Chapter 82 Shanghai People


    Alley can be understood as a small alley.


    There is usually a large iron gate at the entrance of the alley, and entering is a narrow alley with rows of Shikumen on both sides.


    A Shikumen has seven or eight rooms, including bedrooms, wing rooms, pavilions, kitchens, etc. Just like courtyards in the capital, Shikumen has become a place where multiple households live together, men, women, old and young, and noisy fireworks. land.


    Shanghai, Chongqing North Road.


    Early that morning, a certain alley became noisy. Neighbors poked their heads out of the small windows to greet the group below.


    "The whole family went out early in the morning...Oh, your Xiaoxue is back. We haven''t seen her for a year. She is getting more and more beautiful as she grows older."


    "Yes, I just picked it up... Xiaoxue, this is your Aunt Wang!"


    "Aunt Wang!"


    "Okay, I''ll come home and cut the rice another day."


    Under the cover of watching eyes and densely packed clothes-drying poles, Gong Xue, who was tired of travel, was led into a Shikumen by his family members.


    Although large courtyards in the capital are shared by multiple households, the houses are independent, while Shikumen is an integral building. There are three families living here, each with two rooms, a shared kitchen, and no toilet.


    They are all colleagues of Gong Xue''s father, and they get along fairly well. As soon as she entered, she was warmly greeted by two neighbors from the other households, and she was dragged back to her room after a while.


    The hut suddenly became crowded.


    Father Gong is over fifty, with a pale face and bright eyes.


    My mother’s surname is Zhuang. She has pretty features and looks very similar to Gong Xue. She was a government cadre before and did some assisting work at Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Publishing House after retirement.


    Gong Xue''s grandfather was Zhuang Xianshi, a native of Changzhou and a minor official in the late Qing Dynasty. He went to Japan to study at the same time as Lu Xun and returned to set up a women''s normal school. He was one of the founders of new education in Changzhou.


    Later, he worked in the Ministry of Education of the National Government. During the Japanese invasion of China, Zhuang Xianshi refused the invitation of the Nanjing Puppet Government and became a teacher. After the founding of the People''s Republic of China, he served as a librarian at the Shanghai Museum of Literature and History, working closely with Lu Simian, Ba Jin and others. Very friendly.


    Zhuang Xianshi died in 1965. He was not a famous figure, but he was also a local sage, and historical records can be found. But precisely because of this, Gong Xue''s home was ransacked, and many of the paintings and calligraphy collected by the old man were confiscated.


    Gong Xue has a brother and a sister. The brother works as an artist in a publishing house and the sister works in a factory.


    There is also a younger sister named Gong Ying, who later became an actress and filmed films such as "Bao and Son" and "Ji Gong"...


    This is her family situation.


    When Gong Xue came back, the family had a lot of thoughts to express. They started crying again as they talked, crying and laughing again. After struggling for a long time, Zhuang''s mother got up and went to cook. Today, his family is taking care of his daughter, so the other two families will not be short-sighted and take the initiative to give up the kitchen.


    My brothers and sisters are all married and starting their own businesses, and they leave after eating.


    Gong Ying was still young and lived with her parents. When Gong Xue came back, she shared a bed with her.


    …


    Blink to night.


    Gong Xue took the train for two days, and her physical and mental fatigue was completely washed away by the joy of returning home. She was not tired at all. She leaned on the bed and looked through the manuscript Chen Qi had given her under the dim light.


    This thing is very strange. In addition to the weird jar man, there are also "water murals where you can hear the sound of water and flow into your forehead", "candles in paintings that can be lit at a click", "roasted chickens that can fly" and "hands as knives" , a chicken noodle soup that is ready to drink and eat with the painting as the surface.”


    Too feudal and superstitious!


    He was shot dead for five minutes on the mainland, but Gong Xue knew that Chen Qi must have other purposes if he didn''t do anything transgressive.


    "sister!"


