Two-in-one
"You, how did you become like this?" Before going to bed, Political Commissar Zhou saw the "new face" of his wife, with whom he had been married for more than ten years. She was wearing pajamas, her face covered by her hair, and her skin texture was unclear under the light, without any visible wrinkles, just like a young girl.
Sister Zaohua said dejectedly, "That's how I am."
She looked up at Political Commissar Zhou and felt so ashamed. Before, she was pretending to be young and you could still see her "old look", but now she was really "pretending to be young", which was so embarrassing!
"You, you, you, don't come over here." Political Commissar Zhou couldn't help but blush. He felt like a shameless old man for sleeping with a young student.
Sister Zaohua: "You're leaving tomorrow anyway, so if you come home less often, I won't see you anymore."
She touched her hair. Although she was embarrassed, she couldn't bear to ruin her hairstyle. She had to go out and show off to people tomorrow. It would only be embarrassing for an old couple, but she would not be embarrassed to others.
"After you leave, I'll talk to Xiao Shen."
The Xiao Shen she mentioned is Gao Lili’s husband, Shen Hai.
Political Commissar Zhou's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing. I look younger now. I talk to younger people. Not only Xiao Shen, but also Captain Gu and Xiao Gao."
Political Commissar Zhou's face turned pale.
"You are just saying that out of anger. I don't believe it." Political Commissar Zhou snorted, thinking that it was a sin. He must go talk to Gu Cheng.
As he thought about this, and felt Zaohua lying next to him, Political Commissar Zhou couldn't help but blush again. To be honest, this outfit was quite nice. Zaohua was not ugly, with regular eyes and nose, and her hair modified her face shape. Only the center part of her face was exposed, with smooth and bright lines, she looked a bit like her daughter.
Cough cough.
The next day, Political Commissar Zhou was worried when he left home. He waited for a day or two before he found Gu Cheng, pulled him into a corner, and whispered to him, "You also have to make preparations in advance."
Gu Cheng glanced at his watch, holding the thermos cup in his hand, without even raising his eyelids: "What happened again?"
"Men age quickly, and you're ten years older than your wife. Be careful. Wait five or six years, and she'll look like your daughter. I wonder if you'll dare to go out."
Gu Cheng sneered: "Do you think I'm old? Don't wait a few more years, you'll look like my dad."
Political Commissar Zhou became even more sad after hearing this retort. Why doesn't this boy in front of him have any white hair? Many male officers' hair turns white very quickly, and it is not uncommon to see them with white hair in their twenties or thirties.
With the amount of brain usage that Gu Cheng has, he deserves to have gray hair.
Gu Cheng and Political Commissar Zhou went home together. Qin Yao and Zaohua were talking in the yard. Political Commissar Zhou coughed and went into the house without saying a word.
Gu Cheng said: "Are you shy?"
Zaohua's daughter Zhou Jiajia said: "My father was very proud and went home to secretly rejoice."
"Uncle Gu, your wife has become prettier. How can you not be happy? My dad is secretly happy."
Zaohua immediately opened her voice and scolded with a smile: "What nonsense are you talking about, little girl?"
"Mom, just say that my dad is secretly happy. Uncle Gu, are you envious? Let Aunt Qin dress herself up more."
Gu Cheng: "Your Aunt Qin doesn't need to dress up, she has always been so beautiful."
"Ah..." Zhou Jiajia covered her mouth and laughed, "It's a pity. If such a beautiful Aunt Qin didn't marry Uncle Gu, she would be Sister Qin."
Gu Cheng's mouth twitched: "..."
The girl next door speaks so viciously. Having a daughter like this must be a black-hearted person.
Captain Gu sneered and said no more. He would never bother with this kind of "black-hearted cotton".
Qin Yao and the two children returned to the house, and Gu Cheng went to his wife's side to complain: "Look, someone is saying I'm old again."
"Go to the neighbor's house and steal her homework book to make her anxious." Comrade Xiao Qin smiled and helped to come up with a bad idea.
Gu Cheng: "... then Lao Zhou will say I'm crazy."
"Alas, I can only hope that the daughter of the Gao family will grow up to be like this, with a sharp tongue and give him a headache." Gu Cheng secretly rubbed his teeth and made a wish with anticipation.
