Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

In 1979, the whole of China was filled with an atmosphere of rejuvenation, with everything in ruins waiting to be rebuilt and the old country ready to be restored.

—Chen Chunian, "Remembering Gao Xiaosheng"

…………

Huang Wenbin looked down and saw that Chen Huaikai was holding the script for "Let the Bullets Fly".

"I love this notebook so much."

Chen Huaikai, slightly agitated, explained to Huang Wenbin, "However, there are some metaphors in it that I'm a little worried about. Could you perhaps revise them?"

Huang Wenbin could roughly guess what Chen Huaiai was worried about.

Even in later generations, "Let the Bullets Fly" has been over-interpreted in ways that are chilling.

Jiang Wen has always been like this; he likes to insert a lot of high-density information that he knows into movies, regardless of whether the audience can understand it or not.

"Let the Bullets Fly" is one of the more restrained films he has made.

But the beauty of "Let the Bullets Fly" is that you can enjoy it even if you don't understand it, you'll enjoy it even more if you do understand it, and you'll be so happy you'll fly to the sky if you understand it completely.

Chen Huaikai is a seasoned director with a wealth of life experience that surpasses even Jiang Wen's.

He certainly saw some of the shocking metaphors in "Let the Bullets Fly," which is why he was worried; he was truly apprehensive.

"Since it's a metaphor, what's there to worry about!"

Huang Wenbin was not worried, because he was very clear about the direction of the next few decades.

In terms of openness, the period from the 1970s to the 1990s was actually the most uninhibited, and many films with bold themes were made during this time.

"I remember that at the Fifth National People's Congress last year, the policy of 'letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend' was restored."

When Huang Wenbin was preparing to copy "Let the Bullets Fly," he anticipated various criticisms, so he was well-prepared: "The People's Daily has also published a report on resolutely implementing the 'Double Hundred' policy, and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles has also said that it is necessary to emancipate the mind. The Fourth National Congress of Literary and Art Circles is coming soon, and we will only be more open then, so there is no need to worry about problems in this regard."

Chen Huaikai looked at Huang Wenbin with surprise and said with a smile, "How come you, a young man, speak and act so maturely? You ramble on and on like an old man, even more so than me."

"I'm just more interested in current affairs!" Huang Wenbin explained casually.

Chen Huaikai waved his hand and said to Huang Wenbin, "Let's go inside and talk. There are still some problems with your script that I need to figure out. Otherwise, I really won't dare to take it on."

"You two chat, I'm going back to the editing room." Liang Xiaosheng clearly didn't want to get involved, so he smiled and said to the two of them, "I still have work to do."

Chen Huaikai knew what he meant; this was a sign of Liang Xiaosheng's tact. So he smiled and waved at him.

Liang Xiaosheng then said to Huang Wenbin, "Wenbin, after you finish talking with Director Chen, remember to continue revising the script."

I returned to my room.

Chen Huaikai flipped through the script of "Let the Bullets Fly," picked out a passage, and marked it with a red pen: "Your thinking is very dangerous. If you don't change it, you will definitely be criticized."

Huang Wenbin glanced at the text circled in red.

Zhang Mazi wanted to incite the people of Goose City to attack Huang Silang's fortress, but only a few dozen geese went with them; the people didn't follow at all.

Moved by his words, Zhang Mazi turned to his brothers and said, "Whoever wins, they..."

"What's wrong with that?" Huang Wenbin's body contained a soul from more than forty years in the future, so he naturally couldn't understand what was wrong with those words.

Looking at Huang Wenbin's expression, Chen Huaikai couldn't help but sigh: "You really didn't notice, which also shows that your parents have protected you very well, which is why you are so insensitive."

Huang Wenbin humbly asked for guidance: "Please enlighten me, Director Chen."

Chen Huaikai stared into Huang Wenbin's eyes.

Chen Huaikai continued to explain: "This is a typical historical view based on individual heroism, which is somewhat contrary to the historical view of the masses that we advocate. The former is a petty-bourgeois fantasy, while the latter is the true embodiment of the historical trend."

"This statement precisely demonstrates that Zhang Mazi disregarded the people and became detached from them in his work. His actions in Goose City were far too presumptuous."

"He thought he could bring fairness to Goose City, but in reality, what he did was no different from Huang Silang. His methods of achieving fairness were simple, crude, and reckless."

"How many years has Goose City been oppressed? How much blood, tears, and bitterness have the people endured? Has Zhang Mazi ever known? No. In this play, he is merely an opportunist, a hero who must appear, or rather, the savior that you, the screenwriter, need."

As Chen Huaikai spoke, he became increasingly agitated, adopting the demeanor of an elder and beginning to point out the mistakes Huang Wenbin had "made" in the script:

"The problem is that in real history, the masses are the main force of the revolution. If you treat them as spectators, then of course they will do what spectators do! Zhang Mazi never considered himself part of the masses, nor did he place himself among them, so his conclusions are naturally wrong. Why should the people of Goose City follow someone who doesn't understand them, doesn't delve into their lives, and doesn't represent them?"

"Zhang Mazi's way of advocating fairness was to smash windows and throw money around. It seemed passionate, but it was actually crude. Because ordinary people wouldn't be awakened or join his organization just because of this little bit of money."

"Back then, we went deep into the masses, understood the masses, organized the masses, and armed the masses. We stood with the masses at all times, and only then did we gain the heartfelt support of the people, which led to the victory of the three major battles and the establishment of New China."

"Revolution is not a dinner party, nor is it child's play; it is a life-or-death struggle. Do not fall into the trap of empiricism and think that one hero can save everything; this only reflects your shallowness and arrogance."

"..."

Director Chen Huaikai spoke very clearly, and he truly regarded Huang Wenbin as his own nephew; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken so thoroughly.

"I understand." Huang Wenbin was very enlightened, realizing that there was indeed some of his own assumptions involved.

After all, it was the late 1970s, and there was no prosperity or ease like in later generations.

Some things may just be a meme or a joke in later generations. Many people make jokes about them online, and even if they are taken seriously, it is just an online flame war.

"Thank you for your explanation, Director Chen." Huang Wenbin thought for a moment, then had an idea and slowly said, "I will revise the script again, but I will not change this sentence. Because this sentence is very important; it is the root cause of Zhang Mazi's failure."

"Because he failed to connect with the masses and assumed himself to be a hero and savior, he ended up being abandoned by everyone and did not achieve the result he wanted."

Upon hearing Huang Wenbin's words, Chen Huaikai couldn't help but laugh, pointing helplessly at Huang Wenbin: "You do have some quick wit; you even managed to patch this up. I'm just reminding you a couple more times. The arts and literature industry has only recently loosened its restrictions, and the general public doesn't watch as many films yet. The amount of information in your script is too dense, and the pace is too fast; they might not understand it."

"Don't be afraid!" Huang Wenbin said with a smile. "We should trust the wisdom of the people. They understand what they know, and even if they don't, the story is still interesting enough."