A week later, the latest issue of "Film and Television Entertainment" magazine was released.
Film and Television Entertainment is the Rong family's largest entertainment magazine. After Rong Xin opened his own entertainment company, it was linked to the family magazine, and its circulation has steadily ranked first among similar magazines.
Moreover, the cover and exclusive interview of this issue of the magazine features a very popular star at the moment, so the circulation of this issue is 20% higher than previous issues.
There is an exclusive interview with Mao Zhishan at the back of the inner page. Although he is not a big star, he is a familiar face. People will take a quick glance at him when they see it, and his legendary experience still surprises many people.
Born in a remote mountain village, with only primary school education, he was bullied for a long time because of his beautiful appearance. He and his wife had three daughters, but he was oppressed by the family's patriarchal ideology.
Finally, when his eldest daughter was nearly sold, he mustered up the courage to run away with his entire family. Then, at the "advanced age" of 40, he was discovered by a scout in Yan City and began working as an actor. Although he is not a household name yet, many people still know the roles he played.
Everyone likes to watch this classic plot of grassroots counterattack.
At the end of the interview, he proudly mentioned that his three daughters are now very successful, and he was very glad that he had taken the gamble at that time;
Now that he has the conditions, he wants to help more girls like his daughter who are unable to go to school because of the idea of male chauvinism.
In this era dominated by print media, the exclusive interview with the entertainment magazine had limited circulation and did not make much of a splash at first.
Only some tabloids published the news that actor Mao Zhishan sponsored girls in poor areas to go to school. It was a small piece of tofu that could be easily overlooked without paying attention.
On the contrary, people were more interested in talking about a social anecdote that appeared in the evening paper:
Shameless - the family disappeared after taking away their daughter's betrothal gift, leaving their 60-year-old mother to cope with the huge change. Their brother was implicated and sent to jail. The family, which was not rich to begin with, has been devastated and is now almost penniless.
This anecdote accurately recorded Mrs. Mao's description and evaluation of Mao Zhishan's family. Everyone who saw it cursed the family of Mao Zhishan, who had absconded with the money, for being selfish and shameless.
But it was enough for everyone to stop cursing. It was unlikely to find the person. After all, there were anecdotes in the newspapers every day, and there were more bizarre ones than just this one.
Two days later, this anecdote, along with Mao Zhishan's interview, appeared on the full-page gossip page of an entertainment newspaper, with an eye-catching headline: [Is actor Mao Zhishan a fugitive?]
The article compares in detail the statements of the old lady in the interview with Mao Zhishan and the anecdote, eliminating their respective subjective statements and analyzing the objective facts: Mao Zhishan is the second child in the family; he fled his hometown four years ago; he has three daughters, and they are from Mingxi County. Almost all of them match up.
Therefore, it can be concluded that Mao Zhishan is the shameless person in the anecdote who is selfish and brings great disaster to his family.
With the combination of celebrities and social ethical gossip, the matter quickly fermented and became a hot topic among the public.
Both entertainment and social reporters keenly smelled the news, and those who reacted quickly immediately set off for Mingxi County.
Naturally, everyone in Mingxi County also knew about it, and the whole county was immediately in an uproar.
The Mao Laoer who was once ridiculed and called a waste by Old Lady Mao all day long has become a big star. People who have talked to him or even worked with him were suddenly excited and tried hard to recall every little detail of their contact with him.
So when the reporters arrived at their destination, they found that there was so much to discover.
For entertainment reporters, Mao Zhishan’s presence can be seen in almost every place in the county where they do odd jobs;
For journalists, the Mao family is the one that has preserved the most outdated ideas, and digging deeper will have great news value.
The Mao family had no idea what the arrival of these reporters meant and was just enjoying themselves.
Old Mrs. Mao looked at the handsome and elegant Mao Zhishan in the newspaper and said in disbelief, "Impossible, how is this possible? How can they hire Mao Zhishan for a TV show when he looks so ugly? Are the people making the TV show blind?"