Qin Yao shook her head: "Don't let your son get so angry that you jump up and down in the future, and let Old Gao laugh at you."
Gu Cheng laughed: "Yaoyao, don't boost others' ambitions and destroy your own prestige."
"Look carefully, this kid in front of you is called Mingming, he is more sharp-tongued than you think, here is the evidence, look at this Hulusi--" Qin Yao caught his youngest son and introduced him to Captain Gu, who was still unaware of the seriousness of the situation, in a tone that would be popular decades later.
The little boy Mingming who was caught didn't know what was going on. He was too young and didn't understand what his mother meant by the series of words. He opened his big, ignorant and watery eyes with an innocent look on his face.
The little guy looked about 70% similar to Gu Cheng. His childish face showed a clear stupidity. His mouth was slightly open, revealing a row of small white teeth.
Gu Cheng noticed the Hulusi in Qin Yao's hand. Looking at the gourd mouth that had been bitten into strange shapes, the corners of his mouth twitched. His own son, with "sharp teeth and sharp mouth", really had "sharp teeth and sharp mouth", comparable to the "iron-eating beast".
Gu Cheng hesitated and asked, "How are they doing?"
"Why don't you just let your son play it for you? Come on, two little warriors at home, come out and let Captain Gu hear your level."
Qin Yao drove the two little ones to Gu Cheng. The two kids held the Hulusi, like two little tumblers, swaying their bodies and playing to their father.
The sound was disharmony, yet full of energy, rising and falling.
Gu Cheng: “…”
"I understand what your mother means. The more you play, the more guilty I feel towards your mother. Come, give the Hulusi to daddy. Daddy will play with you."
"Forget Mingming's. Dad doesn't want it."
Qin Yao watched the father and son playing with a smile. Today, the sample book of "Towards the Blue Sky" was sent to her. The publishing house had contacted her before and asked her if she wanted to change the name. It should be changed to "Flying to the Blue Sky".
Qin Yao had hesitated before, but she still liked the name "Towards the Blue Sky". The word "fly" always gives people an unrealistic feeling, as it is too floating, while the word "walk" is steady and down-to-earth, and has a different kind of weight.
Walking towards the blue sky step by step is like climbing a ladder to heaven.
A ladder for humanity.
Gu Cheng was looking after the children, and Qin Yao had time to open the sample books and read them carefully. It was not that she couldn't read them because the children were around, but she was afraid that the children's little hands would dirty or tear them.
These two two-year-old boys are at the age when their desire to explore and destroy is the strongest. They bite and nibble with their mouths, try things everywhere, and their hands are even more powerful. They make trouble, tear up and fold books. Even though they are forbidden, they still insist on stepping on their mother's high-voltage line.
I told them not to fight, but they insisted on touching it.
If I didn't warn them, these two brats would have no interest in touching it.
——This is the rebellious nature of a child.
The more precious things should be kept away from these two little rascals and read slowly. After all, it is the first sample book, and Qin Yao doesn't want it to be torn by her own children.
"The publishing house also sent me a letter saying that two film studios had taken a liking to the story I wrote and wanted to adapt it into a movie. They also said that a screenwriter from one of the studios wanted to visit me."
Gu Cheng asked: "Male or female?"
"I don't know. You'll know only after you meet the person."
Qin Yao was quite interested in this screenwriter. After all, he was a screenwriter from the largest film studio in the country and had written several excellent film scripts. Screenwriters of this era had a rich cultural background, and Qin Yao also wanted to communicate with him.
The screenwriter was called Sun Qing, a middle-aged man in his forties. When he came to visit Qin Yao, he made a big fuss, driving a "First Film Studio" car with a row of bright red words on it that was hard to ignore, so he parked it outside. Those who didn’t know might have thought they were here to film a movie, which caused quite a stir in the family compound.
"Are you here to make a movie?"
"Come and make a movie here. Is there another good movie to watch? Can the one in our house be in the movie?"
"I don't know, but one of my fellow villagers was in a movie before, and it was about a landmine war."
"Wow, isn't this going to make him a famous person in the village?"
"Oh, your face was covered in mud, and no one recognized you."
"We are at sea...shouldn't we use mud?"
"Don't think about it, don't think about it. If they're not those characters, you won't see them in the movie."
