Everyone Was Green Once

"Xiaoqing!" "Xiaoqing!" The footsteps in the corridor grew closer by the second, arriving at the doorway in the blink of an eye. The door had been left wide open precisely to avoid any suspicion of improper conduct, and it now proved decisive: the newcomer glanced inside, turned, and barged right in. It was a man of about thirty. He was decent-looking, but his face wore a haggard look and an unnatural agitation, giving the impression of someone emotionally unstable. "So you are here! Why did you come stay at the guesthouse again? Come on, let's go home!" He moved right in to grab Liu Xiaoqing's arm. She yanked it back with force and said, "I've already told you, I'm here for work! Staying at the guesthouse makes it easier for filming." "I've asked around—you don't have any work at all right now! Stop making a scene. I've already cooked dinner. Come home!" "I'm not going back! Get out of here right now!" "Ahem!" Seeing this, Chen Qi cleared his throat twice. "Excuse me, but this is my room. If you two need to discuss something, would you mind stepping outside?" "Sorry, so sorry! We'll leave right now!" Surprisingly polite, the man apologized immediately, only to start tugging on Liu Xiaoqing again. As their voices grew louder and louder, the commotion drew attention along the entire floor. Next door, even Chen Huaikai stepped out to watch the excitement. *What kind of mess is this?* Annoyed by the random intrusion, Chen Qi took a couple of steps closer, about to intervene. Just then, Liu Xiaoqing flung the man's hand off again. Driven by momentum, the man's arm swung uncontrolled through the air... *Thud!* Chen Qi hit the deck, sprawling flat on the floor. That was called experience! If you strike back, it counts as mutual assault! "Comrade, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..." The man apologized, looking utterly bewildered. *Did I hit him? I don't think I even touched him. If I didn't touch him, why is he lying on the floor?!* "Wang Li!" Liu Xiaoqing could no longer contain herself and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Do you intend to make me lose face in front of the entire studio?" "That wasn't what I meant! Don't be angry, please don't be angry! I just want you to come home with me." "Home! Home! Fine, I'll go home with you! Out, get out!" Liu Xiaoqing had also slipped into a frenzy, shoving and pushing him out into the hall. The moment their feet cleared the threshold, Chen Qi scrambled up and leaned against the doorframe to keep watching the drama, leaving Liang Xiaosheng completely dumbfounded. "I'll go home with you, so stop making trouble for me!" "Alright, alright, alright! As long as you come home, I'll do whatever you say!" As their quarrel dragged on, one or two heads poked out from almost every room, their eyes gleaming as they watched the pair head down the stairs. A buzzing murmur immediately rose, people chattering animatedly like badgers darting through a melon patch. Chen Qi clicked his tongue in wonder and asked, "Is that her husband?" "Yeah, named Wang Li." "How did it end up like this?" "That woman is nothing but trouble. That's why I told you to keep your distance from her," Liang Xiaosheng said. As it turned out, Liu Xiaoqing had originally belonged to the Chengdu Military Region Drama Troupe, while Wang Li was in the PLA General Political Department Opera Troupe. They had met through an introduction by mutual friends. To put it charitably, she was exceptionally ambitious; to put it bluntly, she would stop at nothing to climb the social ladder. Back when most people were either content or felt helpless being trapped where they were, Liu Xiaoqing had set her sights on using films to elevate her station. But the drama troupe had too many restrictions, so she came up with an idea and began flirting with Wang Li. She knitted sweaters and woolen pants for him, wrote him letters filled with sweet nothings, and then took the initiative to propose marriage. Because Wang Li was based in the capital, Liu Xiaoqing thought getting married would allow her to transfer to Beijing. In this era, what man could withstand a female comrade being so direct? Wang Li was overjoyed, and the two tied the knot. But Liu Xiaoqing's job transfer failed to go through. She had never liked him in the first place, and after that failure, she grew even colder, recoiling even from marital intimacy. Over time, Wang Li grew suspicious and paranoid, constantly terrified that she would run off with someone else, to the point where he would padlock her inside the house whenever he went out to buy groceries. Liu Xiaoqing, meanwhile, used filming as an excuse to frequently stay at the guesthouse. Quarrels like this had long become a regular occurrence. What was the prevailing attitude toward relationships in this era? As long as two people publicly acknowledged they were dating, they had to marry, or else it was considered hooliganism. Once married, almost nobody divorced; getting a divorce was a monumental scandal that people would gossip about for three years. Yet Liu Xiaoqing had gambled her own marriage entirely for the sake of betting on a future. *What a formidable woman!