"This world is really weird. A good kid like Dawei can't make a TV show, but this kind of rubbish has to go!"
Mao Lao Da and Mao Lao San were very excited.
Mao Lao San said, "Mom, this is Lao Er! Does he make a lot of money?"
Mao Laodao said, "Of course it's a lot. Doesn't it say here that he will sponsor all the girls in our county to go to school? Just imagine how much money he must have made? At least hundreds of thousands!"
The old lady was no longer in shock and started cursing, "I knew he was born with a rebellious nature. He has so much money but nowhere to spend it! He wants to support those money-losing kids to go to school. He has to kill me first!"
The third child rubbed his hands excitedly, "Mom, what should we do? Should we go look for him? Do you know where he is?"
The old lady mentioned Mao Zhishan with great dignity, "What are you looking for? Let him come back to pick us up!"
After the interview, the old lady trusted the reporter very much and felt that it was because of the reporter's newspaper advertisement that she found Mao Zhishan so quickly.
Moreover, the entertainment newspaper that just filled up the entire page also said that Mao Zhishan was a fugitive, which made the old lady very confident.
"I'll go find a reporter and put an ad in the newspaper asking him to come back. If he doesn't come back, I'll sue him and have the police arrest him!"
"Then let him take out all the money to build a house for Dawei and the others. No, build a building! Let's see how he can show off again!"
So both entertainment reporters and news reporters got very interesting content from Old Lady Mao.
Especially the reporters who were investigating whether Mrs. Mao was lying, they didn't expect her to expose herself directly.
While reporters in Mingxi County were busy, the trailer for "A Date with Shen Shi" was released: revealing the mystery of Mao Zhishan's life. Was he a criminal who absconded with money? Or was he a philanthropist who cared about girls?
So on Friday, many people squatted in front of the TV waiting for an answer.
At 7:40 p.m., "A Date with Chen Shi" will be broadcast on time.
Xia Wenyue, Xia Mian, and even Ning Shaoyun and Aunt Wei sat together in front of the TV at Mao's house to watch the show.
After a brief opening speech by the host, Mao Zhishan was invited to come out. He was wearing casual clothes and had a straight posture. Even though his handsome face had some obvious wrinkles, it only made him more attractive.
When he opens his mouth, the audience can clearly feel that he is different from the cool characters he plays in TV dramas. He is an extremely honest and quiet man.
Fortunately, Shen Shi is an excellent host and is very good at guiding, so Mao Zhishan performed very naturally.
Mao Zhishan sat down, and Chen Shi briefly introduced his acting experience and works, and started the interview with a reference to the magazine interview content.
"Teacher Mao, you said you were discovered by a scout from Shin Entertainment when you were forty. This is a truly unique opportunity. What was that opportunity?"
Mao Zhishan said honestly, "Because of my appearance."
Shen Shi guided him: "What was your first feeling at that time?"
Mao Zhishan said, "I was very scared. I'm not afraid of being laughed at. At that time, I was even afraid to go out and see people."
Shen Shi was surprised, "Why?"
"Because for the past forty years, my appearance was not popular and it also affected my wife and daughter."
Chen Shi said in disbelief: "How could it be? This is a unique advantage that others can't even ask for."
“It was only after I left my hometown that I realized this was actually an advantage.”
Mao Zhishan said, "But the fact is that because of my appearance and voice, I have been ridiculed since I was a child."
"My mother, in particular, hated me so much because of this that I actually had very low self-esteem before I was 40."
Uncle Xia, who was sitting in front of the TV in Mingxi County, said, "Actually, everyone else is fine. The main problem is his mother. I don't know what's wrong with that old lady, but she beat and scolded Zhishan so hard that he didn't dare to look up or speak."
Xia Chuan said, "Didn't I say that my second uncle is unlucky for her?"
Uncle Xia snorted, "She's going to kill herself."
There were obviously many viewers who found it incredible like Shen Shi. For example, Aunt Wei couldn't help but say, "You can suspect that Teacher Mao ran away with the money, but who can say that his appearance is not good?"