At that time, when actors made movies, they would have a certain degree of fame among the masses, but it didn't have much effect. After all, there were no star-chasing fans, and the actors' salaries were not high, and most of them were drama actors.
"Is this Comrade Qin Yao? Hello, I'm Sun Qing. I've read your work. Your writing is very lively and makes people feel a sense of vigor and vitality. Many leaders in our factory praise you. They are all wondering what kind of female writer could write such an article. I finally got to see it."
Qin Yao smiled and said, "Teacher Sun, you are too polite. You are flattering me. I feel ashamed when I hear these words. Instead of saying that I am full of vigor and vitality, it is better to say that my writing is immature!"
Sun Qing smiled and said, "Don't be too modest. What's the point of being naive? Writing is a natural skill, and it was created by a skilled hand."
"Many authors often write their best first novels. Comrade Qin Yao, I have read your two books. Each one is better than the last. Your narrative is novel, a bit like the Water Margin of the new era."
Qin Yao laughed: "Don't scare me, this has nothing to do with Water Margin."
This is clearly a high-level and refreshing article.
"They say your writings are full of passion and not petty at all. Even grown men like us can get excited when we read them. There are many outstanding women in the characters, which have inspired many people." Sun Qing added, "It's my fault that I was shocked when I first saw you, Comrade Qin Yao. Your books may not be the best I've ever seen, but you are definitely the most beautiful female writer I've ever seen."
"I thought you liked to write about sad and sorrowful things, but your writing is not like that at all."
Qin Yao and screenwriter Sun Qing were discussing the adaptation of the film script. If a novel is to be adapted into a film or TV series, major changes must be made, conflicts and contradictions must be strengthened, and the narrative must be more concise and complete.
As the original author, Qin Yao gave some suggestions for adaptation.
"Comrade Qin Yao, thanks for visiting you. You have given me a lot of inspiration. This adapted script is also a re-creation, so I can't be careless at all..."
There was a lot of noise at Qin Yao's house, and Gao Lili's neighbor immediately noticed it. She asked around and heard that they were people from the film studio. Her heart stopped for a moment, and hot blood rushed to her head.
"People from the film studio, people from the film studio, are they inviting Qin Yao to make a movie? Let her play the leading role."
Gao Lili bit her lip. She was extremely anxious and wanted to "recommend herself" immediately.
"The film is short of people, it's better to choose me than her. Qin Yao's child is so young, she is not suitable for filming, she can't leave."
Gao Lili speculated that Qin Yao would most likely refuse to act in the movie. Perhaps the film studio heard that she was beautiful and wanted to invite her to be a vase heroine. But if the people from the film studio saw her, they might change their minds.
Thinking of this, in order to make a splash, Gao Lili quickly dressed herself up, put on a new set of Dacron clothes, and took the initiative to go to the next door and knock on the door.
"Xiao Qin, Comrade Qin, I heard that some comrades from the film studio are looking for you?" In order to become an actress, Gao Lili spoke very loudly.
Qin Yao and Sun Qing came out, "Lili, I'm discussing the script with the screenwriter."
"Really? Is this the screenwriter? She is indeed very handsome and exudes the charm of knowledge." Gao Lili stared at Sun Qing with burning eyes. When Sun Qing saw her, he immediately smiled. He was no longer surprised by such enthusiastic female family members.
The older they get, the more enthusiastic they are; the younger ones are still reserved.
Sun Qing said, "Aunt, you live next door? Why don't you come in and listen?"
"Aunt?" Gao Lili was stunned. How could this person in front of her speak like that? He called her old. Could it be that this guy was just a young screenwriter, only in his teens or twenties? "Comrade, you look mature beyond your years."
Sun Qing was a little confused, him? Looks “mature beyond his years”? Is this praising his youth or saying he is old?
Qin Yao quickly said, "Comrade Sun, this is Gao Lili, my neighbor, in her twenties."
"Oh oh." Sun Qing suddenly realized and immediately tried to save the situation, "Hello, Comrade Gao. I'm not young anymore, I'm over 40, and you're still my junior. I called out the wrong words just now. I should have called her sister-in-law, but I blurted out "Auntie". Blame my poor tongue."
Sun Qing is worthy of being someone who deals with words, his words are beautiful.
