A Family Dinner

"Mom!" In the evening, Fu Mingxian came home from school, tossed down her schoolbag, and went scampering into the kitchen. "Has Big Brother Xiao Chen arrived?" "He's here. He'll be over for dinner in a bit." "Great! How long is he going to stay?" "A few months, probably. What are you so excited about his coming?" "When he's here, he can play with me! You two never play with me usually." "Then you ought to tidy up your room. It's a pigsty—people will laugh at you." Shi Hui said this while cooking. She expected her daughter to talk back, but to her surprise, the girl obediently returned to her room and began tidying up in earnest. Utterly astonished, Shi Hui turned to Fu Chi as he walked over. "Your daughter has really grown up. She knows how to put on a show in front of company now!" "That's completely normal. Didn't we have to put on a show when guests came over when we were little? ...What are you making? Xiao Chen is a northerner; his palate isn't like ours. It needs to be a bit saltier." "I know. I've already seasoned it more on the savory side." Fu Chi was born in Shenyang and grew up in Shanghai, while Shi Hui was a native of Nanjing. Both favored southern flavors, and Hong Kong cuisine leaned sweet as well, so northern dishes had to be made specially. *Ding-dong, ding-dong!* Right as they spoke, the doorbell rang. Fu Chi went to answer it. "Xiao Chen is here!" "Hello, Uncle! I brought this from the capital—just a small token of respect." Chen Qi carried a bag containing two bottles of Moutai and two bottles of yellow rice wine, specially purchased at the Overseas Chinese Store. Fu Chi repeatedly told him there was no need to be so polite. Shi Hui poked her head out as well, smiling. "Why did you bring gifts? You're being far too formal! Have a seat for a moment; dinner will be ready shortly... Hey, Zhizhi? Zhizhi?" She called for her daughter. Fu Mingxian had deliberately hidden in her bedroom, but hearing her name, she slowly opened the door. She was wearing a pretty little dress with a pink hairpin in her hair, looking demure and well-behaved, with the air of a young lady from a distinguished family. "..." Shi Hui rolled her eyes. Not that she suspected any romantic notions—it was natural for kids to want to play with older people—she just felt her daughter was putting on such an act that she practically asked for a spanking. "Big Brother Xiao Chen!" "Zhizhi, long time no see! I brought you a gift too." Chen Qi handed over another bag. Inside was a doll. Hong Kong certainly had no shortage of such toys, but it was the thought that counted. "Thank you, Big Brother Xiao Chen!" Fu Mingxian hugged the doll, genuinely delighted, and hurried to put it in her bedroom, displaying it in a prominent spot. Chen Qi followed her in and took a brief look. It was a typical young girl's bedroom, cute and adorable all over. A poster of *The Bund* hung on the wall, showing an artificial-looking snowy scene where Chow Yun-fat held an umbrella, strolling alongside Zhao Yazhi. "You like Chow Yun-fat?" "Yeah, I think he's so handsome and dashing." "How come you don't like Great Wall's stars?" "Great Wall doesn't even have a decent male actor! What, do you expect me to like Liu Xuehua? She lives right downstairs—I run into her all the time. What's there to like?" Fu Mingxian's demure persona slipped a bit. She quickly covered her mouth and resumed her sweet smile. Chen Qi chuckled, gave her head a light rap, and said, "Stop pretending. It's not like I haven't seen you screaming and hollering before." "Mind your own business!" "Xiao Chen, Zhizhi, time to eat!" Shi Hui called them out. A table laden with food was already set. Fu Chi opened a bottle of yellow rice wine and said with a smile, "Authentic yellow rice wine is rare in Hong Kong; only state-run stores carry it. You chose well." "I don't really know much about wine; I just bought it on a whim." "You brought it at just the right time. I made a lot of seafood, and yellow rice wine goes best with that," Shi Hui said. The four sat down. On the table were fish, shrimp, crabs, scallops, sea snails, and the like, while pork and greens made up a modest showing, along with a plate of Cantonese roast meats. The three adults poured themselves some wine while Fu Mingxian had a soft drink. Fu Chi raised his glass, exchanging the customary banquet pleasantries, which Chen Qi handled with practiced ease before they got down to eating and drinking. No business was discussed tonight; it was purely a private gathering. Even so, Chen Qi was familiar with some of Great Wall's current situation. Back when the leftists were at their peak, these three dormitory buildings hadn't had enough room for everyone. Now, more than half stood vacant. Across three film companies plus a cinema circuit, only the bare-bones operating structure remained, plagued by severe personnel drain. The creative team was in an even worse state—barely anyone was left. He only recognized Zhang Xinyan and Liu Xuehua. "Does Great Wall still have an acting training course?" "The program officially exists on paper, but we aren't recruiting for now. Liu Xuehua and her cohort were from '78, which makes them the most recent class. We make too few films; recruiting people with no roles to offer just makes everyone miserable." "Liu Xuehua's contract was up this year, and she originally wanted to leave. Fortunately, *Wrong Turn* and *The Descent* did well, earning her some fame. I talked until my tongue went dry to persuade her to stay, and she signed for another few years." "So you're short on male actors?" "We're short on everything! Male actors, female actors, directors, behind-the-scenes crew—critically short." Chen Qi nodded and held his peace for the moment. After all, Great Wall was their company; it wasn't his place to tell them how to run things. Leftists were ostracized in Hong Kong, so established industry practitioners usually steered clear of them, and without any cheat code, Fu Chi couldn't unearth new talent. But Chen Qi had a cheat code! In this era, a whole legion of future superstars were still ordinary nobodies! After dinner, the couple walked him to the door. Fu Chi said, "Tomorrow I'll take you to the company to talk over the co-production in detail." "Why not just come down for breakfast then?" Shi Hui said. "No, no, that would be troubling you too much. I can't keep sponging off you for meals." "Aiyo, what trouble could it be? Just make yourself at home. Having one more person around makes things lively, doesn't it, Zhizhi?" Shi Hui teased her daughter. "Hmph!" Fu Mingxian hid behind her mother, shy yet full of anticipation. In her eyes, Chen Qi was like a handsome, talented big brother next door, and children naturally had an inclination to look up to someone like that. Unable to decline such warm hospitality, he had no choice but to agree. Afterward, he returned upstairs. The room had been cleaned in advance and was spotless. The bedding was freshly changed, and there was a television. He turned it on at random, and TVB's drama *The Fearless Duo* was playing. "..." Chen Qi sat down and watched for a bit. The show didn't do much for him, but two of the extras caught his attention. They played a pair of bandits, gesturing and flailing about before quickly getting killed off. They looked green, their acting stiff and melodramatic. One was named Liu Dehua, and the other Liang Jiahui. Right now, they were probably trainees in the tenth cohort of the TVB Artists Training Course. The tenth class had the largest number of students, and others who later rose to fame included Wu Jiali, Qi Meizhen, Xu Jinjiang... Yes, Xu Jinjiang. *An era where future superstars truly walk the streets!* *Gurgle, gurgle!* As Chen Qi was watching, he suddenly clutched his stomach, which was rumbling like boiling water. He wasn't fond of yellow rice wine and had only sipped a small cup, but he had eaten a lot of seafood, and now his stomach was rebelling. He dashed to the bathroom, where everything came rushing out in a torrential downpour. The bathroom was a bit old, but it had a proper flush toilet—not a sit-down commode, but the squatting variety. "Aah!" He was genuinely moved even while taking a dump. Dammit, he was finally back in modern times, finally using toilet paper again!