Chapter 350

When Wei Ming and Gong Ying finished watching the movie, the scene was already an ocean of crying.

Seeing everyone crying like this, Gong Ying, who was watching for the second time, was embarrassed to cry. She wiped her tears and was about to pull Wei Ming out, and then found that his eyes were also red, and there were traces of tears on his face.

Wei Ming was seeing the finished film for the first time. Although it was a script he wrote himself, the power was still far beyond imagination, feeling even more tear-jerking than the version he saw in his past life.

Except for the similar main framework, a large number of details and lines were different. Wei Ming's version was more suitable for the constitution of mainland babies and was more worth savoring. Even after a few decades, it wouldn't be too outdated.

And several interludes were even more powerful, magnifying the already sentimental atmosphere. This emotional agitation effect was simply capped.

With such a plot and such music, using it on the mainland audience in the 80s was simply using an anti-aircraft gun to hit a mosquito. It was cruel enough to them, and I guess they wouldn't be able to recover for several days.

However, Wei Ming felt that if he were to direct this movie himself, he should be able to film it better and more movingly. Although he hadn't really been a director in his past life, he had been rolling and crawling in the film and television circle for more than twenty years, living in the crew all year round. Key point: his vision was more advanced.

It wasn't that he was bragging. Compared to genius directors like Xie Jin, he couldn't compare, but the ability of most directors in this era might really not be as good as him.

When the two walked out of the screening hall first, a male audience member in the last row suddenly looked at Gong Ying and shouted: "He Hua?!"

This single, unmarried male youth came to watch this movie just for Gong Ying. He was a fan of Gong Ying's appearance, so he recognized her just by seeing the eyes Gong Ying revealed.

However, after watching this movie, only the character name "He Hua" remained in his mind. He even wanted to call her "Mom."

Being shouted at by him, Wei Ming pulled Gong Ying and ran faster, and other audience members also reacted.

"What's wrong?"

"What are you shouting for?"

"I just saw He Hua!" The male youth was excited, and other audience members immediately ran out, but only saw the exhaust of a motorcycle.

Wei Ming laughed: "Look, you'll have to be careful when you go out in the future. If you are recognized, I'm afraid it will be difficult to move an inch."

"Not to that extent, right? Zhang Yu and Liu Xiaoqing also often go out shopping."

"You will be more popular than them, because your character is too pitiful. The whole country's audience will like you."

Gong Ying was overjoyed by Wei Ming's words. As an actor, isn't what one wants to be recognized by the audience? This wasn't in vain for the suffering she endured when filming.

Besides falling from the bridge herself, in order to act out the feeling of the crazy mother at the end, she, who was already very thin, lost nearly ten catties again. At that time, she only had eighty-plus catties left, and her period was irregular.

At that time, she didn't dare to let Wei Ming see it, and only came to the capital after gaining some weight in the Magic City.

Gong Ying touched Wei Ming's still moist face: "Didn't expect that the story you wrote yourself could make you cry?"

"No way, who let you and Xizi act so well. I think if the judges of the Golden Rooster Award don't discriminate against children, they should give Xizi a Best Actor nomination next year."

"..." Gong Ying sighed. However, Xizi acted really well, and the two cooperated with great chemistry. She still wanted to act as his mother in the future.

Of course, she still hoped to hear him call her "Sister-in-law."

Gong Ying asked again: "Then where are we going next?"

Wei Ming followed the street: "Go, go to Xinhua Bookstore to take a look."

"Want to buy a book?"

Wei Ming: "Today is the day the standalone book of *In the Name of the People* is published."

After several months of revision and typesetting, this long novel that had brought the highest circulation to *Harvest* chose to meet the readers who were thinking about it day and night on National Day.

"Ah?" Gong Ying was stunned, "Why did you only say such an important thing now?"

Wei Ming: "Compared to your movie release, these are all small things. And I'm not publishing a book for the first time. I just want to see how it sells."

Gong Ying laughed: "The threshold of the bookstore must be squeezed to pieces."

She believed in the attraction of this novel. She asked again: "Then how many copies were printed in the first edition?"

"1.6 million."

Among them, 1.5 million were paperback editions, just one big book, and another 100,000 sets were hardcover editions. A set of books was divided into three small booklets, the same as when serialized. The covers were all hard cardboard.

In this era, frugality was advocated and waste was opposed. Wei Ming didn't expect there would be a hardcover edition either. The publishing house only gave him five hardcover sets, which wasn't enough to give away.

"This first edition volume is very high!"

Wei Ming nodded. For contemporary writers, it was indeed very high. Although *In the Heat of the Sun* had already sold more than 2 million copies, that was the result of multiple reprints.

Originally, it was planned for 1 million sets. This wasn't because Wei Ming made such a big stir again—first Wei Shenme's clone and overseas song release, then the 150 million Hong Kong dollar fundraising in Hong Kong. He was currently in the prime of traffic, plus there was a preface by the late Mr. Mao Dun. The publishing house felt that 1.6 million shouldn't be difficult to digest.

With these 1.6 million sets of books, Wei Ming received nearly 30,000 yuan in royalties. For an average writer, having this royalty income could basically retire and provide for old age. Now the bank deposit interest rate was high, and the interest on 30,000 yuan was higher than the average person's salary.

