Cheng Yaoyao stumbled after being bumped by Liu Yue, and her shoulder hurt. Before she could say anything, Liu Yue suddenly glared at her, her eyes red from crying and filled with hatred: "It's you! You told the director!"
Cheng Yaoyao was at a loss: "What did I say? I didn't say anything!"
Liu Yue didn't care, and her anger found an outlet in Cheng Yaoyao. Cheng Yaoyao's beautiful face, delicate skin, and the pure innocence in his peach blossom eyes made her eyes bleed: "You still say it's not you! I knew you were not so kind to keep a secret for me. You stayed up late at night and stood guard at the door just to get something on me, right? You thought that if you kicked me out of the crew, you could..."
The director walked to the door and shouted, "You don't respect yourself, and you blame others! Leave the crew immediately. I will report this matter to your leader!"
Being selected by Director Rong was a chance to rise to the top. If she offended Director Rong, she would probably never be able to make it in this industry again. Liu Yue glared at Cheng Yaoyao fiercely, but she didn't dare to act in front of Director Rong, so she covered her face and ran away crying.
Many people appeared in the long corridor behind Liu Yue, pointing and talking at Liu Yue's back. Cheng Yaoyao also understood the whole story from a few words.
Liu Yue recently made some "friends" with good family backgrounds. She repeatedly violated the curfew and went out with them until midnight, smelling of alcohol. She followed these friends to many high-end restaurants and even to a "salon dance" that had recently emerged and was full of capitalist atmosphere.
Liu Yue thought that if she left the crew, no one would find out what she had done, but some leaders in the crew also had the opportunity to go in and out of such occasions. She thought she had kept it a secret, but in fact, someone had already reported it to Director Rong.
Director Rong actually does not forbid young actors from talking about dating, but Liu Yue went out for social events and played until late at night every day, which distracted her attention during filming. She couldn't even recite her lines these past two days.
Director Rong was furious, and since Liu Yue had almost finished filming her scenes, he cut all of her remaining scenes and fired her from the crew.
Director Rong said: "Yaoyao, I didn't scare you, did I?"
Cheng Yaoyao didn't take the little incident seriously. She followed Director Rong into the office and took out two bottles of baldness butter and placed them in front of Director Rong: "This is for you."
"This packaging is very artistic." Director Rong was overjoyed and picked up a bottle of butter to examine it carefully. "The calligraphy is nice, and the painting..."
Cheng Yaoyao hurriedly asked, "How about this painting?"
Director Rong dragged out the last syllable of his words, and in Cheng Yaoyao's eyes full of expectation, he changed his words abruptly: "The painting is not bad, it's very interesting."
"It's just so-so!" Cheng Yaoyao smiled, unable to hide the pride on his little face.
Director Rong's vision and aesthetics are beyond doubt. Since the packaging of the butter caught Director Rong's eye, it must be very good. Cheng Yaoyao was relieved and prepared to let Sister Meng start producing the packaging in large quantities.
As Cheng Yaoyao's first major client, Director Rong gave her strong support and placed her first large order: "A group of distinguished guests will come in a few days, and I was worried that I wouldn't have any good gifts to give them. This bald butter is very good."
Director Rong ordered 100 bottles of Bald Butter. Cheng Yaoyao and Sister Meng both attached great importance to this first business deal.
Cheng Yaoyao taught Li Xiuzhen and the other two how to make the butter, but Cheng Yaoyao prepared the seasoning recipe in advance. After Li Xiuzhen and the other two practiced repeatedly, the taste of the butter they made was almost the same as Cheng Yaoyao's.
Li Xiuzhen and the other two worked overtime to make the butter, and with the 50 kilograms they had made earlier, they finally made 100 bottles of butter on the day Director Rong invited them. Director Rong was very straightforward and paid in cash without even counting the change, saying that he wanted to give Cheng Yaoyao a good start. - Anyway, the money could be paid in the public account.
Cheng Yaoyao and Sister Meng closed the door at night and excitedly counted the money. Cheng Yaoyao stopped, while Sister Meng counted the money over and over again, so excited that she couldn't believe her eyes.
Sister Meng kept muttering: "Such a lot of money, such a lot of money! Yaoyao, I will go to the dock tomorrow to find Grandpa Ah Fu and ask him to buy us more crabs!"
Cheng Yaoyao propped up his chin and said, "It's too troublesome to make this butter. There are only three of us to pick crabs. You see, Sister Xiuzhen and the other two are so tired these days that their hands are all pierced."
Sister Meng tasted the sweetness of making money and said, "At worst, we can give them more labor fees, or find a few more people to help!"
Cheng Yaoyao said: "One more person brings more risks. It is too difficult and too slow to make money from bald butter alone. Moreover, bald butter is too expensive and not everyone is willing to buy it. We have to develop something and do it quickly, and it is ordinary. Something people can consume.”
Sister Meng looked at the big mess on the bed and obeyed Cheng Yaoyao's orders: "What do you say? I'll do it with you!"
Cheng Yaoyao snapped his fingers and said slowly: "Increase the number of products."
Lin'an County. A large red list was posted on the wall of a textile factory. Many young girls and their families crowded below it, anxiously and nervously looking for their names.
Xie Fei stood behind the crowd, biting her finger and said, "Brother, brother, did you see my name?"
The young man in the black coat was much taller than the others, and his broad and straight back swayed in the crowd. From the first photo to the last, Xie Fei became more and more nervous, and the hope in his heart became more and more slim.
She shouldn't have expected that. As a descendant of a landlord family, she could now have enough food and clothing, which was something she could not have imagined in the past. Why did she let her brother worry so much about her... Xie Fei felt more and more uncomfortable as she thought about it, and her head drooped deeply.
