Chapter 34: The Cinema (Part 2)

“Ye Tian, were you waiting impatiently?”

After waiting over ten minutes at the ticket window where a long line had formed, Feng Kuang squeezed his way out, looking very pleased as he held four consecutive tickets. This drew many envious glances from those around him.

“Not at all, Brother Fengzi. How big is this cinema anyway? So many people are lining up to buy tickets.”

For Ye Tian, who had grown up at the foot of the mountain, everything before his eyes was new and exciting. He had only ever watched open-air movies in the village. His understanding of cinemas was limited to what he had overheard from adults’ casual chats after meals.

“It’s huge inside, can seat several hundred people. You’ll see once we go in.” Feng Kuang waved the tickets in his hand and led Ye Tian to wander around the cinema entrance.

The cinema in the 1980s was actually a multi-purpose venue. Besides showing movies at night, it could serve as an auditorium during the day. It came in handy for events like model worker commendation meetings or public trial assemblies.

Movies generally weren’t shown during the day, so by evening, the cinema entrance was packed with people. Most were young couples or boisterous groups of friends, holding their tickets and chattering excitedly about the upcoming film.

Even though a movie ticket only cost fifteen cents each at the time, in that era, fifteen cents could buy enough soy sauce to last a family of four for half a month. Not every family was willing to spend that money.

So, outside the cinema entrance, there were also many children around Ye Tian’s age, sneaking glances at the staff checking tickets by the two rows of iron railings, ready to slip inside when the staff weren’t looking.

“Wow, so impressive, Brother Fengzi! Is this the Superman you told me about?” Ye Tian looked up at the large promotional poster above the cinema and exclaimed excitedly.

There was no digital printing technology like in later times. That promotional poster, nearly seven or eight meters wide and tall, was painted by hand by artists onto large wooden boards mounted above the cinema. The muscular man on the poster, wearing his underwear on the outside and a cape, certainly caught people’s attention.

“Yeah, Ye Tian, follow me. Let’s buy some sunflower seeds.” Feng Kuang nodded and led Ye Tian towards a nearby stall selling sunflower seeds.

Where there were people, there were naturally businesses. Although many people looked down on self-employed businesspersons in those days, it didn’t stop them from quietly making a fortune. Besides sunflower seed stalls, there were also vendors selling popsicles and watermelon by the cinema entrance, their cries filling the air.

Next to the sunflower seed stall were paper cones folded from newspaper. When someone bought seeds, the stall owner would use a scoop to fill a cone. Two cents for a cone wasn’t expensive either.

After handing the bought seeds to Ye Tian, Feng Kuang seemed a bit distracted. His eyes kept darting around, and he specifically led Ye Tian up the steps, as if looking for someone.

Finally, the previous movie ended. People swarmed out from the exit, all wearing excited smiles, gesturing and commenting on the film they had just seen. In an era when televisions weren’t yet fully common, movies were the biggest form of entertainment in people’s leisure lives.

Moreover, this was also one of the most glorious periods for Chinese films. For example, the movie “Shaolin Temple,” released a few years earlier, with a ticket price of just ten cents, had accumulated over a hundred million in box office revenue. Many people even watched it over a dozen times in a row, which shows how popular movies were back then. As long as a film was made, plenty of people would go see it.

With the inside clearing out, the people waiting outside, who had been itching to get in, immediately surged towards the entrance. The previously somewhat calm cinema entrance suddenly erupted with shouts.

“Slow down, slow down, everyone have your tickets ready…”

“You there, what are you pushing for? Move back a bit.”

“You little rascal, trying to sneak in without a ticket again? Get lost, or I’ll send you to the police station!”

The plump older sister checking tickets had a truly terrifying voice, her shouts comparable to a loudspeaker. With fingers as thick as carrots, she pointed out each child trying to sneak in. Her eyes were as sharp as could be.

“Brother Fengzi, let’s go in too. What if we’re late and there are no seats?”

Seeing everyone pushing their way in, Ye Tian grew anxious. He even stopped eating the fragrant roasted sunflower seeds, his eyes fixed on the entrance.

“What’s the hurry? The tickets have seat numbers, don’t worry…”

This wasn’t Feng Kuang’s first time watching a movie, but he was clearly a bit anxious too. He muttered, “Why aren’t they here yet? The movie starts in ten minutes…”

“Brother Fengzi, are you waiting for them?”

Although Ye Tian was small, his eyes were sharp. Seeing two girls in floral print dresses about ten meters away looking straight their way, he quickly tugged at Feng Kuang’s sleeve.

“Ah, yes, yes. Ye Tian, don’t run off…”

Seeing the two girls, a smile spread across Feng Kuang’s face. He didn’t even mind Ye Tian anymore, taking four or five steps down the stairs in one stride to greet them.

“Ye Tian, this is Sister Hong, and that’s Sister Yingying. Come on, say hello to the sisters…”

After exchanging a few words with the girls, Feng Kuang led the way. The three walked up the steps. After urging Ye Tian to greet them, Feng Kuang looked at the girl on the left and said, “This is Manager Ye’s child…”

Feng Kuang had heard the title “Manager” from his uncle. He felt it sounded more impressive than titles like Director or Factory Head. So, not only did he bestow this title upon Ye Dongping, but he also gave himself the position of Deputy Manager.

Ye Tian noticed that his usually easygoing Brother Fengzi actually blushed when speaking to the girl on the left. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. “Sister Hong, Sister Yingying, Brother Feng bought these sunflower seeds for you…”

Though young, Ye Tian was exceptionally quick-witted. Coupled with his handsome and delicate features, his words immediately made the two girls like him. Feng Kuang even secretly gave him a thumbs up; this was really boosting his image.

“Comrade Feng Kuang, thank you…”

After taking the sunflower seeds, the girl named Yingying turned and smiled at Feng Kuang. Although addressing him as “Comrade” created some distance and was quite reserved, it still made Feng Kuang’s face light up with a grin.

“Don’t mention it, don’t mention it. Wang Ying, Sister Hong, wait a moment. I’ll go buy some soda. Just eating seeds makes you too thirsty.”

The girl named Wang Ying was about the same age as Feng Kuang, while Sister Hong appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. Feng Kuang kept calling her “Sister,” showing unusual enthusiasm.

Walking over to the nearby soda stall, Feng Kuang took out forty cents to buy four bottles of soda. A bottle of soda actually only cost five cents, but by paying a five-cent deposit, you could take the soda into the cinema and return the bottle when you came out.

Compared to the other young people in the city, Feng Kuang was undoubtedly more skilled. At the very least, his ability to please girls was something those other youngsters couldn’t match.

Clearly, these few bottles of soda, made from soda water mixed with plain water, improved the two girls’ impression of Feng Kuang quite a bit. Their faces showed more smiles.