Chapter 89

"Xiaojuan, Xiaojuan, come out quickly, your dad has brought the film team to show a movie for our village."

Xiaojuan, who was studying, heard Han Xiaohao shouting outside.

"Xiaohei, don't disturb the teacher, we'll wait a bit."

Although Han Weihan spoke calmly, he was excited and eager to ride his bicycle back to the village as soon as possible.

Xiaojuan said goodbye to Wang Jing and ran out. "Xiaohei, are you serious?"

"Yep, the whole commune knows about it."

"Wait for me a moment." Xiaojuan packed up her textbooks and asked Wang Jing for leave. Upon hearing that a movie was being shown in Han Village, Wang Jing immediately approved her leave. Movies were rarely shown in the countryside, and there were no other forms of cultural entertainment.

Han Weihan rode his bicycle with the excited Xiaojuan and Han Xiaohao, pedaling hard and making a lot of dust, much faster than usual.

The film team had just arrived in the village, and the news caused a huge stir in Han Village. The production team even finished work two hours early to allow everyone to go home and prepare for the movie.

Everyone was thrilled. Han Weiguo immediately found Li Dong to borrow a bicycle to bring his girlfriend.

"You little guy."

Li Dong threw the bicycle key to Weiguo. "Work hard, and I'll get you one next year."

"Really, Brother Li, you can count on me." Han Weiguo was delighted; a bicycle was not something that could be easily obtained just by having money in those days.

"Go quickly, or Weidong and Weichao might need it later."

These young people usually walked in the fields, by the river, or at the reservoir to talk, and it was rare to see a movie.

Sure enough, not long after Han Weiguo left, Han Weichao and Han Weidong also came over. Upon hearing that Han Weiguo had beaten them to it, they were frustrated and secretly resolved to borrow Li Dong's bicycle next time.

"Since you're here, help me cut two bamboo poles."

Li Dong didn't let them leave. The movie screen needed to be hung, and usually, two holes were dug to bury the bamboo poles, with a horizontal rod placed on top to hang the screen, and two ropes tied to wooden stakes to secure it.

But there were no bamboo poles at hand, so they had to go to the hillside to cut two.

Li Dong, Han Weidong, and Han Weichao went to cut two bamboo poles. The last time they cut bamboo, it was used for carrying poles.

Back at the threshing ground, Han Weijun had already dug two holes.

"Brother Weijun, we still need two wooden stakes."

"Wait a moment, I'll get them from the warehouse."

Han Weijun went to the warehouse to find two large wooden stakes and a wooden hammer.

"Where should the stakes go?"

"Let's set up the screen first."

"I'll go find Comrade Huang."

Huang Xiaotian was immediately greeted by Han Guofu, Han Guobing, and others, who treated him with the best food and drink. According to Li Dong, everyone was friends, and there was no need to be so formal, but Han Guofu insisted.

Han Guofu was thinking about the next time, especially since this time the movie was free, and even the cost of the generator fuel was waived. This was a big face-saver, and Han Guofu could boast about it for half a year, especially since the neighboring villages hadn't had a movie screening.

Han Village not only had a movie but also had it for free, which was a big deal. Usually, the village had to pay for the fuel when the team came to show a movie, so this was a significant honor, and they had to treat the team well.

Li Dong muttered that the free movie wasn't due to a subsidy from the cultural station, but he didn't know that the subsidy was usually given to the projectionist.

When Li Dong found Huang Xiaotian, Han Guofu was almost ready to serve a feast.

"Uncle Guofu, don't be in a hurry. Xiaotian, how should we hang the screen? We have the bamboo poles and stakes ready."

"Since everything is ready, let's go together."

The height and distance of the screen were important. Li Dong and Huang Xiaotian arrived at the threshing ground, where many people had already gathered.

"Why are there so many people?"

The preparations weren't even complete, but the villagers, young and old, had already brought benches and chairs to secure their spots. Some even brought their bowls, and a few elderly people asked Li Dong when the movie would start.

It was still broad daylight, so Li Dong could only say, "Soon, soon, we'll start once the screen is set up."

Under Huang Xiaotian's guidance, everyone set up the bamboo poles, hung the screen, and tied the ropes to the stakes. Once the screen was up, the best viewing spots were determined, and people quickly took their places, calling their families to join them.

Some even brought their bowls and chopsticks, afraid of missing the movie if they ate too slowly. By the time it was still light, there were already dozens of people at the threshing ground.

Everyone was chatting and laughing, and seeing Li Dong working, they joked about why the movie hadn't started yet, as they were all eager to see it.

Huang Xiaotian, seeing this, decided to show an extra movie, thinking it would cost only a bit more in fuel, but it would be worth it to do a favor for Li Dong.

"Should we start now?"

It was a bit early, and Huang Xiaotian hadn't eaten yet.

"No problem, I'll eat something later."

"That won't do. Let me prepare a hot pot. My relatives brought some meatballs from Shanghai, and you can try them."

They called a few people over to bring the generator and start it, connecting it to the projector. Huang Xiaotian loaded the film, and the projector began to work as the sky started to darken.

"Underground Warfare?"

Han Guofu was preparing to have dinner with Huang Xiaotian after setting up the screen, but when he stepped out, he heard the children shouting that the movie had started.

"What's going on?"

"Uncle Guofu, the movie has started at the threshing ground."

"What, it's already started?"

It was still early, and Han Guofu was puzzled. Upon asking, he learned, "What did you say? Li Dong said two movies would be shown tonight, didn't you hear wrong?"

"How could I hear wrong? It's already started."

This was said by a young man in his twenties, who was usually a good worker but didn't like working with Li Dong. This time, he was a bit impressed by Li Dong for bringing the film team and showing two movies.