Gao Lili didn't care about this: "Is your studio going to make a movie? Are you still short of actors? Can you see if I can play a role?"
Sun Qing coughed. She could act, as there were many excellent female characters in the script. Gao Lili was quite suitable to play the elder of the protagonist. But he didn't have the nerve to let someone in her twenties play the elder. It was just that this girl looked "mature beyond her years".
"Our script may not be suitable for filming in the north. We came here this time just to discuss the script adaptation with Comrade Qin Yao. She is the original author. Our studio hopes that this film can win the National Excellence Award..."
Talking about things related to the movie, Sun Qing was eloquent, talking about how much the leaders in the factory valued Qin Yao, how much he was appointed as the chief screenwriter, and how much he valued the adaptation work...
This conversation gave Gao Lili a splitting headache, so she had to find an excuse to leave.
"Since it's about the script, I don't understand and I won't get involved in your conversation. Xiao Qin, I'm leaving now. Comrade from the film studio, if you need actresses for future films, you can come to me and I will definitely help you on a voluntary basis."
Gao Lili left. Sun Qing looked at Qin Yao and said regretfully, "If it's convenient, it would be appropriate for Comrade Qin to play a role."
"Really, Comrade Qin, if you have time, come and act in a movie. You have very spiritual eyes."
Qin Yao quickly refused, "I'm busy right now. Professional matters should be handled by professionals. There are a few talented people in the cultural center where I work. Would you like to go and pick some from your factory?"
Qin Yao wanted to introduce Lan Baiyu to Sun Qing. After winning an award for her performance in a drama last time, Lan Baiyu seemed to have really developed her acting talent and became an amateur drama actor.
This drama happens to require quite a few actresses, and Lan Baiyu might have the opportunity to participate in it. When Lan Baiyu becomes successful in the future, she will also remember her love.
"Well, Comrade Qin, are you still busy creating now?"
Qin Yao nodded: "Yes, I am currently writing another novel, and I have already written 300,000 words."
Sun Qing was stunned for a moment: "What? You said you wrote a new book? And you wrote 300,000 words. Are they all from this year?"
"About the same. I started writing it during the Chinese New Year and wrote 30,000 words at that time."
Sun Qing smacked his lips: "You are really fast."
Qin Yao's writing speed is not too amazing. Some people can write 700,000 or 800,000 words in a few months, but many people can only write such a book in three years. Qin Yao just finished one book last year, and he started writing again not long after a break. His creative energy is admirable.
"It's okay." Qin Yao said modestly.
"Can I take a look then?"
"OK."
Sun Qing was fascinated by Qin Yao's new work. "If this book needs to be adapted into a movie in the future, I want to be the screenwriter."
Qin Yao shook her head. The story adapted from Mr. Gu's experience would be more suitable to be made into a TV series because the plot is so rich and exciting.
After seeing screenwriter Sun off, everyone in the entire family compound knew that Qin Yao's work was going to be adapted into a movie, which amazed everyone.
"This little Qin is really talented."
"That's right. If she didn't have talent, why would she be transferred to the Cultural Center? I think she will have great things in the future."
"Actually, as a woman, there's no need to be so powerful."
…
Qin Yao and his wife didn't care much about the gossip in the family compound, but this little incident still had a certain impact on Qin Yao.
An old lady came to Qin Yao's door looking for her, with a little girl of seven or eight years old beside her. Qin Yao knew this old lady, who was the mother-in-law of the original heroine Bai Qiuling. This girl, Jiang Xue, happened to be Bai Qiuling's youngest daughter.
When she first came, Jiang Xue was only three or four years old. Now she is seven or eight years old and in elementary school. She is three years younger than her brother Jiang Hao.
Old Lady Ge, Bai Qiuling's mother-in-law, called Qin Yao and said, "Comrade Qin, my little granddaughter also likes to write articles. Would you like to teach her so that she can write like you?"
Old Mrs. Ge envied Qin Yao for making money by writing books. She heard that if the book was adapted into a movie, she could make dozens or hundreds of dollars. Wow, this is money that an ordinary person cannot earn in a year.
The old lady thinks that this job is suitable for girls. They don’t have to show up in public and can make money by just writing articles. It is a way out for girls.
When she finds a partner in the future, she can still praise her granddaughter for her talent and hope she can find a good partner.
