Chapter 4 Crew
Boiling water is a huge project.
Here it's not like in the city, you can just turn on the switch and get hot water, and you can even adjust the temperature.
Jiang Jinyue watched Bai Yuqing throw a piece of wood into the hole under the stove and light the fire.
Suddenly, Jiang Jinyue, who had never smelled such a smell before, couldn't help coughing, and then retreated to the position farthest from the kitchen.
Then, Bai Yuqing scooped water from a large vat, put it into the teapot, and placed it on the stove.
While waiting for the water to boil, Bai Yuqing looked at Jiang Jinyue, a thin girl hiding in the corner, not saying a word.
The down jacket she was wearing looked very expensive and warm, and the people here had already developed the ability to resist the cold with their bodies.
The people here are always hunched over, with greed, desire, fear and cruelty in their eyes, but she has clear and penetrating eyes, and she never hides her emotions like some little girls.
They were the quagmire, and she was the moon.
She doesn't fit in here.
It was not until the girl looked at him with an angry look that Bai Yuqing came to his senses and withdrew his gaze from her.
He said slowly, "Would it be offensive if I said I was just looking at the pattern of the wall behind you?"
“???” Jiang Jinyue frowned, feeling a bit angry and confused.
"I'm afraid you might find yourself less attractive than a wall."
"!!!" Jiang Jinyue was now only filled with anger.
"So, I was definitely looking at you."
“…”
"I apologize for any offense I caused."
No, who can tell him how a poor boy from the mountains can speak so eloquently.
Jiang Jinyue snorted coldly and turned his head away from him.
In fact, she noticed it the first time he looked at her.
Because...she had just been watching him work.
So, when she noticed he was about to look at her, she turned her head away immediately.
However, this man just stared at her without moving.
I can’t tell whether I’m offended or… shy?
Anyway, before her face got hot from being stared at, she looked at him angrily.
To make amends, Bai Yuqing brought over a lounge chair, covered it with a small blanket, and placed it in the sunny area of the yard. "You can sit here and wait."
Jiang Jinyue sat down without any hesitation.
Bai Yuqing went to boil water again.
She basked in the warm winter sun, watching his busy figure, feeling drowsy from the warmth. Just when she was about to fall asleep, the annoying ringing of the phone broke the tranquility.
Ding Qingli couldn't find anyone and called, "Teacher Jiang, where are you?"
Basking in the sun, Jiang Jinyue spoke lazily: "I found a place to take a shower."
"Wow, there's a place to take a bath in this village?!" Ding Qingli said excitedly, "Where is it?!"
Jiang Jinyue looked at the busy Bai Yuqing.
This was the fourth pot of water he had heated.
More than half of the water in the water tank on the first floor is gone.
He carried two thermoses, climbed the ladder and reached the second floor.
There was cold water upstairs, and he mixed it with the hot water he had just heated.
A refreshing voice came from the second floor: "You can wash now."
Jiang Jinyue had hung up the phone long ago and she did not answer Ding Qingli.
Taking a shower requires such a huge effort, how can we get everyone to come here to take a shower?
She used to give 1,000 at a time, and now even that seems a little too little.
A stingy person like Ding Qingli would definitely not spend a penny and only wants to make the most of the money.
I can't tell her.
Because water was limited, Jiang Jinyue took a bath every minute.
After taking a shower, I finally felt comfortable all over.
When I came out, I saw the man sitting on a chair in the yard, basking in the sun.
It wasn't the recliner she had lain on, but just a small chair.
His legs are too long, making it uncomfortable to hunch over. When he stretches his long legs out, they look even longer than those of a male actor with amazing legs in the entertainment industry.
How does he get enough nutrition to grow so tall in such a place?
"How many times has your phone rang?" Bai Yuqing stood up when he saw her come out and handed her the phone.
It’s all Ding Qingli.
Jiang Jinyue called back, and Ding Qingli picked up the phone and said, "Teacher Jiang, come over for lunch later. It's a good opportunity for you to get to know the other actors."
This director was really good at reading people's expressions. When she answered the phone, she didn't ask about taking a bath or even where she lived. She just said that they should have a meal together so that the actors could get to know each other.
"good."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Jinyue looked at the man and said, "Add me on WeChat and I'll transfer the money to you."
“I don’t have a cell phone.”
The man spread his hands. What kind of society is this? There are still people without cell phones.
But Jiang Jinyue didn't say it. She just turned around, took out the money from her bag, and counted out 15 bills for him.
When she first learned that this place was remote and was afraid that there was no electronic payment, she withdrew a lot of cash. Now she finds that the only way to pay here is with this man's labor.
Bai Yuqing took the money without hesitation, counted it, frowned, and counted out 5 more bills and handed them to her, "Too many."