Han Guofu slapped his thigh and ran to the threshing ground. By then, there were already over a hundred people, not just from Han Village but also from nearby villages like Bi Village, Gao Village, and Zhang Village, some even from ten miles away. They hadn't expected the movie to have already started, but upon learning that two movies would be shown, they felt they had come at the right time.

Han Weihan, riding his bicycle with Xiaojuan and Han Xiaohao, heard everyone shouting about two movies being shown. The first one had already started, so they hurried.

Passing by Han Guodong's house, they heard Wang Chunlan complaining that Han Guodong was eating too slowly, as the movie had already started.

"Alright, it's not just one. Hurry up, or we won't have a place to sit."

The threshing ground, though large, was crowded, especially with people from other villages. The young couples who arrived late ran to the back or found spots with less light, where they could talk and laugh without being seen.

By dinner time, there were already two to three hundred people at the threshing ground, with many from neighboring villages and almost everyone from Han Village.

"What a lively scene."

Han Weiguo's girlfriend, Gao Xiaoqin, saw the crowd and couldn't help but comment.

"It's already started?"

Gao Xiaoqin and Han Weiguo, riding their bicycles, arrived at the threshing ground to find the movie already playing. "What's going on?"

"I'll ask Brother Li."

Upon learning that two movies would be shown, Gao Xiaoqin was delighted, feeling they had come at the right time. Han Weiguo, however, was teased by Han Weidong and Han Weichao, who had played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would ride the bicycle to pick up their girlfriends.

The movie started, and the threshing ground became lively. "Underground Warfare" was a popular choice, and the children's laughter mixed with the sounds of the movie.

"Da-da."

Li Dong was bringing the hot pot over when Xiaojuan returned, and the little girl ran into his arms. "You're back. Help Dad bring the meatballs. We're inviting Uncle Huang to eat, as he's showing the movie for us."

"Okay."

Xiaojuan nodded, carrying the meatballs, sliced beef, and some vegetables in a basket, while Li Dong carried the hot pot.

Just as they were setting up, Han Guofu ran over.

"Are you having a hot pot?"

"Sure."

Li Dong smiled. "Since we're showing two movies, there's no time to eat, so I brought it here."

"There's no table."

"We'll manage without a table."

Li Dong planned to serve the hot pot after the first movie.

"There must be a table. Let's go to my house and get an eight-legged table."

"Right, right, go get the table."

Han Guobing also ran over, thinking it would be embarrassing for Han Village if Li Dong ate on the ground.

Han Guofu immediately called a few people to bring the table and benches from his house. Han Guobing also brought a bottle of wine, not too much, as Huang Xiaotian still had to show the movie.

Seeing that Li Dong didn't have enough vegetables, Han Guofu brought some more. The eight-legged table was soon full, and when Li Dong brought the old Chongqing hot pot broth and poured it into the copper pot, the aroma filled the entire threshing ground.

Gao Xiaoqin, who had never seen a hot pot before, found it very fragrant. Han Weiguo thought about asking Li Dong where to buy the hot pot broth, as it was truly delicious. Although Han Guofu and others had eaten it once before, it was different this time. The previous time, the broth was dissolved in water, but this time, Li Dong had added chili and other seasonings, making it much more flavorful.

The previous time, the broth was only about one-third as effective, but this time, it was at least eighty percent effective, with a strong, spicy aroma. Huang Xiaotian couldn't resist smacking his lips, his stomach growling. He had been to many communes and production teams to show movies, and the food and drink were always the best.

But compared to this, the aroma was incomparable. This time, he thought he was doing a favor, but Li Dong had brought out the best. The aroma and seasonings were definitely not from the local area, and possibly not even from the provincial capital. They must have been brought from Shanghai, though Huang Xiaotian didn't know that Li Dong had a relative who often traveled to Shanghai.

"Let's eat quickly, so we don't delay the movie."

The hot pot was so fragrant that those nearby couldn't focus on the movie. Li Dong quickly put the meatballs in the pot, and soon they were cooked. He served a bowl to Huang Xiaotian.

"Xiaotian, have some first, then we'll continue."

"Just a little, we'll eat more later."

"Captain Han, you're too formal."

The meatballs were spicy and delicious, and Huang Xiaotian finished the bowl quickly. Li Dong then served him another half-bowl with beef and steamed buns.

"Delicious, really delicious."

With a full stomach, Huang Xiaotian wiped his mouth.

"I'll show a new movie, just arrived, and I haven't even seen it yet."

"A new movie, that's great."

Everyone was excited. Although old movies were good, new ones were even more anticipated, especially by the young people. Li Dong thought about the new movie and asked if he knew it.

"Wasn't this filmed in the 1960s?"

"Are there no newer movies from the past two years?"

Li Dong muttered, and Huang Xiaotian laughed. "Our film team mostly shows old movies. I had to put in a lot of effort to get this one."

"Is it hard to get new movies?"

"Very hard." Huang Xiaotian didn't notice Li Dong's thoughtful expression. Li Dong considered whether to help Huang Xiaotian get some new movies.

While preparing the second new movie, young people from other villages and production teams arrived, having just finished dinner and rushed over. They thought they had come early, but upon learning that one movie had already been shown, they were disappointed and wished they had come earlier.

When the new movie started, the young people were even more excited, as they hadn't seen a new movie in a long time. The discussions were lively and enthusiastic.

Han Guofu, standing nearby, couldn't stop smiling. With a new movie, he had something to boast about to the leaders of neighboring villages.

"Good." As for what they were saying, Han Guofu wasn't quite sure.

Li Dong saw that Huang Shengnan had also come and hurried over to greet her.