Chapter 263 Take it to the United States
As September approached, the crew of "Farewell My Concubine" returned after performing outside for nearly two months. Han Zhuangzhuang specially brought some Guangzhou specialties for Lin Weimin.
He and Chen Xiaoer hardly had any rest and went straight into the crew of "The Hidden Corner".
Fortunately, "The Disguiser" does not have any large scenes, so the crew directly chose to shoot in Yanjing.
On a free weekend, Lin Weimin came to No. 26 Lama Temple Street.
"Tiesheng! Tiesheng!"
Lin Weimin was holding a fish in his left hand and a piece of beef in his right hand.
Shi Tiesheng's wheelchair appeared at the door after he had been calling for a long time. When he saw what he was holding in his hand, a smile broke out on his face.
Because he became busier at work this year, Lin Weimin came to the Shi family less frequently.
But every time he comes, he never comes empty-handed, because Shi Tiesheng is a carnivore.
After handing the things to Shi's father, Shi Lan was at home today. While waiting for dinner, she asked Lin Weimin all kinds of questions.
"Brother Lin, how far has the filming of Dream of the Red Chamber progressed?"
"The script isn't finished yet."
"Ah, why is it so slow?"
"We can't help it. People all over the country are paying attention to it!"
"So what do you do as a consultant?"
"As for me, I am only responsible for the meeting and speaking a few words."
"It's so simple, can't I do it too?"
At this point in the conversation, Shi Tiesheng couldn't help laughing, "You are so old, but you don't have any brains at all. Ability is the cause, and consultant is the result. Don't mix them up."
Shi Lan rolled her eyes at her brother unhappily, and asked, "What about 'The Hidden'? I heard Zhuangzhuang say he wants to act in it!"
"'Live' has already started filming, right here in Yanjing. If you want to see the action, I'll take you to see it next time when I have time."
Shi Lan was a little excited. At her age, she was naturally most interested in these things.
After nagging Lin Weimin for a long time, Shi's father asked Shi Lan to help with cooking, and she stood up reluctantly.
After Shi Lan left, Shi Tiesheng asked Lin Weimin to push him for a walk in the yard.
It is the beginning of autumn now, and the sun is still quite hot after ten o'clock.
Lin Weimin pushed Shi Tiesheng under the jujube tree to provide some shade.
"It's okay. It's good to get some sun. It's almost September, then October, November, and the year is almost over."
Summer ends and autumn arrives, autumn goes and winter comes.
The city of Yanjing has four distinct seasons, but the good times are only in May, June, September and October.
For Shi Tiesheng, who is sick, winter and summer are the most difficult seasons.
The hot summer is about to pass, and the days ahead will finally be more comfortable. But the good times didn't last long, and winter is here again.
"It's really fast. We were still in Yantai at this time last month!"
The last writers' conference was Shi Tiesheng's first time traveling far away since he fell ill, and it left a deep impression on him.
He was surrounded by readers on the train, gave a speech at an exchange meeting, strolled through the streets of Yantai, and was a powerful figure on the basketball court.
The half month he spent in Yantai was the most lively time he had experienced in recent years.
"Yu Hua also wrote me a letter." Shi Tiesheng said.
"He wrote to you? What's the matter?" Lin Weimin asked.
"Nothing much, just chatting, asking about my health, and asking about my writing."
"If he hadn't been tied to writing, he would have been a wandering ghost!"
During the writers' meeting, Lin Weimin and Cheng Zhongshi became familiar with each other, and now he can occasionally utter a word or two in Shaanxi dialect.
During the writers' conference, Yu Hua was as active as a little male dog in heat. Shi Tiesheng couldn't help laughing when he thought of that image. He felt that Lin Weimin's description was really... accurate.
When the two were walking in the yard, many neighbors were watching them.
To be precise, he was paying attention to Lin Weimin.
Lin Weimin is Shi Tiesheng's old friend. They have met in the courtyard countless times in the past year, so naturally everyone knows him. Several neighbors are quite familiar with him. Everyone knows that Lin Weimin is a screenwriter and a writer. He has written many novels, which are all quite famous.
During this year, Lin Weimin's reputation has grown. At the beginning of the year, "The Cliff" became a hit, and recently, the Advisory Committee of "Dream of Red Mansions" became popular again.
Everyone looked at him a little differently, as if they were looking at a "big shot".
Shi Tiesheng noticed these looks and said helplessly, "Let's go back to the house."
"good."
After entering the house, Shi Lan, who was cooking, came over and turned on the desk fan on the desk.
Since last year, Shi Tiesheng's articles have been published one after another in publications. An article earns him a few dozen yuan or even hundreds of yuan. His income is much more substantial than when he worked in a street factory.
The family's financial situation has improved, and Shi's father bought him this fan in early summer.
During the hot summer days, he had to work at his desk all day, which was the most unbearable.
"It's not that hot." said Shi Tiesheng.
"I'm not blowing it for you!"
Shi Tiesheng remained silent, looking at Lin Weimin with a bit of resentment in his eyes.
After a few minutes, the meal was ready.
Father Shi turned the table fan in a different direction and shook it so that it could blow on all four people sitting at the dining table.
There were three dishes for lunch, stewed beef and radish, cooked carp with tofu, and fried eggs and cucumbers. In that era, it couldn't be more sumptuous.
Even with the fan on, just eating can make you sweat profusely.
After dinner, Shi Lan went to wash the dishes, while Lin Weimin and Shi Tiesheng occupied the fan to cool off the sweat, like two teenagers.
"Don't blow it straight!" Shi's father warned.
