Chapter 359

Wei Ming always dialed a number. After a long time, Xu Shufen could remember the number just by watching him dial.

If she guessed correctly, the person on the other side should be Gong Xue. She hesitated again and again, feeling that in this situation with her mother, only Gong Xue, the actress who played the lotus flower, could suppress it.

As for whether this would disrupt her son's rhythm, she couldn't care so much anymore. And to be honest, she wanted to see her future daughter-in-law too much, and then let her sign her name for her.

At this time, Gong Xue was writing a letter, a letter left for Wei Ming. Before Wei Ming returned, she had to go back to the Magic City for an audition.

The role of the female lead Wen Juan in *Love in the Brush* is not too much, but the character is very good, virtuous and talented, and she really likes it. Moreover, the Shanghai Film Studio was urging her, so she didn't wait for Wei Ming to discuss it.

In the letter, Gong Xue told Wei Ming not to worry. She would come back after trying on the makeup and accompanying her parents for two days. There was still some time before the movie started filming.

Just as she was writing, the phone rang. Strange, the phone hadn't rung since Ma Xiaowei left. Who is it?

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Little Xue?" Xu Shufen thought about it and still felt that calling Comrade Gong Xue was too unfamiliar, so she started calling her "Little Xue."

This confused Gong Xue. Calling her Little Xue, but it didn't sound like her mother.

"I am Gong Xue, who are you?"

It really was Gong Xue. Xu Shufen smiled: "I am Wei Ming's mother. Are you free now?"

Gong Xue's body felt like it had been electrified. In her nervousness, there was also some excitement. So it was Aunt Xu, who was better than a real mother!

"Auntie, is there anything wrong? I am very free now." Gong Xue's voice trembled slightly.

Xu Shufen: "It's like this."

She told the whole story: "I just thought about whether you can help enlighten Little Ming's grandmother."

Gong Xue said duty-bound: "I'll go over right now!"

Confirming that Gong Xue was coming, Xu Shufen didn't tell her mother for the time being. She let her sister-in-law take care of her mother, and she herself was cleaning the house and preparing dinner.

Before dark, Gong Xue rode her bike to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

When the guard Old Sun saw her wearing a mask and acting suspiciously, he stopped her.

When she took off her mask, Old Sun immediately stood up: "South Gong Xue, you are South Gong Xue, right!"

Old Sun hadn't had time to watch that movie yet, but he had read the newspaper a lot. Recently, there had been a lot of news about the bundling of the two major beauties in the north and south, which was very deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

"Grandpa, I'm here to see a friend. Can I go in? I can register." Gong Xue said sincerely.

"What else to register? Come in, come in."

Looking at Gong Xue's back, Old Sun couldn't help but feel honored. Our Overseas Chinese Apartment is really full of scholars, and there are no unlearned people coming and going. You can even see stars.

Previously, North Zhu Lin often ran to Ma Xiaowei's house. I don't know who South Gong Xue is looking for.

"Dong dong dong~"

After Gong Xue knocked on the door, someone opened the door soon, and then she saw Xu Shufen in formal attire. She had changed into her New Year's clothes, which was very grand, just a bit hot.

"Aunt Xu." Gong Xue didn't come empty-handed. When passing by the Friendship Store, she also bought some kiwis from New Zealand. The foreign exchange coupons Ma Xiaowei left at home couldn't be spent at all.

"Little Xue, please come in. Why bring anything?"

Xu Shufen finally could look at Gong Xue up close again. The newspaper said she was 28 years old, but she didn't look like it. This skin is so tender, like a little girl in her early twenties, looking younger and more hydrated than when she saw her last year.

Is this the so-called red energy nourishing people?

Gong Xue endured Xu Shufen's scanning from head to toe somewhat nervously, but she was still confident in her makeup and clothing.

"Mom, sister-in-law, look who's here!" Xu Shufen hurriedly called her mother and sister-in-law out.

Xu Shufen introduced her: "This is Wei Ming's grandmother."

Gong Xue hurriedly said politely: "Hello, Grandma."

"This is Wei Ming's aunt."

"Hello, Aunt."

Xu Shufen: "I am Wei Ming's mother."

"Mo..." That word almost came out. She blushed and hurriedly changed her words, "Auntie, hello Auntie."

Xu Shufen didn't tease her on purpose. Who would have thought she was so dull? It really made her like her very much.

Originally, Wei Ming's grandmother was tired of crying and had fallen asleep. She was called out by her daughter, and saw Gong Xue calling her grandmother again. The tragic fate of the lotus flower in the movie, and those tear-jerking songs suddenly flooded into her mind, and tears flowed out as if they didn't cost money.

Xu Shufen thought it was bad. She seemed to have done something counterproductive.

Before Gong Xue came, she already knew the point of grandmother's sadness, so she hurriedly held grandmother's arm and comforted her specifically.

"Grandma, don't be sad. Although the lotus flower suffered a lot, she reunited with her son later. I believe you can too."

Grandmother shook her head: "I know, everything in the movie is a lie."

"It's not a lie this time. Doesn't the newspaper say that the Little Gourd in reality found his biological mother? After the lotus flower saw her son, the whole person became much more normal."

"Ah? Really?" Xu Shufen also asked.

Gong Xue took out the newspaper she had put in her pocket before going out. Since the *Chengdu Evening News* published the follow-up report, the media across the country have been reprinting and following up on this matter. The latest progress is the warm picture of the lotus flower dressed neatly and cooking for her son. It is said that the lotus flower's mind has become much clearer.

Grandmother said awkwardly: "I am illiterate."

