Chapter 800: Learning the Ancient Teachings of Art

Recent busyness had made the number of times Luo Mo returned to Beijing decrease.

This made him feel a bit self-reproachful.

Perhaps the older generation is sometimes quite conflicted as well.

They hope the younger generation can spread their wings and soar, carving out a world for themselves outside, yet sometimes, their hearts will miss them for no reason.

The fact that Tong Qinglin always kept this snack that Luo Mo loved to eat as a child in his home was, in truth, a symbol of that longing, wasn't it?

The old man especially liked visiting supermarkets and wet markets in his daily life; he enjoyed such settings.

Luo Mo could roughly guess that every time Liu Shixiong accompanied him to the supermarket, he would see his master specifically run to the snack aisle to buy this snack.

Many of the older generation are just like this; as they get older, their memory gets worse. They might not be able to remember what dishes they ate yesterday, but they can always remember exactly what you like to eat.

Perhaps you might even complain every time you go home, asking why the same few dishes are cooked every time.

——What clumsy love that is.

Listening to Tong Qinglin's words, hearing his master say he was getting old and muddled, and that he had taken out expired food for him to eat, Luo Mo's throat couldn't help but feel a bit tight, and his hands suddenly went a bit stiff.

After his Adam's apple bobbed, he feigned normalcy and said, "Master, it's fine. I just had a bite, the taste hasn't changed. An expiration date is just an expiration date; it only means it might have gone bad, and besides, it's only been a few days past it."

"Liu Shixiong was unlucky, my bag was fine," he lied.

"Then don't eat it either," Tong Qinglin said to Luo Mo.

"Alright then," Luo Mo smiled.

During the meal, Tong Qinglin was in excellent spirits for conversation.

He talked about the Opera industry and the promotion of Opera.

He also talked about things from the past.

He even told many of Luo Mo's embarrassing stories to Xu Chujing.

Later on, he began to reminisce about scenes from his own youth.

His master was not the type of person who loved to show off, and he rarely mentioned how glorious he was in his youth.

Back then, many people with special status had watched his performances and were all his fans.

After the meal, he even brought Luo Mo and Xu Chujing to his study.

There is a very important Prop in *Farewell My Concubine*, which is that sword.

Luo Mo had chatted with his master about the general content of this film, and now that he had brought everyone to the study, he intended to take the sword hanging in his study and give it to Luo Mo.

"Master, this... this won't do," Luo Mo said.

Tong Qinglin smiled and said, "It's not a gift for you, it's a loan. Once you're done using it, give it to your Liu Shixiong."

Liu Gongming had been watching this scene with a smile, but upon hearing his master suddenly mention him and gift the sword to him, he couldn't help but be stunned: "Ah?"

"Ah what 'ah'," Tong Qinglin said. "Haven't you been coveting this sword for a long time?"

Don't forget, Liu Gongming made a name for himself in the Opera world in his early years with *Noble Consort Dances with Sword*.

He coveted his master's sword very much.

Firstly, this sword was very valuable.

Secondly, this sword had great significance, though it was inconvenient to state it clearly.

Tong Qinglin had originally intended to treasure it for his whole life.

However, receiving this sword at this moment brought Liu Gongming not the slightest bit of joy; instead, sorrow welled up from his heart.

But on the surface, he immediately smiled, his fat face instantly creasing with folds of flesh, his gums showing as he laughed, and said, "Thank you, Master!"

After gifting the sword, Tong Qinglin continued his generosity.

He began picking out gifts for Luo Mo and Xu Chujing again.

The reason was that Luo Mo had already proposed, and he had witnessed the proposal himself.

As his master, he certainly had to give this pair of Newcomers some gifts to express his heart.

Originally, he was going to give Xu Chujing jewelry, but later on, he ended up gifting her an entire set of furniture.

There were boxes for storing jewelry, as well as matching tables and chairs, saying it was for Xu Chujing to use as a vanity table in their new home later.

Xu Chujing came from a wealthy family and was a dignified diva, so she was naturally well-informed.

Others might not be able to see the value of this furniture, but how could she not?

She saw at a glance that this set of furniture was made entirely of golden nanmu wood.

There is a saying: Ten grams of gold is hard to trade for one gram of nanmu.

This was no joke.

Moreover, for this type of wood, small items are one thing, but if they are large items, the value can skyrocket.

Over a decade ago, a single golden nanmu arhat bed could be priced at 110 million.

Xu Chujing looked at Luo Mo very nervously, wanting Luo Mo to help her refuse.

Unexpectedly, Luo Mo said, "Master, that will have to wait until we move into our new home; our new home in Beijing hasn't even been renovated yet."