On TV, Shen Shi continued to ask: "If you are so scared, what made you decide to start filming?"
"Because of money," Mao Zhishan said honestly, "Our family of five risked everything to get out here. I wanted to make sure my wife didn't have to work so hard, and I wanted my three daughters to go to school."
"I heard that actors make a lot of money, so I mustered up the courage to try it."
"Then you are a truly remarkable husband and father," Chen Shi said with a smile. "So your desire to sponsor girls in impoverished areas to study is also because of your three daughters?"
"Yes," Mao Zhishan nodded. "Many families in our area prioritize sons over daughters and don't allow girls to go to school at all."
"It's the same in our family. My wife and I have worked so hard to get our three daughters to study. I know too well how much girls want to study, so now that I have the ability, I want to do something for them."
Shen Shi said to the audience, "As far as I know, Teacher Mao's three daughters are all very outstanding. Let's take a look at their grades first."
A photo of Mao Huimei was first displayed on the screen.
She was with a group of foreigners, holding a big red contract book in her hand and shaking hands with a leader-like person.
Shen Shi was surprised: “This is your eldest daughter, working abroad?”
"It's my eldest daughter, but she doesn't work abroad," the honest-looking man said, his smile bright with pride as he mentioned his daughter. "Last year, to solve the problem of unsold fruit for the orchard farmers in Jingyi Mountain, she opened a juice factory, specializing in exporting abroad and making money from foreigners."
"It's the three-plum juice. This is a photo of her signing an order contract abroad last year."
Shen Shi exclaimed, "What an excellent girl."
Mao Zhishan sighed, "She has suffered the most since she was a child with us."
Mao Huilan's photo appeared on the screen again, holding an admission letter from a prestigious university and smiling brightly.
"Is this your second daughter?"
Mao Zhishan couldn't stop smiling. "Well, I just finished the college entrance examination this year. My grades were pretty good. I just received the admission letter a few days ago."
What appeared on the screen afterwards was a still from a play, showing the childhood of a young lady played by Mao Huizhu.
Shen Shi said, “I know this one, Little Pearl. Is her actor actually your little daughter?”
Mao Zhishan smiled and said, "Yes, she likes acting and said she wants to be an actor like me in the future."
Shen Shi asked the audience, "So, what kind of environment almost buried these three outstanding girls?"
“Let’s look at the reality of the districts that Teacher Mao wants to fund.”
The screen immediately broadcast the footage collected by the reporter:
Several middle-aged and elderly people in plain clothes appeared one after another. When asked by reporters about letting their daughters go to school, they all responded with similar answers:
"Why should girls study? They'll get married anyway, what a waste of money!"
"Learn your job well, being capable and virtuous is the most important thing."
Especially the last old lady. When the reporter asked about her grandchildren, she proudly introduced her grandsons but did not mention her granddaughters at all, as if they were not part of the family at all.
After further questioning by the reporter, she also described her granddaughter as "starting to work at the age of five or six, and she is very capable."
The reporter specially edited out the sentence "She also gave birth to three useless girls. They are all money-losing goods!"
The people watching were filled with anger.
Aunt Wei simply couldn't understand, "Isn't she her mother's daughter? Isn't she also a money-loser?"
Xia Mian thought, fortunately there are no barrages and live broadcasts now, otherwise old lady Mao would really be scolded to death.
Especially when the camera turned, the picture showed young girls, some of whom were washing clothes with their younger brothers on their backs, some were chopping wood, and some were working in the fields. When the reporter asked them if they wanted to go to school, their eyes were full of longing.
"think!"
"think!"
…
Countless crisp "want" words struck everyone's hearts. Shen Shi's tone was a little heavy, "So because your daughter almost went through the same thing, the first thing you did after you had the spare money was to sponsor the girl?"
"Yes," Mao Zhishan said, "It's because I'm uneducated and narrow-minded that I'm not only living a good life myself, but I'm also bringing trouble to my children. That's why I think both men and women should study."
