hang themselves. Your acting shouldn't have been screaming… Although we all know that people scream when frightened, when that fright reaches a certain level, like some animals in nature encountering their predators, they become so scared that they can't think or make any rational response. Do you understand?”

After listening to Chen Fusheng's explanation of the scene, Gong Xue reflected on her own past experiences of being frightened and pondered, "Should I portray a blank mind here, freezing in place?"

"That's right. It's as if all your strength has been drained away in an instant. You can't even breathe, let alone scream."

Seeing Gong Xue nodding repeatedly, Chen Fusheng continued speaking to her.

“What I said above is just your first reaction. In this scene, your emotions will also go through three layers of progression. When you realize that the person hanging in front of you is not dead, and that this is just a hanging process in progress, your rationality slowly returns, you learn to breathe again, and your strength begins to return. During this process, the emotion you need to act out is ‘fear’.”

At this point, Chen Fusheng glanced at Fu Mingxian and continued, "Suddenly, you realize that you are not alone. You have a daughter who needs your protection. At this moment, your emotions reach the third level, and your brain will uncontrollably think, 'Have we disturbed someone?' 'What should we do now?' 'It would be better if we didn't come over.' 'It won't work if we don't come over. If this person really dies next door, we will be afraid in the future.'... In short, all kinds of thoughts will be fighting in your mind. At this time, you need to act out that particularly complex sense of helplessness and panic."

"As for you, Zhizhi..."

After half an hour,
Chen Fusheng glanced down at his watch and then said:

"One last take, this time turn the camera on."

Because this scene is very difficult, we had to rehearse it beforehand.

One advantage of rehearsals is that they don't waste film.

However, rehearsals also have a downside: actors might subconsciously think, 'Oh, it's just a rehearsal, so it doesn't matter if my performance is a little off.'

Moreover, this kind of thinking is uncontrollable because it's something in the subconscious.

Just because an actor says they didn't think that way doesn't mean they didn't.

Therefore, in order to unleash the actors' full potential, Chen Fusheng immediately put the next scene into practice, even if it meant wasting a few rolls of film. As long as it helped the actors find a better state of mind, it would be worth it.

After all, the ratio of film to runtime is three to one, so waste is allowed. No director dares to say that they can always get a film in one take.

Chen Fusheng dared not say it.

He looked at some of the staff who were still 'sleepwalking' and reminded them again: "Everyone back to your posts, clear the set of irrelevant personnel, actors, quickly get into character, we'll start filming in five minutes."

After he issued this order, the crew quickly transformed from a 'disorderly' state into an 'orderly' battlefield.

This is a mature and well-coordinated production team.

But in reality, Chen Fusheng's drama has only been filming for a week, and the crew members are not familiar faces. At most, Gong Xue had worked with him in the previous drama.

Why did they break in so quickly?

When a team leader is capable and has high prestige, everyone will respect him, and there will be less infighting and old grievances.

This principle also applies to film crews.

Five minutes passed quickly.

Chen Fusheng signaled the script supervisor to strike the clapperboard.

Scene 104, one shot, one take.

slap~
The crisp sound of the clapperboard echoed throughout the film crew.

Chen Fusheng officially gave the director's order: "Ready, 3, 2, 1, Action!"

The initial results were better than Chen Fusheng had anticipated.

His hard work in training the actor wasn't in vain.

But the better the results, the more nervous Chen Fusheng became.

He was worried that if anyone made a mistake later on, then no matter how good the previous scenes were, the scene would still be unusable.

Fortunately, his worst fears did not come true.

This scene is one of the most challenging scenes in the entire film, but to be honest, it was done in one take, which was unexpected not only by Chen Fusheng but also by everyone in the crew.

Including the actors themselves.

Therefore, when Chen Fusheng said "That's enough," a round of applause spontaneously broke out in the crew.

"You acted very well, I was amazed by you all."

"Thank you, Director Chen. We didn't expect to get it right in one take, but we have to thank you for your guidance. Otherwise, if we had to figure it out on our own, we don't know how long it would have taken to film this scene."

