Chapter 444 The Role of Language
Chapter 444 The Role of Language
"Not really..." Dou Ke wanted to answer subconsciously. It's not that he looks down on others, it's just that the job of a repairman is really not good.
Before he could finish his words, Dou Ke came back to his senses and thought about his current situation. "Who am I to look down on others? I am in this business myself."
"Working on high walls is indeed dangerous. Are you worried about your uncle's safety? That's why you are so resistant to maintenance workers?" Gu Lu gave him a way out.
"Yes, it's really dangerous sometimes. I've seen repairmen who didn't even fasten their safety ropes properly before." Dou Ke immediately went down the slope.
Whether he really thinks so, only he himself knows.
"A small gift for the interview." Gu Lu took the gift box he was carrying in front of him.
"What is it?" Dou Ke took it and saw the trademark on the gift box. "Moutai, damn! Brother Gu is willing to go through fire and water."
It seems a bit inappropriate to give money on camera, after all, they are old classmates. Gu Lu decided to give gifts according to the situation, and the value was set at around 1,500 yuan. Of course, this may be that Gu Lu is overthinking, after all, money is the most practical thing nowadays.
"Looking at your circle of friends, it seems that you have some knowledge about liquor evaluation, so I bought this." Gu Lu said, "I didn't buy the wrong gift."
Dou Ke’s love for drinking white wine runs in his family. His grandfather has been brewing white wine in his hometown, so he has also been influenced by it.
Of course, there is a fundamental difference between loving to drink and being an alcoholic like Gu's father. For example, Dou's father never drinks during work, and even when he takes a break, he never drinks too much, but only drinks a little.
"Brother Gu, can you get me an autograph?" Dou Ke took out a 90% new copy of "Hyoka" and said, "I really didn't expect that Brother Gu and Qi Caiwei were together when you were in school. If it weren't for this semi-autobiographical novel, who would have thought of it? It's really well hidden!"
That's a lie. Dou Ke has no interest in reading books. He just wanted to get closer to them. He bought it in the bookstore a few days ago.
"The story is purely fictional. Any similarities are merely coincidental." Gu Lu signed his name in a flamboyant handwriting. It might not be clear to see, but it would definitely be fast.
Gu Lu and Dou Ke said goodbye at the door of the store. The former went home to rest first, and the people from the Hegemony Society came in the afternoon.
The latter, Dou Ke, strolled outside for a while with the gift box in his hand, looking strangely calm.
Maybe it was because Gu Lu was very famous and his words were very important, so he took them in. Maybe Dou Ke had been struggling with this matter and it was finally revealed.
Dou Ke found that he seemed to look down on his father's work since he was a child. When he was a child, he would be angry because his father wore a uniform at the parent-teacher meeting. But when he grew up, Dou Ke worked part-time at the university and realized that it was not easy to make money, so he felt very sorry for his father. Why was he still so hostile to his father?
Wandering around, his thoughts were the same, all aimless. Dou Ke, who couldn't come up with an answer, returned home around six o'clock.
Dou's mother has prepared a table full of dishes.
"I'm having dinner outside with my friends today, so I won't be eating." Dou Ke was holding the wine and preparing to go to his bedroom.
"I've told you so many times, eat out less, eat out less. It's not clean outside, and order less takeout." Dou's mother's nagging came as expected.
Dou Ke was used to it, so he ignored it and went back to his bedroom. The slamming sound of the door was his final protest.
Around 6:40, Dou's father came back. If there was no additional order, he would basically come home at this time. He glanced at the closed door of the second bedroom and said nothing.
Put the tool kit on the balcony, sit down and start eating.
During the conversation, Dou's mother talked about some things, such as who held a banquet and wanted to give gifts. Dou's father mostly just listened, occasionally saying "hmm".
"Snapped--"
The door suddenly opened.
The next second, Dou Ke took the Moutai and put it on the table.
"Come, I'll drink with you." Dou Ke said as he started to open the gift box.
"We have wine brewed at home. It costs more to buy it outside," said Dou's mother.
Dou's father's eyes were also inquiring. How could anyone who drinks not know Feitian Moutai?
"Today I met a friend who just came back from Sijiu City. He was shooting a short video and I helped him with the camera. This is a gift from him to me. It didn't cost me any money." Dou Ke explained.
When she heard that no money was spent, Dou's mother stopped muttering and went to the kitchen to get two 2-liang cups.
"We should save this wine so we can give it as a gift later." Dou's father said, "I have a pig's mouth and cannot get used to such fine wine."
"Sow's mouth" is probably a dialect, describing a person with a poor sense of taste and the inability to eat good food.
