Chapter 32
Aren't you busy today?
During her break, Gu Mengzhu went to find the restroom and encountered Xu Zhilu, who was drinking water from a cup in the corridor. Xu Zhilu, who had been squinting from the warmth of the hot water, suddenly opened her eyes wide upon hearing the sound, her pupils shining like freshly wiped glass.
"I was busy, but I sneaked out for a drink of water."
"oh."
She nodded and was about to leave when she saw her smiling eyes ask:
"Sister, if Buddha slept among coconut flowers and grass, do you think he would get bitten by bugs?"
"Clam?"
Xu Zhilu looked at her, shook her head and smiled, then turned her face to the sky without explaining anything.
What a mysterious child! Oh dear, I can't hold it in any longer!
She clutched her lower abdomen and hurriedly swung her legs towards the toilet.
Halfway through filming, the director yelled "Cut!" and called the actors aside to get into character. Gu Mengzhu watched him pointing and gesturing wildly at the actors with the script in his hand, more agitated than a monkey on a mountain. She thought to herself that being a director wasn't easy. The weather was cold and windy, so she sat on the steps, covering her knees with her hands. Because of the cold, she pulled her legs in, and her hat was pulled off, covering her face completely.
"Hi!"
I don't know who she was calling, but she kept her head down and ignored her.
"hello?"
The voice was a bit loud, and it sounded close; it seemed like someone was calling her.
She looked up at him with a frown and a wary expression.
Oh, it's that photographer who's always wandering around.
Seeing her reaction, he glanced at the seat next to him and sat down as well. Gu Mengzhu subtly shifted her position, quietly moving further away from him.
"My name is Shi Gang. You haven't been here long, have you? You look unfamiliar to me."
“I’ve been here for a few months, and you look unfamiliar to me.”
Xiaozhi didn't like him much, so her tone wasn't very polite.
He scratched his head. This person looked as small as a sparrow, but his words seemed to have a sharp edge.
"Hey, let me tell you a joke."
Ah, this person is so idle.
"Ahem." Shi Gang cleared his throat. "If a medium-rare steak and a medium-well steak are walking down the street, why don't they talk?"
"Because they are not ripe."
What's wrong with this person? Why isn't he playing by the rules? He shouldn't have said he didn't know! Oh well, never mind, let's continue.
"A fresh mushroom and a rotten orange got into a fight, but the orange died. Why?"
"Because the bacteria want the orange to die, the orange has no choice but to die."
What a terrible joke. Could he be one of those monkey-like characters she used to see in school, who never listened in class and spent their free time telling lame jokes? Oh, no, not a monkey, but a big black bear. She silently compared their sizes and lowered her eyes.
This guy is burly and strong; if he bumps into her with his shoulder, he could send two of them flying.
He didn't believe in superstitions, and after thinking for a moment, he came up with another one:
"Why can't we tell corny jokes on the beach?"
"Because it would trigger a tsunami."
"Two tigers cannot share one mountain, so what about the two mountains?"
"Two times three equals six."
What kind of job would surprise you?
"Digging lotus roots."
She uttered two words expressionlessly, and he fell silent.
"Alright, last one. If a good person and a bad person are riding in the same car, who gets off first?"
"Bad people, because bad people will stay in the end."
"You've said so much, now it's my turn."
"Tell me, tell me."
If your boss asked you to deliver a Buddha statue onto a train, which station would you choose?
Which station? Which station?
He scratched his head and thought for a long time, but finally she couldn't stand it anymore. She sighed.
"West Station, because it's like sending a Buddha to the west. You see, if you're going to do something bad, you should go all the way and send the Buddha to the west. This is something I made up based on the logic of your joke earlier. It's a very simple principle."
"Oh!" he exclaimed, giving her a thumbs-up. "You're so smart!"
Suddenly I realized that being praised isn't necessarily a good thing.
"Hey, this person," she muttered to herself, her eyes darting around a couple of times.
He looks intimidating, but he's actually a fool. All brawn and no brains—the ancients were right.
"Um," he said, fidgeting with his hands, "are you close to Zhilu?"
Gu Mengzhu's first reaction was "Huh?" Her second reaction was "6!" She turned her head, frowned, and looked at him, then started chirping:
Zhilu? Does Xiaozhi know how close we are? Why are you calling me that so affectionately?
Wait a minute, this kid! He's finally revealed his true colors!
"So-so, third in the world. What's up, you like her?"
As if someone had hit a nerve, he lowered his head and stammered, unable to answer. Just as she was about to say something, the person involved happened to walk over, and Shi Gang suddenly stood up, blurted out "I'm leaving now," and ran off, leaving her dumbfounded.
