[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-431":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising in 1979",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2261139,4412,"Chapter 431","rising-in-1979-chapter-431",431,"\u003Cp>After lunch, the sunlight was perfect; Wei Ming had already changed into his swimsuit and dove into the pool at the Sihe Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water splashed up, and after a long while, a large, handsome head surfaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waved to the two women wrapped in towels behind him: “Come on, it’s so comfortable!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lin sniffed: “I’ve swum before, I know how it feels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gong Ying blushed: “But it’s broad daylight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “It’s just swimming, what’s the big deal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lin glared at him: “It’s not about swimming—it’s about the swimsuits you picked for us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were wearing the three-piece swimsuits Wei Ming brought back from Hong Kong, made of extremely minimal fabric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as always, it was their own home—what did they have to fear? After a few complaints, they reluctantly stepped into the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pool wasn’t large, but three people could still move around; yet Wei Ming kept nudging up against his two sisters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t random touching—he’d discuss with them the morning’s viewing of “Midlife.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the lead in a female-centric drama—your character, Lu Wenting, is the core. ‘Camel Xiangzi’ centers on Xiangzi, but Zhang Fengyi, the rookie, was overshadowed by Siqin Gaowa. From character completion, Lu Wenting isn’t inferior to Huniu, so I suspect next year’s Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers winner is still up in the air.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Xue’s “Ink Affection,” there’s hardly any room to consider it—her lead role has limited screen time and little room for development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lin listened intently as Wei Ming’s hand slid over her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this, Gong Ying shook her head helplessly—she’d promised a simple swim, but she’d just worried about dirtying the pool and the hassle of cleaning it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Wei Ming held back, then couldn’t hold back—water splashed everywhere; he expended some energy in the pool, and afterward all three returned to bed to lie awhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Midlife” drew even higher attendance in the evening show; Zhu Lin’s parents watched it then—the theater was packed, but after, they couldn’t find their daughter to share their feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Zhu Lin and Gong Ying were scrubbing the drained pool all night—hmph, never again would that troublemaker be allowed to misbehave in the pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming had already returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment to continue writing, alternating between short film scripts and comic book drafts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t go to Hong Kong until after the semester ended, so the next day he returned to work at school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the library, Wei Hong came to find him; she’d just finished her final exam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shhh~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother~” Wei Hong whispered excitedly, leaning close to Wei Ming, “You’re taking me to Hong Kong!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Did Anping Uncle tell you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, he said the application’s been approved!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled: “Good—you can reunite with Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Auntie, and meet Lin Nainai, whom you’ve never seen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And Hong Kong’s stock market!” She hadn’t forgotten—she’d read plenty of finance books, including rare foreign ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hong noticed the camera beside Wei Ming: “What’s this for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “I’m going to take photos for the graduating class later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Liu Zhenyun and the others arrived, respectfully asking for Teacher Wei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The school only provided class group photos—photo development was expensive—but Teacher Wei had no such concerns; he happily obliged every graduating student who wanted a photo with a close friend, using color film bought from Friendship Store, going through several rolls in one day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day he also received the photo he’d taken with Xu Qing, so he wrote her a local letter, encouraging her to develop holistically in morality, intellect, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also wrote a letter to his hometown, asking the village secretary and principal to oversee this year’s scholarship and prize distribution, but the study tour would be delayed a few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His siblings were going to Hong Kong, and Old Wei wasn’t in Beijing—he’d promised to go to Shanghai this time—but worried no one would look after things, he decided to wait until returning from Hong Kong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As departure drew near, Wei Ming’s preparations were complete; on the final night, he left Xiao Hong alone at the Overseas Chinese Apartment and went to the family home on Nankuo Gulang to say goodbye to his two sisters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time away, it’ll be at least half a month,” so Wei Ming was determined to exhaust every last bit of energy and vigor on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was past midnight when the two sisters finally called a stop—they believed Xiao Wei wouldn’t find any fox spirits in Hong Kong, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lin said: “If you can’t sleep, let’s talk about movies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes—when’s ‘The Legend of the Sky’ coming out? Xiao Qi is waiting!” Gong Ying asked for her young nephew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “It’ll probably release while I’m in Hong Kong—by then, all the kids will be on summer break.