Huayu: Starting from retirement, sweeping across the domestic entertainment industry

February 10th, Lunar New Year's Eve.

On the last day of the Lunar New Year, the whole village was immersed in a festive atmosphere.

Red lanterns were hung up, Spring Festival couplets were pasted up, and firecrackers were set off one after another.

Li Ran stood in the courtyard, looking at the bright red figure not far away, and couldn't help but smile.

Tian Xiwei was dressed especially festively today, wearing a little red cotton-padded jacket, little red shoes, and her hair was tied into two little buns. She looked like a doll that had stepped out of a New Year's painting.

She and Li's mother were happily pasting the character "福" (fortune) on the window.

The old man lay on his wicker chair, basking in the sun, looking at Li Ran, and slowly said, "Look at that girl, Xiao Tian, ​​dressed so festively. And look at you."

Li Ran looked down at her pajamas and smiled, "What's wrong? They're warm and comfortable."

He then looked at his father, who was playing with Huahua not far away: "Doesn't my dad dress like this too? He's the CEO of a corporation."

He leaned closer to the old man and said, "Grandpa, you don't understand! This is the provincial dress of Hunan. Many people wear it now."

The old man smiled and said nothing more.

Stop joking.

He reached out and tapped Li Ran on the forehead, then slowly said, "Go with your dad to put up the Spring Festival couplets on the main gate. The New Year should still have some ritual."

……

After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, Li Ran turned on the TV.

His family doesn't usually watch the Spring Festival Gala, but this year is different; Liu Haocun is watching it.

Tian Xiwei had already gone out to play with Li's mother, leaving only her grandmother with Li Ran in the living room.

When Liu Haocun appeared on the screen, Grandma looked at Li Ran and asked, "Ranran, isn't this the girl you were in the movie with?"

Li Ran smiled and nodded: "Grandma, her name is Liu Haocun."

He didn't explain further.

It's better for the elderly not to know too much.

When we have children, we can just take them home to show their grandparents...

For the sake of the child, I guess I won't hit him, right?

……

Li Ran and Tian Xiwei stayed in their hometown until the second day of the Lunar New Year.

On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, he took her back to the city.

In the car, Tian Xiwei was a little reluctant to leave and looked at Li Ran, asking, "Why don't you stay a few more days? I haven't had enough fun yet."

Li Ran explained, "After the second day of the Lunar New Year, many people came to wish the old man a Happy New Year. I found it too troublesome."

"A relative?"

"No. They're all unimportant people. I don't have many relatives."

He thought for a moment and continued, "I'm going to Zhang Jingyi's house tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, I'll take you to visit my two uncles for the New Year."

Tian Xiwei nodded. She didn't dwell on him meeting Zhang Jingyi's parents; that would only make her seem petty. As the official wife, she should be generous when necessary.

"Okay. When will you go to meet my parents?" she asked softly.

Li Ran thought about it and decided not to hide it from her.

"I'm going to accompany Cunzi to meet her parents for the Lantern Festival."

He paused, then added, "I'll go home with you for a few days on the sixth or seventh day of the Lunar New Year."

Tian Xiwei gave a soft hum, somewhat displeased, and said, "Young Master Li is certainly busy enough during the New Year. After meeting this set of parents, he immediately goes to meet another family."

Li Ran gave an awkward laugh.

"I've eaten at your place, and now I'm checking out which restaurant has better food. Next time, I'll go to that restaurant."

……

The third grade.

Li Ran arrived at Zhang Jingyi's house alone, carrying gifts.

Zhang Jingyi's parents divorced when she was young. She lived with her mother and had a half-brother.

The door opened, and Zhang Jingyi's mother stood in the doorway. When she saw Li Ran, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"Little Li is here? Come in, come in quickly."

Li Ran entered the room carrying the gifts, feeling somewhat uneasy.

He already knew that his mother had told Zhang Jingyi's mother all about his affairs.

But Zhang Jingyi's mother didn't say anything about it.