She likes other people but doesn't talk to them, instead she comes to chat with me. She comes and then runs away. She's really silly.
She shook her head, speechless, and sighed. Xu Zhilu sat down next to her, reaching out to massage her legs, which were sore and numb from standing.
"Taking a break?"
"yes."
She hit the hammer twice, then stopped, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke:
"Sis, why are you suddenly talking to him?"
"who?"
"Shi Gang."
"Oh. He came here by himself. What's wrong? You don't like it? If you mind, then I won't go with you anymore—"
"No, no, no, no!" she waved her hands frantically. "I'm not that domineering. Everyone has the right to make friends."
Gu Mengzhu found the person in front of her increasingly adorable, as if she would stretch out her round, furry hand to slap someone when she was angry, leaving a pink plum blossom mark on their arm. She rested her chin on her knees, smiling like an old witch. Xu Zhilu's gaze suddenly met hers, and she jumped in fright.
Sister Meng's smile was so strange, a little bit, a little bit lewd.
She shrugged and silently avoided her gaze.
"I chatted with him for a while and felt that he wasn't a bad person, just a bit slow and told a bunch of corny jokes."
I can only help you a little bit, just a little bit.
"Really?" Xu Zhilu smiled. "There are still people who like to tell corny jokes these days."
"You also liked to make up stories to lie to me, remember?"
"I'm sorry."
She apologized softly, then stuck out her tongue and made a face.
"It's okay, the story you told was quite interesting, not boring at all."
She giggled, quite pleased with the praise.
At lunchtime, they gathered together again. Lu Guangzhen strode over, carrying a thermos filled with his homemade braised meat. Last time, the two of them had been clamoring for roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and since he had nothing to do today, he took the time to make some and bring it to them at lunchtime. He had added vibrant green peppers to the meat, making it fragrant, crispy, and not spicy when eaten with the white steamed bun.
The three of them didn't mind getting dirty; they squeezed together on the steps, eating and chatting.
Xu Zhilu was starving and wolfed down her food, while the remaining man and woman chatted about all sorts of things.
"Wow, Brother Lu, you've been to Guijiang? Was it fun there?"
Gu Mengzhu took a bite of the steamed bun, chewing it like a hamster hoarding its food. Lu Guangzhen swallowed a mouthful of water from his thermos and then closed the lid.
"It's so much fun! The sky is blue! The water is blue! Even the clouds are blue!"
"Clouds are blue? Aren't clouds white?"
"Oh dear, my mouth is all messed up! White! The clouds are so white! So white! And the grass is so tall, look, it's this tall! Swinging back and forth by the lake, it's so green, so green you can't even tell which way is north!"
This guy is kind of funny.
She grinned, and he glanced at her, then clicked his tongue and said:
"Meng, you look so beautiful when you smile."
"Yeah?"
She grinned even wider in surprise, and Lu Guangzhen, taking it seriously, raised his voice:
"Of course! You have a big mouth, big features, and a big smile! Where we're from, that's what makes a beautiful smile!"
He gave her a thumbs-up, his eyes full of admiration for his youngest sister. Her smile faltered, her lips curled downwards, she wrinkled her nose, and her gaze turned away with a hint of resentment.
"Brother, my dear brother," the last part could actually be omitted.
Gu Mengzhu turned around to hide her expression, but what she saw instead left her speechless.
"What are you looking at? Your eyes are wide open."
She turned her head back, pointed, and asked in astonishment:
"Weren't they a couple? But now, again—"
She stammered, unable to finish her sentence; the complexities of interpersonal relationships made it difficult for her to speak. Lu Guangzhen peeked over, then, unsurprised, began:
"Oh, it's nothing, it's normal. A lot of people find partners on set, and if they hit it off, they become casual lovers. Today they're a pair of wild lovers, tomorrow they're a pair of mountain phoenixes, it's perfectly normal."
He chewed on the pickled vegetable shreds, savored the flavor, then took a bite of the baiji bun, munching away with gusto. After a long while, he finally replied:
"Do you think couples in film crews come together like this? Isn't this how they come together? Whether they're young or old, they endure this day after day, year after year, passing through day and night. How can they not feel lonely? It's a matter of mutual attraction and consent. What's moral or immoral about it? Besides, don't construction workers do the same thing? We're all just ordinary people. The line between reason and emotion is very thin. We can't be saints."
“Lu, you tell her, am I right?”
Xu Zhilu was so hungry that she kept stuffing roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) and pickled vegetables into her mouth without lifting her head. She just kept chewing her food, nodding and making "uh-huh" sounds in response.
