Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 64 (Part 1)
Translated by Pure (ko-fi)
Chapter 64.1 Qi Kai wanted to knock his head against the wall
<Legend of Jianghu> was a historical drama about a freely roving group of youths. From the time the TV signal could be received, historical genre films accounted for a large proportion of dramas being broadcasted. Almost all of the famous wuxia novels had been adapted into their own films. Although the production was somewhat crude, due to the scarcity of choices, most of them were very popular.
Most of the TV movies were all produced from the entertainment circles of Hong Kong Island and Miaowan Island, so there were always familiar faces in every film. The most special thing about <Legend of Jianghu> was the inland crew and almost all the actors who participated in it were new and fresh.
In this day and age, producers didn't have any channels to promote their works in advance, so no one could be sure whether the show would be popular or not before it aired.
Lin Jingzhe watched the first episode with the rice bowl still in his hand. He was actually quite impressed with this TV series. The TV series was compact and full of tension, the young actors had their own pros and cons in acting, and there was no sense of awkwardness whatsoever. Even compared to the future films, except the makeup and choice of clothing being a little rustic, it was nethertheless a good finished piece.
The TV circle in the early 1990s was a blank slate, the audience was too easy to please. Compared with several TV dramas produced in the same period, <Legend of Jianghu> had many obvious advantages, so it was inevitable for it to quickly rise to fame.
While deep in his mental analysis, the first episode had come to an end. However, the ending song that was supposed to be played did not immediately show up.
The words ‘Until next episode’ flickered for a moment when screen lit up again——
Several leading actors of <Legend of Jianghu> reappeared. They were dressed in their familiar costumes, as if the plot had not yet been completed. They came into the screen while doing a high somersault.
After a fierce fight, the villain snatched something from the heroine. When the camera zoomed in, it turned out to be a glass jar. The brand name on the label was visible– ‘Haitang Bean Paste’.
Lin Jingzhe: "..."
Xiao Chi was puzzled by the sudden change. He holded the bowl in his hand and let out a ‘hmm?’
The show continued to play as a fight began, fighting for that glass jar. Soon, the male lead came out. After he easily defeated the villain, the male lead leaned over to pick up the bean paste that fell on the ground. Once he blew the dust off, he passed it back to the heroine with a proud expression.
The actors then lined up in a row, with optimistic smiles on their faces, and a bottle of bean paste in each hand. In unison, they loudly stated the advertisement slogan: "Only Haitang Is Worthy!"
The screen cut and changed scenes. The villain, who should have been defeated, reappeared again. There was a huge bamboo rice bucket by his feet. With one hand, he poured the opened jar of paste into the bucket, while the other hand grabbed the rice scooper and eagerly stuffed his mouth with the rice mixture. The face that countless movie fans later nicknamed ‘melancholy prince’ was covered with grains of rice.
Xiao Chi: "???"
Audacious, completely audacious! No actor in the future would drop all pretenses like this.
Lin Jingzhe tremblingly raised his hand to cover his forehead. "Shall we change the channel?"
********
Unprecedented and unique.
This was a common description of the drama <Legend of Jianghu> in the future. The audiences watching a decade or two later may glimpse a vague concept through these words, but only people living in the current era could fully understand. Only those who lived then knew the impact this popular drama had on people's monotonous lives.
There was no such thing as ‘viewership ratings’ in the current domestic TV circle. Afterall, there wasn’t much of a need as television was not as prevalent, coupled with the extremely narrow choices of repertoire, there was really no need for it. But even so, the estimated viewership rating of more than 90% by later generations based on historical data showed that <Legend of Jianghu> far ahead of its rivals in the same period.
This drama left an eternal imprint in the memory of people in this era. The first and the last, no TV series ever surpassed the miracle left by it.
Very soon, when Lin Jingzhe went to class, he would often hear the voices of his classmates talking about the plot of the drama.