"And we haven't even held our wedding yet, we haven't even drunk the wedding wine."

Upon hearing this, Tong Qinglin felt that this made sense, and said with a chuckle, "Good, good, good, I still have to drink your wedding wine."

Luo Mo was actually very afraid of this kind of sudden generosity from an old person.

When he was a child, he went to visit an elder for the New Year; this elder used to give very small red envelopes, but that year, the one he gave was especially large.

The young Luo Mo was happy when he received the big red envelope.

But Luo Ba and Luo Ma didn't seem happy at all; instead, their expressions were grave.

A few months after the New Year, this elder passed away.

The night gradually deepened, and since Tong Qinglin slept early, Luo Mo and Xu Chujing took their leave first.

Liu Gongming saw the two of them out to the Siheyuan.

The two fellow disciples always had endless things to talk about, but today, both seemed somewhat silent.

………

………

The next day, all employees at Luo Mo Studio received the news.

"The filming schedule for 'Farewell My Concubine' is being moved up."

The group of participating Actors, as many as could adjust their schedules, all proceeded to make adjustments.

Many people could tell that Luo Mo seemed very irritable.

The efficiency of setting up some scenes was a bit low, and he was also pushing very hard.

But after two days, he seemed to have become peaceful again.

It was as if he had become the same as before, wanting excellence rather than shoddy work.

This contradiction actually reflected the inner struggle Luo Mo was feeling.

Or rather, it was also his fear of the unknown.

He wanted to film the most perfect "Farewell My Concubine" to show his master.

But he was also afraid... that he wouldn't have enough time.

Repeatedly adjusting his mindset made his brain ache faintly.

Xu Chujing comforted him many times, but she also knew that her comfort did not have much effect.

Everything still depended on Luo Mo himself finding the balance point within his heart.

Fortunately, when the film officially started shooting, he seemed to have completely adjusted back.

Tong Qinglin, accompanied by Liu Gongming, even came to the set once.

The stage Luo Mo built was restored based on Tong Qinglin's memories.

After seeing the stage, the old man was clearly very happy, and his complexion looked much ruddier.

In order to film this movie well, Luo Mo auditioned many, many child actors.

Especially for the role of Xiao Douzi, which is the actor playing the young Cheng Dieyi.

When Luo Mo first watched the movie on Earth, he was amazed by this child's eye acting.

In most of young Xiao Douzi's scenes, he didn't really speak much.

Especially in those few scenes with his fellow disciple Xiao Shitou.

However, just his gaze, just relying on that pair of eyes that seemed to be able to speak, was enough.

Luo Mo even felt that this child actor's performance, if placed in the present, could crush a large number of Actors.

Of course, the teenage Xiao Douzi also performed very well.

It could be said that Luo Mo exhausted his efforts when picking Actors.

But in the end, he really did pick good ones.

As for himself, honestly, he really wanted to challenge the role of Cheng Dieyi.

But unfortunately, he himself did not fit.

Luo Mo's heroic spirit was too heavy; that was one reason.

Another reason was that he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with a larger frame, giving people the feeling of having a very good physique.

Fans jokingly called it: "Pacific broad shoulders."

Just this frame issue alone would bring about a tremendous challenge.

This was not something that could be slimmed down just by losing weight.

That temperament of Cheng Dieyi, honestly, Luo Mo really wanted to challenge it.

The acting difficulty was very high, but it was worth a try.

He didn't mind the particularity of the character Cheng Dieyi in certain aspects.

A movie is a movie, after all.

You have to know, on Earth, Jiang Wen had always been obsessed with the role of Cheng Dieyi; he always fucking wanted to play it!

Of course, it was also hard for the audience to imagine what the Cheng Dieyi he played would look like...

Therefore, the role Luo Mo himself would play was Cheng Dieyi's fellow disciple, Duan Xiaolou.

Which is the "Overlord" in "Farewell My Concubine".

Honestly, this character is not very likable in some aspects during the later stages.

But it doesn't matter; as a director, the most important thing is to film the movie well.

Now, the weather has turned cool.

Beijing at this moment is truly cold.

Such weather actually fits the content of some of the childhood scenes perfectly.

Luo Mo would prioritize filming the scenes with the child actors.

The reason was simple: if he didn't hurry, they might grow up and change their appearance.

The entire filming process was considered smooth.

Since they were filming in Beijing, Tong Qinglin would sometimes come to visit the set when he was free, accompanied by Liu Shixiong, Liu Gongming.

Luo Mo even directly gave his master a title, saying he was the film's artistic director, and would write his name in the opening and closing credits.

The old man didn't care about this, but he was very diligent in doing things.

Luo Mo was young after all, and there was a gap between him and the historical background of "Farewell My Concubine".