"Slow down, slow down! How can such a little person stuff so much food? Slow down! The steamed bun won't run away. What if you get a stomachache if you eat so fast? Hey, slow down!"
Lu Guangzhen patted her back, and she choked for a moment before struggling to swallow the food, wiping away her tears as she ate in small bites. After confirming she was alright, he turned to her and asked:
"Hey Meng, do you have any little lovers around here?"
Gu Mengzhu blushed instantly and replied in a high-pitched voice:
"No, no, brother, you're talking nonsense!"
"Hehe, don't fool your big brother! The guy you're with every day, who else could he be but your lover?"
"They are my roommates and friends!"
Xu Zhilu seized the opportunity to interject:
"No, no, it's the 'yuan' in mandarin ducks, the pretty one."
"Pretty? That won't do! It'll attract unwanted attention!"
"The male mandarin duck really does just pat its rear and leave, probably because it has beautiful feathers."
"I knew it!"
She stared at the two people in front of her with a dark expression, wondering what they were even talking about!
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they patted their round bellies and closed their eyes to bask in the sliver of sunlight filtering through the clouds. Qi Yaoguang's film crew had also taken a break, and he came over with his lunchbox to look for someone. Xu Zhilu, with her sharp eyes, spotted him quickly, and upon recognizing him, her face changed as if she had seen a demon. She quickly got up and dusted herself off.
"Sis, I have something to do, I'll be going now."
"I'm leaving too, I'm leaving too. I can't stay on set for long if there's no work."
The two ran off so fast she couldn't even get a word in edgewise. Qi Yaoguang glanced at the fleeing couple, then took the opportunity to sit down and squeeze closer to her. Seeing how quickly they moved away, Gu Mengzhu sensed something was amiss, glanced at someone, and pointed it out:
"I've noticed that those who are close to me don't have a good relationship with you."
He raised his head and snorted:
Why?
"His character is terrible."
Qi Yaoguang ignored her sarcasm and lowered his head to eat. She opened the leftover styrofoam container, inside which was a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) wrapped in a napkin, and nudged the person next to her with her elbow:
"Want some? It's a bit cold, though."
"Who gave it to you?"
He reached out to take it, but pulled his hand back after hearing the reply.
"I'm not eating, I'm on a diet."
Gu Mengzhu closed the lunchbox with a puzzled look, then opened it again and started eating the steamed bun, which infuriated him.
"Are people this strict about being on camera these days? You're not even fat."
"Um."
"But it's a good thing, it proves you're about to make it big! IKEA (now) even has strict requirements for directors!"
"Hey, do you think I'll be successful in the future?"
Qi Yaoguang put down his chopsticks and looked at her with a serious expression, as if he cared a lot about her answer.
"Just kidding. I'd be grateful if they debuted in the morning and retired in the afternoon."
Why?
"Please." She waved the steamed bun in her hand at him, as if he were less intelligent than it. "Think about what those news reports say about you. You're a womanizer, talentless, immoral, can't sing, and can't act." (Can't—can't do it)
"Wow, do you have to resort to such personal attacks?"
"What? I'm just stating the facts, and you call that an attack?"
He lowered his head and listlessly picked at the food in his lunchbox.
"What did those news reports say about me?"
Gu Mengzhu was somewhat surprised:
"Oh, you don't even watch it?"
"How would I know what you're reading? You don't even know I'm a gambler."
Seemingly sensing that the person beside her was somewhat subdued, she raised the steamed bun and waved it upwards:
"Who cares, it's not important, none of it matters anymore! But it would be best if you became successful, earning more money so I could collect more interest and achieve financial freedom sooner."
"You think you can achieve financial freedom with just tens of thousands of dollars? You're dreaming."
He put the boxed lunch aside, stretched out his long legs, supported himself on the ground with both hands, and looked up at the sky.
"What can we do? Buy a lottery ticket? But even if we do, I won't win."
"Oh dear!" She patted his back with her free hand. "You'd better get rich soon, life is so hard when you're broke."
"Oh, well then, it's better to wait until later to become successful."
Why?
"I feel uncomfortable all over when you're happy."
"Wow, what kind of person is this?!"
She glared at the man, cursing through gritted teeth, then took another big bite of her roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). Qi Yaoguang held out his hand:
"Give me?"
"what?"
"I want to eat."
"Didn't you just say you were going on a diet? Also, I've already eaten! I'm drooling!"
"I don't care, I'm hungry, give it to me."
Gu Mengzhu snorted and reluctantly handed it over. He smiled, grabbed the steamed bun, and started eating it in large bites.
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