Chapter 85 Special

Future plans.

These few words are almost a luxury in this era.

It seems like everyone is living a precarious life.

After eating this meal today, I don’t know where my next meal will come from.

Many times, they can't even find the meaning of living, they just know that they don't want to die.

Li Xiaolan was silent when asked this question. After a while, she spoke: "I want my mother to live."

It’s not for my own survival, but for my mother.

After listening to this, Jun Qiulan also fell silent.

He knew that recruiting female students would encounter many problems. He thought the problems would be obstacles and difficulties, but the biggest problem now was the suffering of the people.

My mother and the other two ladies have been sitting here for almost the entire day, and I don’t know how many similar stories they have heard.

I guess my mother must be under a lot of psychological pressure.

This world is difficult enough, but only when you see it with your own eyes can you realize how cruel it is.

This further strengthened their resolve to take the path they wanted to take.

Jun Qiulan exhaled, "Li Xiaolan, huh? Congratulations on being accepted."

Li Xiaolan's eyes were filled with hope of life. If Mrs. Tian's maid had not stopped her, Li Xiaolan would have knelt down and kowtowed several times.

"Alright, there will be no more kowtow rules in school from now on. All admitted students will be treated equally, regardless of their background." Jun Qiulan's eyes were firm. "Study hard, and your future life will definitely get better and better."

Li Xiaolan's gaze became more determined.

Just as the maid next to her was about to call the next person, Jun Qiulan raised her hand.

"If you and your mother no longer wish to live with your father, you can go to the government office and apply for a divorce. The Lord of the Prefecture will certainly make a fair judgment."

He looked at the little girl's arms, which were carelessly exposed and had injuries on them. She was fifteen years old, but as thin as a twelve or thirteen-year-old. He guessed that her father must be a good-for-nothing.

It is better to have no father like this. It is much better for the mother and daughter to live their own lives behind closed doors than to be beaten and bullied.

Li Xiaolan's eyes flashed, "I understand, sir."

Jun Qiulan nodded and said, "Go, go home. Remember to come on time for class."

"Next."

Jun Qiulan calmed down and asked, "What's your name? How old are you? Can you read and write? Do you have any skills?"

…

Next, he interviewed countless girls, women, and children.

Until the moon rose in the east, there were still many people queuing outside.

Mrs. Huo knew about this and was worried about the safety at night, so she sent some palace guards over.

In the end, some people couldn't even make it to the interview, so Jun Qiulan made another arrangement and gave everyone a number plate. Those who lived close to home went back first, and those who lived far away went to the orphanage in the city to stay overnight, and then came up for the interview according to the number the next day.

Everyone thought this arrangement was good, and the crowd dispersed.

Song Yan drove a donkey cart and took everyone back to the village.

Song Xirong hugged Jun Baisong. Although she felt very tired, she had not felt so fulfilled for a long time.

"How many people were enrolled today?" Song Yan was driving the car. He was also very curious about this so-called girls' school.

Song Xirong thought for a moment, "For the first batch, we only plan to recruit 200 people. If there are more, we won't be able to manage them. We don't have that much capital to invest, and we can't have too much soap left over."

Two hundred female workers is already a fairly large group.

Song Xirong continued, "Today, including those who were chosen for free, there are about fifty people in total. Most of them are so poor that they can barely survive. Some are strong-willed women and men who are trying to change their fate. There are only a few children. Some of them have pending cards. If we don't recruit all the people, we will give priority to selecting from the pending cards."

When we open a second factory in the future, we can also give priority to screening from those who have obtained the pending brand.

Aunt Xu Lian sighed, "It's really hard for everyone."

Since arriving in the border town, they have realized the poverty of this place. Because their village is backed by a mountain, there is a river passing through the village, and it is relatively close to the city, everyone's life is pretty good.

Now that I think about it carefully, I realize that their village should be considered one of the wealthier villages in the entire border town.

In other villages, there are many people who cannot afford to make a living.

Song Xirong sighed, "Now we have to help as much as we can. We don't expect to make a lot of money from this soap, but it's good enough to cover everyone's living expenses."

Jun Qiulan nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, mother and aunt. This matter cannot be rushed. We have to take it step by step. One day, we can make Border Town as prosperous as the south of the Yangtze River."

Xu Lian listened and thought that this was indeed a lofty goal.

Jun Qiulan: "These soaps and soaps will sell well, but since they are products for the benefit of the people, we don't have to sell them too expensively."

Song Xiren couldn't help but say: "I know, I know. Mom is better at business than you. Just focus on your own things. You don't have to worry about the things here."

Xu Lian sensed something was amiss. What was happening here? Could it be happening over there? Where was that?

But she wouldn't ask.