She treated him like any other son-in-law—warm, gentle, and considerate.

Looking at her gentle appearance, Li Ran suddenly felt a little guilty.

Zhang Jingyi's personality is completely inherited from her.

Just then, a little boy ran out of the room.

He was about eight or nine years old, with a chubby face, and his eyes lit up when he saw Li Ran.

"Brother-in-law!"

He ran straight up to Li Ran, extended his hand, and said, "Happy New Year! I wish you and my sister a happy new year!"

Li Ran was stunned for a moment.

He came in a hurry and didn't prepare any red envelopes.

Just as he was about to take out his phone to transfer the money, Zhang Jingyi had already quietly slipped a red envelope into his hand.

Li Ran looked at her and smiled knowingly.

He handed the red envelope to the little boy.

Happy New Year to you too.

The little boy took the red envelope, his eyes crinkling with joy: "Thank you, brother-in-law!"

After saying that, he dashed back to his room to open the red envelopes.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingyi's mother smiled and said, "Xiao Li, you and Jingyi sit and chat for a while. I'll go cook for you."

Li Ran quickly said, "Auntie, there's no need to trouble yourself."

"It's alright. It's your first time visiting, you should at least have a meal. We're not busy, it'll just be some home-style dishes."

"Thank you, Auntie." Li Ran nodded.

Only he and Zhang Jingyi remained in the living room.

Zhang Jingyi looked at him and smiled, "Brother, my brother is just like this, don't mind him."

Li Ran shook her head: "How could that be? My little brother is very cute."

……

On the fourth and fifth days of the Lunar New Year, Li Ran took Tian Xiwei to visit his two uncles.

They were all his father's former comrades-in-arms, with whom he had a close relationship. There were also some who lived in the area, but he only called to say hello.

On the sixth day of the lunar new year, the two flew to the mountain city.

Tian Xiwei's home is in the city, in a small but cozy house.

Farmer's parents were waiting at home early in the morning. As soon as the door opened, the aroma of steaming hot food wafted out.

Tian Xiwei threw herself into her mother's arms: "Mom! I'm back!"

Tian's mother patted her back with a smile, but her gaze fell on Li Ran behind her.

Li Ran quickly stepped forward: "Hello, uncles and aunts, I'm Li Ran."

The farmer looked him over and nodded, "Come in and sit down."

That meal was quite lively.

The farmer was not a man of many words, but he drank quite a lot of wine.

Tian's mother kept serving food to Li Ran, asking him this and that, her eyes full of the satisfaction a mother-in-law has for her son-in-law.

After the meal, Tian Xiwei showed the jade bracelet to her parents, saying it was a gift from her grandmother as a token of her respect for her parents' new address.

Mr. and Mrs. Tian exchanged a glance and also took out a red envelope and handed it to Li Ran.

"Little Li!"

Mother Tian said, "Since the elders in the family have approved, we won't say anything more. This is our token of appreciation, please accept it."

Li Ran accepted the red envelope and promptly changed her address, saying, "Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom."

Tian Xiwei smiled broadly beside her.

During those few days, Tian Xiwei took Li Ran on a tour of the mountain city.

She visited all the popular tourist spots: Jiefangbei, Hongyadong, the Yangtze River Cableway...

He also took him into the alleys to eat at small shops known only to locals, such as hot pot, noodles, hot and sour rice noodles, and tofu rice.

Li Ran ate happily and gained seven or eight pounds in a few days.

On February 23, Li Ran flew back to Beijing.

Tian Xiwei didn't go with him; she wanted to stay home a few more days.

It was already evening when the plane landed.

Li Ran didn't go back to her own apartment; she went directly to Liu Haocun's house.

The door opened, and Liu Haocun stood in the doorway in his pajamas. Seeing him, her eyes lit up: "You're back?"

Li Ran nodded, went inside, and took a shower first.

When he came out, Liu Haocun was leaning back on the sofa looking at his phone.

Fall in love with reading, starting with Cola Novels.