The two of them made way for each other, allowing the wind from the table fan to blow on them from time to time without interrupting their conversation.
When talking about what he had written recently, Lin Weimin naturally mentioned his work "The Lover" which was returned by "People's Literature".
When he was in Yantai, Shi Tiesheng had read the manuscript of "The Lover" and naturally knew the content and style of "The Lover".
He laughed, not at all surprised.
When he heard that the manuscript had been taken by Contemporary Magazine, Shi Tiesheng couldn't help but jokingly asked, "Is this considered a backdoor?"
"Bullshit!" Lin Weimin cursed with a smile.
After the joke, Shi Tiesheng said seriously: "Actually, 'Lover' is really well written. It's a bit... how should I put it? Not only is it fashionable, I think there is a kind of open state of mind in it."
When creating "The Lover", Lin Weimin based it on a movie he had seen in later generations. The overall tone carries a bit of the decadence and laziness of old Shanghai.
But the difference is that the love between Guo Yudao and Jian in the novel is different from the old stories of infatuated men and resentful women.
Their brief encounter sparked a brilliant and beautiful love.
Even after being apart for several years, they still love each other deeply. At the same time, they have not given up the motivation to live on, and they still live well in their own worlds.
But they all understand that in this world, they still have someone they love the most.
This kind of sober love is different from the love between men and women in traditional Chinese literature. It is full of regrets and also full of freedom.
"Love may not be obtained, but love is love after all, and it is eternal and unchanging." Lin Weimin said quietly.
Shi Tiesheng clapped his hands, "Your summary of the novel is still the best! Yes, that's the feeling."
To quote Li Haigen: This is love!
After talking about "The Lover", Lin Weimin naturally asked about Shi Tiesheng's recent creative work.
Shi Tiesheng pushed his wheelchair and took out his latest work - "Grandma's Stars".
It is in the same vein as "Autumn Nostalgia" and "My Distant Qingping Bay". Perhaps because of his physical defects, Shi Tiesheng can always feel more deeply and movingly than others when he misses the beautiful things that have passed away.
Lin Weimin put aside the sentimentality that he was immersed in in his article and said with a smile: "You always write articles with such emotions. No wonder more and more people come to you."
Ever since Shi Tiesheng became famous for "My Distant Qingping Bay" last year, his life has become more troublesome.
Young men come to him to talk about ball games and long-distance running; girls share with him the pain of broken love and their longing for love; schools ask him to give speeches and share their life stories; students go to him for advice on writing, and even old classmates who haven't seen each other for years ask him to name their children.
Because his articles touch the hearts of ordinary people so much that people can't help but regard him as a confidant, a guide, or even a spiritual mentor.
Shi Tiesheng said helplessly: "Or, I will write less."
Lin Weimin put the manuscript away and asked, "Did we publish this manuscript in Contemporary Magazine?"
"Okay." Shi Tiesheng did not hesitate.
It was already three or four in the afternoon when he came out of Shi Tiesheng's house. He rode his motorcycle around the street and ran to Muxidi.
I had lunch at Shi Tiesheng's house, and dinner is not yet arranged.
"Teacher! Teacher's wife!"
Today, only the old couple were at home. When Lin Weimin entered the door, he called people first and came to eat with empty hands. He did not feel embarrassed at all and felt at ease.
After dinner, I sat on the sofa, watched TV and chatted with Mr. Wan.
Speaking of Death of a Salesman, which is currently being rehearsed by the National Theatre of China, the crew is very efficient in preparing for rehearsals. This play is even faster than The Horse Lassoer.
Mr. Arthur Miller came around June. Three months have passed in a flash, and the Chinese translation of "Death of a Salesman" will soon be released to the audience. Lin Weimin is also looking forward to it.
The play "The Horse Catcher" was rehearsed earlier than "Death of a Salesman". Because many people followed the crew of "Farewell My Concubine" to perform in other places, the performance was postponed for a while. It will have to wait until after "Death of a Salesman" is performed.
"By the way, Mr. Miller asked about you a few days ago," said Mr. Wan.
"Ask me? Why does he want to see me?" Lin Weimin was curious.
"No. If you have time, go to the National Theatre of China. Mr. Miller will be leaving for the United States in a few days." Mr. Wan reminded.
"good."
Since organizing the writers' club last month, Lin Weimin has rarely appeared in the People's Art Theatre.
The next evening, Lin Weimin appeared at the rehearsal hall of the People's Art Theatre.
"Mr. Miller!"
"Lin, you are finally here."
Arthur Miller was very happy to see Lin Weimin and gave him a hug.
On the stage, the actors were performing. The two greeted each other and then put their hands together to watch.
Arthur Miller was watching the performance on the stage and said, "Lin, I will be going back to the United States in a while."
Lin Weimin nodded, "I heard from the teacher."
"Time flies so fast. I have already been in China for three months..."
After sighing for a while, Arthur Miller finally got down to business.
"Lin, I plan to bring Farewell My Concubine to the United States. What do you think?"
"Take it to the United States?"
Lin Weimin's first reaction was that Arthur Miller wanted to invite the National Theatre of China to perform in the United States, but then he was amused by his own thoughts.
Can Lao Mi understand the Chinese drama performed by actors who speak Chinese? The language alone is a problem.
Since this method is not feasible, there is only one possibility left.
Arthur Miller nodded and said, "That's right. Just like Death of a Salesman came to China, I want to bring Farewell My Concubine to Broadway in the United States! I believe it will be loved by the American people."
After saying that, he looked at Lin Weimin expectantly, "How is it? Are you interested?"
(End of this chapter)
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