Chapter 188 A magnificent saga... Our story is missing something. ...
"Is my daughter really going to become a model worker?"
"Really? Qin Xiangxiang has become a model worker?"
"Really, a provincial-level model worker!"
...
Zhou Aodong was overjoyed. Even though her foot was swollen from being hit, she rushed home to tell her husband, Qin Wutong, the good news: "Our daughter, Xiangxiang, has been named a model worker!"
Qin Wutong: "...You must be dreaming!"
"She really is a model worker! She was awarded the title, and she just called me to tell me the good news!" Zhou Aodong spoke loudly in the corridor, as if afraid that people upstairs and downstairs wouldn't hear him.
“She promised me before, ‘Mom, I must learn from you, I want to be a model worker’…and in just over a year, she really did get me the model worker medal! Well done, she truly deserves to be my daughter, Zhou Aodong!”
Qin Wutong murmured, "I've never been a model worker in my life, but my wife and daughter have... It's like we're all model workers."
"Will Little Fatty be able to become a model worker in the future?"
Zhou Aodong: "...Maybe."
"Zhou Aodong's daughter became a model worker?"
The people around the old apartment building were stunned. You see, when they became residents of the workers' new village, many of their families had honors such as model workers or advanced producers. And Qin Xiangxiang, who grew up in the old apartment building! And yet... she's already been recognized as a model worker.
"Qin Xiangxiang's life has changed drastically since she joined the army. She's been in the newspapers several times. Look at this one, 'Skilled Hands Protect National Treasures,' that's her. Her factory even hosted a foreign prince. I heard at the Canton Fair, a vice premier praised their products, saying something about 'Dongfeng Silk.' That girl is really amazing..."
Hearing these words, Mrs. Xu, the neighbor next door, felt a sharp pain in her heart. That good-for-nothing Qin Xiangxiang could even win a model worker award!
With so many honors to his name, Qin Xiangxiang must have an incredibly promising future.
"They just went to a remote island, and somehow it's become more and more impressive!"
...
On the other hand, Qin Xiangxiang felt that her peaceful life was becoming more and more out of place. After the commendation meeting, she was busy attending various symposiums and advanced production experience sharing sessions.
For this reason, she could not attend the Spring Canton Fair in 1974. Instead, her assistant and others went to Guangzhou. While she was holding sharing sessions at other units in the province, she also had to receive various learning and exchange teams from other units at the Feiyan Textile Factory.
This gave Xianyu a huge headache, and he just wanted to lie down and quit.
"This model worker medal is really hard to get. It's exhausting. My mouth is numb from saying the same things over and over again. Every sharing session is the same thing, the same things said countless times. I feel like I'm just like Xianglin's wife, you know?"
Li Jianzhi carried her, exhausted from the journey, into the bedroom. Qin Xiangxiang said, "Don't put me on the bed. I'm so dirty. I haven't showered yet. Don't make the bed dirty."
"Okay, let's massage our Empress Dowager's legs first."
Qin Xiangxiang said affectedly, "Bring me another cup of tea to soothe my throat."
"Okay, okay, I'll add some milk for you."
Qin Xiangxiang smiled as she looked at her weight loss brother. She really didn't want to go out to hold any more sharing sessions. She just wanted to lie at home. She might as well play with her weight loss brother and make stuffed bitter melon.
Just when things were finally calming down at this sharing session, people returning from the Canton Fair announced they'd signed orders worth millions—sandals, seersucker, Dongfeng silk…
The only consolation is that their May 7th Farm is doing well. The vegetable gardens are thriving, and the pigs, ducks, and other animals in the pigsty are growing very well.
With summer just around the corner, Qin Xiangxiang reminded Zhuang Xiaoman, "We must take precautions against typhoons to minimize damage during a typhoon."
"The factory is stepping up production of a batch of waterproof and mildew-proof fabric, as well as oyster shell bags... We need to conduct typhoon emergency drills in advance."
Zhuang Xiaoman: "There's such a good thing as waterproof fabric?"
"Yes, our factory has all the necessary supplies. When the typhoon comes, we must make sure to take good care of the important materials."
A few days later, Zhuang Xiaoman came to find Qin Xiangxiang and told her about her big discovery: "Xiao Qin, no, factory director, I mixed the dye residue and oyster ash from our factory together and put them in sandbags. Do you know what that means?"
Qin Xiangxiang: "What's wrong?"
"This thing gets harder in water than the rocks on the shore! My God!"
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Then we can use this as a dike. Let's prepare more in advance!"
"Okay!" Zhuang Xiaoman is a thrifty person who always tries to make use of any waste material. Unexpectedly, she accidentally created something good. This new type of "water-blocking sandbag" works surprisingly well.
In the summer of 1974, director Xie Ankang led the crew of "Blue Sea and Silver Shuttle" to the Feiyan Textile Factory for on-location filming. All the employees of Feiyan Textile Factory cooperated with the crew to make the film.
The film "Blue Sea and Silver Shuttle" includes plots reflecting the lives of workers in the new era, including workshop labor, technical competitions, and family life. One of the most crucial scenes is the production of clothing to support the navy's logistics.
The female lead, Chen Wen, plays Haihua, a model worker; the male lead, Wu Jingguang, plays Xue Yuanhang, a naval officer; and there is also an important supporting role, Wang Yang, who plays a factory master.
