[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-437":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},2261145,4412,"Chapter 437: Drained, Squeezed Dry","rising-in-1979-chapter-437",437,"\u003Cp>“Jiefang Uncle, are you home, Uncle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late at night, someone came to the door; Old Wei thought, what now? Didn’t we talk enough yesterday and all day today?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the door: “Oh, Zhuzi, what’s up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Jiefang, that stuff you gave us to drink yesterday—the, the what’s-it-called?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Coffee,” Old Wei said with a cosmopolitan air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, yeah, that coffee—do you have any more? Tomorrow I’m hauling timber with my donkey, working late. My old donkey’s getting on in years, drops off to sleep at the usual hour, so I thought I’d give him some of this stuff to perk him up—it really works, I didn’t sleep a wink last night!” Zhuzi grinned foolishly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Wei immediately snapped: “Can’t you just treat your donkey or horse with a little more respect? When it’s time to sleep, let it sleep! And do you think this is your family’s millet gruel? Those two cups you drank yesterday cost at least a few bucks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, so expensive!” At this, Zhuzi’s leg, already stepped into the courtyard, automatically pulled back—but the courtyard smelled wonderful. What delicious food were they cooking now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At dinnertime, Qi Delong automatically came over to his uncle’s house for a meal, this time carrying his one-and-a-half-year-old brother, Qi Dongqiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, why’d you stew such a huge pot of meat!” Qi Delong was astonished—not because his uncle couldn’t afford it, but because they couldn’t possibly eat it all. Was this meant for him to take home to his parents?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Wei chuckled: “Tomorrow’s the college entrance exam. I’m treating all the exam candidates from our village to lunch. Come with me early tomorrow—you’ll get a feel for the exam atmosphere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does it include meals?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course it does—plenty of stewed meat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, I’m in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dinner, Xu Shufen made Qi Delong take some food home for his parents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Wei Ming began his educational charity work in the village, the children’s study atmosphere has grown steadily stronger; several who originally planned to attend vocational schools ended up entering high school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of high school and college, Wei Ming offers higher scholarships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, Gouzitun produced five college entrance exam candidates. As honorary principal of the village school, Old Wei generously offered to provide exam meals for the students, earning praise from every villager—some even shouted for him to return and take on both village secretary and team leader roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basking in the villagers’ affectionate gazes, Old Wei and Qi Delong set off for town before dawn, driving two donkey carts—Xiao Erhei and Xiao Qin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One cart carried the students; the other carried breakfast and lunch. On the way, Old Wei told the students stories of the outside world and taught them to be like Brother Wei Ming: “Worry before the world worries, rejoice after the world rejoices”—to become someone useful to society, to the times, to the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Kong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also early in the morning, before dawn, Wei Ming went downstairs and knocked on Zhou Huimin’s door, fetching her from her home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film was about to start shooting; Amin wanted to go watch and help buy tea and water. Wei Hong wouldn’t go—she had to watch the stock market, see if she could recover yesterday’s losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wei Ming and Zhou Huimin arrived at Happy Post Street, Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning were already there, with all the filming equipment—Liangzi had driven them over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During filming, the minivan Wei Ming originally bought became a vital transport vehicle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming said: “Today we shoot the female lead’s room first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Xu Jingjiang arrived, and as Wei Ming had instructed, he brought several live pigeons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amin, wait here for the actors and makeup artists. Lao Zhang, come on—let’s release the pigeons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming needed a shot of a pigeon flying over the space between two buildings, timed to coincide with the gunshot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou was downstairs; Wei Ming and Xu Jingjiang were in charge of releasing the pigeons—but it failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jingjiang took matters into his own hands, climbing to the rooftop to release the pigeons—he was determined to make Wei Ming’s ten thousand yuan worth every cent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as soon as the cage opened, five or six pigeons flew off in the opposite direction, never appearing between the two buildings—completely failing to achieve Wei Ming’s desired effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou helplessly packed up the camera, a little saddened—those were plump, tender meat pigeons, all flown away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked Xu Jingjiang: “Do people in Hong Kong keep homing pigeons?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I guess so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Then tomorrow, find someone who owns homing pigeons and borrow some. Homing pigeons are more obedient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xu Jingjiang’s troubled expression, Wei Ming knew he had no connections for this—he said: “You don’t need to find them—I’ll have the producer handle it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have a producer on this crew?” Xu Jinjiang was surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “That Miss Lizhi you met the other day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After we finish shooting this morning, I’ll call her. She’s been in Hong Kong a long time, and she’s Xiao Gu’s person—she might have contacts for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they came down from the building, the female lead, Xia Wenshi, was already being made up, chatting with Zhou Huimin while the makeup artist worked from Wei Ming’s concept sketch, complaining: “Too many materials used—this one face takes as much as five