Unfair
When Lin Jingming and Xia Zhitang appeared in the dining room one after another, the meal was already served on the large table.
The village chief glanced at Xia Zhitang, the only woman in the dining room, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Lin Jingming seemed not to notice the village chief's gaze and pulled Xia Zhitang over to sit.
The village chief's wife placed a small glass wine glass in front of everyone. When it was Xia Zhitang's turn, she hesitated.
Lin Jingming raised his hand: "My hand is injured, I can't drink."
The village chief's wife nodded with a look of relief: "It's time to improve yourself."
In the first round of toasts, Lin Jingming drank a glass out of courtesy, and then refused the next round of drinks on the grounds that he had a filming going on.
The assistant was able to read the mood and drank a few glasses with the village chief. Section Chief Li interrupted and said he had something to do in the afternoon, so the banquet was stopped.
Xia Zhitang looked around and found that except for the little boy, all the other men in the village chief's family came out to accompany the guests for dinner. The village chief's wife appeared briefly when the dishes were being served and the bowls and chopsticks were being set.
At a large square table, there was only one woman, Xia Zhitang.
She looked at the chicken, duck and a few farm dishes on the table and couldn't help feeling a little uninterested.
Seeing this, Lin Jingming picked up a chicken wing for her.
The village chief looked at Lin Jingming with some displeasure, but he didn't dare to say anything because he looked like a nobleman from the city.
The cameramen on the set were quite happy with the food: "The chicken and duck are delicious. Are they wild?"
The village chief finally found a topic he could talk about: "Yes, free-range chickens and ducks raised in the stream, if they taste good, then let's eat them."
Everyone started discussing the local ecology and cooking, and the atmosphere became lively again.
After dinner, the village chief’s wife and two daughters came to clean up the dishes. Xia Zhitang wanted to help but was stopped by Lin Jingming.
"We're going to shoot soon, let's check the equipment."
Going to a deserted corner, Lin Jingming straightened Xia Zhitang's shoulders and said to her, "I know you feel a little uncomfortable facing this gap, but don't let them see it, okay?"
"Lin Jingming, I can't do anything." Xia Zhitang felt that as a woman, she had to watch helplessly but couldn't say anything, which was really uncomfortable.
"How can you not do that?" Lin Jingming looked at her with a smile. "You sit at the main table, and the village chief can't say anything. Your presence is a challenge to their authority."
"I want to shoot, and I also want to direct." Xia Zhitang understood what Lin Jingming meant, and put forward his own request somewhat capriciously.
"Okay, I'll give you the command this afternoon. Walk the streets and let everyone here see how powerful women can be."
The villagers were very curious about the huge camera crew and their cameras and equipment.
What is even more surprising is that a woman wearing a plaster bandage was standing at the front directing a man holding high-tech equipment!
Even the village chief had to stand behind her and cooperate with her orders.
This matter spread throughout the village in an instant. Erniu pulled her sister aside and couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.
"Sister, what are you laughing at?" The younger sister looked at Erniu curiously.
"Erniu, do you know them?" The auntie who was watching the fun next door remembered that Erniu was brought back by them, and immediately came over to ask her.
"Who is that woman in the front with her hands tied?" Second Aunt, who is related to Erniu's family, spoke first, relying on her familiarity with Erniu. "Oh, she looks so proud! Look, the village chief is busy following her!"
"That's right. Look at the cowardly look of the village chief. Oh, I'm so happy." Aunt Shi, who doesn't get along well with the village chief, looked at the scene in front of her with gloating.
An old man nearby tapped his pipe and interrupted the women: "How disgraceful! A girl riding on a man's neck! This is a mess, it's all a mess."
The old man's words made the group of aunts around him who were over 40 years old unhappy. Anyway, he was not their own man, so they united unprecedentedly at this moment.
"Then go and talk about it. Look at the officials, they don't say anything. Why don't you take a dip in some yellow soup and look at your own appearance?"
"That's it. If you have the ability, go up and talk to them."
"I just want to bask in the sun here."
The old man was alone and helpless, and was provoked by the fierce fighting aunts' words and ran away: "I can't explain it to you, we are all women."
"What are you so arrogant about? I can't even explain it in words." Aunt Shi snorted at the old man's back, as arrogant as if she was the one standing in front giving orders.
The village chief felt a little helpless. He thought Lin Jingming was the center of the team, but after dinner, he used the excuse of being tired to let his wife take charge.
He had to follow his wife around and be ordered around by her, but Li Ke looked calm and did not raise any objections.
He glanced at the male reporters holding the square boxes and felt that they were really cowards who did whatever their wives told them to do.
The village chief just felt that this mission was a bit depressing. He could even imagine how the villagers would laugh at him.
Although the village chief was filled with resentment, he did not dare to show it outwardly. After all, they were really willing to spend the money.
When he thought about secretly opening the red papers in the red envelopes in his room, he couldn't help but feel happy, all for the sake of making money.