"Don't be like me, feeling inferior and shrinking because of my appearance. It all comes down to a lack of confidence. Only with knowledge and confidence can one become powerful."
Shen Shi smiled and said, “You don’t look like an ignorant person to be able to say such things.”
Mao Zhishan said, "I have been learning since I got out. I learned this from my wife. She is a very strong person."
"Oh?" Shen Shi asked with interest, "Then how did you two become connected?"
Mao Zhishantian sighed, "In fact, our beginning was not very good, it was even very bad..."
Mao Zhishan recounted the story of himself and Xia Wenyue:
When talking about Xia Wenyue being forced to marry him at the age of sixteen, and later being despised and bullied by the elders for giving birth to a daughter, and when talking about her fighting for her daughter, being beaten when she was pregnant and locked in the woodshed and not allowed to go to the hospital, and almost losing her life, Mao Zhishan couldn't help but tear up.
Aunt Wei was so angry that she slapped her thigh, "Oh my God, that old hag deserves to go to hell!"
On TV, Shen Shi also wiped the corners of her eyes, "Your wife sounds like a very remarkable woman."
Mao Zhishan nodded. "Yes, she is amazing. Without her, I wouldn't be who I am today." He paused for a moment and then said, "I will always love her."
Everyone watching TV at home immediately looked at Xia Wenyue.
Mao Huimei laughed and said, "My dad is really good. He actually confessed his love in front of the whole country!"
Mao Huizhu clapped and cheered, and Xiaofeng and Chenchen also covered their mouths and laughed.
Xia Mian laughed and said, "My uncle is awesome!"
Mao Huilan asked, "Is this why my dad doesn't watch it with us?"
Xia Wenyue blushed for the first time and said angrily, "You are already old, really..."
Although she said this, there was a happy smile on her lips and eyebrows. Everyone laughed and the TV began to introduce her.
"...Ms. Xia Wenyue, the founder of Xinsheng Food Company..."
This was Xia Wenyue's idea, including the introduction of Mao Huimei. In Xia Wenyue's words, "What a great advertisement! Not only is it free, but it also has a wide coverage. It would be a big loss if we don't use it!"
In fact, the effect is really good. Although it is only a picture of less than five seconds, the capable woman with a bright smile in the photo still makes everyone remember the new brand firmly.
After all, people imagine that a woman who has experienced such inhuman suffering should be simple and tough; however, Xia Wenyue played a bad hand so brilliantly and became a shrewd and capable female boss.
People sighed and admired her at the same time.
"However, there seems to be another version of the story."
Shen Shi changed the subject and the screen showed the news from the entertainment newspaper. "This news says that the person the old lady is looking for is Teacher Mao's family."
"We just happened to contact the reporter who uncovered this news. They even gave us a photo to use in locating the person. Let's all look together and see if it's your family member."
In fact, after the previous preparations, the audience's balance has already tilted towards Mao Zhishan.
So when the photos appeared on the screen, Aunt Wei was stunned for a moment, and suddenly sighed, "I had forgotten what you looked like when you first came."
She looked at Xia Wenyue and said, "I didn't expect you to have suffered so much."
Xia Wenyue looked at the photo and smiled softly, "It's over..."
It should have been cropped from a large family portrait. It's easy to imagine that the five of them would never be willing to take photos.
Chen Shi's reaction was probably the same as the audience's. At first glance, they felt that it was definitely not the case.
The five members of the family looked too thin in the photo, especially the man standing at the edge. He was so thin that he was almost unrecognizable, with his chest hunched and shoulders hunched, and his eyes were so timid that he didn't dare to look at the camera at all.
Shen Shi took a closer look before vaguely recognizing Mao Zhishan from his facial features. She couldn't help but say, "Before seeing this photo, I couldn't imagine how you had lived through the past forty years."
“Now I seem to understand a little bit.”
Mao Zhishan said softly, "It's all over. I'm fine now."
Chen Shi wiped her eyes and said, "In addition to the photos, we also got the interview information of this old lady who is looking for someone. Let's take a look."