others, in both materials and time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Huimin hurried to say: “But it’s incredibly unique—unforgettable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The makeup artist asked: “Director, is the face okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming gave an OK gesture. The makeup artist said: “Take off your clothes—now we start on the body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Wenshi calmly began to undress; Zhou Huimin rushed to push Wei Ming out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the makeup artist added: “This pattern’s tricky—too complicated. I’m not an artist—how am I supposed to do this? It’ll probably take until noon to finish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That won’t do—Wei Ming needs to shoot in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Makeup artist: “How about the director helps paint? It’ll speed things up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Wenshi glanced at Zhou Huimin—she didn’t mind, just feared the girl might get jealous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amin wasn’t just jealous—she was nearly frantic. Was Aiming really going to see another woman’s body?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hasn’t even seen mine yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming was obviously the best choice—the pattern was his design, not random or copied from the original, but infused with many traditional Chinese cultural symbols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Sanxingdui motifs, calligraphy elements, and red accents. Wei Ming drew it in great detail, with strong visual aesthetics—the female lead often appears in just underwear to showcase it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Amin’s watchful gaze, Wei Ming called Xu Jingjiang over: “I’m not an artist, but this man is a real one—descendant of a master. His teacher was Master Guan Shanyue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Shanyue, deeply rooted in Lingnan, was highly renowned even in Hong Kong—he’d held multiple exhibitions there and this year was appointed an external committee member by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His name carried weight—enough to impress the makeup artist, who recognized him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming also asked Xia Wenshi’s opinion; she had no objection—she’d already done plenty of intimate scenes with Xu Jingjiang, so what was there to be shy about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jingjiang, however, hesitated. He wasn’t trained in Western art and had never painted a nude. When Xia Wenshi began to undress for him, he shamefully got an erection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, Wei Ming was recalling and retrieving memories: Lao Xu and Xia Wenshi were both highly respected in the industry. Lao Xu had an excellent reputation, having worked with Shu Qi, Li Lizhen, Weng Hong, Ye Zimei, Ye Yuqing, and Chen Baolian—but he’d never worked with Xia Wenshi. Would they spark together?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Zhou Huimin waved her hand in front of Wei Ming’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, I’m thinking about tomorrow’s shooting,” Wei Ming said with solemn integrity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Xu Jingjiang’s help, the full-body makeup was quickly finished—his work was even better than the makeup artist’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Good. Now, Ah Jiang, take off your shirt, lie down, and help out as a stand-in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, isn’t there anyone else in this room?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes—a man who spent the night with the girl. No need to bring someone else. You’re capable, so take on extra duties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll turn my back—don’t film me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem. Turn around. We can cut it out later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Xu Jingjiang shielded his face with his arm. But Wei Ming whispered to Zhang Yimou: “Shoot Ah Jiang’s face later—just don’t make it too clear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the opposite room, the male and female leads. In this room, it’s also the male and female leads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Wenshi appeared in makeup, top half covered only by a bra. Her first shot: she’s applying makeup in front of the mirror, suddenly hears something, turns her head—and a purple lipstick streaks across her lips…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the end of the morning, the scene was finished—just one minute of final footage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Xia Wenshi was still herself—not wild enough, not enough of a tomboy. After Wei Ming pushed her relentlessly, she finally stopped being herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Huimin arranged lunch for everyone. Afternoon shooting continued; Xia Wenshi’s scenes in this sequence were mostly complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming told her to step away, had Xu Jingjiang stand bare-chested by the window, and had Zhang Yimou film him from across the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This confused Xu Jingjiang—but he wasn’t Liang Jiahui, who hated directors who didn’t explain the story. Xu Jingjiang was cooperative—do as told.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Wei Ming had Xu Jingjiang put on clothes and run next door, while Xia Wenshi stood by the window—Wei Ming wanted a shot of both characters framed together through the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, Wei Ming had Xia Wenshi run over to the male lead’s side and lie in the pool of blood on the floor, playing the victim there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both did as instructed, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before evening wrap, Lizhi drove to the set, wearing sunglasses and a white top and pants, looking sharp and mature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Huimin stared at her. Lizhi smiled and greeted the girl, then went over to speak with Wei Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve found someone who can supply pigeons. How many do you need?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Twenty possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem. Need them tomorrow morning?” she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, tomorrow morning, same place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright,” Lizhi added, “I helped you out big time—wanna treat me to dinner tonight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “What do you mean ‘helped me’? You’re the company’s legal representative and the producer of this short film—it’s your job. But dinner’s fine. What’s for dinner?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1743,"2026-06-19T16:30:59.356Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1a8466e1eb0e7b7ed7e16a934ab553027c3fca0296058103d4857eab6230f60f","rising-in-1979-chapter-438","rising-in-1979-chapter-436",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]