"I've bought them," she said. "My plane ticket is for tomorrow afternoon. I've also bought the one for the 27th; I'll fly directly to Shanghai then."

Li Ran nodded, dried his hair, and sat down next to her.

Liu Haocun looked at him: "We're walking the red carpet together at Weibo Night, right? The organizers notified you, didn't they?"

"I said so."

Li Ran said, "Let's walk together representing the cast and crew of 'A Little Red Flower for You'."

Liu Haocun then asked, "By the way, what award did they give you? Weibo KING?"

Li Ran shook his head: "It should be Xiao Zhan's."

Liu Haocun was taken aback: "Didn't you have a higher vote count than him at the beginning? I see you still have a higher count now."

Li Ran chuckled: "It's just a prize for dividing up pork, why bother about it?"

He explained, "I made arrangements to suppress the votes. In the end, it should still be Xiao Zhan. I'm not interested this year, and he needs this award more than I do right now."

Liu Haocun glanced at him sideways: "You're really generous, this is Weibo KING."

She paused, then asked, "What award did you win?"

"Trending Figures!"

Li Ran said, "After all, I just transitioned to a new career this year. Of the three works that have aired, only 'A Little Red Flower,' which I co-starred in with you, is relatively good. 'Minglong Boy' and 'So Cute Us' are just average."

Liu Haocun looked at him with disdain: "Tch! You think 'Minglong' and 'Adorable' are just so-so? You're so arrogant."

She counted on her fingers: "According to you, Xiao Zhan only had one movie last year, 'The Wolf,' which flopped so badly that nobody except his fans knew about it. 'Douluo Continent' is popular now, but it's also being heavily ridiculed."

Li Ran smiled but didn't reply.

He changed the subject: "Alright, let's think about what gift I should bring when I meet your parents."

Liu Haocun nodded, but there was a hint of surprise in his eyes: "You've met so many parents already, and you still don't know what gift to bring?"

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly: "Shouldn't you ask your parents what they like?"

Liu Haocun pursed his lips and tilted his head to look at him: "You just need to go. Any gift is fine, my parents don't mind."

……

January 24th, afternoon.

When the plane landed at Changchun Longjia Airport, Li Ran looked out the window and saw a vast expanse of white, with piles of snow on both sides of the runway.

He wrapped his down jacket tighter around himself and followed Liu Haocun out of the cabin.

A blast of cold air hit him, scraping his face like a knife. Li Ran took a breath and felt as if his nasal cavity was about to freeze.

Standing next to him, Liu Haocun looked at his expression and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "How about it? The cold in Northeast China is different from the cold in Beijing, isn't it?"

Li Ran exhaled a puff of white breath: "It's definitely different. The cold in the capital is dry, but the cold here is biting."

Liu Haocun took his arm, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "This is nothing! It's already the beginning of spring, the coldest time is over. Otherwise, I'd show you what minus thirty degrees really means."

……

Liu Haocun's hometown is in a small city in Jilin Province, which is several hours away by car from the airport.

Along the way, the scenery outside the window changed from cities to towns, and then from towns to a vast expanse of white fields.

Occasionally, as I passed through a few villages, I saw thick snow piled on the roofs of the red brick houses, and smoke rising from the chimneys, creating a tranquil winter scene.

Liu Haocun leaned on Li Ran's shoulder and chattered on as he introduced the river to him: "That river over there, I used to play there a lot in the summer when I was a kid, and you could even walk on it when it froze over in the winter."

"I went on a picnic with my classmates on that little hill when I was in junior high school."

"That shop is still there! Their grilled cold noodles are delicious, I'll take you there tomorrow."

Li Ran listened, occasionally responding with a word.

He discovered that Liu Haocun had become a completely different person after returning to his hometown.

More relaxed, more lively...

The car was parked in front of a six-story residential building.

Liu Haocun pulled Li Ran out of the car and pointed to the third floor: "That's my home."