So, after the photo of the five-member family with pale faces and skinny bodies appeared, there was the old lady Mao's gnashing curses, saying "waste" and "shameful". Everyone immediately had a clear understanding of why Mao Zhishan had been so inferior in the previous forty years.
This is not a biological mother, she is simply an enemy.
Especially the line, "I went to great lengths to find him a wife, but she ended up giving birth to three useless girls. They're all money-losing pieces!"
Everyone heard it sound very familiar. Aunt Wei, who was watching TV, quickly realized, "Isn't this the old lady who was extremely biased towards boys?"
Mao Huizhu snorted coldly, "It's her, my grandma."
On TV, Mao Zhishan sighed helplessly, his eyes dimmed, "Yes, she is my mother."
"So your mother hates you so much because of the 66,000 yuan betrothal gift?"
Mao Zhishan shook his head. "I didn't accept any betrothal gifts. I just realized that my family had arranged a marriage for my eldest daughter. Although the family was rich, the young man was not a good person. I had no other choice at the time, so I had to run away."
"So, this is the reason why you came to Yan City?"
Mao Zhishan nodded, "There is no such thing as a betrothal gift."
Shen Shi said to the audience, "Our reporters have also conducted a thorough investigation into this matter. Please read the report from the press corps."
Soon, a sweaty reporter appeared on camera. "Hello everyone, everyone who watches 'A Date with Chen Shi,' I'm currently in Mingxi County, Mao's hometown."
"I have several people with knowledge of the incident, and we are here to verify with them whether Teacher Xia Mao took away the betrothal gifts."
"Ugh!" a wrinkled old lady cursed. "It's good enough that Mrs. Mao doesn't exploit Mr. Mao. How could she possibly let him touch the money?"
"Everyone in the county knows that she accepted a 30,000 yuan betrothal gift from Mr. Hao to sell Mao Huimei. Where did she get the 66,000 yuan?"
Another middle-aged man said, "Yes, I testify. Mao Laoer, no, Mao Zhishan didn't even know that the old lady accepted the betrothal gift from the Hao family."
"I was working with him at the time, and he even said he wanted to send his eldest daughter out to learn a trade."
A middle-aged woman said, "Not only was there not 66,000 yuan, but even the 30,000 yuan or so in betrothal gifts was spent by Mao Lao Da and Mao Lao San."
"At that time, one of their families bought a refrigerator and a color TV, and the other built a new house. Where did they get the money? It was Huimei's betrothal gift."
"Otherwise, why would the Hao family imprison them? It's because they spent the betrothal gifts and couldn't pay them back."
"Right, right, right." An old man said, "It was me who reminded Mao Laoer that the old lady might have accepted the betrothal gift. His eldest daughter must have already made up her mind and would have to marry her whether she wanted to or not. Mao Laoer had no choice but to run away. After all, that Hao Xufeng..."
The old man said something, and everyone else agreed. Obviously, everyone knew that Hao Xufeng was not a good person.
"What are you talking about? What are you talking about?" Mrs. Mao's voice suddenly came closer and closer, and she said happily to the reporter, "Comrade reporter, comrade reporter, can you put an ad in the newspaper again to find my second son?"
It is estimated that the trailer had not been broadcast when the program was recorded, and Mrs. Mao just thought that everyone would join in the crusade against Mao Zhishan.
The old man asked, "What newspaper? Your Mao Zhishan is right behind this."
The old lady didn't understand. When she heard the old man say that and the camera was facing her, she thought it was a phone call and immediately said, "Second brother, hurry back. You're going to kill your family!"
"Also, you're so proud of yourself now that you have a little money, aren't you? Would you send your little girl to school? Would you build houses for your three nephews with that money?"
"As long as I'm here, don't even think about wasting money!"
"Also, why are you acting at your age? Let Dawei take over your roles. Hurry and get back with those unlucky people in your family!"
Then he threatened viciously, "Otherwise I will ask the police to bring you back!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
