Mama, Love Me Once More

It was a day off. Zheng Shufang was in her thirties and worked at a government agency. She had little interest in movies; she could take them or leave them. She had originally planned to take the whole family on a spring outing that Sunday, only for her middle-school-aged son to throw a fit, dead set on coming to the cinema. He had babbled on about some kind of "special screening" where Gong Xue would meet with the audience... Zheng Shufang didn't even care for Gong Xue, but unable to withstand her son's relentless pestering, she had pulled a few strings to secure tickets. "Why are there so many people?" Looking at the nearly packed screening hall, she was taken aback. "It's not even a martial arts flick. How can so many people want to see it?" "Of course they do! They all love Sister Gong Xue!" "'Sister Gong Xue'? You make it sound like she's your own sister..." Zheng Shufang rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand her son's attitude, nor could she grasp why the male colleagues in her office acted the same way. When she turned her head and saw that her husband also wore a look of eager anticipation, she felt all the more exasperated. Isn't she just an actress? *Romance on Mount Lu* had captured the hearts of young men across the country, while *Tai Chi* had stolen the hearts of youths nationwide. Female comrades genuinely couldn't relate to that fascination. After they sat for a while, the lights dimmed and the silver screen lit up. *Mama, Love Me Once More* began. The opening showed the scenic landscape of Lingnan: picturesque mountains, clear waters, and prosperous urban commerce with frequent ties to Hong Kong. The male lead, Lin Zirong, was in love with the female lead, Qiuxia. But Qiuxia came from a poor background, while Lin Zirong belonged to a wealthy family, and his parents disapproved of the match. "I forbid you two to marry!" "Mom!" "Shut your mouth! This is none of your business!" The actress playing the male lead's mother was a veteran performer named Yu Daiqin, fifty-one years old. Her husband was Guan Zongxiang, and they had a son named Guan Hu. "Your mother used to be a dance-hall girl! You don't even know who your father is! Your family is filthy and of low breeding. In what way are you fit to join our Lin family? You wouldn't even qualify to be his concubine!" "No! What you're saying isn't true! How can you insult my mother like that?" "Humph! True or not, just look at yourself—a country bumpkin without a shred of sophistication! What right do you have to marry into our family and wed Zirong? How could I ever let you ruin his future!" The wicked mother picked up an exquisite saucer bearing a pastry and sneered, "Take this Western pastry. Do you know how much it costs? If you hadn't come to our house, you probably wouldn't have had the chance to taste one your whole life. Still, I have a kind heart. You may eat a piece before you leave, but never harass Zirong again!" "You!" Overcome with hurt and humiliation, Qiuxia couldn't bear it any longer and fled outside. Lin Zirong leapt up to chase after her. "Qiuxia! Qiuxia!" "Why are you following me? Your mother doesn't like me! You're a wealthy young master, and I'm just a poor girl. We can never be together!" "Qiuxia, trust me! My heart is completely sincere. I'll convince my mother!" *Buzz, buzz, buzz!* This opening sequence left everyone in the theater dumbfounded. What kinds of films were typically shown on the mainland right now? Scar dramas, stories about ordinary city folk, works depicting Reform and Opening Up, and newly emerging martial arts films... Regardless of genre, all of them placed great value on steady pacing and gradual development. Where had anyone ever seen a story dive headfirst into pure soapy melodrama right from the start? Indeed, *Mama, Love Me Once More* was shameless melodrama in its purest form. It was a tearjerker, and the sole purpose of a tearjerker was to make the audience weep! Later generations would grow sick of such tropes, but for the viewers of this era, it was an entirely novel experience. The whole audience, especially the women, watched wide-eyed as emotions welled up inside them. This... this was immersion off the charts! "..." Zheng Shufang, who had been completely indifferent just minutes ago, had already straightened her back, fully absorbed in the screen. Lin Zirong swore to the heavens, plying Qiuxia with sweet talk and promising to marry her. Qiuxia fell for his words, giving herself to him and becoming pregnant. At that point, the mother paid another visit, putting on an entirely different face. "Qiuxia, consider this my plea to you. Will you leave Zirong, please?" "I hope you can understand a mother's