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gong Ying: “Great—but my ‘Ink Affection’ is also in July.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, confirmed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, late July.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “I’ll definitely make it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lin asked: “Who are you planning to cast as the lead in ‘The Shepherd Class’s Spring’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She believed Wei Ming would get the directing opportunity, so she asked directly about filming plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gong Ying: “And where will you shoot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming answered the simpler question first: “When I wrote it, I followed my mother’s memories of her hometown—it’s based on rural Sichuan, so I’ll likely shoot there too, find a scenic spot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, the Third National Population Census was fully completed; China’s population (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) reached 1.0318825 billion, all data entered into computers—this meant Wei Ming could now use big data to continue searching for his aunt, and it would be easier in Sichuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for casting:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For the male lead, Teacher Zhong, I’ve contacted Li Baotian. At first he refused, saying his appearance wasn’t good enough, but after my persuasion, he’s now gone to the Central Conservatory to study the demeanor of musicians.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming had scoured all male actors in their early forties before choosing Li Baotian—his acting was naturally grounded, unlike actors from the previous generation, whose performances felt artificial and overly theatrical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Li himself admitted, his appearance fell short—he was a comic actor by origin, while the Teacher Zhong in the original novel was handsome and charismatic, so Wei Ming wanted him to immerse himself in the atmosphere of a musician.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the father-son pair of principal and village chief, I’ve spoken to Old Ge Cunzhuang—he’ll bring his son on board.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that Ge You, the tall, thin one?” Gong Ying had met him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, him—his hair’s a bit thin,” Wei Ming said. “I’m a bit worried—this village chief son is the most hated character in the novel, practically the main villain. Ge You has too little acting experience. I also considered Chen Qiang and Chen Peisi, but Chen Peisi is too comical-looking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gong Ying realized—he wanted real father and son to play father and son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lin chuckled: “That’s a cruel thing to say—just say he’s ugly, why say he looks ‘too funny’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “That’s high praise. Someone like Chen Peisi has a huge advantage in comedy—the starting point is far higher. Take Zhu Shimao, for example—if both of them acted in a comedy, who do you think would be funnier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both had worked with Zhu Shimao—they answered almost simultaneously: “Chen Peisi!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lin: “Besides, Zhu Shimao could never be funny.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly—he’s too serious,” Gong Ying added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d strayed too far; Wei Ming brought the topic back: “The three most important adult roles are probably them. Then there are the children’s roles—Xizi must have a major part. If it clashes with your ‘Under the Bridge,’ you’ll have to ask the director to prioritize your scenes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gong Ying nodded: “An actor as talented as Xizi is rare—I’m not surprised you want him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lin: “What about the others? I remember the novel had three or four significant child roles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “We’ll take our time finding them—I’ll ask Wu Jing’s father; if he’s available, he could be one too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then when Wu Jing grows up, he can proudly say: I acted in Wei Ming’s movie—did you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gong Ying suddenly remembered: “What about my goddaughter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little girl they’d saved on the train—Gong Ying had kept in touch with her family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming recalled: “How old is she?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s six now,” Gong Ying said. “And she’s growing fast—she looks about Xizi’s age. She’s lively, loves singing and dancing, and isn’t shy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Alright, I’ll meet her when I get back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three chatted until past two in the morning before finally falling asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, Gong Ying woke early to prepare breakfast for Wei Ming—so Wei Ming and Lin Jie could use the last moments for one more round. How virtuous of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing Wei Ming completely drained and Zhu Lin thoroughly satisfied off, Gong Ying had to head to the sewing machine—Biao Ma had arranged everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wei Ming returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Biaozi and Xiao Mei had already arrived; Wei Hong had carried their luggage downstairs and was waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biaozi and Xiao Mei knew the truth; only Wei Hong still believed her brother was secluded at the Beichi Sihe Academy, working on creative projects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the airport, Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning had already arrived; both wore their best clothes, with pens stuck in their breast pockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou’s wife had come to see him off; learning her husband was going to Hong Kong to make a film, she was happy for him but worried he’d be dazzled by the outside world and lose his heart—capitalist sugar-coated bullets weren’t something everyone could just eat the sugar coating and refuse the bullet.\u003C\u002Fp>",1628,"2026-06-19T16:30:59.356Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0b4f532d38de513e8b7ba0fc45dd958cc43237ce65bc5b2727fbe75a3178b0b6","rising-in-1979-chapter-432","rising-in-1979-chapter-430",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]