    Gong Ying came in after washing up and threw herself on the bed. Gong Xue lifted the quilt and hugged her in. The two of them looked exactly alike, they were a pair of beautiful sisters.


    "What are you looking at? Oh, who is this guy? He''s so weird and weird?"


    "I don''t understand either. A friend asked me to draw it for him."


    "You can paint as you are told, and you are not afraid of being caught. Then you will be in trouble!" "I hid it in the army and only painted after I took it home."


    Gong Xue put down the manuscript paper, hugged her little sister and said with a smile: "When I was filming "Love in Lushan Mountain", this friend helped me a lot. Now he asks me for a small thing, how can I not repay him? I''m just afraid that the painting won''t be good and it will be delayed. Let’s talk to my parents about it tomorrow.”


    "Um…"


    Gong Ying looked at her with a funny face, shook her head and said: "It''s different, it''s different."


    "What''s different?"


    "You are different from last year when you came back. There is an indescribable feeling."


    "What do you know, little girl? You''re just talking nonsense."


    "Oh, you seem to be blooming. I haven''t seen you pay so much attention to anyone before. I want to ask my parents, who do you want to bloom for?"


    "I''ll hit you again!"


    Gong Xue suddenly became angry from shame, and the two sisters started to fight, laughing and rolling in a ball. Maybe the voice was a little louder, but my father''s voice came from the next room: "Xiaoxue, are you still awake?"


    "Well, I''m not sleepy yet."


    "Your mother isn''t asleep either. Come over and chat for a while?"


    “…”


    Gong Xue glared at her sister, then walked to another room with her clothes on. Her father had already gotten up and sat on a chair. Mother Zhuang stretched out her hand and said with a smile: "Come on, don''t freeze!"


    "laugh!"


    She became more and more like a little girl in front of her parents, and she snuck in and said, "Dad, what do you want to say?"


    "Your mother and I discussed the letter you wrote to us for a long time. The reason why I didn''t reply to you is because I wanted to wait for you to come back and have a good chat. After all, it is related to a major event in your life choice."


    Father Gong spoke in a refined manner and continued: "Although our family knows some people from the Shanghai Film Studio, and your Aunt Zhang Ruifang has made peace with them, the people in the Shanghai Film Factory are mixed, and it is not everyone''s fault. It is still not easy for you to transfer."


    Zhang Ruifang is an actor from Shanghai Film Studio. His representative works include "War in the South" and "Li Shuangshuang". He is also one of the 22 biggest movie stars in New China.


    "The main reason is that you have never filmed a film produced by Shanghai Film Studio. Their leaders don''t know you well and will not transfer people to it for no reason. Didn''t you say that "Romance in Lushan" is very good? Can it be released this year?"


    Zhuang''s mother asked.


    "If everything goes well, it will be released in the summer."


    "That''s it. When "Romance in Lushan" is released, we will ask someone to see if we can get you in. If you can''t get in, we suggest you choose Beijing Film Studio. Don''t they like you very much? "


    "But I want to be with you!"


    Gong Xue pursed her lips.


    "Silly boy, your first goal is to be a full-time actor. You have to go to a studio. It doesn''t matter where you go. When you enter the Beijing Film Studio, your time will be much more flexible. You can shoot when there are scenes and when there are no. Come back and see us later, it’s the same thing.”


    I have to say that my parents are very transparent. Only after entering a factory can you enter the film industry, and only if you have steps can you move up.


    Gong Xue had previously accepted death and wanted to come back, but now she felt it made sense, and said: "Well, I listen to you two, go wherever you can. I can dub "Love in Lushan Mountain" when I go back during the Spring Festival. ”


    "Well, tell us when it comes out!"


    Zhuang''s mother rubbed her head and talked for a while before Gong Xue returned to her room.


    Gong Ying had already fallen asleep. She went to bed lightly. The thoughts in her mind were turbulent, and finally they were reduced to one thought: finish the painting first and then talk about it.


    (End of chapter)