Chapter 272: The premiere of "To Live" by two talented directors
The theater was completely silent as filmmakers from all over the world began to watch this movie made by the people of Tianxia.

First, the producer: Shinhwa Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Then the producer: Cheng Cheng

Producer: Cheng Cheng

Screenwriter: Cheng Cheng

Next are the names of a series of people including art, music, editing, leading actors, directors, etc. Cheng Cheng appears very frequently, and he almost takes care of everything.

Then the movie started.

The movie opens with a street scene from the 1940s:
Cobblestone roads, long gowns, memorial archways, and buildings in the style of the Republic of China
The sound of erhu could also be heard in the background.

Then, the scene turns to the casino. The woman's laughter, the sound of mahjong, and the sound of walking all come into the audience's ears, forming a noisy and real world.

Fugui, played by Chu Qing, appears on the stage with a shaved head, wearing a Qing Dynasty gown and a Ma褂 over it.

He was shaking the dice cup in his hand, his body was hunched, and he exuded a sense of listlessness and vanity.

Sitting opposite him is Long Er, played by Li Yang.

Trina's new look caught the media's attention.

This is so un-Tru Qing.

In the past, he was always a marginal, struggling image, for example, struggling between ideals and reality, struggling between individual destiny and the constraints of the times. This struggle made him struggle out a kind of energy and strength.

"Ohhhh! Chu Qing completely subverted his image."

"I never thought that Chu Qing would have a bald head. He made a huge sacrifice. This alone is enough to write an article."

"I'm looking forward to this movie. I believe Trina's taste is good."

The dice cup fell on the table and everyone opened it.

One side is one, three, three, five.

One side is three, four, five, and six.

Wealth lost.

The accountant brought the account book, which was already full of red fingerprints, indicating that he had lost a lot tonight.

Watching the shadow play being performed on the stage, Fugui cursed that the singing was uglier than a donkey's bray. Long Er encouraged him to go and sing a few songs, and Fugui actually went up, just as the shadow play reached the point where two shadow puppets were kissing.

Fugui's dubbing of “mua~” “mua~” “mua” behind the curtain won applause from the audience.

Then he sang:

"Look to God~"

"One more chapter, please."

"I and Pan Lang stayed together for a long time, stayed together for a long time, and you can do whatever you want on the ivory bed~"

This is a piece of obscene lyrics, full of low-class casinos, and it is impossible for anything elegant to be played. Although foreigners do not understand this, they like it very much. They like some oriental, mysterious, and folk things.

The scene changed and Long Er couldn't stop laughing.

The accountant reminded him, "Long Er, the accounts are almost settled. Master Fugui just needs to do the same as before and pay for one more night, and your business will be done."

Long Er: "Don't make a mistake."

The accountant: "Yes, here is the account."

It turns out that Fugui had already been targeted by Long Er and the casino owner, who had set their eyes on his house. It was all a setup.

After leaving the casino, a fat woman spread a small soft blanket on her back, and Fugui climbed on her. She carried Fugui on her back and walked away.

The fat woman carried Fugui on her back as she walked through several streets. It was early morning and there were people of all kinds on the street. These few shots showed the life scene of Tianxia in the 1940s.

After returning home, the second female lead called out "Dad" crisply, and Fugui's old father cursed: "You beast, it's another night, a dog can't change its eating habits, you little bastard, you are just messing around like this, you have to waste all the Xu family's wealth! What else can you do? Tell me, besides that, what else can you do? Why don't you learn to be good, you little bastard."

Fugui did not show any anger, and calmly retorted:

"Without the old bastard, where would the young bastard come from? Who can I learn from? I just wonder, why is there only this one courtyard left out of the three courtyards? The famous Xu the bastard back then was not me~"

Fugui's father was angry, but when Fugui's mother wiped his face with a wet towel, he became confused: "What did he say about me?"

Back in his own house, Fugui still has a wife.

Wen Lian's role as Jiazhen made the audience shine:
This oriental woman is so beautiful!
And she fits the image of a wealthy lady in the 1940s: graceful, mature, and noble.

It is said that Europeans have a higher aesthetic level than Americans. At least they know how to appreciate Oriental beauties, rather than the image of Oriental women in Hollywood, all with squinty eyes, round faces and flat bodies.

Jiazhen advised Fugui to stop gambling. Listening to his wife's nagging, Fugui answered as usual:
Quitting gambling takes time~
The next day, Fugui went to the casino as usual. When he was having a good time, Jiazhen came.

As long as Fugui didn't leave, she would just stand there.

Although Fugui loved gambling, he was not bad to his wife. But this time Jiazhen didn't give him face and slapped him in the face. He yelled in front of everyone:
"Aren't you embarrassing me? What are you doing? Go away, get out!"

Jiazhen didn't leave, so Fugui slammed the dice cup on the table and said, "Get out! Get away from me, okay? Get out!"

There was a quiet discussion in the theater:
The male protagonist is really not a human being!

