Huayu: Serious director, who's eavesdropping on your thoughts?

"Huaiyuan, our great director, oh dear, look at this mess! Did I make too much noise and disturb you all?"

Principal Wang took two quick steps and stretched out his hand from a distance, his face beaming with a radiant smile.

Zhao Huaiyuan could only step forward, but as soon as he reached out his hand, Principal Wang pulled him away.

They're so enthusiastic!

"Principal Wang, you're too kind... It's so cold, why make such a fuss?" Zhao Huaiyuan said with a smile.

"It's not cold at all. You're such a talented person, our No. 1 High School has produced such a great talent, with box office revenue of over ten million in a single day and being praised on TV. It's like the God of Literature has fallen into our small county town."

At this moment, the homeroom teacher also came over.

He held up the bright red certificate, his face full of kindness, and said, "Huaiyuan."

"Hello, Teacher Liu," Zhao Huaiyuan greeted politely.

"Good, good! I remember back in the day, you were always staring out the window in class, and I often told the other teachers that this child was different from the others. Now it seems that I wasn't wrong about you; you've been accumulating knowledge and experience for a long time!"

Zhao Huaiyuan took the certificate, and almost laughed.

Goodness, the logic is complete.

If he remembered correctly, his homeroom teacher's original words were something like: "Zhao Huaiyuan, are you daydreaming again? You're always staring out the window. Do you think your father or your mother is out there?"

"This is all thanks to the teacher's excellent guidance," Zhao Huaiyuan replied casually.

This sentence is very polite.

Let bygones be bygones, let them drift away with the wind.

Seeing the relaxed atmosphere, Principal Wang quickly got to the point: "Hey Huaiyuan, I have a favor to ask. After the New Year, would you be willing to take some time to come back to the school and give a speech to the younger students?"

Zhao Huaiyuan looked troubled; he didn't have the time for that.

Principal Wang added, "Our school history museum has just been renovated, and we're preparing to hang your photo there."

"I'll pass on the speech, I really don't have time. I'm busy with the movie, please bear with me. As for the photos, you can handle it yourself, just don't choose any ugly ones, I have no objections." Zhao Huaiyuan politely declined.

"Okay, that works too. We won't disturb your rest any longer, we'll head out."

The drum and gong troupe came quickly and left quickly.

All that remained were firecracker debris scattered around the Zhao family's doorstep and the banner that had been hanging on the wall.

As night fell, the noise subsided.

The Zhao family's large iron gate was closed.

in the living room,

Dad sat on the sofa watching TV, while Mom tidied up the house, occasionally glancing at her son, hesitant to speak.

The scale of the event that day was truly grand. Since the two of them returned, it felt like the house had completely changed.

"Mom and Dad, stop what you're doing. I have something to tell you."

Zhao Huaiyuan smiled, went back into the house and brought out a plastic bag containing 300,000 yuan in cash.

"So much money?" the two elders exclaimed in surprise.

"Didn't I say before that I made a movie and it was even released in theaters? You didn't believe me then, but now you do. This is all money I earned from selling movie rights. I also have a check for 2.7 million."

Upon hearing this number, Dad was so shocked that he stood up.

Six months ago, he went to school, and his family had to sell everything they owned to send him there. He only stayed for six months, and when he came back, he had already earned three million.

"Our family... has turned things around," Dad muttered to himself.

Zhao Huaiyuan took out 200,000 yuan from that pile of money.

"Take this 200,000 for now. I'll keep 100,000 for future use. I'll cash the check in a couple of days and give you the rest then."

"This is too much... Your dad and I can't afford to spend that much. You should keep it for yourself. Don't you need money to make movies?"

"It's okay, I still have more." Zhao Huaiyuan didn't mention the 50 yuan for the Ghost Blows Out the Light copyright or the subsequent box office revenue; for a family like this, that was enough.

"It's okay, take it. It's good for keeping as a folding book or for emergency use at home. You can eat whatever you want and buy whatever you want in the future. Don't always think about saving money."

Mom is still postponing it.

Dad said in a deep voice, "Alright, honey, we're family, why be so polite? Put it away, hide it well, and don't let outsiders see it. If anyone asks how much money we have, just say we don't have any. We shouldn't flaunt our wealth."

"I know, I put it under the pickle jar, it's safe," Mom said.

Seeing his parents' happy faces, Zhao Huaiyuan felt very comfortable.

What a wonderful thing it is for children to be able to bring happiness to their parents.

..

The next two days.

During the day, the house is bustling with people, all coming under the guise of paying New Year's visits to join in the festivities.

Some even bring their family genealogy records to claim kinship.

Unable to cope, Zhao Huaiyuan simply slipped out for a stroll.

I also cashed the check while I was at it.

The ninth day of the lunar month, late at night, in an internet cafe.

World Forum.

Although the Spring Festival holiday has ended and the eighth and ninth days of the Lunar New Year are working days, the box office data for the British film industry, after peaking on the seventh day, inevitably declined in the following two days.

But online, the film's popularity remains undiminished.