After walking around the village and photographing the "new look of grassroots rural areas," Li Ke suggested going to the homes of high school students to take photos.
Finally, filming for the day's highlight began. Lin Jingming took over command and dispatch, and brought back the cameras that had been deployed to shoot the aerial footage. The group headed towards the "intellectual" family in a mighty procession.
In the home of a male high school student, Xia Zhitang saw two young girls as soon as he entered the door, one was sweeping the floor in the hall, and the other was sitting at the door breaking corn.
The high school student was sitting at a shabby desk reviewing his homework, except for Li Ke saying a few polite words to encourage the student.
Xia Zhitang remained silent. She was suddenly reminded of the master in "Raise the Red Lantern" who never showed his face from beginning to end but was everywhere.
After interviewing the two male high school students, Section Chief Li suggested going to Erniu's house to film.
"Oh, it's not like you can get into this girls' high school just by passing the entrance exam." The village chief was a little reluctant.
"That's not the point. The girls' high school is also a school recognized by the county." Li Ke was not happy to hear this. "Your idea is not acceptable."
After some negotiation, the village chief led everyone to Erniu's house.
At this time, Erniu's family was busy. Erniu was cutting vegetable leaves to feed the pigs at the door, and Erniu's sister was helping her mother feed the chicks.
Erniu's grandmother was frightened by the scene and kept muttering, "Oh, there's no man at home now, how can I entertain you?"
She grabbed Erniu and said, "Go and call your uncle to come over and entertain us."
"Ah, grandma, they are here to interview me, I'm a high school student." Erniu was a little reluctant, "Why are you calling me Second Uncle? They are not looking for my Second Uncle."
"Go find him quickly." Erniu's grandmother slapped Erniu on the forehead.
"Sanniu, go get your second uncle to spread the news." Erniu's mother shrank her head and whispered, "The village chief and the reporters are all spreading the news."
Erniu's grandmother glared at Erniu's mother and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why are you setting off fireworks now?"
Erniu's mother lowered her head and said nothing. Erniu's grandmother was so angry at the other person's weak appearance that she turned around and went back to the house.
Xia Zhitang smiled at Erniu soothingly, but his hand secretly grabbed the hem of Lin Jingming's clothes.
Lin Jingming held Xia Zhitang's hand with his backhand and squeezed it gently. Xia Zhitang lowered his eyes and broke free.
Erniu's second uncle ran over panting. The assistant understood and stepped forward, leading the second uncle and the village chief to chat aside.
Li Ke followed him. He glanced at the sky and said, "Oh, it's almost time for dinner. Why don't we eat here today?"
The assistant immediately took out a red envelope and handed it to Erniu's mother: "Sister-in-law, we don't eat for free, please accept the labor fee."
The village chief's eyes were glued to the red envelope: "Hey, just come to my house to eat, no need to trouble Erlangzi's family."
"It's not that I can't bear to see my sister-in-law too tired. We have to eat at your house tomorrow." Li Ke patted the village chief's shoulder.
Erniu's mother was a little embarrassed and wanted to refuse: "Don't bother, it's not a big deal to raise one at home."
"This is the rule in the city." The assistant threw the red envelope into Erniu's mother's arms without saying a word.
Erniu's uncle wanted to approach him, but the assistant grabbed his shoulder and said, "Hey, you need to explain to me how it is possible for your family to have a high school girl. It's so rare. We need to set an example for the kids to learn from."
"That's right. There are only three high school students in the entire village. We still have to work hard." Section Chief Li nodded in agreement.
On the other side, the camera team followed Erniu, filming her cutting vegetables to feed the pigs, taking clothes to the stream to wash and then coming back to dry them, and then going to the kitchen to light the fire and help kill chickens and geese.
In this home, there seemed to be endless work waiting for Erniu. On the peeling wall, a few photos of Erniu's brother were stuck crookedly.
Erniu's grandmother saw Xia Zhitang standing in the living room looking at the award certificate posted above, and proudly came over to talk to Xia Zhitang: "My grandson is a college student, and our family will depend on him in the future."
"Where did you go to college?"
"In the city."
"Erniu can pass the exam in the future, and they can support the family together." Xia Zhitang just felt it was a pity. On the wall were all the awards that Erniu's brother had received as a Labor Star when he was in elementary school, but there were none for the two girls.
"What's the point of a girl reading so many books? She's still someone else's kid." Erniu's grandmother said with some disdain, lowering her voice to mutter, "She's better off than the girl next door. She should get married soon and earn some money to support the family."
Xia Zhitang didn't respond, but when Erniu brought the dishes up, he took her hand and said, "Sit next to me. I have something to ask you."
Lin Jingming looked at Xia Zhitang and couldn't help laughing.
The assistant who was originally sitting on Xia Zhitang's left immediately jumped up, grabbed a stool and found another place to sit.
Erniu looked at the big table in front of her and suddenly felt that this place was not as far away as she had imagined.
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