"That 500 is your reward for driving away the Peeping Tom for me."
Just think about it, the man in front of you must have been the one who hit the peeping Tom with the stone.
Bai Yuqing nodded, "Indeed, my brave act just now deserves a reward."
As he said that, he took the money.
Jiang Jinyue walked towards the door, but after a few steps, he turned back.
As soon as I walked into the yard, I saw Bai Yuqing, who was basking in the sun, had stood up and seemed to be heading out.
Thinking of the looks in those people's eyes just now, she looked at Bai Yuqing again and ordered, "Send me over."
Bai Yuqing put on his clothes and replied, "Okay."
He had been planning to send her there. If he hadn't followed her, she might have been taken away by some household, which would have been too dangerous.
"500 yuan." Jiang Jinyue put his hands in his pockets and said lightly.
This is his compensation for being a bodyguard.
"Thank you, Miss."
***
"Ah...their lives are so hard! Look at these simple villagers!"
Bai Yuqing followed Jiang Jinyue to the base of their film set. When they passed by a man, the man's sigh happened to reach their ears.
The thin girl's shoulders stiffened for a moment, and then she quietly moved away from the man who said this.
He had an expression of disgust that made him want to avoid fools as much as possible.
Bai Yuqing couldn't help but smile when he saw her like this.
Jiang Jinyue rolled his eyes upon hearing this.
Simple? Since she came here, she had already experienced being peeped at while bathing, seeing rats, and being looked at unkindly by villagers, things that made her want to set the mountain on fire.
He still thinks the people here are simple?
This kind of idiot will suffer here sooner or later.
After Jiang Jinyue sat down in the room, the director immediately came up to her and handed her a glass of water. "Teacher Jiang, have a drink."
Jiang Jinyue glanced at the water in front of him, looked at the scale sinking to the bottom of the cup, and took a deep breath.
"Can you get some clean warm water?"
She spoke as calmly as she could.
Ding Qingli was about to speak when she heard Bai Yuqing behind her say, "Yes."
"I want water, clean warm water."
Jiang Jinyue took out a 100-yuan bill, held it between two fingers, and handed it to him without looking back.
Bai Yuqing's lips curled up, "Okay."
After saying that, he took the money and left.
Ding Qingli, who was standing nearby, watched the man leave and immediately sat down next to Jiang Jinyue. She asked her excitedly, "Is he handsome?"
"Um?"
"Bai Yuqing, isn't he handsome?"
"Who is Bai Yuqing?"
"..." Ding Qingli's mouth twitched, "You gave him the 100 yuan one."
Jiang Jinyue thought about it and it seemed that he was called this name. He just asked casually at the time and didn't take it to heart.
Bai Yuqing, she repeated these three words in her heart, not knowing which one was "yu" and which one was "qing"?
I couldn't help but think of his appearance. It was appropriate for him to have such a name and look like this.
But when he spoke, it became a casual remark: "Oh, I didn't look closely."
"That's not important. What's important is, what do you think of him?"
Jiang Jinyue looked at Ding Qingli.
Ding Qingli explained: "I want him to play the third male lead!"
The third male character is a rare person with a conscience in the village. He once wanted to help the abducted heroine get out of the mountains. As a result, the heroine was caught again, and the third male character was labeled a "traitor" by the villagers and was eventually beaten to death.
With a character like this, once the movie becomes a hit, it feels like he will soar to fame.
"Then go find him."
"I tried, but was rejected." Ding Qingli sighed.
The project cycle is long, the shooting conditions are very difficult, the subject matter is sensitive, and we don’t know if it can pass the review or be released, and the actors’ pay is not much.
There are very few actors willing to star in a movie like this.
Either they were persuaded by Ding Qingli's eloquence and really thought they could become famous through this movie; or they were very short of opportunities; or they were moved by the subject matter.
Due to the shortage of actors, Ding Qingli developed an eagle eye. Whenever she saw a human being, whether it was a crew member or a local villager, she would wonder if such an image could be put into the movie.
And Bai Yuqing naturally became her target.
"He's one of the few educated people in the village and can speak Mandarin. He was a great help when I first arrived. I immediately invited him to act in the play, but he refused without hesitation. How can I convince him to come?"
Jiang Jinyue peeked out from behind his sunglasses after hearing this. "What do you think? 100 yuan for a bottle of water."
"Um?"
"If you throw money at him, he will definitely agree."
"Ah..." Ding Qingli sighed again, "But I don't have any money."
"He helped the crew for free back then, and he doesn't look like someone who values money." Ding Qingli sighed, "Is it really because I've been using his labor for free?"
She told Jiang Jinyue how she had spoken to Bai Yuqing.
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