We've Got a Place

"Sister Xue? Sister Xue?" "Baby?" "Darling! I'm leaving—what are you doing?" "What are you calling me?!" Early that morning, Chen Qi stood in the living room fully dressed, yelling at random. Gong Xue came out of the master bedroom looking thoroughly embarrassed, a blown-out candle in one hand and a medicated plaster she had already heated in the other. "Pull your clothes up!" "What for?" "Hasn't your stomach been chilled these past few days? Stick this on and you'll be fine. I bought it specially." "Does this thing even work?" Chen Qi was doubtful, but he still hiked up his sweater and tugged his thermal undershirt free, baring a young, sturdy body. Gong Xue took the plaster, lined it up with his navel, and smacked it on. "Hah!" "It's a little hot. Don't move, don't move!" "A little hot? There's a warm current rising from my dantian and coursing through the eight extraordinary meridians. I can already feel a full cycle circulating inside me, spiritual energy stirring to life—any day now my divine art will be complete!" "Talking nonsense again. All right, get going!" Gong Xue saw him to the side gate. "I'll be heading back to the studio in a bit too. There's a meeting today. I'll come again this evening." "Mm. I'm off, then!" Chen Qi looked at her, then suddenly pulled her close and gave her a kiss. Gong Xue gave a start. By the time she looked again, he was already off at a run, pushing his bicycle. She could only let out a soft humph. Spring Festival was over. Gong Xue had come back from visiting family, and the two of them had barely spent a few days together before he had to leave for Hong Kong again. It left her a little irritable. Fortunately, Chen Qi had said he would start a production in the second half of the year, and the two of them would be able to work together. "Huff!" "Huff!" On the road in early spring, Chen Qi pedaled hard into the wind. It really was no exaggeration. His abdomen felt snug and warm, genuinely comfortable. No help for it. A Chinese person spends a whole life frail and full of ailments: dampness that can never be fully driven out, internal fire that can never be fully brought down, kidneys that can never be fully tonified, toxins that can never be fully purged, cold that can never be fully warmed away... In the early spring of 1982, subtle changes had already come over Beijing. The roads were still broad, the buildings still low and ramshackle, but there were more and more bicycles. People's clothes were slowly taking on a touch of eye-catching color, and now and then a Datsun taxi could be seen racing past. The Datsun was a Japanese car, four mao per kilometer. The passengers were all foreigners and overseas Chinese. In those days, driving a taxi was absolutely a high-paying job. A few years on, once the vehicles were upgraded, they would become Fords, Bluebirds, and Crowns. Those cost even more, as much as seven or eight mao per kilometer. He rode south the whole way, about five kilometers, to the area across from Xidan, a place called Erlong Road Subdistrict. Chen Qi found a hutong, spotted Li Mingfu at the mouth of the lane, and called out, "Uncle Li!" "Mm, right on time! Come on, let's go have a look." The two of them pushed their bicycles and walked side by side. Chen Qi looked left and right. "This area seems to be Ministry of Education turf. Do you have connections here?" "No, no. I just grew up on Erlong Road." Li Mingfu's answer was vague. He was the administrative chief assigned from above, and he never said what he had done before. It all stayed rather mysterious. They passed the Ministry of Education dormitory, turned in, entered a narrow lane, and stopped. It was a large courtyard. A sign hung at the gate: Erlong Road Subdistrict Arts and Crafts Factory! An auntie came out from inside to greet them, smiling. "Old Li, punctual as ever!" Li Mingfu gave a genial laugh and made the introductions. "This is Comrade Chen Qi. This is a street cadre—just call her Auntie Zhao!" "Auntie Zhao!" Chen Qi beamed. A street cadre and an auntie were a perfect match. The three of them went in. Passing a room, Chen Qi took a few looks. Several old masters were teaching some young people to paint eggs, and others were modeling clay figurines. He said, "These handicrafts of ours are for export, aren't they?" "Young and capable indeed—you saw it at a glance!" Auntie Zhao laughed. "A couple of years ago there was a call to place youth awaiting employment. Our subdistrict found some retired old masters and set up this factory, specializing in painted eggs and clay figurines. Last