"By the way, I still don't know your name!"

"My name is Luo Ping!"

“My name is Lin Li. I really like your painting style! Do you have time tomorrow? Come to Nanhai Pavilion and we can talk in more detail.”

“Sure! But…” Luo Ping hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to be honest with Lin Li, “…I’ve never filmed a commercial before, do you think I’m suitable?”

"What's wrong with that? You'll get used to it after a while. Just keep taking pictures!"

"Okay!" Hearing Lin Li's nonchalant tone, Luo Ping readily agreed. He had studied filming before, so shooting an advertisement shouldn't be too difficult for him.

The next day, as soon as Luo Ping stood in front of the South China Sea Pavilion, Wang Jianguo invited him inside.

"Mr. Luo? Please come this way. Our boss is waiting for you in his office."

"good!"

Walking through the hotel lobby and into the office area, Luo Ping felt cheerful as he watched the energetic staff coming and going.

As soon as I entered the office area, I saw Lin Li sitting at her desk, constantly writing and drawing, and occasionally rubbing her hair with the stub of a pencil.

"Boss, Comrade Luo is here!"

Upon hearing Wang Jianguo's voice, Lin Li looked up at Luo Ping and then picked up a few slightly yellowed old photos from the table.

Under the kerosene lamp, Grandma served dumplings in a rough earthenware bowl; Father cut red paper into Spring Festival couplets, the ink still wet as his little brother's hands smudged them...

"Luo Ping, could we film this human touch? Not just the food, but also the feeling of a family gathering together during the Lunar New Year. Add some suitable music and narration, and it would definitely be very appealing!"

Luo Ping took the old photo and looked at it carefully. Suddenly, he remembered the black and white photo of his mother making dumplings in his cabinet.

After a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "Let's write the script first."

The two then devoted themselves to creating the advertising script.

They sat at the desk, brainstorming ideas one after another.

Lin Li described the scenes of the New Year, while Luo Ping sketched out the storyboard on a piece of paper.

Ultimately, they finalized the general framework of the advertisement: it would begin with the festive street scenes of old streets in Shenzhen, then showcase the bustling kitchen of "Nanhai Pavilion," the family reunion at the dining table, and finally freeze on the scene of the whole family raising their glasses and laughing.

On the day of the shoot, before dawn, Lin Li led her photography team to the South Sea Pavilion.

Luo Ping was adjusting the bulky camera, a rare item with a huge body that required a specialist to carry and operate.

In the kitchen, the honeycomb briquette stove was burning brightly, and the chefs were busy at work. Steam condensed into fine water droplets in the dim light.

Lin Li brought out a red silk ribbon and tied festive aprons on the waiters, and then hung red lanterns all over the corridor pillars.

"On your marks, begin!"

At Luo Ping's command, the camera's motor began to hum.

The camera first pans across the steaming heat in the kitchen, where flames leap up to waist height as the chef tosses the wok, illuminating his focused profile.

"Great! That shot is fantastic!" Lin Li exclaimed excitedly from the side.

Next, the scene shifts to the hall, where children, dressed in clean new clothes with rosy cheeks, are excitedly playing with "firecrackers" made of cardboard.

Luo Ping directed the waiter to bring out a steaming pot of dishes. The steam began to blur the lens, but he smiled and said, "Don't move, this is the kind of hazy feeling that the New Year should have."

The filming was going smoothly until a long shot of the whole family eating together caused more than ten takes.

Luo Ping demanded perfection from the actors' expressions, movements, and even the placement of the bowls and chopsticks.

Lin Li, meanwhile, kept giving the actors pointers, saying, "Everyone, be more natural, just like it's really Chinese New Year!"

It was almost afternoon when the shot was finally completed.

The two patted their stiff bodies and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now all that's left are a few cooking shots, and then it's post-production!"

Lin Li made an appointment with him to film the chef cooking again early the next morning. Luo Ping took advantage of this time to borrow a reflector from a hardware store and move the tungsten filament lamp from the photo studio to the restaurant.

The next day, as the first rays of morning light shone through the carved window lattice onto the braised chicken feet in abalone sauce, Luo Ping held his breath and gestured for the cameraman to slowly zoom in, the film capturing the moment the amber-colored broth flowed.

"Good, good, good! Absolutely perfect!"

After filming was completed, the two immediately began the intense post-production process.

Back then, editing television commercials required processing the film frame by frame on an editing machine.

Lin Li and Luo Ping stayed in the cramped editing room, selecting and rearranging the footage frame by frame.

To find the right music, they searched through all the tapes in the record store and finally chose a folk song with a cheerful rhythm and a festive atmosphere.

The narration was also revised many times. Lin Li herself took the stage, speaking in Mandarin with a Shenzhen accent, and told the story of the reunion of "Nanhai Pavilion" with deep emotion.

Two months later, the commercial is finally finished!

In January 1985, a fine drizzle fell from the sky over Shenzhen, and the chilly air, carrying the sweet aroma of candied melons, lingered in the streets and alleys.

Lin Li carefully wrapped the advertising tape into a blue cloth bundle, then put it in a plastic film before carefully stuffing it into a canvas bag.

Today, she is going to Shenzhen TV station to discuss cooperation, bringing with her the "Nanhai Pavilion" Spring Festival advertisement, which embodies countless efforts.

The television station building stands beside the main road, its gray cement walls adorned with faded propaganda slogans, and the bulletin board at the entrance displays the broadcast schedule for "Xinwen Lianbo" (the nightly news program).

Lin Li stood in front of the revolving door and took a deep breath. The canvas bag weighed heavily on her shoulder. Inside the bag, besides the master tape, was an advertising placement plan that had been rushed out overnight.

Pushing open the glass door, you can hear the 'click-click' sound of several old-fashioned printers, and staff members dressed in Zhongshan suits hurrying by carrying leather file folders.

After asking the front desk for directions to the advertising department, Lin Li finally spotted the sign for the advertising department at the end of the corridor on the third floor.

'Knock knock knock!'

"Please come in!"

Hearing the sounds inside, Lin Li took a deep breath before pushing open the door and going in.

"Hello Director Chen, I am Lin Li, the person in charge of Nanhai Pavilion. We have filmed a Spring Festival advertisement and would like to air it on your station. Here is the detailed proposal."

As he spoke, he took out an advertising placement plan from his bag.

Director Chen pushed up his glasses and glanced at the design book: "Restaurant advertising? The competition is fierce now. Department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives are all lining up."

He tapped the table with the nib of his pen. "Besides, TV advertising slots are expensive. Do you have enough budget?"

Lin Li hurriedly opened the bundle, revealing the master tape wrapped in velvet: "Director Chen, please take a look at the film first! We filmed the festive atmosphere of the old streets of Shenzhen, as well as the lively atmosphere of the kitchen. It's different from other advertisements."

Her speech quickened as she recounted how Luo Ping used reflectors to capture the luster of the dishes and how the children posed for the camera holding cardboard firecrackers, her eyes sparkling with excitement.