Xie Yuyao's boastful words made Yao Qian's face darken, but Director Zhu said kindly, "No problem, shall we take a few test shots now?"
"Alright, I'll go back to my place and change my clothes first." Since she was already curious about Director Zhu's idea, Xie Yuyao didn't hesitate and readily cooperated.
"Alright, let's meet up at the brigade headquarters."
Not long after, the captain saw Director Zhu and the others walk in and frowned with a serious expression: "Director Zhu, Xie Yuyao already made it very clear to you yesterday, didn't she?"
"Captain Zhao, I apologize for coming so abruptly. I saw your courtyard yesterday and thought it was very old-fashioned and charming, so I came to collect some material." Director Zhu explained his purpose and also indicated that he would pay the rental fee.
After speaking, he looked at his male assistant, Fang Yuan, and gestured with his chin.
Fang Yuan handed over his wallet without saying a word. Director Zhu took out five large bills and handed them to the captain: "Captain Zhao, I'd like to rent it for a few days, no more than five days, is that alright?"
Captain Zhao Deqiang was tempted by their extravagant gesture, but he was also worried that they had ulterior motives.
"By the way, Captain Zhao, we just asked Comrade Xie Yuyao to be a model for a set of photos of the old house, and she has agreed." Director Zhu seemed to have noticed Zhao Deqiang's concerns and pointed this out.
Xie Wazi was a shrewd person; she wouldn't be easily fooled. With that in mind, the brigade leader finally agreed.
The accompanying photographer, Xiao Jiang, and his assistant immediately went out and brought their equipment in from the car.
The others consulted with the captain before starting to move around and set up the site.
The captain looked at the group of people who were already busy and asked doubtfully, "This house hasn't been properly repaired in years. Is it really a good spot for taking pictures?"
Xiao Jiang, who was adjusting the equipment, smiled and said, "That's exactly the kind of sense of history we're looking for. Only with this kind of atmosphere can we capture stories with a sense of history."
The brigade headquarters building has a high roof, with colorful camphor wood carvings on the beams, and the ground paved with blue bricks is clean and bright.
Director Zhu had some miscellaneous items moved aside, leaving only the long table against the wall, two carved chairs, and a rosewood high-legged flower stand on the left.
Xiao Jiang walked slowly around the room with his camera, occasionally raising it to focus, trying to find the best shooting angle.
The spring sunshine was exceptionally bright, streaming into the hall through the doors and windows, giving the camera lens a natural filter with a nostalgic feel.
As Xiao Jiang moved to the right side of the hall, he spotted a yellow and white shadow flashing in the camera's view and jumping onto the flower bed.
It turned out to be a white and yellow kitten. It lazily yawned, lay down on the flower stand, and closed its eyes.
With a "click," Xiao Jiang took a picture of the kitten.
The flash that increased the exposure startled the kitten, which meowed and jumped down, then scurried away.
Xiao Jiang found it quite interesting, so he raised his camera and followed the kitten with the lens. Soon, a pair of white stiletto heels appeared in the frame.
The kitten leaped up, and the camera followed it upwards, revealing a pair of slender, fair ankles. Above that was a cherry blossom pink satin skirt, the soft fabric perfectly hugging her delicate curves.
Xie Yuyao returned to the backyard of the educated youth compound, entered her spatial dimension, and changed into a cherry blossom pink satin dress, a modified cheongsam style from later generations.
This is a garment she carefully selected, blending elements from two eras, just like herself.
As for her appearance, she only applied a thin layer of lipstick, which made her red lips look luscious. Paired with her beautiful face, she looked stunning.
Her usual braids were undone, and slightly messy strands of hair fell over her shoulders, giving her a lazy yet charming look.
The kitten jumped into Xie Yuyao's arms. She lowered her head and smiled slightly, her jet-black hair falling down and obscuring half of her beautiful face.
"Look here!" Xiao Jiang's slightly trembling voice rang out.
Hearing the sound, Xie Yuyao, who was gently stroking the kitten's back, casually looked towards the camera.
That one glance left an indelible mark on the years that followed.
*
As noon approached, the team leader invited Director Zhu and his group to his home for lunch. He accepted the hefty venue fee and warmly entertained Director Zhu.
However, Yao Qian didn't want to eat farm food. Her eyes flashed and she said, "Director Zhu, we have a car. Let's go to the commune's state-run restaurant to eat, so as not to bother the villagers."
Director Zhu agreed with their last words, so they ended filming and invited Xie Yuyao to go eat something delicious.
Xie Yuyao declined, as she had left in a hurry that morning and still had some work to take care of.
After agreeing on the time to start work in the afternoon, Xie Yuyao returned to the clinic.
"Sister Yao Yao, I heard you went to film a movie?" Zhao Hongqin looked at her with envy and asked in surprise.
Xie Yuyao smiled and shook her head: "Not yet, just taking a few photos."
Zhao Guangliang excitedly added, "We've all heard that it's being filmed at the brigade headquarters. Yao Yao, will we be able to see our brigade headquarters building in the movie?"
"I don't know about that, but even if you saw it, you might not recognize it," Xie Yuyao said mischievously.
"Why?"
"How so?"
Xie Yuyao explained to them: "The filming involved a lot of close-up shots and some set design, which is not what we usually see."
"Oh, I see! But if you were in a movie, we would definitely recognize you," Zhao Hongqin said with a smile.
Zhao Guangliang nodded in agreement: "Yes!"
Xie Yuyao smiled and changed the subject, asking about matters related to the health clinic and medicinal herb projects.
Today, the three staff members of the clinic play a pivotal role in the medicinal herb project. With Xie Yuyao intentionally delegating and gradually withdrawing from the project, Zhao Guangliang and Zhao Hongqin have grown rapidly.
Zhao Guangliang also convinced his family to agree, and he went deep into the mountains with the herb-gathering team and the land reclamation team many times to assist with related work.
Grandma Zhao Guangliang stubbornly tried to stop her grandson, but Zhao Guangliang's parents stood in front of her, letting her throw a tantrum and roll on the ground, and told Zhao Guangliang to do what he was supposed to do.
Zhao Guangliang's parents did everything they could to support their son, even at the cost of being labeled as unfilial.
The medicinal herb project mobilized almost all the villagers of Qingshantun, young and old. Everyone else's young people could go, so why couldn't theirs? Did they think that Guangliang's life was more precious?
When everyone is working together to move forward, if my son were to back down, he would face a lot of criticism, even if he participated in the work at the clinic. People wouldn't really acknowledge it.
Human nature is such that we tend to tolerate and indulge our own shortcomings, while expecting others to be perfect. The more critical the moment, the more magnified our flaws become.
Given the development trend of Qingshantun, if their son cannot take advantage of this opportunity to rise to prominence, he will be replaced by someone more proactive and talented sooner or later, and then it will be too late to regret it.
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