Literary Master: Starting with Refusing to Be a Child Star

Chapter 55 The New Year Arrives, the Movie Officially Released

The sound of firecrackers had been continuous since dawn, crackling and popping throughout the alley, filling it with festive cheer. Red paper scraps fell on the remaining snow, like scattered cinnabar.

Carrying a box of pastries, Luo Jinnian followed behind her sister Chu Qingning, stepping over the red carpet on the ground, towards Gu Yanxi's house.

They don't plan to go back to their own homes for the New Year this year.

The stepfather rushed to the hospital early in the morning—that middle-aged woman was throwing another tantrum, complaining that the heating in the ward wasn't warm enough, and then complaining that the windows were drafty when they moved to a single room. The stepfather was a good-natured man, his edges worn smooth by the years. Before leaving, he hurriedly slipped a hundred yuan into Luo Jinnian's hand, telling him to buy whatever he wanted and not to deprive himself.

"I'm sorry." Luo Jinnian suddenly slowed down, turned her head to look at him, and there was a hint of apology in her eyes. "Because of her, you can't spend the New Year with your father."

Chu Qingning glanced at her younger brother and saw that he was wrapped in an old cotton-padded jacket, the collar of which was worn white, and the tip of his nose was red from the cold wind.

She gently shook her head: "It's okay."

She really didn't think anything of it. He had grown up with his father since he was little, and he followed him wherever he went, so it didn't bother him if he didn't see her for a day.

At the end of the alley was a red-painted iron gate, with a brand-new Spring Festival couplet pasted on the lintel, the ink still glistening.

Gu Yanxi was standing at the door looking around. When she saw them arrive, she waved happily, and the pom-pom on her woolen hat bounced up and down.

Gu Yanxi looks very cute and younger sister-like today.

"Come on, let's make dumplings together!"

She took their hands and led them into the house.

Red paper scraps were scattered in the courtyard, and two plump stone lions crouched on the stone steps, their necks tied with red ribbons, looking exceptionally festive. The door to the main room was wide open, and a plume of steaming hot air mingled with the aromas of noodles, meat, scallions, and ginger.

Mrs. Gu was sitting at the table kneading dough. She sprinkled a thin layer of dry flour on the cutting board and turned the dough over and over in her hands.

Seeing the two children come in, she greeted them with a smile: "Go wash your hands quickly. The dumpling filling is freshly made, pork and cabbage, and this year I added some shrimp. It's very fresh."

Chu Qingning and Luo Jinnian washed their hands, rolled up their sleeves, and sat down at the table. Several rows of dumpling wrappers were already laid out on the table, with a large bowl of filling in the middle, and chopsticks and a bowl of water on the side.

Gu Yanxi had already gotten the hang of it; she was particularly skilled at making dumplings.

Mrs. Gu would occasionally glance to the side, smiling without saying a word, but her hands never stopped working. The rolling pin spun in her hands like a flower, and round, even dumpling wrappers flew out and were stacked up.

Chu Qingning wraps dumplings quickly; with a pinch and a snap of her fingers, a dumpling takes shape, its belly round and plump, like a little gold ingot.

Luo Jinnian was much slower. Because he didn't like eating them, he wasn't very good at wrapping them either. The first one was already filled, and the second one he managed to pinch open but ended up flat on the cutting board. Gu Yanxi couldn't help but laugh when she saw this and nudged him with her elbow: "Are you wrapping dumplings or wontons? They're so ugly."

Luo Jinnian wasn't annoyed; he lowered his head and continued to struggle with the dumpling wrapper.

The radio had been turned on sometime during the night, playing an old, worn-out song, "Gong Xi Fa Cai" (Wishing You Prosperity), with Andy Lau's voice adding a touch of nostalgic liveliness. Mrs. Gu hummed along a couple of lines, her voice soft and gentle, like soothing a child.

A layer of fog covered the windowpane, and strings of small colored lights hung from the branches outside, flashing red and green. Inside, the stove burned brightly, the radiators made a soft clicking sound, and everything moved slowly and comfortably, making one want to doze off.

When I was halfway through making dumplings, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Are you all home?

Mother Gu wiped her hands and went out to greet them. The two people who came were Uncle Qin and his niece, Fei Yuxi, who had her hair in two little pigtails and her face was as red as an apple from the cold.

"Come in and sit down," Mrs. Gu said warmly.

As soon as Uncle Qin entered the house, he saw four children sitting around the table—Gu Yanxi, Chu Qingning, Luo Jinnian, and his own niece.

He didn't stand on ceremony at all. He took off his coat, draped it over the back of a chair, and sat down to play with the child while cracking sunflower seeds.

Luo Jinnian stared at Gu's mother's hands as she made dumplings for a long time, then tried to imitate her. This time, he finally managed to do it somewhat well. Gu Yanxi gave him a thumbs up, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

Fei Yuxi secretly pinched a small pinch of white sugar into the filling of the dumplings she was making when no one was looking. Gu's mother caught her red-handed and teased the little girl, making her giggle.

The songs on the radio kept changing, from "Gong Xi Fa Cai" to "Hao Yun Lai".

It was almost one o'clock when lunch was served. Two large pots of dumplings were boiled, plump and floating on the surface of the water, their skins so thin that you could vaguely see the bright green cabbage and pink shrimp inside.

A dish of vinegar, minced garlic, and sesame oil were laid out on the table.

Uncle Qin ate a large plate of food and drank two bowls of dumpling soup. After wiping his mouth, he finally stood up from his chair. As he put on his coat, he muttered, "I still have to deliver New Year's gifts to two families this afternoon. It'll be dark soon if I don't leave now." As he spoke, he lifted Fei Yuxi from the chair. The little girl was still clutching an unfinished dumpling in her hand. He carried her on his shoulder and waved to the children.

"Take care, Uncle Qin." Gu Yanxi saw him to the door, and Chu Qingning and Luo Jinnian followed him out.

Uncle Qin took a few steps and then turned back, looking at the four little faces, and grinned: "Good, good. The New Year should be lively and festive."

The wind in the alley carried the smell of firecrackers. Luo Jinnian stood at the door, watching Uncle Qin's figure disappear into the alley, and suddenly felt that this year's New Year seemed quite lively.

He turned around. Chu Qingning was helping Gu's mother clear the dishes, while Gu Yanxi was secretly eating the leftover dumpling filling, and Gu's mother slapped his hand with a laugh. New Year's music started playing on the radio again.

While celebrating the Lunar New Year, movies scheduled for the New Year season are also being shown in cinemas in full swing.

"Lost on Journey? This seems to be the movie that Director Qin has been hyping up all along, right? I remember he kept explaining the character '囧' to us during the promotions."

"The first domestic comedy film about the Spring Festival travel rush, that sounds interesting, we can go check it out."

"Hey, have you seen this one? The two young leads in 'Ice Dance' are both quite good-looking, it's really hard to choose."

"If we really can't go on, let's just watch it anyway, the tickets aren't expensive."

Movie tickets in 2012 were far more affordable than those in later years.

Similar dialogues are taking place simultaneously in many places.

Director Mo has put a lot of effort into his Weibo account. Although it's not a comedy, his film had a higher attendance rate on its first day than "Lost in Thailand".

However, it was only the first day, and Director Mo was not very satisfied with the results. But he also understood that the market for comedy films was much larger than that for his semi-commercial, semi-art film.

All I can say is that if he's going to make another commercial film, he'll definitely ask Luo Jinnian to write a comedy for him. Anyone can suck up to someone's coattails.