It's worth noting that the direction of the discussion seems to have shifted somewhat.

The initial sentiments of "I cried so much" and "patriotism" gradually shifted to a more professional analysis based on detailed research.

There's a post like this in the film and television section.

Title: Let's take a closer look at that 1.5-second shot in the movie! Does Zhao Huaiyuan have OCD?

The original poster is clearly an expert.

"After watching it a second time, I noticed some details, such as that bronze vessel? Does anyone remember it?"

I found a screenshot from a pirated version for comparison. The image quality is a bit blurry, but look at the ears and feet. Isn't this a typical late Shang Dynasty bronze zun with dragon and tiger feet design?

The dragon's ears coil around its neck, and its tiger's feet support its base. The entire body is decorated with taotie patterns and cloud and thunder patterns.

Many movies depicting antiques simply use cheap, mass-produced props to get by, but Director Zhao's shot, only 1.5 seconds long, is remarkably accurate to this degree.

The replies below were lively, and surprisingly, there weren't many trolls this time.

2nd floor (Van Gogh in spirit): Wow, the poster is a real Leeuwenhoek. I felt right away that it didn't look like plastic. The production team put a lot of effort into it.

5th Floor (Sweeping Monk): It's not just the bronzes, I wonder if anyone noticed that wood carving? That's a Song Dynasty painted wood carving of Guanyin, it looks just like the real thing.

9th Floor (Historian): The original poster is right, it is indeed a Shang Dynasty bronze zun with dragon and tiger motifs. But what I want to talk about is the inscription. Although the camera only briefly showed it, I could vaguely see a few characters in bronze script on the inner wall of the zun.

This was likely made in imitation of the clan emblem inscriptions on real unearthed artifacts.

There are other professional details, which I won't go into one by one. As a student who specializes in this field, I admit that this movie is really good and quite moving. I cried while watching it in the theater.

The replies below were even more lively.

"Even Peking University PhDs are blown away! Is this movie really that amazing? I guess I really have to go see it."

"They've even made the inscriptions? This director... is too meticulous. I don't believe it, I'll go check again."

"I'm going to buy tickets now. I'm taking my grandpa with me. He's a veteran in cultural relics, so maybe he can discover other details."

"I've watched it three times!"

..

Indeed, as netizens have said.

When this trend of research emerged online, museums across the country reacted swiftly and took action.

A provincial museum directly published a "GG" in the local newspaper, claiming that visitors could get a 50% discount by presenting their "Escape from the British Museum" ticket stubs.

This long-tail effect is undoubtedly terrifying.

It transformed viewers who were initially just there for the fun into die-hard fans with a thirst for knowledge, wanting to watch it multiple times to find hidden details and Easter eggs.

This indirectly stabilized the weekday box office, ensuring that the film's screening rate remained firmly above 20% after the holiday, and its occupancy rate far surpassed that of other films released during the same period.

..

The next day, the tenth.

Another person came to visit.

A black Audi A6 stopped at the entrance of the alley, followed by a car from the county TV station.

"Director Zhao! I've heard so much about you, it's truly amazing to meet you in person!"

A middle-aged man wearing an executive jacket and with his hair neatly combed strode over.

A staff member immediately introduced, "Director Zhao, this is Director Sun from our county's Culture and Tourism Bureau, and also a leader in the Publicity Department."

"Hello, Director Sun, it's kind of you to make this trip from so far away," Zhao Huaiyuan said with a smile.

"It's no trouble at all; it's all about serving the people!"

Director Sun had a strong grip on Zhao Huaiyuan's hand. He didn't let go after holding it, maintaining the handshake posture, and turned to the side, giving a smile to the camera that had already been set up.

"Director, move a little closer...yes, make eye contact, smile," the cameraman instructed from the side.

Zhao Huaiyuan remained calm and went along with the procedure. After all, as a director, he knew a bit about acting, and in terms of camera presence, he was much better than this bureau chief.

The flash went off twice.

Director Sun then released his grip and said in a friendly tone,

"Director Zhao, you are the pride of our county! Yesterday, at the city's major conference, you were specifically commended, with the officials saying that your film promotes patriotism and is a significant achievement in our county's efforts to promote spiritual civilization!"

"You flatter me, sir. I was just lucky to make a movie," Zhao Huaiyuan said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Hey, you can't say that. Excessive humility is just arrogance!" Director Sun waved his hand.

Two officers who had been waiting nearby immediately came up with the items.

Two cans of Golden Dragon soybean oil, two bags of rice, and a red envelope.

"This is a small token of our appreciation from the county, a two thousand yuan consolation payment. Although it's not much, it represents the affection of our hometown. It's a small gift but carries great meaning. We hope Director Zhao won't find it offensive."

"Then thank you, leaders, and thank you to the county," Zhao Huaiyuan said politely.

"Director Zhao, now that you're famous, you should give back to your hometown. You know about that Ming and Qing Dynasty film and television city that our county has been building for a thousand years, right?"

Zhao Huaiyuan thought back for a moment, and the image of that fake antique street, which was entirely made of cement, came to mind.

"I've heard of it."