feelings. I have only this one son, and I count on him to inherit our family estate and marry a woman of equal standing who can help his prospects. What can you do for him? I've already arranged a marriage for him with a young lady of a wealthy Hong Kong family. She won't tolerate the presence of someone like you. If you truly wish him well, you should leave him and get rid of the child in your belly, letting him start with a clean slate." "I will leave Zirong, but the child is innocent!" "Here, this money..." "I don't want your money! I will raise him on my own!" A chorus of curses erupted across the theater. "What a hateful old hag! Who does she think she is, bullying people like that?" "Boohoo, Qiuxia is so pitiful!" "Why not take the money? Take it!" "That man is a real Chen Shimei!" Qiuxia moved away and gave birth to the boy, giving him the pet name Dongdong. To the outside world, she claimed his father had died young, and she struggled through hardships to make a living. Lin Zirong married the wealthy young lady from Hong Kong. Yet years into the marriage, the wife suffered repeated miscarriages and could not carry a child to term. Coming from an even more prominent family, she had a domineering personality and refused to allow her husband to take a concubine. The Lin family relied heavily on her family's business connections, so their thoughts turned back to Qiuxia. Doing everything they could, they finally tracked her down. The mother, acting as the primary villain, used both cajolery and coercion to wrest the child away. "If Dongdong stays with you, what kind of future can he possibly have? Can you afford his schooling? Can you give him a bright future? If he comes with us, we'll send him to the best schools and give him the finest education..." Qiuxia was uneducated and completely illiterate. She didn't want her child to end up like her, so she felt the woman made sense, though she naturally found it agonizing to part with him. While she remained torn, Dongdong fell ill one night with a high fever. Unable to afford a good doctor, she could only call upon a barefoot doctor. Medicine was prescribed, but the fever refused to break. People in those days were superstitious. Having no other recourse, Qiuxia went to pray to the gods. She ran out into the dead of night, prostrating herself at every single step all the way from her doorstep to the temple. "Lady Zhenzhu, please save my child!" Lady Zhenzhu was a deity worshiped in the Chaoshan region, renowned for protecting infants and young children. In the deep night, amidst drifting mists and hazy lamplight, a frail figure emerged from her doorway. With boundless devotion, she knelt, kowtowed, and prayed, then rose, took a single step forward, and knelt again... It seemed as though with every step she took, Dongdong gained another shred of hope. Upon reaching the temple's base, she ascended the stone steps, her thin back climbing upward step by step. Her forehead bled from repeated prostrations, and her clothes were caked in mud and dust, her haggard face bearing the sacred serenity of a bodhisattva. "Lady Zhenzhu, please save my child!" "Lady Zhenzhu, please save my child!" "Sob!" Zheng Shufang had held back for so long, but at this moment her nose stung with grief, and tears burst forth beyond her control, like a raw physical instinct. Feeling embarrassed, she desperately tried to suppress her sobs, only to hear weeping rise all around her, merging into a unified swell of sorrow. Looking beside her, she saw that even her son's eyes were brimming with tears. As the very first tearjerker to ever grace the screen, it swept over the innocent audience with devastating emotional force. Who had ever encountered this kind of storytelling before? Fortunately, Dongdong was out of danger in the end and woke up. That was one turning point. Another occurred when Dongdong was bullied by other children, who called him a fatherless bastard, prompting him to get into a fight. After Qiuxia learned the truth, she steeled her heart and resolved to send the boy to the Lin family. The parting of mother and son was, of course, another tear-soaked spectacle designed to wring every drop of emotion from the audience. Once Dongdong arrived at the Lin family, he truly lived a comfortable life. He wore little suits and leather shoes, ate fish, meat, and pastries, and attended a Western-style school. The young actor Fang Chao gave a stellar performance, capturing the emotions with great precision. Separated from his mother, he wasn't happy at all; he missed her constantly. Finally, one day, he ran away and sneaked back to her. "Dongdong!" "Mom!" Seeing him, Qiuxia was overjoyed, and mother and son clung to each other, weeping in an embrace.