However, Dou Ke only paused for a moment after hearing Dou's father's words. Then he moved more quickly, opened the box, and directly unscrewed the bottle.
Dou Ke filled up the glasses for himself and Dou's father, took a deep breath, and smelled the strong aroma of wine. Of course, this aroma was only good for people who were drinking.
Although he said he was not used to it, he actually knew how to appreciate it. Father Dou first chewed a fried peanut, then took a sip, and a look of joy appeared on his stern face.
The order is not important. There is a big difference between chewing the peanuts first and chewing them later, but it is not important.
Dou Ke obviously wanted to get drunk, so he drank quickly. Soon the alcohol took over, and he asked the question that he had been hiding for four or five years, "Old man, do you think I am ashamed now?"
Dou's father's hand holding the chopsticks froze as he couldn't even hold the peanuts properly.
"Before, when I didn't take the college entrance examination, you would keep saying that I had good grades, that I could get into No. 8 Middle School, and that I did well in Mathematical Olympiads. I would definitely be able to go to Fudan University in the future, and that I would not be able to sit in the office living room like you. You were very proud at that time," Dou Ke said. "But when I failed the exam, you never said that again."
When Dou Ke grew up, he did not dislike the profession of repairman, but he was disliked that he became a repairman and failed to live up to his family's expectations.
"It's all over, what else is there to say?" Dou's father looked up and asked back, his tone a little hard, like stone.
This sentence made Dou Ke speechless. After a long while, he said, "That's right. It's all over. There's no need to say anything. I understand."
Putting down the wine glass, Dou Ke returned to the second bedroom again. This time the door closed with a less loud sound, but it seemed to be closed particularly tightly.
"Put the wine away." Dou's father poured the wine back into his glass. "It's not a birthday or festival. Drinking such good wine will shorten your life."
The wine certainly couldn't be poured out completely, there was still a little left in the glass. Dou's father held the glass high, and the wine dripped into his mouth, this time while chewing peanuts.
Dou Ke was clearly in a bad mood just now, but neither his father nor his mother thought they should explain it clearly.
We have lived together for more than 20 years, so what else is there to talk about? Besides, there is still a lot of time to go, so there is nothing much to talk about.
Parents always think so.
In the above dispute, the Maotai sent by Gu Lu was just a prop, and strictly speaking, the trigger for the conversation was the question he asked. This is enough to show that the power of language is more exaggerated than imagined.
Gu Lu took a nap after returning home. He didn't know why he felt very sleepy after eating. He got up and started to dress up when the alarm rang.
WIT STUDIO is known as the hegemony company, which means that this animation production company can indeed produce many wonderful animations. Such as "Vivi - Fluorite Eyes Song-", "Attack on Titan", "Hinoki no Reimei", etc. I especially recommend Vivi, who is not very famous, but very wonderful. The leader is Kyoji Asano and a group of key members under him. It can only be said that the other party attaches great importance to this visit to the ferry area.
After learning about the benefits brought by the anime Hyouka, Li Minghai was very polite to Asano and his group. At least their food, clothing, housing and transportation were all top-notch.
"Mr. Asano, did you have a smooth two-day trip in the foggy city?" Li Minghai communicated in English.
"It's OK, but the route is a little difficult to understand." Asano responded.
The interaction between Chinese English and Japanese English is really hot.
"Our ferry area is relatively relaxed, Mr. Asano doesn't have to worry." Li Minghai said, "Our staff will definitely work hard to cooperate with the specific filming needs."
"I hope there will be something satisfactory." Asano and the others were relatively calm, mainly presenting facts and making sense. Hegemony Studio has never gone abroad to shoot.
What a hassle, if it weren't for Gu Lu...
"Why is this little Japanese guy so aloof?" Xiaolu said, whispering to Lao Xing next to him, "It seems that he doesn't care about us. Does he look down on our area? There won't be any problems with the framing, right?"
What if the other party could understand Chinese? So Xiaolu spoke very quietly.
"I don't think so." Old Xing also had a good reason, "If this matter was negotiated by us, there might be changes, but if it was negotiated by Teacher Gu, there would be no changes."
That made sense. Xiaolu was convinced and he breathed a sigh of relief.
There was a knock on the door and the waiter led the guests to the meeting room.
The current location is the conference room of Liangjiang Hotel. Liangjiang Hotel is also the best hotel in Dukou District. It can be used as a location for filming and signing contracts.
"Teacher Gu Lu!"
"It's great to meet you, Gu-san."
"The strongest high school student in history. This is what I wanted to be when I was in high school. Unfortunately, I'm still far away from that."
The guest was Gu Lu, he was not late, to be exact, he was ten minutes early. It can only be said that the ferry party hegemony party arrived too early.