* Chen Qi could only give a silent thumbs-up. Comrade Huang Zhanying had been right all along: the arts and culture front was far too fickle! Liang Xiaosheng sighed as well. "Xiao Liu's professional capability is beyond doubt, but her personal life is a real mess... Hey, do you know how much Director Wang spent just to get her transferred over?" "How much?" "Eighty thousand!" Liang Xiaosheng gestured with his fingers. "When we went to negotiate the matter, Chengdu opened their mouths wide and demanded an eighty-thousand transfer fee. And you know what? The director paid it on the spot without blinking!" "He has that much boldness?" Chen Qi was astonished. "Of course. Director Wang cherishes talent above all else, especially young talents like you. If you polish this script well, there'll definitely be plenty of opportunities for you to shine in the future." *** The following day, Liu Xiaoqing came by once more. She carried a pastry gift box to apologize for the scene from yesterday. It was from Daoxiangcun—the Beijing Daoxiangcun, though there was also a Suzhou Daoxiangcun, and the two were constantly feuding. Peach crisps, jujube flower pastries, sachima, sponge cakes, and more—eight varieties in total, packed into a wooden box tied with string. It was the premier gift of this era for visiting relatives and friends or arranging matchmakings. Families with a bit of means would also buy one for the New Year. Children with sweet teeth could rarely resist; they would often secretly filch a piece. Since the box showed no sign from the outside, by the time the adults opened it, the inside had long been emptied, which naturally earned the culprits a sound thrashing. Liu Xiaoqing had brought this to make amends, playing her social graces to the hilt. Chen Qi remained polite as ever, feeling neither goodwill nor malice. Everyone was just navigating the world; who didn't know how to put on a smiling face? Besides, Grandma Liu was genuinely skilled at her craft, and there was always a chance they might collaborate in the future. The days spent revising the manuscript were mostly uneventful, much like his days slacking off at work. That evening, in the cafeteria. Chen Qi noticed that everyone had slipped into an odd state of excitement. They were eating unusually fast, whispering and chattering among themselves. Liang Xiaosheng was bustling about too, urging, "Hurry up and eat! Once we're done, we have to move the tables!" "Why are we moving tables?" "They're showing an internal reference film tonight!" "An English film or a Hong Kong film?" "Huh? You're quite in the know!" Liang Xiaosheng said in surprise. "I've only heard about them, but I've always looked forward to seeing one. How often do you show them?" "About once every half a month. Tonight it's a Hong Kong picture with martial arts." "Oh, martial arts are great to watch!" Chen Qi quickly polished off his dinner and joined the others in shifting the tables. They stacked the cafeteria tables neatly along both sides, clearing a wide space in the middle and filling it with stools, turning the hall into a rudimentary cinema. An internal reference film—formally known as an internal reference motion picture. In truth, it was simply a special provision of cinema, no different from rationed luxury cigarettes, alcohol, and tea. From top leaders down to military compounds, film studios, and various arts and cultural institutions, internal reference films were screened everywhere. Men were never truly equal. In this era, while the majority were still fretting over keeping themselves fed and warm, certain circles were already listening to rock, jazz, and Teresa Teng. Naturally, watching internal reference films could not be done openly; one had to keep a low profile. And so, as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, Beijing Film Studio took on the air of a secret agent base. Everyone queued up on tiptoe to enter the cafeteria. Someone stood guard at the door, and there were even sentries stationed in the shadows—conditions were still primitive, though dedicated screening rooms would come later. Chen Qi followed the crowd inside. The lighting was dim, a sea of dark heads bobbing before him. As he looked around in confusion, he heard Liang Xiaosheng call out, "Over here, over here!" Toward the middle rows, editors from the Literary Department and their family members had already gathered together. "Director Jiang!" "Teacher Shi!" He greeted them one by one, took a random empty seat, and glanced to his left and right, amused by what he saw. To his left sat a young man in his early twenties. His body was so overly thin that it made his head look disproportionately large. He had small eyes, a visibly receding hairline, and an utterly plain appearance, radiating an air of timid bashfulness. To his right, however, was a little girl of eleven or twelve, with a broad forehead, generous features, and a cute hair flower pinned to her hair. "This is my daughter, Jiang Shan. And this is Big Brother Chen," Jiang Huaiyan introduced them with a smile. The little girl looked him over, seemingly finding him quite handsome, before greeting him, "Hello, Big Brother!" "Hello there. Are you in primary school right now?" "Mhm, primary school. Big Brother, what kind of work do you do?" Jiang Shan asked in a crisp, clear voice. "I sell large-bowl tea." *???* Jiang Shan's head was filled with question marks. Jiang Huaiyan burst into laughter and explained it to her. Over on the other side, the shy young man seemed to have mustered his courage and finally spoke up: "Hello. My name is Ge You. My mother mentioned you to me." "Hello, hello! Nice to meet you!" Chen Qi extended his right hand. Ge You moved to do the same, but the cramped space left no room to bend his arm properly. He managed a brief, awkward handshake like someone with impaired mobility, nodding repeatedly. "A pleasure. I heard you're here to revise a script?" "That's right, staying at the guesthouse for now. What line of work are you in?" He had poked right where it hurt. Sure enough, Ge You looked bashful, even a bit self-conscious, and whispered, "I'm preparing for exams... just testing for things." *Ha!* The more bashful he acted, the more Chen Qi wanted to tease him—and that little girl named Jiang Shan, too.