In the memory of many people, there is a face that transcends time, that is Jia Baoyu in the 1987 version of "Dream of Red Mansions".
When the young man with picturesque features and a bit of ignorance and affection in his eyes appeared on the screen, almost all the viewers across the country thought: This is Brother Bao who came out of the book.
But many people don't know that Ouyang Fenqiang, who brought this role to life, experienced a life off-screen that was far more profound and grueling than on-screen.
He once silently chose to change careers when he was at his peak, and he also suffered the heartbreaking pain of losing his son when he was most proud of his life.
But in the end, this "Second Master Bao" who was once famous all over the country, used the most down-to-earth way to live a complete and solid life amidst the fireworks of Chengdu.
If Ouyang Fenqiang's life was to be drawn into a straight line, then the girl he met when he was 18 years old was probably the strongest support for this line.
At that time, he was still an inconspicuous supporting actor in the E-film Studio. He did the work of moving props and doing odd jobs every day. Because he had a baby face, he was always teased.
At that time, Kang Li was already a well-known actress in the crew. She was beautiful and had a good personality.
The meeting between the two people seemed to others to be a bit "high-flying", but Ouyang Fenqiang was a real person. When he identified this girl, he showed great sincerity.
It was an era before mobile phones. In order to catch up with his sweetheart, he told jokes in different ways, shielded her from the sun and handed her water on the set.
Later, the crew of "Dream of Red Mansions" stayed for three years, and the two had to face the long-term separation. During those three years, Ouyang Fenqiang lived frugally and contributed all his wages to the Post and Telecommunications Bureau.
The letters he wrote to Kang Li contained no vain sweet words between the lines, but simple words of "I miss you."
It was this tenacity that no one could break apart that made Kang Li identify this man. In 1991, they finally received the certificate. There was no grand banquet or exquisite wedding photos. The two young people just started their little life quietly.
The beauty of this relationship once made Ouyang Fenqiang think that life would move forward smoothly according to the established script, but fate likes to play cruel jokes when people are proud.
In 1992, their first child was born, a cute fat boy. Ouyang Fenqiang had even planned to take his son to play football and teach him how to behave. This joy only lasted 46 days.
A sudden severe pneumonia took this little life from their arms. The moment the child died in the hospital corridor, Ouyang Fenqiang felt that his soul had been drained.
In order to treat his child, he gave up all his work and begged for help in a low voice, but what he got in the end was the despair of being separated forever.
Those days were the darkest abyss for this family. The cradle and clothes they had originally prepared became sharp knives piercing the hearts of the couple.
In order to prevent Kang Li from sinking too much, Ouyang Fen endured the grief. He did not dare to cry in front of his wife, so he could only hide in the toilet late at night, pinch his thighs and howl silently.
This troubled couple did not fall apart because of the pain of losing their son. Instead, they became closer in the years to come because of this common ordeal.
It was not until the arrival of their daughter Ouyang Wenxin in 1996 that the family truly emerged from the cold cave and saw the light again.
Over the past 40 years, from a poor boy to a national idol, from working on the crew to transitioning into a director, Ouyang Fenqiang has always maintained that rare sobriety.
After he finished filming "Dream of Red Mansions", many people didn't understand why he gave up his identity as an actor to study directing when he was at the height of his popularity.
In fact, he knew better than anyone else that Jia Baoyu was blessed by God, but he could not rely on this face for the rest of his life.
So, he plunged into the mountains of Sichuan, rolled in the mud with the crew, started as an assistant director, and produced such acclaimed works as "The Sun on the Ridge" and "Ah, Queer Mountain".
He used this almost masochistic busyness to fill the hole called "regret" deep in his heart. When dealing with his daughter, he never used his connections to take shortcuts.
He asked his daughter to be like himself back then, starting from playing small roles and supporting roles, and honing her acting skills bit by bit. This kind of education method allowed his daughter to be down-to-earth in the entertainment industry.
In 2023, which is the 40th year that the two have been together, Ouyang Fenqiang did something that made countless netizens cry:
On his wife's birthday, he planned a late wedding without telling everyone. When he knelt down on one knee and put a ring on Conley with trembling hands, the ups and downs of the past forty years seemed to have turned into tears at that moment.
When he knelt, he felt his guilt for his wife, and it was also the most affectionate confession of his everlasting first love.
Now Ouyang Fenqiang has completely transformed from the much-anticipated "Brother Bao" back to an old man with gray hair and a slightly drunk belly on the streets of Chengdu.
The life after retirement is the stability he looks forward to most in his life. He no longer worries about how others call him, whether he is called "Director Ou" or "Brother Bao". He laughs it off easily.
My life was very ordinary. I walked around the streets of Chengdu every day, went to the wet market to chat with stall owners for a few dollars, went home and chatted with my wife about daily life, and my daughter came back from time to time for a meal.
Some people lamented that he had reaped the dividends of "Jia Baoyu" all his life, but he always said frankly: "Being able to play a good role in a lifetime is luck, and being able to live a good life is true ability."
Looking at him today, you will find that he has indeed lived the way he wanted. He did not escape life or get lost in the vanity fair, but actually left himself in the fireworks of the world.
The suffering of losing his son did not make him gloomy. Instead, it made him appreciate the people in front of him more and what "the ordinary is the truth" means.
When you occasionally bump into him walking in the alleys of Chengdu, and look at his face that occasionally flashes a stubborn light, you may be shocked and think of Brother Bao, but what you feel more deeply is your inner admiration for this old man.
He has experienced the ups and downs of life, and endured separations that are unimaginable for ordinary people, but he can still embrace life with a gentle heart.
He told all young people that no matter what peak or trough they are in, the most important thing is not the external label, but the heart that is still willing to love and mend a broken life no matter how much suffering it goes through.
There is no perfect script in Ouyang Fenqiang's life, but he used forty years of perseverance to write the most satisfactory ending. He is a real person, an ordinary old man who can still live his life with enthusiasm after losing his halo.