Wu Jingguang is also a nationally renowned actor, even more famous than Chen Wen. He has a tough and upright appearance and often plays soldiers in movies. He is also extremely good at playing positive roles such as soldiers and heroes.
The people in the factory recognized him immediately. "A soldier? Is this the leader?"
Wu Jingguang: "My father was a soldier, I come from a military family, and I am an actor myself."
Wu Jingguang is not young anymore and had a brief marriage with an ex-wife who was also an actress. They divorced due to their busy schedules and incompatibility. Receiving the role of naval officer Xue Yuanhang, a role he also experienced due to his own long periods of separation from his family, left him with a deep sense of emotion.
Wu Jingguang has a resolute appearance but a sensitive heart. He doesn't talk much, but he has a keen eye for observation.
He tried his best to immerse himself in his work and the role, but when he thought of the male lead Xue Yuanhang and the female lead Haihua, a couple who rarely saw each other, he couldn't help but think of his ex-wife.
Chen Wen: "This male lead is so handsome! Are all naval officers this good-looking? Our Factory Director Qin's husband is also incredibly handsome. Do all model workers have handsome military husbands?"
"It's probably not suitable for us to be apart so often," Wu Jingguang said with a smile and a shake of his head.
Chen Wen: "I think Director Qin and her husband are a good match. They understand each other, are both people with great love in their hearts, and actively take on family responsibilities. Even though they are often apart, they can still manage their family and career well."
Wu Jingguang smiled, and the image of another person involuntarily appeared in his mind.
The director and his crew were filming, while the workers watched from the sidelines, all of them gaining a lot of knowledge. They saw expensive camera equipment, film that had already been shot, and it was a color feature film!
Many workers appear in the movie.
Apart from the main actors, the workshop work, production competitions... all were done by textile workers from the Feiyan Textile Factory.
In order to have a chance to be in the movie, the production enthusiasm of Feiyan Textile Factory was unprecedented. Qin Xiangxiang originally thought that making a movie would shake the production enthusiasm of the employees, but who knew that in order to stand out in the production competition, everyone put their best effort into production.
After all, nobody wants to cheat or be dishonest in a movie. This is something that will be shown to a national audience, so they have to be mindful of their image.
When Qin Xiang returned home, she exclaimed, "Those who know us think the director and film crew come to the factory, but those who don't might think that our factory has leaders coming down to inspect every day. They're all like people in a movie, all highly motivated model workers!"
Li Jianzhi: "I have some good news for you. Thanks to the model worker Xiangxiang, your husband is going to be in a movie too."
Qin Xiangxiang was shocked for a moment, then teased, "Is it to be a naive sailor under the male lead?"
Li Jianzhi: "A military officer in the background."
"Cooperate with the filming."
"It's all thanks to my good looks and temperament."
Qin Xiangxiang: "I guess it's because of me that I chose you!"
"It seems like the plot involves a male naval officer who leads a ship on a mission and then reunites with his family upon his return... As for me, I'm just a background officer reuniting with my wife. Thinking about it, would you like to make a cameo appearance as well?"
Although Li Jianzhi complained that the plot was a bit too old-fashioned, he liked the scene of reuniting with his wife.
He has a wife that others don't, and that's how happy he is.
"There's this kind of plot too? Well, that's fine then."
Filming proceeded smoothly, and the main actors performed exceptionally well. However, director Xie Ankang frowned as he looked at the film reel. The story was well-written and already quite exciting compared to previous feature films.
But he couldn't help feeling that it was becoming monotonous.
Xie Ankang said to the screenwriter, "When I first read the script, I thought it was very good and I liked it a lot. But after coming to Feiyan Textile Factory and hearing about the story of the factory director Qin Xiangxiang, I felt that our story was missing something."
Screenwriter Wang Rui nodded: "Yes, saving a mute child, a master of traditional Chinese painting, salted fish T-shirts, Canton Fair orders, cotton quota issues, poplin, wave yarn... Mawangdui national treasures, a prince of the Khmer Empire... one story after another, so wonderful and colorful, I was completely engrossed in listening."
"Director Qin's experience was truly extraordinary."
Director Xie: "If such a story could be brought to the screen, it would be very exciting. However, our film mainly reflects the spirit of textile workers in the new era. Director Qin's personal story is not representative... Moreover, many things in it cannot be filmed."
"I think it's such a pity."
The screenwriter nodded in agreement: "It is a bit too bland. Throughout history, everyone has loved exciting and legendary stories."
Xie Ankang: "If there is an opportunity in the future, I would like to make a documentary about Director Qin's experience. I think that would be very exciting."
"Of course."
After discussion, the director and screenwriter felt that the plot of the movie was too bland compared to the real experience of Feiyan Textile Factory, but they had no choice but to make some minor modifications.
The main actors on the other side also felt that the plot was a bit bland.
Chen Wen: "Without comparison, you really can't feel it. The movie we made is like a well-written essay. After hearing the story of Director Qin, it seems... something is missing in my heart."
Wu Jingguang nodded in agreement, remarking with emotion, "Director Qin and her military officer husband hadn't seen each other for four years, yet they're still as loving as ever. What an unbreakable bond!"
...
While the director and actors were lamenting the film's lackluster plot, they were unaware that a powerful typhoon was about to strike.
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