Finally, Jiazhen left helplessly.

Soon, Fugui lost everything, and all his debts added up to just enough to offset the ancestral home.

Not a tile or a piece of land is left.

Looking at Long Er's expression at this time, there was a hint of pride in his arrogance.

When Fugui saw that his family fortune was gone, he shouted that he wanted to continue coming, but Long Er just waved his hand and left.

Fugui, who had lost his mind, was pressed tightly onto the chair.

After coming out of the casino, Fugui was in a daze and could hardly stand. Jiazhen had been waiting for him for a long time.

Seeing him coming out, Jiazhen held the child and said to him;
"Fugui, I'm waiting for you here. I just want to tell you something. I think I've understood. You can't change it. I don't want to live with you anymore. I'm taking Fengxia away."

Fugui watched Jiazhen get on a rickshaw and leave.

Overnight, Fugui's wife and children were separated, and all his property was lost.

Here, Chu Qing gave a brilliant performance. He was holding a chair, swaying, not knowing who to vent his anger to, howling: "No more, no more~"

The scene changed, and Fugui's old house was full of people.

The sound of abacus clacking could be heard.

The accountant is doing the accounts.

Outside the house, someone was measuring the land.

Fugui's old father remained calm throughout the whole process and admitted his mistake.

But after he signed his own name, he finally exploded and picked up a stick to hit Fugui, but he failed to hit him and died on the spot due to anger.

At this point, Fugui's family had another funeral.

In the next scene, Fugui is slumped on his luggage with his head hung. His thin body is in sharp contrast to the huge amount of luggage. Behind the door are photos of his seriously ill mother and his father who just passed away.

There were exclamations of admiration in the cinema.

Shi Zai, the director of "Glory", lamented:

"This shot is amazing, full of oriental aesthetics, no wonder it was selected for the main competition!"

Jia Zhensi also became serious:

"This is a tough enemy!"

Fugui was walking on the street pulling a cart full of luggage. People on both sides were pointing and talking, and there were naughty children following him. Fugui was too thin, and his clothes were shaking, making people feel extremely desolate.

Later, in order to make a living, he went to the street to sell his previous property, but the dignity of a young master made him embarrassed to open his mouth to sell, like a sculpture, just standing on the street. In the blink of an eye, the warm days turned into cold winter, Fugui's back was bent, his face was no longer neat, and a beard grew.

A year later, Jiazhen came back with her child. She gave birth to a son for Fugui, named Youqing.

Fengxia led her father back. Fugui was eager to return home. He picked up the child and rushed back home. He had nothing before, but now he had it back.

It is very uncomfortable for Europeans and Americans to see this scene. If they divorce, they will immediately be dragged down by the division of property and alimony, and then they will become "city wanderers", but Oriental women will come back. This is too sci-fi!
Fugui's life is bright again. In order to find ways to increase his income, Fugui comes to Long Er.

At this time, Long Er already had the demeanor of a typical master.

Fugui became a fawning servant.

Fugui wants to borrow some money from Long Er to open a small shop in the town.

Long Er thought about it and lent him the shadow puppet.

In this way, Fugui and a young man named Chunsheng set up a shadow puppet troupe, traveled far and wide, and their lives finally improved. Jiazhen also stayed at home to take care of their two children and their sick mother.

However, something unexpected happened in a flash.

That day, he was performing in a play in another place, when suddenly—

A bayonet pierced the curtain of the shadow play.

The whole audience was shocked!
This change came too suddenly.

Outside the torn shadow play curtain, there were flames and fully armed soldiers.

Behind the curtain, Fugui and others were at a loss.

The soldier's knife seemed to have cut Fugui's life in half.

Afterwards, Fugui and others captured able-bodied men, and Fugui carried a heavy shadow puppet box and followed the national army to migrate. Fortunately, they were lucky and met a kind old soldier named Lao Quan. Seeing Fugui looking around, he knew that he wanted to escape.

So he reminded Fugui:
"If you run, we'll kill you if you're caught. Even if you manage to run, there are troops hundreds of miles around here who will still catch you."

Fugui said, "I have a wife, children and mother at home, what should I do?"

"What should I do? It's good enough if I can save my life."

Fugui listened to the advice and stayed with Chunsheng.

At night, Fugui and Lao Quan snuggled in the trench to keep warm. Fugui heard strange cries not far away. Lao Quan said that they were all wounded soldiers who were in pain from the cold. Hundreds of thousands of people were trapped in the wilderness, with their logistics completely cut off and no one cared about them.

As they were talking, Chunsheng brought out the coat. Fugui asked where it came from. Chunsheng said that he took it off a corpse. Many wounded soldiers had frozen to death.

After the three men put them on, they felt much warmer. After a night, when they opened their eyes, they found that the army of more than 100,000 people had all run away, leaving behind bare military vehicles and cannons. Lao Quan knew that there would be a charge today, and the others were scared away.