Li Ran looked up and saw an ordinary residential building with ordinary windows. There were a few potted plants on the windowsill, covered with plastic bags to keep them warm.

The hallway was a bit dark, and the stairs were a bit narrow.

Liu Haocun held his hand and climbed up the stairs, calling out, "Mom! Dad! We're here!"

The door on the third floor opened.

A middle-aged woman stood in the doorway, wearing an apron, her hands still covered in flour.

When she saw Li Ran, a smile immediately spread across her face: "Oh, Little Li's here! Come in, come in!"

Liu Haocun's mother was younger than Li Ran had imagined. Her eyebrows and eyes were very similar to Liu Haocun's, and her eyes crinkled when she smiled, making her look especially kind.

Li Ran quickly greeted her, "Hello, Auntie, I wish you a belated Happy New Year."

"Okay, okay, come inside quickly, it's cold outside."

The room was very warm, and the heat wave that hit him made Li Ran relax immediately.

The entryway is small, but it is kept very clean and tidy.

Liu Haocun's father walked over from the living room, holding a newspaper. When he saw Li Ran, he nodded and said, "Little Li is here? Please sit down, don't be shy."

Li Ran handed over the gift in her hand: "Uncle and Aunt, this is just a small token of my appreciation."

Liu Haocun's mother accepted the gift and said reproachfully, "You didn't have to bring anything, did you?"

Liu Haocun, standing nearby, said with a grin, "Mom, just keep it. He brought all sorts of good stuff; why not take it?"

Li Ran glared at her, and she made a face at him.

……

Dinner was very plentiful.

Sauerkraut with pork belly, sweet and sour pork, stir-fried potatoes, green peppers, and eggplant, stewed chicken with mushrooms... a table full of Northeastern dishes, the portions are surprisingly large.

Liu Haocun's mother kept putting food on Li Ran's plate, saying, "Little Li, eat more, you're too thin."

"Try this, it's sauerkraut I made myself."

"This sweet and sour pork was Cun Cun's favorite dish when she was a child."

Li Ran's bowl was piled high like a small mountain. As he ate, he praised, "Auntie's cooking is really good, much better than my mom's."

Liu Haocun's mother couldn't stop smiling: "This child has such a sweet tongue."

Liu Haocun's father drank silently beside him, occasionally glancing at Li Ran.

He didn't talk much, but his eyes held a scrutinizing quality.

Li Ran sensed this and took the initiative to raise his glass: "Uncle, let me toast you."

Liu Haocun's father nodded and clinked glasses with him.

After a glass of baijiu, the atmosphere seemed to relax a bit.

Liu Haocun's father put down his glass and looked at him: "How much can you drink?"

Li Ran smiled and said, "It's alright, I should be able to keep Uncle company while he drinks."

Liu Haocun's father's eyes lit up: "Okay! Then drink more."

Then things started to get out of control.

Liu Haocun's father had initially thought that this young man from the south wouldn't be able to drink much.

At first, he advised, "Xiao Li, drink less, just drink whatever you like."

As he drank, he realized something was wrong.

How can this kid drink so much?

He drank one cup after another without even blushing.

Liu Haocun's father got excited: "Again!"

After a few more drinks, they were downed.

Liu Haocun's mother, standing nearby, advised, "Alright, alright, stop drinking."

Liu Haocun's father waved his hand: "It's nothing, it's rare to find someone who can drink so much."

Li Ran smiled and chimed in, "Auntie is fine, I'm just happy to keep Uncle company."

Liu Hao watched from the side, his expression shifting from worry to helplessness, and then from helplessness to watching the show.

After a few more rounds of drinks, the way the two addressed each other began to change.

"Brother Li Ran, you can really hold your liquor!" Liu Haocun's father patted him on the shoulder.

Li Ran put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Brother, you're not bad either!"

Liu Haocun's mother: "…………"

Liu Haocun: "…………"

Finally, the two started playing rock-paper-scissors.

"Five champions! Six six six!"

"Seven clever ones! Eight horses!"