Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

People wearing bulky coats were pushing and shoving each other. Some had their hats askew and their scarves loosened, but no one bothered to straighten them.

Almost everyone was frantically pushing forward, wanting to get their tickets checked and find a seat as soon as possible.

"Hey, line up, one at a time, don't push!"

"Why are you forcing your way in!"

"Stop pushing!"

"..."

The ticket inspector also shouted at the top of his lungs, but his voice was swallowed up by the noisy and chaotic voices of the crowd, and it had little effect at all.

Xu Bei and his group were originally standing not far from the cinema entrance, but they were pushed to the back by the rushing crowd.

"Oh my god, we can finally get in! We were freezing!"

"Yes, let's hurry up and move forward."

"Okay. Otherwise, if we come in late, the good spots will be taken, and we'll have to waste our breath."

Xu Bei stretched out his arms slightly, protecting his mother and sister, and walked forward with the crowd.

Dahei and Song Guodong also flanked Song Guomei, who had returned to their side.

Zhou Qingwan's brother also protected his sister and cousin.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone tacitly huddled together and didn't stray too far.

After some waiting and moving around, it was finally their turn.

Everyone handed over their tickets.

The ticket inspector took them one by one and skillfully used pliers to make a small notch in each ticket with a click.

Upon entering the relatively spacious lobby, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Xu Bei helped his younger sister straighten her hat, which had been knocked askew, and then put his arm around his mother's shoulder as they walked together toward the screening room.

As Zhao Fengying walked, she kept an eye on Song Guomei and the others, especially the girl with the red scarf, whom she glanced at several times, seemingly lost in thought.

Xu Bei didn't have mind-reading abilities, so naturally he didn't know what his mother was thinking.

Soon, they followed the flow of people into the screening room, which had a slightly sloping floor.

Because they wanted to sit together, they didn't go to the front like the others, but instead chose a row with many empty seats and went in.

Xu Bei let his mother and sister go ahead and sit down first, and then he sat down with Dahei Song Guodong.

Next to Song Guodong was Song Guomei, and next to her were Zhou Qingwan and her older sister and brother.

The heating isn't working very well right now, and the seats are a bit cold, but since I've been outside in the cold for a long time and I'm wearing thick cotton pants, I don't feel cold when I sit down.

Xu Bei brought a lot of food from home, including melon seeds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and candy, and quickly took them out of his military green backpack and distributed them to everyone.

Others brought hand-cranked black gourds to pop popcorn, peanuts, melon seeds, and White Rabbit candies, creating what seemed like a streamlined delivery system in the area.

Xu Bei, his mother, and his sister each received a piece of White Rabbit milk candy, given to them by Zhou Qingwan's older sister.

The three people looked at each other in surprise, marveling at each other's generosity.

Everyone knows that in the 80s, White Rabbit candy produced in Haicheng was a hot commodity.

There's even a popular saying among guys: "Seven White Rabbit candies are equal to a glass of milk."

Because it actually contains milk, it is also considered a nutritional product.

Normally, we only buy a pound of it during Chinese New Year, weddings, or when entertaining distinguished guests.

Especially in the forest areas where transportation is not as convenient as in the south, it is even more difficult to buy them.

Zhao Fengying couldn't bear to eat it. She leaned close to Xu Bei's ear and whispered, "Son, Xiao Mei's classmate's family is really well-off. Are the things we brought a bit... I should have brought something else."

Xu Bei, however, didn't grasp the deeper meaning behind his mother's words and said with a smile, "Mom, you're overthinking it. It doesn't matter what we bring. Besides, we don't know if we'll run into them and they'll give us White Rabbit candies."

Zhao Fengying glanced over there discreetly, nodded, and said, "That's true. But it feels like we're taking advantage of them. How can we reciprocate?"

Xu Bei didn't really think that a few White Rabbit candies were a big deal, but he also understood that his mother had always been particular about these things.

"Leave it to me, you don't need to worry about it."

At the same time, Zhou Qingwan's sister was also whispering to Zhou Qingwan.

"Wanwan, my mom told me when she got home that the one you ran into at the department store was the tallest one, not the one with dark skin or the shorter one."

Not wanting Song Guomei to hear, Zhou Qingwan quickly moved closer to her older sister Liang Huihui.

"It was him. Sis, I already told you it was just a chance encounter and we watched half the movie together, why are you still like this..."

Liang Huihui smiled, her eyes narrowing. "I know there's definitely nothing between you two. I was just curious, you know, I heard my mom talking about it. I didn't expect the young man to be so handsome..."

Zhou Qingwan called out "Sister" helplessly, "I knew I shouldn't have agreed to come to the movies with you guys."

"No, please." Liang Huihui patted Zhou Qingwan's hand reassuringly. "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. I feel out of place since I came back from Haicheng. Watching movies is the only form of entertainment I have. If you don't keep me company, my brother will be even more unhappy."

While eating sunflower seeds and sucking on candy, Song Guomei also listened attentively to the conversation between the two cousins ​​beside her.

Besides their longing for the big city of Haicheng, they were also particularly interested in what they mentioned about what happened at the department store.

Soon, the lights in the hall went out.

A bright beam of light shone through the small window of the projection room, and countless tiny dust particles danced in the beam.

The audience fell silent for a moment, then resumed chatting.

As experienced people know, there is a short film before the main screening, and the main movie is shown after that.

Finally, the promotional educational video finished playing.

Everyone held their breath, waiting and anticipating.

There was no fancy opening sequence, only the stirring theme song – "Shaolin Shaolin" – suddenly playing.

Since its release last year, the melody of the theme song of "Shaolin Temple" has resounded throughout the streets and alleys.

The lyrics, "Shaolin, Shaolin, how many heroes and warriors admire you, Shaolin, Shaolin, how many magical stories spread about you, your superb martial arts are unparalleled in the world, Shaolin Temple is renowned far and wide..." are familiar to many people.

Then, the real Shaolin Temple on Mount Song appeared in the scene, instead of a set.

When Jet Li's character, Jueyuan, appeared on the big screen with his muscular physique, the entire theater erupted in gasps and exclamations of surprise and admiration.

Xu Bei didn't show much emotional fluctuation.

Because he not only knew how much Jet Li would change in the future, but also knew that the actors who later played monks and emperors all became monks.

It's unclear whether it's the allure of Shaolin Temple or simply a matter of individual fate.

By the time the movie ended, it was already quite late.

As Xu Bei and his group walked out with the flow of people, they discussed the plot like other moviegoers...