Tong Qinglin was someone who had experienced that era, and he could indeed help Luo Mo in many places.

Not to mention, humans are truly a very strange species.

After becoming a bit busier, Tong Qinglin has instead been very spirited every day.

Luo Mo and Liu Gongming sometimes both have an illusion, feeling that their master has returned to the past.

But everyone can also sense that there is still something different.

Xu Chujing also feels that ever since Luo Mo started filming the movie, he hasn't looked as irritable as before.

But she also doesn't know if Luo Mo has truly calmed down, or if he is just enduring everything and hiding it deep in his heart.

At six in the morning, Luo Mo arrived at the set early.

Many scenes in the movie are actually early morning scenes.

People who studied arts and practiced skills back then had it much harder than people do now.

Just like the line in the movie says, if you want to be distinguished in front of others, you must suffer behind their backs.

There was simply no such thing as sleeping in.

Fortunately, no one in the crew was complaining.

Everyone knows in their hearts that being able to film with Luo Mo, and on a work he is directing and starring in himself, is truly a stroke of great luck.

Of course, it's hard to say for the child actors, as they are all still just kids.

Fortunately, Luo Mo has many little fans, after all, he is also a top big shot in the Animation world.

So, he really does have the look of a "king of kids," and has special authority.

Standing in front of you is the man who produced "Monkey King: Hero is Back" and "Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child"!

For today's scene, the whole crew is a bit pressed for time.

Because everyone is taking advantage of the timing provided by nature.

It is snowing in Beijing.

The first snow of this year.

With current technology, making some artificial snow would certainly be very easy.

But since it happened to be snowing, Luo Mo thought about taking the snow scenes out to film them.

If the final effect isn't good, it won't be too late to use artificial snow then.

A group of child actors were brought to the lakeside in winter.

Seeing the snow, the children were still quite excited.

Luo Mo did not suppress the children's nature, but instead let them play for over ten minutes before having everyone stand in a row to start finding their state.

Here, a scene of everyone practicing their singing style will be filmed.

Everyone must sing in unison: "Strength to pull mountains, spirit to cover the world—."

In this shot, there will be a subsequent transition, indicating the passage of time, from the white snow of winter to summer.

The children have also grown a bit, turning into youths.

Just for this one take of singing by the lake, they filmed for over an hour before Luo Mo was satisfied.

After filming, the crew headed back, returning to the room where they usually film the practice scenes.

The content filmed in the afternoon is the "Ancient Teachings of Art" part from "Farewell My Concubine".

Many of Luo Mo's fans might still have a deep impression of the "Ancient Teachings of Art".

Because it even appeared in "Creating Idols".

The youths were seen standing in a row, reciting loudly together with solemn expressions.

"【Passed down to our disciples, all students must listen with respect."

Since ancient times, people born into this world must possess a skill.

Since we have taken up this profession, we should focus our efforts.

To become famous across the four seas later, the foundation lies in one's youth."

】"

Luo Mo sat in the director's chair, listening to the youths recite it over and over again.

His thoughts would drift to the past from time to time.

At the very beginning, he was just like a student reciting an ancient poem, reciting the "Ancient Teachings of Art".

He only treated it as an assessment.

Luo Mo had been smart since he was little, and had a good memory.

The "Ancient Teachings of Art" is very long, and for ordinary children, it can be said to be a tongue-twister and hard to memorize.

But he memorized it before long.

When reciting it, he was even a bit self-satisfied, and his expression couldn't help but be a little smug.

Then, he was punished by Tong Qinglin.

After being punished, he also saw his master sitting alone to the side, looking at the sky from time to time, then sighing, with a sense that things are not what they used to be.

Liu Shixiong had also recited the "Ancient Teachings of Art"; the master had made him recite it.

It stands to reason that the master had also recited it, as his master's master had made him recite it.

Perhaps one really has to reach a certain moment to understand the "Ancient Teachings of Art," to understand the Inheritance and expectations within it.

To understand the final sentence: "【Having explained the pros and cons, I hope you will flourish day by day】."

After this part of the scene was filmed, Luo Mo's assistant even said: "Director Luo, I have an impression of the 'Ancient Teachings of Art'; in 'Creating Idols', when you were on a video call with Teacher Tong, he even made you recite it!"

There might have been a bit of flattery in these words.

But after he finished speaking, he discovered that Luo Mo's expression was a bit off.

"Mm." He responded in a low voice, then stood up and left, walking into the dressing room on his own.

Xu Chujing followed him quietly.

After walking into the dressing room, she looked at Luo Mo, whose shoulders were slightly heaving, and gently closed the dressing room door.

(End of this chapter)