"Is this Xiaoxue? She's only seven or eight years old and is just learning to read." Qin Yao noticed Jiang Xue in front of her. She was wearing clean and tidy clothes, her eyes were rolling around, and she didn't look like someone who could sit still. She was probably forced by Grandma Qin to come here to study.
Children are afraid of writing essays and classical Chinese, but few of them love writing essays from a young age.
"Learning should start from childhood. Comrade Qin, you should accept her as your apprentice. I will let her kneel down and kowtow to you, which will be considered as her becoming your disciple." Old Lady Ge didn't like Qin Yao before, and she disliked Qin Yao's good friend Chen Baozhen even more. She thought that the two sisters were of the same ilk and did not do anything serious.
A woman should take care of the children honestly, but Chen Baozhen actually learned to play musical instruments. It's a waste of time. It's useless to learn it. She can only be a music teacher.
That cello, the sound is so awful, not as good as the suona in the village, at least it is loud.
Old Lady Ge asked Chen Baozhen how many kinds of bird sounds she could produce with the cello. Chen Baozhen didn't answer her at all. It's just a foreign thing. Why is this woman so arrogant?
It’s different for Qin Yao because she can write articles. After learning, she can make money at home and adapt them into movies, and be praised as a talented woman.
Qin Yao didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "The child is too young, let her study seriously in school and learn the Chinese textbook first."
"School can't teach you anything. If you want to learn real skills, you have to find a master."
"Xiaoxue, come and kneel down to your master. From now on, when you meet Uncle Gu, just call him Master."
In Old Lady Ge's eyes, the old society's ideas were still the norm. If you wanted to learn from a real master, you had to kneel down and worship the master, burn incense and pay homage to heaven and earth. Only after going through such rituals would the master truly treat you as a "disciple". Only in this way could you learn real skills.
"Xiaoxue, kneel down quickly." Old Lady Ge glared at her granddaughter, urging her to kneel down quickly, hugging Qin Yao's thighs and calling her Master. She had a good plan, Qin Yao was the only one and could not accept many disciples. While the others were not able to react, their Xiaoxue would be the first to become the disciple and become a direct disciple.
If everyone had reacted, it would not be her family's turn. Fortunately, Chen Baozhen's daughter can't even hold a pen steadily, so there is no way she can learn.
Jiang Xue shook her head hesitantly and pursed her lips. To her, this was like a horror movie.
She didn't like writing essays in school, and Grandma Qin wanted her to become an apprentice and write essays for others. If she really became Aunt Qin's apprentice, her future life would be miserable.
"Grandma, you asked my brother to learn, why do you want me to learn it?" Little Jiang Xue felt very aggrieved. She was only seven years old and could only recognize a few words. If she were asked to learn how to write articles and even write a book, she would have broken her hands from writing.
Old Lady Ge: "Grandma is doing this for your own good. Your brother can't sit still. This is suitable for you girls to learn. Teacher Qin is a woman, and you are a woman. You can't go wrong by learning from her."
"Comrade Qin Yao, after Jiang Xue from our family became your disciple, she became no different from your own daughter. It just so happens that you don't have a daughter either. You see, this is the fate given by God."
"Xiaoxue, stop talking nonsense. Kneel down and become my disciple. Kowtow three times."
Qin Yao didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the scene in front of her. The child of the original heroine was actually forced to worship her as a master. What a weird plot. It was just like something out of a martial arts novel, and he even had to kneel down and burn incense.
Comrade Xiao Qin took another look and said, "Oh my god, there really is a bunch of incense in the basket that old lady Gao is carrying. I don't know where she got it from. There is no incense in the temple anymore, so where did the incense come from?"
"Old lady, please take the child back. The girl is too young. Besides, writing is all about interest. As long as she is willing to write, she will write without anyone urging her. Slowly, she will develop her own style."
Jiang Xue said hurriedly: "Grandma, please listen to her. I don't like writing at all."
"Don't love it, what do you kids love? Don't you all love to play? How many of you love to study? You have to force yourself to study. Didn't your dad also love to play when he was a kid?" Old Lady Ge shook her head. She said seriously, "If you want to be skilled, you have to practice boy's skills. You are younger than your brother, so you can practice skills. Your brother is too old."
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