"Yes, Brother Chen, you're amazing."

"The credit belongs to everyone, not just one person, so you all did a great job. Keep up the good work... Okay, enough chit-chat, it's time to go home."

Just as Chen Fusheng was about to ride his bike home, he suddenly remembered that tomorrow seemed to be the weekend.

He quickly added to the crowd, "Quiet down, everyone. I have something else to say. Tomorrow is the weekend, so if anyone runs into those who have already gone to get food, please let them know. Okay, that's all. Have a great weekend, everyone."

……

"Brother-in-law (cousin's husband)."

As soon as Chen Fusheng returned home, his two sisters-in-law called out to him at the same time.

He also glanced at his two sisters-in-law and noticed that Xiao Wei's demeanor had become noticeably more mature since she went to university. As for his wife's younger cousin, Chen Fusheng hadn't had much contact with her and didn't have a deep impression of her.

"Xiaowei, Wenqiong, what time did you arrive? I was filming today, so I didn't go to the train station with your sister to pick you up."

"We arrived at the station around nine in the morning, right?" The two women exchanged a glance to confirm, and then Liu Xiaowei quickly replied with a polite remark.

“We heard from my sister that you are filming and very busy, so please don’t bother us.”

"It's too formal for family to say such things. You're welcome to come. I can't guarantee anything else, but I can make sure you have plenty of food and lodging. Xiaowei and Wenqiong, you should have finished your exams by now, right? Why don't you stay until the end of the summer vacation before going back?"

"Hehe, brother-in-law, that's exactly what I've been waiting for."

"You girl!"

Chen Fusheng smiled helplessly and then changed the subject.

"How is Xiaowei's university life? Is she adjusting well?"

"I've already finished my studies for a year, isn't it inappropriate for you to ask me this now, brother-in-law?"

"Haha, that makes sense. You studied at Liaoning Business College, right?"

"It's been renamed. Our school is now called Liaoning Commercial College."

When was the name changed?

"It was just changed this month. At the time, we students had a heated discussion about it, and we thought it would be better to call it the Business School."

Chen Fusheng had little impression of the university his sister-in-law attended, since it was only a second-tier university in this era.

All he remembered was that there was a Bohai University in Liaoning in later generations.

"Wenqiong, are you also taking the college entrance exam?"

"Yes, brother-in-law, I will take the college entrance examination next June."

"Oh, this next year is crucial for you. What university are you planning to apply to?"

"I don't know yet."

"How's the score?"

Before Zhou Wenqiong could answer, Liu Xiaowei complained, "That's enough, brother-in-law. Why are you like my dad, asking about my grades as soon as we meet?"

"Haha." Chen Fusheng laughed awkwardly, "That's because you're still students. Okay, I won't ask anymore. Did your sister take you anywhere to play today?"

"I didn't go anywhere, oh no, I just went to the market with my mom to buy groceries."

Chen Fusheng nodded and said, "Then I'll show you around properly tomorrow."

"Brother-in-law, don't you have filming tomorrow?"

"Weekend off."

"Oh, I thought you guys didn't get weekends off because you're filming."

"Placed there..."

At this moment, Chen Fusheng saw his wife carrying their daughter, who had probably just finished breastfeeding, out of the bedroom. Before he could even greet the little one, she noticed him and excitedly started wriggling in her mother's arms.

"Do you miss Daddy? Daddy will go wash his hands first and then hug you."

Chen Qian didn't understand what he meant. She only saw that her father wouldn't hug her, and her little mouth immediately pouted.

Liu Xiaoli said sourly, "You little ingrate, you bit me when we were 'eating' earlier, and now that your dad's back, you don't want me to hug you anymore, huh?"

"Mmmmmmm..."

Seeing that her daughter was still whining, she was so angry that she lightly patted her little bottom, but still handed her over to her husband who had just finished washing his hands.

"Here you go. The saying 'a daughter is her father's little cotton-padded jacket' is absolutely true. I want to have a son next time."