Even his old dormates from 305 followed the drama. There weren’t many amenities offered to the dormitory students at Yan University. There was only an old, second hand TV in the dormitory manager's office on the first floor. It was very small and the resolution was not clear. It couldn't compare with the viewing experience of hundred plus centimeter, colored TVs in later generations. But even so, it didn’t stop the crowds after the news broadcast in the evening. Students who arrived early squeezed into the office, those who arrived late could only stand outside the glass window of the dormitory manager's office, and those who arrived later could only see the back of other’s heads in the corridor.
What? You’ve never heard of <Legend of Jianghu>?
Gosh! Do you live under a rock?
Just by this simple reaction, one could imagine how grand the scene was outside. Even Xiao Chi now sat on the best seat in the dining room to watch the TV in the living room for dinner recently. No matter what, he would stay grounded until the episode ended.
The Yan City’s Newspaper quickly caught wind of this exciting scope. They quickly released several reports related to <Legend of Jianghu>, using various data to analyze the reasons for its success. The reports were clear and detailed. According to professional information in the industry, <Legend of Jianghu> wasn’t only popular in Yan City.
Outside of Yan City, all over the country, as long as the TV signal could be received, the voices of people discussing this TV series could be heard.
The daily new episodes ensued a new round of hot topics for the audience. The viewers ranged from 80-year-olds to young children, almost no one could escape this addicting drama. The leading actors in <Legend of Jianghu> became an instant hit, and even the villain quickly became a popular figure printed on the following year's calendar.
It was dinner time again. The fourth floor of an old community in Yan City was already crowded with neighbors who came to visit with their dinner bowls. After all, the economy was tight these days. Not every resident of big cities owned a TV set. Therefore, the homes of wealthier neighbors had become the best place for people to relieve their boredom. The small room was quickly filled in by the crowd. It was already dark, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the face of the news host who was broadcasting the latest topic. Finally, the host said goodbye in standard Mandarin, "Thank you for tuning in. See you tomorrow."
Cheers erupted, and someone yelled into the corridor, "It’s time! It’s time!"
Then more and more people quickly ran out from their own homes and into the room with the television.
Every episode of <Legend of Jianghu> was very engaging. The laughter in front of the screen never stopped. Occasionally, there were muffled voices, discussing the lines just spoken. The playful figures of the protagonists in ancient costumes have carved deep marks in the hearts of all the audience.
It was dinner time for many employees, but few of them could remember to eat while watching TV. They held their bowls woodenly and stretched their necks until an episode was finished. By then, the food had become cold.
This signaled the end of a party. Everyone got up in twos and threes, bidding goodbye to one another.
But at this time, the TV screen, which was still on, suddenly jumped out again.
Familiar faces, costumes, and props instantly attracted the eyes of all the audience. Everyone subconsciously fell silent again, standing in the room with bowls in their hands. As the sky darkened and the silver screen flickered on and off. The protagonists' orderly and provocative voices called out— "Only Haitang Is Worthy!"
Oh, it’s just an advertisement. The audience who didn't understand the sudden plot immediately came to their senses and smiled knowingly.
The camera focused, zooming in on the row of glass jars in everyone's hands, and then suddenly cut to the villain who was devouring his food.
The snow-white rice was still steaming, one could almost smell the mellow rice aroma through the screen. The plump rice grains are mixed with bean paste turned into an attractive gold color, each surface coated with a mouth-watering oily sheen. The villain was holding the rice bucket and eating with relish, as if he was savoring some rare delicacy. The exaggerated eating made the viewers in front of the TV salivate. Following alongside, they took a mouthful of their own food, and felt that the cold rice grains in their mouth seemed to have become much more delicious.
The large silhouette of a Haitang Bean Paste jar slowly emerged, covering the figures of the protagonists. The crab flower trademark was sealed attached to the top of the glass jar. It was dark red and contrasted from the rest of the bottle’s design. It was then, the tacit harmony of the male and female protagonists came out from the stereo– "Made by Haitang!"