Now the whole family is eating at Jun's house. It's important to be smart and learn to play deaf and dumb.

I don’t know if it’s because today’s enrollment is too popular, or if there are some other reasons.

When recruiting students the next day, many young ladies and ladies from wealthy families in the city came with their people to help.

Song Xirong thought more long-term. The girls were not fools, especially those whose families had some background. They would understand what such a girls' school meant to girls.

It means that they can learn knowledge, that they can make money, and that they will have a say in the future, whether at home or after they get married.

In fact, because they can read and write, they can find a better husband's family, have a skill and bring income to the family, instead of being hurriedly married off when they reach a certain age, which gives them more choices.

The ladies and ladies who came to help were all silent and just did their work quietly.

Obviously, they were not bad people, and they also took Mrs. Huo as their role model, but their family always said that women should be chaste, quiet and virtuous.

Thinking of this, the girls shed tears of sadness.

Those girls who are still unmarried are still better off, but for those who are already married, it is estimated that this will be their life. All they can do now is to hold an umbrella for other girls.

Don’t let the rain that has fallen on them fall on these young girls again.

I also hope that the prefect's wife is really capable.

Not everyone knows the identities of Song Xirong and Xu Lian, they only know that they are two extraordinary ladies.

Recruitment in the border town is in full swing.

Jun Qiulan came to the modern era again.

Xu Su gave him a special role with a few lines, and then he was killed in a fight scene.

Is a villain.

Xu Su considered that if Jun Qiulan wanted to hone her acting skills, she had to try more different roles.

Those who find Jun Qiulan now are basically handsome and elegant young men.

In the long run, this will not be good for Jun Qiulan's development. Once the label of a nerd is attached to him, it will be difficult to get rid of it.

The villain this time... Of course, he's just a villain who appears once and dies, so he's not really a big deal, but his character is sinister, which is completely opposite to Jun Qiulan's image.

When Jun Qiulan arrived at the crew, everyone was very curious.

Jun Qiulan is very popular and their crew has been filming for a long time. He can't be here to replace another actor, right?

Then it's even more impossible that they are here to be extras, right?

Now the studio is ready and assistants are following.

Finally, the director spoke up, "Jun Qiulan will be playing the murder scene this afternoon. Everyone, please cooperate."

This is even more unbelievable. The roles of special actors are only slightly better than those of extras. For actors like this who die as soon as they appear on screen, their pay is only about 1,200 to 1,800 yuan.

The actors were whispering to each other, saying that with Jun Qiulan's current popularity, he should have been able to get a lot of roles, so why would he still be a special guest?

Could it be that it is not as glamorous as it looks?

Jun Qiulan took in everyone's expressions, and he didn't care what others said about this issue.

"I'm sorry to bother the director today."

The director laughed heartily, his voice resembling a bell. "When your agent contacted our crew earlier, we thought he was a scammer. We never thought you would actually be a special guest."

You know, their crew had contacted Jun Qiulan before, and there was a role that was quite suitable for him.

But Jun Qiulan was still filming The Golden Chamber at that time, and had agreed to Yan Jing's audition. Worried that she wouldn't be able to make time, she had no choice but to refuse.

This crew is pretty good.

The director really didn't expect that Jun Qiulan could now take on Yan Jing's movie and even come as a special guest to earn this little money.

It doesn't look like he can't afford to eat. I heard that the folding fans he produced in cooperation with official tourism are in short supply every day. This should be a good income every month. At least among ordinary people, he can live a very comfortable life.

Jun Qiulan smiled and said, "It's also for the sake of learning more from the crew. I'm very grateful that the director gave me the opportunity to observe."

"Go ahead and watch it. We're adapting this drama from a novel, so we're not worried about the plot being leaked."

Jun Qiulan expressed her sincere gratitude: "Thank you very much, Director."

The director waved his hand and said, "Go get your makeup done. Finish your scene first. There's a big scene coming up next. If you want to watch, feel free to stay."

That means being friends with Jun Qiulan now.

No matter what the person's current situation is, he has the potential to become popular.

The entertainment industry is still a circle, and Jun Qiulan is a good person, so you can make friends with him.

This is also the first time that Jun Qiulan plays a villain. After changing his clothes, he looked in the mirror. Hmm, it’s a dark style.

The makeup artist put on makeup for him.

"I have to make this a little uglier for you, do you understand?"

Jun Qiulan smiled and said, "No problem."

He hasn't "enjoyed" this kind of treatment for a long time. When he was acting as an extra last year, almost every crew asked him to stay away from the camera, or turn his back to the camera and try not to show his face.

As a result, his parents looked everywhere but couldn't find him among the extras.

Later on, I was able to get roles, so I basically stopped being an extra, but I did act as a special guest several times.

