Chapter 8: The Film Crew Visits
Su Yingxue answered the phone, and her grandmother's gentle voice came through the receiver: "Xiaoxue, the doctor said I'm much better, so don't worry." Her eyes welled up slightly, and she nodded repeatedly, promising to go back to see her grandmother after two days of rest. After hanging up, she specifically checked with the attending physician to confirm her grandmother's recovery and was relieved to learn that the old lady's condition had indeed improved.
Before joining the "Chang'an Banquet" production team, she was filled with anxiety. The little system told her that working there for a month could eliminate 30% of the cancer cells in her grandmother's body, a promise that made her decide to come. Although the dormitory conditions on set were so basic that she frowned, she still rolled up her sleeves and encouraged herself: "Let's work hard!"
The next morning, the sun was so bright it was almost blinding. Ye Lu stood at the entrance of the film set, watching a van bearing the "CCTV-6" logo slowly drive in. The door opened, and several staff members carrying cameras got out. The leader was a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses, who introduced himself as Chen Ming, the program's director. Beside him was an intern girl named Fang Xiang.
"Director Ye, I've heard so much about you." Chen Ming extended his hand, his smile professional yet warm. "I heard your crew's boxed lunches are particularly popular? Our leader specifically instructed us to film some authentic behind-the-scenes footage."
Ye Lu shook hands with him, subtly steer the conversation: "Director Chen, we do pay close attention to the health of the crew's diet. Especially He Qianyu, he's been filming intensely lately, so I specifically asked the kitchen..."
"Director Ye! Director Ye!" a young voice interrupted them. He Qianyu jogged over, his face still a little pale, but his spirits were noticeably better than yesterday. He was wearing a loose costume, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He quickly greeted them, "Hello, teachers from CCTV!"
Chen Ming's eyes immediately lit up: "This must be He Qianyu! Everyone online says you lost a lot of weight for the role. Can we talk about it?"
He Qianyu glanced at Ye Lu, who nodded slightly. The young man took a deep breath and gave a polite smile: "Actually, it's not as exaggerated as the internet makes it out to be. It's just that I've been filming a lot of action scenes lately, which has been quite taxing, and I might not have been getting enough nutrition..."
"Oh, Qianyu," Chen Ming patted him affectionately on the shoulder, then immediately turned the camera to him, "Everyone's concerned about your health. We heard the lunches on set are especially delicious, could you take us to see them?"
“Of course.” Ye Lu picked up the conversation, naturally steer the conversation in the right direction, “Our kitchen is over there, and Su Yingxue—she’s our chef; her noodles are especially popular.”
Su Yingxue was standing at the kitchen doorway, holding a freshly kneaded dough in her hand. Hearing someone call her, she looked up, sunlight filtering through her hair and casting dappled shadows on her face. She nodded to everyone, a shy smile on her lips.
Chen Ming's eyes immediately caught this detail: "Wow, who is this?"
“Su Yingxue, our… uh, our life coach,” Ye Lu made up a name for her on the spot, “she’s in charge of the crew’s meals.”
"Hello, I'm Su Yingxue," the girl introduced herself confidently, her voice clear and pleasant. "Welcome to visit our kitchen."
Fang, the intern director, blinked and looked at Su Yingxue. Why did this person look so familiar? She thought about the TV series she'd watched a few days ago. Could it be?! She scrutinized Su Yingxue again, but didn't dare ask. Was the gossip online really true?
For the next hour, Chen Ming and his team seemed to have discovered a new continent. The clean and tidy kitchen, and Su Yingxue's skillful kneading, rolling, and pulling of the dough were all recorded by the camera. Her technique was so skillful that the dough seemed to come alive in her hands, transforming into even, thin noodles.
"Did you really make this yourself?" Chen Ming asked in surprise, the camera following Su Yingxue's movements. "It looks even better than a professional pastry chef's!"
“My grandma taught me,” Su Yingxue replied with a smile, placing a lump of dough on the cutting board and kneading it quickly with both hands. “She always said that dough needs to be kneaded carefully to become elastic.”
Ye Lu stood aside, watching Su Yingxue interact with the cameraman, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She acted naturally and confidently, without the slightest stage fright. More importantly, the noodles she made were indeed very fragrant, and even several staff members couldn't help but gather around, watching eagerly.
"Director Ye, could we film a scene of the actors eating noodles?" Chen Ming suggested. "I mean... a very realistic, down-to-earth scene."
Just as Ye Lu was about to answer, he suddenly saw He Qianyu pick up a bowl of freshly cooked mushroom, egg, and shredded pork noodles and start eating it heartily. The noodles rolled around in his mouth, and his satisfied expression was completely genuine.
"Of course," Ye Lu said with a smile, "but we generally don't let actors eat too many noodles, as it's easy for them to gain weight."
This remark drew laughter from those around them. He Qianyu looked up, her mouth still full of noodles, and mumbled, "But Sister Su's noodles... I just can't stop eating them..."
Su Yingxue's face flushed slightly, and she gently patted He Qianyu's head: "Just eat yours and don't talk."
Chen Ming captured this heartwarming interaction, and the camera immediately panned to him: "That's fantastic! This kind of genuine interaction is so precious!"
During the interview, He Qianyu sat on a small stool in the kitchen, with Su Yingxue and various cooking utensils bustling behind him. He appeared more relaxed when the camera was pointed at him than he did in front of the camera.
"Qianyu, can you share with us how you've been lately?" Chen Ming asked, zooming in with the camera.
He Qianyu thought for a moment and replied, "Actually... I've been quite tired lately. But the atmosphere on set is great, especially... um..." He glanced at Su Yingxue, who was preparing the next pot of noodles, "The food here is especially delicious, it makes me feel very warm."
Chen Ming astutely seized on this point: "Is it because the crew's food is exceptionally good?"
“Yes.” He Qianyu nodded. “I used to diet a lot to control my weight, which made my stomach very uncomfortable. But Sister Su’s noodles are both delicious and nutritious, and I feel much better.”
Ye Lu noticed that He Qianyu's complexion was indeed much rosier than yesterday, and even his voice sounded more confident. He secretly glanced at Su Yingxue, who was focused on kneading dough, seemingly oblivious to He Qianyu's praise.
After the interview, Chen Ming, still eager for more, said, "Director Ye, could we film some more details in the kitchen? Like the flour, seasonings, and stuff like that? The audience is particularly interested in the daily life of the crew."
“Of course,” Ye Lu readily agreed, then whispered to Su Yingxue, “Bring over some better quality ingredients.”
Su Yingxue nodded and turned to get the ingredients.
"These are beef balls from Chaoshan, Guangdong; this is special chili sauce from Yibin, Sichuan; these are shiitake mushrooms and wood ear fungus from Fangxian, Hubei..." After Su Yingxue took out all the ingredients, the dazzling array of ingredients simply dazzled everyone's eyes.
"Wow, that's professional! The ingredients are all so fresh and of very high quality!"
"This material is even better than the one I saw at the hotel last time!"
"This chili sauce smells amazing! It must be delicious!"
The two cameramen nearby rushed over and frantically filmed the footage.
Chen Ming's eyes lit up. He had heard that the props made by this crew were good, but the freshness and abundance of the ingredients still shocked him.
However, since most of the produce was dried goods, he looked at Ye Lu with some doubt: "Aren't there any fresh vegetables?"
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