However, 30,000 yuan didn't have any attraction for Wei Ming. Not to mention that he had tens of thousands of yuan entering his account every month at Oriental New World, and the amount of foreign exchange he earned every month was more than this.

It was just that one couldn't spend money openly in this era, so if there was a chance, one had to go out more.

Arriving at the nearest Xinhua Bookstore, the two saw that the store was deserted and there was no lively scene of readers queuing up.

Upon asking, the salesperson said impatiently: "It's been announced for so long, don't you know to come earlier? It was all sold out ten minutes after opening this morning."

"Then the inventory?"

"Adjusted the inventory three times, all sold out in the morning. If you adjust again, you have to queue and wait for goods."

Gong Ying looked at Wei Ming. Look, everyone is fighting to grab it.

Wei Ming asked again: "I heard there is a hardcover edition, is that also sold out?"

The price of the hardcover edition was twice that of the paperback edition. In this era, the cost-performance ratio was very low, and it was usually not the first choice for readers.

"Sigh," the bookstore salesperson sighed, "The quantity is limited. Our store didn't grab any at the beginning. I guess the one at Wang Fujing has it."

After saying this, the salesperson looked at Wei Ming, who was wearing toad glasses, and suddenly tilted his head and scrutinized him.

Wei Ming hurriedly pulled Gong Ying away. There had been too much exposure recently, and some people had started to remember the face of a writer. This wasn't a good phenomenon.

If this face was known to everyone, how could he bring different girls out shopping in the future?

"Sister Xue, I have hardcover editions there. I'll give you a set."

"I would have said it even if you didn't, and I want an autograph." Gong Ying hugged his waist and said.

Wei Ming: "No problem, but it's at the Overseas Chinese Apartment. You have to take a trip with me."

"Won't I run into Little Hong again?"

"She's at school, rest assured."

Chengdu.

The afternoon *Mama, Love Me Once Again* was still playing. Old Wei and Xu Shufen had already seen He Hua go crazy. They had both read the original, and their hearts were prepared, but they didn't expect the force to be so great.

It made Xu Shufen miss Wei Ming. Although she knew her son was fine, she just wanted to hug him.

At the same time, Hu Delu, who was watching this movie, had already become a tearful person. Mom must have been mentally deranged in her longing for herself day by day, right?

Seeing He Hua holding a big calabash and calling it son, I don't know if this was Teacher Wei's artistic creation method or the real situation.

A woman who wasn't mentally normal didn't know how much suffering she had to endure in the rural area.

At this time, tears blurred his eyes, and he could almost not see the screen clearly, but he still insisted on continuing to watch.

The movie had entered the finale. Little Calabash, who was forcibly taken away by his father's group, didn't continue to run away. He calmly accepted their arrangements, went to school, went abroad, as if he had completely resigned himself to fate and became the filial son and grandson they wanted.

Many years later, when the grown-up Little Calabash returned to the country after finishing his studies, his biological father, stepmother, and increasingly old grandparents went to the airport to pick him up.

At this time, even the stepmother recognized this foster son and felt that this child was promising: "Studied law abroad, will be a big lawyer in the future."

Grandfather said: "What lawyer? If you want to be one, be a judge."

Grandmother: "Exactly, how majestic it is to be a judge!"

However, all the tourists on this flight had left and they still didn't see Little Calabash. The four happy people started to become anxious. Just then, an airport staff member walked over.

"Hello, are you the family of Hu Chenguang?" Here Wei Ming didn't use Little Calabash's real name, still very considerate.

"Yes."

Staff member said: "Oh, he arrived yesterday and left a letter for you."

"Arrived yesterday?"

"Didn't it say today?"

"We didn't remember the date wrong."

Hu Wanqian suspiciously took the letter and opened it. Four heads leaned over: "Father: When you see this letter, I should already be with Mom. Sorry, I feel that as a son, I have the responsibility to take care of her. For your upbringing and cultivation, I will repay you separately.

Also, what I studied abroad these years wasn't law, but psychiatry."

Grandfather was puzzled and angry: "Psychiatry? What kind of unpopular major is this!"

Grandmother was also disappointed: "Exactly, even if you study medicine, you should study cardiovascular and cerebrovascular things. We don't use psychiatry!"

At this time, Hu Wanqian frowned and said: "I heard from Teacher Song of the village primary school that after we left that day, He Hua's spirit wasn't normal. She, she went crazy."

The scene turned. Near the big tree where He Hua watched her son leave at the beginning, a young man with a handsome appearance was led here by the primary school teacher who had appeared before.

That song *Only Mom is Good in the World* was taught to him by this Teacher Song after learning that Little Calabash only had a mother. In order to make the story more compact and the theme more distinct, Wei Ming didn't give Teacher Song Lian, who put righteousness first, too many scenes.

However, it was also hinted before that she was the one taking care of He Hua, and Little Calabash had sent money and photos to He Hua, which were also transferred by this teacher.

On the tree, He Hua, holding a calabash, sat barefoot on a tree branch. Besides being crazy, disregarding her image, and being older, her state at this time was very much like the young and lively mother at the beginning of the movie.

After looking into the distance for a while, He Hua took out a stack of photos from her pocket. They were photos of her son from Little Calabash to Big Calabash. Every once in a while, there would be a letter with photos sent over. Although Little Calabash was outside, he hoped to use his photos to wake up his mother.