The previous specials were mutually beneficial, and there was no requirement to draw him ugly, which was rare today.

But he didn't think much of it, nor did he think too much about it. He just didn't expect that the assistant director came in before he started painting.

Probably guessing what the makeup artist was going to do, the director specifically asked his assistant to come over and tell him.

"Teacher, the director said not to draw Jun Qiulan ugly, just draw her the way she wants."

The makeup artist paused, a smile on his face: "You should have said it earlier. I'm still trying to figure out how to make his face look ugly."

Even if Jun Qiulan's face was modeled in the game, it would be impossible to perfectly replicate it. Even a tiny bit less or a tiny bit more would not achieve the feeling that his appearance gave people.

Since I don’t have to make myself look ugly, it’s easy. Just apply a thin layer of foundation and trim my eyebrows a little.

A true villain doesn't need makeup to be created.

My own long hair also saves me the trouble of wearing a wig.

The makeup artist was still laughing: "If you go to film a modern drama in the future, we will have to prepare a wig for you."

Jun Qiulan smiled. Actually, his short hair style is not bad. It has been on the hot search before, when he was shooting the cultural and tourism promotional video. In his past and present life, his modern makeup is all short hair.

Later, he received many invitations to play the male lead in modern idol dramas in his mailbox, but he had a taboo and could not take on intimate scenes, which was not very suitable for idol dramas.

In fact, he really wants to try modern dramas.

After finishing my makeup and styling, I walked out and everyone was waiting for me.

Countless people saw him like this and were hesitant to speak.

That's it? A villain who died after just one appearance?

Won’t the audience blame the screenwriter by then?

The director was also at a loss for words. He knew that Jun Qiulan was good-looking, but he didn't expect that after he put on ancient costume, his beauty would be so impactful when they met face to face.

Jun Qiulan was helpless, "Or find me a mask."

He took the initiative to propose it, so the director naturally satisfied him. The main thing was that he had to consider the feelings of the male lead and the second male lead.

It was originally a confrontation between good and evil. Jun Qiulan appeared as a cannon fodder, challenged the protagonist first, and then died under the protagonist's sword.

As a result, this character who appeared only once looked better than the male lead and the second male lead, which made the picture look unharmonious.

The assistant director found a half-face mask and said, "This mask seems to match his makeup better."

"Try."

Jun Qiulan put it on. He didn't have a mirror, so Liu Yue took a photo of him.

“It’s still pretty.”

Only the lower half of the face is covered, but the eyebrows and eyes on the upper half are still very impactful.

The lead actor also has a good personality, "Let's just leave it at that. Don't make me and Lao Zhou petty."

Lao Zhou is the second male lead. The two of them are at loggerheads for the female lead in the drama, but in real life, they have a good relationship.

Lao Zhou also laughed, "Hahahaha, I can imagine what the audience and fans will say when it airs."

After a pause, he pulled the male lead and said, "Come on, let's go find the makeup artist and make today's makeup and hairstyle more refined, so that we don't get beaten too badly."

"That's right, let's go now."

The two main actors were joking around here, and Jun Qiulan felt relieved.

As for appearance, it’s really hard to say.

But Jun Qiulan already looks like this, if he were to be modest, it would probably make people even more disgusted.

The director is also a fun-loving person. "Xiao Lan, we've already filmed the fighting scenes. Just follow the martial arts instructor to practice the next moves."

Jun Qiulan nodded.

He never felt any pressure when it came to martial arts scenes. Basically, they were just some fancy moves, just for the beauty of the shot. The requirements of each crew were different.

When the filming was about to start, Jun Qiulan was hung on the wire and looked confused.

"This is a fairy tale drama. If we don't fly around in the air and fight on the ground, it won't be that interesting."

It was indeed a lesson for Jun Qiulan.

"Let's try it first." said the director.

Jun Qiulan had only seen others hanging on wires before, but he had never tried it.

Fortunately, he has a solid foundation and his core strength is stronger than many male artists. He was able to perform several difficult moves very smoothly.

The director felt a little regretful. If he had known earlier, he should have insisted more and let Jun Qiulan play a serious role.

What a pity. The filming has been going on for so long now and everyone’s performance is pretty good. There is no reason to change the actors.

Filming officially begins.

It was the scene between the second male lead and the first male lead. Jun Qiulan followed behind the second male lead, and there was a group of extras dressed similarly to him.

The two male and female protagonists confronted each other for a while, and the situation became tense. Jun Qiulan, an unnamed character, stood up and said a few reckless words, then rushed out.

The male lead's fighting scenes are also very good, at least his moves are very beautiful.

The director became more and more excited as he filmed, even changing several angles to make the fight scene as perfect as possible.

The fight scene, which originally only lasted a dozen seconds in the drama, was filmed by the director for several hours.