year we earned over a hundred thousand US dollars in foreign exchange!" "Aiyo, that really is remarkable!" Chen Qi was moved to solemn respect. Over a hundred thousand US dollars didn't seem like much, but their costs were low and their exports steady—unlike making films. "By rights, we're not short of money. But since Old Li came to me, I have to help, no matter what." The three turned this way and that, passed through a moon gate, and entered a separate courtyard. Inside were a dozen or so dilapidated rooms, large and small. Auntie Zhao said, "This year we took in another batch of youth awaiting employment. Some of them truly have nowhere to live—they don't even have a home. We're thinking of fixing this courtyard up and letting them stay here first. Since you need housing too, I'll speak plainly. You handle the repairs, and half the rooms go to you. We'll count them as rented to you." "We'll talk it over first. Please wait a moment." Chen Qi called Li Mingfu over to a quiet spot and asked, "There won't be trouble, will there? I fix the place up, and then they refuse to honor it?" "Talk like that is a slap in my face. I found them—I can answer for it!" "Then how long do we rent? Have you got the land lined up?" "I've already contacted all sides. Over Spring Festival I even made a point of calling on certain people. But land is tight right now, and the difficulties are great. Still..." Li Mingfu shifted his tone. "I've found an excellent spot. We all overlooked it. It's right in front of us!" "Where?" "Beijing Film Studio!" "Beijing Film Studio has no empty land left, does it?" Chen Qi was taken aback. "Tch!" Li Mingfu was fairly beaming, talking in a rush. "I've already gone over Beijing Film Studio from end to end. It looks as if there's no vacant land, but in fact there's a great deal that can be done. For instance, go in the main gate and head west—there's an orchard there. Level it, and you can put up a building!" "Hold on. Let me get this straight!" Chen Qi thought over the layout of Beijing Film Studio. West of the main gate—right, there was an orchard. But in his memory, no building had gone up there. What had they done with it later? He thought a moment, then clapped his hands. Holy shit! The Rongning Residence! When the television version of Dream of the Red Chamber was being shot, Xie Tieli, a director at Beijing Film Studio, had also wanted to make a film version of Dream of the Red Chamber, so he spent three million building this Rongning Residence. After the filming it was opened to the public, and many crews came there to shoot on location. Around that time Beijing Film Studio also built a film and television tourist city, hoping to make a bit of money off visitors. Unfortunately it could not withstand the tide of history, and in the end it was merged into China Film. "If we put up a building, there might be no Rongning Residence..." Chen Qi turned it over. In his view, Beijing Film Studio's Dream of the Red Chamber was nothing but a money pit. They had shot eight episodes in all, spent twelve million, and could never earn the money back. Its influence fell far short of the television version, too. "Twelve million to shoot Dream of the Red Chamber? With that money, just build a film city outright!" Fixture of Beijing Film Studio that he was, he still had feelings for the place. There was Wang Yang to consider as well. His mind turned, and he said at once, "Done! That plot! I'll leave this to you!" "Don't worry! Then this courtyard—we rent it for three years?" "All right!" When the two had finished talking it through, they turned back, and Chen Qi said to Auntie Zhao, "A place Uncle Li found, I naturally trust. To be frank, our unit is planning to build a dormitory. Renting this courtyard is only a stopgap. I guarantee you we will never hang on here and refuse to leave. You're an honest elder yourself—don't go breaking the agreement and driving people out." "Listen to you. With Old Li as guarantor, there's no problem!" It was settled on the spot. The Eastern Depot would handle the repairs, and would then get seven rooms, for a term of three years. Seven rooms: kept loose, they could house fourteen people; packed tight, twenty-eight. Now he could recruit again. Eager to live as soon as he could in a building with toilets, Li Mingfu had truly put his back into it. Once the matter was settled, Chen Qi left first. He glanced back and saw Li still chatting warmly with Auntie Zhao. It seemed there had once been a tender old affair between them. He went back that day, stayed another night, and set out the next day.