"This is my second time meeting Teacher Gu Lu. The last time was several years ago."
With the arrival of Gu Lu, the Japanese people instantly became excited. They wanted to communicate with the guest in English, Japanese and poor Chinese.
Lao Xing and Xiao Lu looked at each other and it was settled! In addition, we often heard how popular Gu Lu was in Neon, but now that the facts were in front of us, it was indeed a bit exaggerated.
He didn't seem to talk much before and had a serious expression, but when Gu Lu came, the scene became lively.
"Sorry." Gu Lu shook hands with Asano Kyoji, the leader of the Hegemony Society. Had they met a few years ago? I really had no impression.
"I'm sorry for causing trouble to Mr. Gu Lu." Asano said, "The last time we met was at the book signing event for the Little Prince. It's normal that Mr. Gu Lu doesn't remember it."
The Little Prince's book signing event? Gu Lu couldn't even remember where it was held.
"I am a die-hard reader of Mr. Gu Lu's science fiction short stories," Asano said. "Mr. Gu Lu's imagination is a huge asset and has inspired many literary works."
As mentioned before, writers who write pure literature, ethics and children's works are the most respected in Japan. In last year's poll, "The Prince at That Time" was still one of the ten most popular novels among Japanese students.
Besides, Gu Lu is a children's author and a best-selling author, not a Japanese. It's hard to understand why people respect him so much. It's even a bit unruly.
According to workplace rules in Japan, subordinates are not allowed to express any opinions in such negotiation situations.
“Welcome to the Fog City,” Gu Lu said, “I hope we can find a suitable filming location as soon as possible. This way, the production cycle of From the New World can be shortened.”
Asano responded, "We will definitely work hard! Please rest assured, Mr. Gu Lu, and hand over the work to our company."
Asano stood up, followed by the others, who all bowed to show their determination.
This made Li Minghai, Lao Xing and others who had not interacted with Japanese people a little nervous. In this situation, should we also stand up and accompany someone?
The signing of the contract went smoothly because it did not involve much money. The main reason was that the officials of the Ferry District promised to support the filming of the Hegemony Society without affecting the residents.
There was a dinner party, and Li Minghai invited Gu Lu to attend. The main reason was that Gu Lu was not there, and Xiao Ri had a serious face. With Gu Lu, the atmosphere was harmonious, and the difference was too big.
Drinking was required at the dinner, but Gu Lu didn't drink, and no one would persuade him to drink, which was a sign of his high status.
On the way home, I received a phone call.
"That's unnecessary. Hollywood is producer-centric, especially since the company that bought The Shawshank Redemption was Warner Bros., a Hollywood giant." Gu Lu replied, "My opinion is not important. If it's for publicity, I will definitely go to the movie premiere."
That makes sense, Yao Xiaoju agreed, "Then I will respond like this. Brother Gu, have you come up with any ideas for a novel recently? It would be best if the next novel could be published in America. Short stories still have a hard time gaining popularity."
After thinking about it, it seems that it is not absolute. Yao Xiaoju added, "Unless it is a new theme like Cthulhu."
So the question is, is it possible for Gu Luwen to publish his short story collection "The Gloom of Weymouth" in America?
After all, there is no cultural barrier between China and America.
"There wasn't enough opportunity." Yao Xiaoju actually tried. In the second week after the Cthulhu short story collection was released in the UK, Puffin Books tentatively entered the US market. The effect was not good.
Because the effect was not good, Yao Xiaoju did not bring up the matter and tell Gu Lu about it.
Yes, Cthulhu was caused by his quarrel with a reporter from The Sun, which attracted a lot of traffic.
The next book is Matsuko. Gu Lu is confident that he can heal the whole of Asia, but America... the cultural differences are too great.
Therefore, Gu Lu fell into deep thought. He couldn't just go straight to "Fall of Giants", right?
Seeing that the phone suddenly went silent, Yao Xiaoju immediately said, "There are not many Asian writers who can sell well in America. Haruki Murakami is one of them, but it is hard to find others."
Haruki Murakami's writing style is actually very European and American, which may be surprising to readers who read Lin Shaohua's translation, but it is true. So Gu Lucai said earlier that many readers don't like Haruki Murakami's writing style, but prefer Lin Shaohua's...
"The short story series in the Los Angeles Times continues to make its presence felt. Even if it doesn't attract much popularity, it won't disappear into obscurity," said Yao Xiaoju.
"I do have an idea," Gu Lu said, "Can Flowers for Algernon be sold in America? I have a publicity stunt."
Algernon is an American hit, and it’s even better with a few extra tricks.
(End of this chapter)