In the end, the leading actor said that he couldn't bear the friction on his thighs, so the director reshot a few shots, including the scene of Jun Qiulan's death, and then called the end and moved on to the next scene.

"There's nothing we can do about it. The fighting scenes in our Xianxia dramas are always criticized. It's rare to have such harmonious and beautiful fighting scenes. We should cut a few more of them into the main drama."

The male lead was extremely amused. "That's right. After all, he's someone close to the male second. He has the guts to stand up and challenge the male lead. If he dies in a few moves, doesn't that make the male second's men look like losers?"

The second male lead, Lao Zhou, also nodded. "After all, I'm the one who fought with you until the very end. The people around me are all useless, so why bother fighting?"

The two of them sang in unison, and it was like they were performing a crosstalk on the set.

Jun Qiulan only had this one scene to finish. When he took off the wire and changed back into his clothes, there were still red marks on his legs from being rubbed.

However, he considered himself a man and did not care about such a minor injury at all. He changed his clothes and went out to watch other scenes. He did not show the feeling of having been hanging on wires for several hours at all.

The male protagonist, who was walking with his legs crossed, gave him a thumbs up.

The director personally allowed Jun Qiulan to watch, and even waved for him to come over to the monitor to watch.

"I finally understand why you came to our crew." The director said cheerfully: "The acting skills of the male lead, the second male lead, and the female lead are all very good among the new generation of actors and are recognized by the audience."

If you want to learn, you must learn from people who are good at acting.

Jun Qiulan nodded: "I can't hide it from the director. I'm really nervous about joining Director Yan's crew. I do lack some experience, and I can't take on formal roles right now. I can only look for special roles and observe and learn from them."

It is no longer a secret that he has signed Yan Jing's movie. Two days ago, Du Ruo accidentally let it slip during an interview that she has also taken on Yan Jing's movie and will be in seclusion to practice her acting skills.

Then the media got excited and chased her to ask what kind of movie it was.

Du Ruo didn't dare to say that, so she just shifted the blame and said that the role she would play opposite was very suitable for Jun Qiulan. Yan Jing must have noticed this and asked Jun Qiulan to audition.

Now, although it has not been officially announced, everyone knows about it.

Yan Jing also sent a message to Jun Qiulan, saying that it was his instruction, which could be regarded as an advance warm-up to raise the audience's expectations.

The director looked at Jun Qiulan's serious expression and felt a little bit of appreciation for her talent: "I have a friend who is an acting teacher, but he has retired and is currently visiting Fengcheng. If you have any ideas, I can introduce you to him."

Jun Qiulan's eyes lit up instantly, "Thank you very much, Director."

The director's last name was Zhu. Director Zhu laughed heartily: "It's mainly because I haven't seen an actor as hardworking and talented as you in a long time."

People like them who make idol dramas don’t have big plans in their lives. All they can say is that making a TV series that satisfies the audience is enough.

But Jun Qiulan should go further.

Director Zhu exchanged contact information with Jun Qiulan. "I'm not sure if he'll teach you yet. I can only offer to connect you and arrange for you two to meet. Whether you can catch his eye depends on your own abilities."

Jun Qiulan: "I understand, Director Zhu, thank you for giving me this opportunity."

The director waved his hand and said, "Just watch them filming first. You should take a break too. Hanging on wires for several hours is not easy."

He even laughed as he said this.

The following scenes basically consist of the male and female protagonists, the second male lead, and several elders.

Jun Qiulan watched it very seriously, and from time to time he would open the memo on his phone to make a note. He did not leave the crew until the crew finished work for the day.

The teacher that Director Zhu arranged for him said that he would be free in two days, but he did agree to meet with Jun Qiulan first.

Today's pay is directly given as a red envelope.

After all, since they are acting out a death scene, the crew wants to be auspicious.

Just include the film remuneration in the package.

It feels quite thick.

Jun Qiulan didn't even count and handed it directly to Liu Yue: "Sister Yue, please transfer it to the company account for me."

Liu Yue couldn't help laughing. "Sister Xu said that we don't have to share the special contract pay with her. Also, there's good news. Brother Zhang Li has passed the audition for the villain role. He signed the contract this afternoon and will join the crew next month. You have been chatting with the director today, so I haven't had time to inform you yet."

Jun Qiulan was also happy about this.

"Sister Yue, go home and rest. We can discuss other matters in the group."

"Okay, you've been tired all day."

After hanging on the wire for several hours and wearing a costume, Jun Qiulan went home and took a shower first. Unexpectedly, the places that were tightened by the wire felt so uncomfortable after touching water.

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The author has something to say: I will update 6000 words first, and there will be an additional update today, which will be posted as soon as it is finished.

mwah.