Fugui wanted to go home, so he suggested that we run away too. Lao Quan told him that if he wanted to go home, he should just be a captive and he would be treated with good food and drink, as well as travel expenses. He also taught them how to surrender.

Hearing that he could go home, Fugui felt much calmer. He and Chunsheng took a walk around the neighborhood.

When Chunsheng saw the car, he jumped on it excitedly. He had always liked cars but had no chance to touch one. Sitting in the driver's seat, he turned the steering wheel hard and satisfied his addiction to driving a car.

At this time, Fugui saw the camp for wounded soldiers. He called Chunsheng over. At a glance, all the wounded soldiers from last night had frozen to death, and there were large areas of corpses.

Fugui sighed: "No one in the family knew about it, and he just died like that."

Chunsheng was frightened: "Fugui, we have to go back alive."

Fugui said, "You must live well when you go back."

At this time, Lao Quan ran over and asked Chunsheng where he took off his clothes last night. Seeing that he was in the same company as his brother, they ran to the wounded soldiers' camp to look for him. While searching, they heard a gunshot and Lao Quan fell to the ground not far away.

Fugui and Chunsheng hurriedly took Lao Quan to the trench, where he was dead with a grim face.

Afterwards, a charge began all over the mountains and plains. Fugui and Chunsheng were captured alive and asked to help with some chores. In his spare time, Fugui would sing a song for the soldiers.

The scene changed, and Fugui returned to his hometown carrying a box.

When Fugui rushed home, it was still dark. He saw a little girl holding a thermos at the corner of the alley. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was Fengxia.

She still loves to laugh, but she can no longer speak.

Not far away is Jiazhen.

She was hunched over, carrying her son on her back. In front of her was a wooden trailer full of hot water, and under her feet were many thermos bottles.

Seeing Fugui, she slowly straightened up and looked over.

Fugui ran over and shouted her name.

"Jiazhen!"

"Jiazhen!"

As he got closer, he became very excited and repeated:

"I'm back, I'm back."

Jiazhen burst into tears and hugged him and cried.

On the street, under the dim lights, Jiazhen was crying inconsolably. Doors opened one after another, and many people were watching this scene. On the wooden cart, hot water was still flowing, and the water in the thermos was full and kept overflowing.

In the morning, when it was light, Fugui and Jiazhen chatted.

Jiazhen said as she burned the firewood:

"Mother never closed her eyes until she died. She was staring at the door, waiting for you to come back. No matter what, you should have sent me a letter."

Fugui: "Don't even mention the letters. After seeing so many dead bodies, I don't even dare to think that I can come back alive. When I'm outside, I always think about the old and young at home. How are you going to live alone?"

Jiazhen: "Thanks to the government's care, they helped bury my mother, and gave me a job delivering water. But I have to get up early because there are many people who need water in the morning. I can earn more money by delivering more. But it's hard for Fengxia and Youqing. They always get up in the middle of the night and never get a full night's sleep."

Fugui was puzzled: "Why did Fengxia become mute? She was fine when she left, but when she came back she couldn't call me dad."

Jiazhen said, "This is a lucky thing. For seven whole days, his whole body felt like it was on fire. Everyone said that this child could not be saved. Later, the fever finally subsided, but he could not speak anymore."

Fengxia smiled again.

In the theater, some people have already started wiping away tears.

Especially some foreigners, they have very low tear points and they can't wait to hug the cuties in the movie.

Immediately afterwards, Mayor Niu came to inquire about Fugui's situation, and Fugui took out the proof.

Mayor Niu was very happy after reading it. Besides coming to say hello, he also had something to convey to Fugui's family. A meeting would be held in two days to publicly try Long Er.

Because Fugui lost the house to Long Er, Long Er was labeled a landlord. And it was not just because of the landlord's matter. According to the policy, the government wanted to divide the house. Long Er refused, so he beat up the cadres and set fire to the yard.

On the way to the execution ground with Long Er, Fugui saw a familiar face in the crowd.

Long Er also saw Fugui and kept staring at him until he was taken away.

In the crowd, Long Er shouted something, and no one knew if he was shouting at Fugui, or what he shouted specifically.

Fugui was so frightened that he couldn't hold his urine and ran under a tree to relieve himself.

Just then, gunshots were heard in the distance. With every gunshot, Fugui trembled with fear. Finally, he held on to the tree tightly and slid down.

He hurried back home and closed the door in panic. Jiazhen asked him what happened and saw the water stains on his pants. Fugui stretched out his hand tremblingly and said breathlessly:
"Five shots, five shots, kill Long Er!"

Jiazhen was surprised: "Kill Long Er?"

"Shot! Shot! Five bullets killed him, he must be dead." Fugui said thankfully, "If that courtyard house hadn't been lost to Long Er, those five bullets would have hit me."

The audience was impressed by the director's ingenious design.

A blessing in disguise highlights the absurdity of fate.

(End of this chapter)