After Chen Fusheng took his daughter, he pressed his forehead against hers, making her giggle. So he only heard the second half of what his wife said, and then he exclaimed in shock, "Wife, you're pregnant?"

"No, I mean if I were pregnant."

"Oh, I thought you were going to give me a surprise."

Liu Xiaoli didn't respond to that, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw her cousin bringing the dishes out of the kitchen and reminded her, "It's time to eat."

"Time to eat!"

Chen Fusheng said to his daughter.

"Food."

"Yes, let's eat."

"Seven meals."

"It's not seven, it's eating, having a meal."

"Seven meals."

"Have a meal."

"seven……"

"Pfft~"

Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but chuckle as she watched, but her smile immediately drew the attention of the father and daughter. She said somewhat awkwardly, "Sorry to bother you, please continue."

"..."

Chen Fusheng gave up.

It's alright if it's Qifan (a student's name), it's just a little 'accent', it'll be fine when they're a bit older.

"Fusheng, why don't you let me hold Qianqian for a while, and you can eat first?"

"No need, Mom. I'll hold her while I eat. You should sit down and eat too."

After everyone started eating, Chen Qian saw that the adults were eating with great relish. Even though she had just eaten at her mother's, she still started drooling. When Chen Fusheng wiped her drool, the little girl's eyes turned to him.

"Do you want to eat too?"

The daughter responded to her father by pursing her lips.

Chen Fusheng couldn't bear his daughter's pleading gaze, so he got up, took her special chopsticks, and fed her some of the food on the table that she could eat.

"Is it delicious?"

"Ah."

"Hey, you do know how to answer 'um,' right? Not bad, not bad."

The old father was greatly comforted.

“Fusheng, this is a stewed goose that Mom made this morning. She specially saved a bowl for you. Try it.”

"Okay, thank you, Mom."

Chen Fusheng took a bite, nodded, and commented that it tasted very good. Then he said, "Everyone, let's eat together. It's more delicious when we eat together."

After saying that, he put a piece of meat with very little bone into his wife's bowl.

"Hmm... I can do it myself, you don't need to serve me."

Although Liu Xiaoli complained, a warm feeling washed over her.

Of course, she still put the piece of meat in her mouth, but after chewing it a couple of times, she felt it was greasy, and then a familiar feeling of nausea came over her.

The next second, she... vomited.

"What's wrong, sister?"

Both of the younger sisters-in-law were clueless about such matters, being inexperienced in such matters.

The mother-in-law, having been through similar experiences, exchanged a glance with her son-in-law, both of them harboring a bold suspicion.

Soon after vomiting, Liu Xiaoli rinsed her mouth with water and felt much better.

Her thoughts at this moment were the same as her husband's and her mother's, or even stronger.

Because she was very familiar with this feeling.

Seeing her husband's expectant and surprised expression, she lowered her head, touched her lower abdomen, and then smiled and said, "Honey, we might really be having a second child."

"Let's go... let's go to the hospital to check."

Although Chen Fusheng had prepared well in advance, he still felt nervous when the surprise might arrive.

"Tomorrow, the hospital's already closed," the mother-in-law reminded him. She was just as happy, though not as excited as Chen Fusheng.

The two sisters-in-law who overheard their conversation finally realized that the problem wasn't with the meat, but rather that their sister-in-law might be pregnant again.

"Well……"

Only Chen Qian didn't understand what had happened, but she noticed the changes in the adults' emotions. She looked at her mother, then at her father, and a hint of confusion flashed in her beautiful, clear eyes, like black grapes.

Chen Fusheng felt the movement in his arms, looked down and met his daughter's eyes, and said to her, "Daughter, you might be going to be a big sister soon."

……

PS: I received a notification from the editor that I will be writing a bonus chapter for monthly ticket purchases on the first of next month. It will be about a day in the life of Chen Qian and her Aunt Zhizhi. I heard that you have to vote for that chapter to unlock it. I hope everyone will support me!
What if I don't have a monthly pass?
(According to insider information, the author will post the content for free in the group.)
(End of this chapter)