Gong Xue said: "Grandma, sit down, I'll read it to you."

Seeing Gong Xue so gentle and sensible, Xu Shufen took her sister-in-law to the kitchen to finish the dinner work.

The sister-in-law was still puzzled: "Shufen, why did you call the big star home?"

"Sister-in-law, this movie script was written by Little Ming. He and Gong Xue are naturally friends. And you forgot, when Yunyun got married, Gong Xue also came."

"Ah? Did she come? I have no impression." The sister-in-law said embarrassedly. At that time, *The Herdsman* hadn't been released yet, and Gong Xue's popularity was still far behind. If Liu Xiaoqing went, the sister-in-law would definitely remember.

Xu Shufen: "I even took a photo with her."

"This Comrade Gong Xue is really good-looking, even more beautiful than in the movie. That little face is only half as big as mine," the sister-in-law sighed, then touched Xu Shufen, "Shufen, what kind of friend is this Gong Xue to our Little Ming?"

Because there is another Zhu Lin, Xu Shufen didn't dare to say it to death. She said: "Just a good friend with the same interests. Let's go, serve the food."

When they set the food, Gong Xue had already finished reading the news. Grandmother was indeed comforted, and she was embarrassed to cry in front of such a beautiful guest.

Gong Xue helped her to the table and sat next to her to facilitate picking up food.

Gong Xue also took the initiative to ask: "Auntie, where is Uncle?"

"No need to wait for him. He is at the Beijing Zoo. There are bamboo shoots and bananas, as well as raw chickens and live fish. He won't be hungry."

Gong Xue smiled. These are the food for the animals.

"So you brought Steel Egg back this time too?" Gong Xue, who was wise and sensible, guessed.

Xu Shufen nodded, thinking that her son even told her this. I don't know if he told her about the old man in Hong Kong.

"Little Xue, you can go to the zoo to play with Steel Egg when you are free. It can perform programs."

Recently, Steel Egg has learned many skills under Old Wei's guidance. This child also has a strong desire to perform and is particularly good at making things. If it hadn't been decided to give it to Hong Kong, the Chengdu Zoo would not be willing to let it go.

Gong Xue nodded with a smile.

Then grandmother asked about filming again. Except for the couple Biaozi, this was the first time she had come into contact with a movie star, and she was curious about filming.

"I see you are much thinner in the movie than now."

Gong Xue worried: "Grandma, am I fat?"

Grandmother: "How come, it's just right now. Look at the four in this room, you are still the slimmest. It's just that you were too thin in the movie."

Gong Xue was relieved: "That was specially reduced for the role, reduced by more than ten pounds."

"My God, you are already so thin, and you can still lose more than ten pounds. It's too painful!"

Gong Xue smiled: "How can the audience sympathize with me if I don't lose weight like that."

Grandmother and Xu Shufen picked up the meat dishes on the table at the same time: "Hurry up and supplement."

The four women had a very happy meal. Grandmother and sister-in-law also ate foreign kiwis for the first time, and affirmed the taste. Gong Xue and Xu Shufen tacitly didn't mention the price.

After the meal, Wei Ming's sister-in-law called Yunyun again, agreeing to see her tomorrow. She was busy coaxing the old lady and didn't tell her daughter when she came to Beijing.

Gong Xue looked at the time: "Grandma, Auntie, sister-in-law, it's getting late, so I'll go back first."

Xu Shufen stopped her: "Why go back? It's so dangerous for a girl at night. It's not that there aren't enough rooms here. You sleep in Little Ming's room."

"This is not good." Although she hadn't slept there, that was when she was alone with Wei Ming.

Grandmother and sister-in-law also joined the ranks of persuading her, and the public security was indeed not good, much worse than when Gong Xue first came to Yanjing.

Finally, she was persuaded. Lying on Wei Ming's bed, she couldn't help thinking, how good it would be if she slept here as Wei Ming's wife.

She hugged Wei Ming's quilt, as if hugging Ma Xiaowei's young body. I miss you so much.

And at this time, it was just past noon in Frankfurt. In the morning, Wei Ming wandered through major exhibition halls, fancying many new and old books. During the period, he also met Old Song from the International Bookstore.

Old Song had already bought many books for the country. Wei Ming asked him: "Is our country making money or losing money on this trip?"

Old Song understood what he meant, whether it was making more money by selling or spending more by buying.

He sighed: "Let's put it this way. Last year, participating in this Frankfurt Book Fair, buying translation rights and original books, we spent more than 1 million US dollars. Foreign exchange is indeed very precious, but we have reached a critical juncture where we must look at the world as soon as possible. In ten years, we have been out of touch too much. Literary works are okay, we can buy less, and it doesn't matter if we look at them later, but scientific and tool books are really urgent."

So the country has never introduced the genuine version of the globally popular Latin American literature *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, and it was also mocked by Marquez because of piracy, because it is relatively less important. In difficult times, precious foreign exchange must be spent on the blade.

There are reasons why we have too many books to buy, and there are reasons why the country buys too few of our books, so there is a huge trade deficit every year.

Wei Ming asked: "What about this year? How is the situation?"

Old Song smiled: "Thanks to you uncle and nephew, your books sell well, earning hundreds of thousands of US dollars. And that technology from Peking University, not only African countries are interested, but East Germany is also preparing to purchase. This time, we will definitely be able to compress the deficit to within 1 million!"

East Germany is Uncle Ping'an's relationship, which is relatively reliable. Africa's side is Wei Ming's network. I just don't know if I can receive the final payment from black brothers in addition to the advance payment.

But even if money is made, Peking University collects it, which has nothing to do with the Publishing Bureau.