A big hand was placed on her head, and her brother's steady voice echoed above her head: "You are on top."
"Really?!" Xie Fei immediately raised her head and saw the faint smile on her brother's face through the blurry tears. She was so excited that her cheeks turned red: "Did I really pass the exam? Brother, did you see it wrong? Is he someone with the same name as me..."
Xie Zhao said gently, "You will be right. You have passed the political review and can come to work after the New Year."
Xie Fei was so excited that she couldn't express it in words. She had been oppressed by her status as one of the "five black categories" since she was a child. She couldn't even think about going to school, and her brother and grandmother were worried about her going to work. Now she finally had a job and could earn some money to help her brother!
Xie Fei was a worried little girl. She had been worried about failing the exam these days, but she didn't dare to tell her family, fearing that her grandmother and brother would worry too. Now she could breathe a sigh of relief, and she kept telling Xie Zhao how worried she was during the exam.
Xie Zhao listened with a smile. This job took him a lot of effort, but seeing his sister so happy, it was worth it even if he spent twice as much. He said, "Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you."
"I have everything. Before Sister Yaoyao left for Suzhou, she left me two coats, saying that I could wear them to work." Xie Fei followed her brother briskly, "Brother, take me to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some needles and threads, so that I can make the fabrics that Sister Yaoyao sent me."
Xie Fei kept talking about Cheng Yaoyao. Xie Zhao slowed down his pace and took Xie Fei to the supply and marketing cooperative. He then told her, "I'm going to the post office. Don't run around."
Xie Fei smiled slyly and said, "Brother, are you calling Sister Yaoyao again?"
Xie Zhao tapped her forehead, turned and left.
The screenwriter answered the phone again. He lamented that he had nothing to do in the office and wanted to find someone to entertain him: "Xiao Xie, you called Yaoyao again? You're almost like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl these days."
Xie Zhao said politely, "Is Yaoyao here?"
The screenwriter said, "Yaoyao has gone out. Do you have anything to tell her?"
"No need." Xie Zhao pursed his lips and put down the phone.
Suddenly, a voice came from the microphone: "Wait! Yaoyao doesn't seem to have left yet! Let me ask for you!"
Xie Zhao's heart swelled up again like a swing. He put the receiver to his ear, and the waiting process was short and long. The sound of electricity came from the phone, and Xie Zhao's fingers tapped lightly on the wooden board next to the phone.
Finally, there was a burst of noise from the other end of the phone, and the sound of soft, sweet breathing was very rapid, as if someone was running.
The swing swayed again and swung up to a high place.
Xie Zhao's throat was dry and he was speechless for a moment. He opened his mouth with a hoarse voice: "I miss you."
As soon as these words came out, my longing for you surged out like a tide.
“……”There was no sound on the other end of the phone.
Xie Zhaolue called out again hurriedly: "Sister. I'm sorry for what happened last time."
Xie Zhao felt that he was simply stupid. Why did he use separation to verify Cheng Yaoyao's love for him? Why did he use separation to make Cheng Yaoyao learn his lesson? He could no longer control himself when he heard the breathing sound coming from the microphone. It seemed that there was a gap in his heart. He needed to hug Cheng Yaoyao tightly in his arms to feel complete.
Xie Zhao called out again: "Sister, are you still angry?"
After a brief silence, a voice burst out from the microphone: "No!"
Xie Zhao was stunned. The voice in the microphone was a little far away. He shouted angrily, "You are not allowed to eavesdrop! Get out!"
Xie Zhao: “…”
The guy was in a state of panic for a while before the microphone was picked up again.
Along with the sound of electric current, a familiar, coquettish voice rang out: "Hum!"
Xie Zhao's heart was bewildered.
Xie Zhao held the phone tightly, eager to hear more from the person on the other end of the line. Cheng Yaoyao remained silent.
This was awkward again. Xie Zhao could only coax her softly: "Sister? Yaoyao? What I just said... was sincere, did you hear it?"
"I heard it, I heard it!" Cheng Yaoyao yelled in anger, but his voice became soft again, revealing an unconscious coquettishness, "The whole crew heard it, now you are going to be laughed to death!"
Xie Zhao was calm and said, "I love my sister, I am not afraid of being laughed at."
"You...you're being so smooth-talking over the phone!" Cheng Yaoyao said angrily, "Didn't you want to break up with me?"
Xie Zhao's knees weakened when he heard this, and he tried to coax her: "Don't break up! I am the one who deserves to die. I shouldn't have made my sister angry."
Xie Zhao coaxed her with kind words, and finally asked tentatively: "Sister, are you still there?"
Cheng Yaoyao hummed. Xie Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. Talking to Cheng Yaoyao on the phone was like teasing a kitten hidden in a box. No matter how he teased or coaxed it, the kitten's thoughts were still hard to figure out.
Xie Zhao picked up a topic that interested her and said, "Xiao Fei was admitted to the textile factory."
"I know she will definitely pass the exam." Cheng Yaoyao didn't look very surprised.
Xie Zhao added: "Grandma said she was going to make you a new sweater. I wonder if you have gained weight or lost weight recently."
"I'm not fat!" Cheng Yaoyao was excited, "I'm still as thin as last time. I told grandma that I want a looser style."
Xie Zhao said, "Grandma said that if you come back to choose, it will be ready before the New Year, just in time for the New Year. When will you come back?"
"..." Cheng Yaoyao fell silent again.
Xie Zhao thought she was angry again and asked gently, "Sister?"
Cheng Yaoyao's voice suddenly became sweet and soft: "Actually... the sweater grandma knitted for me last time is still new, so I don't need to wear a new sweater."
Xie Zhao said: "When you finish filming, I will pick you up."
Cheng Yaoyao said cheerfully, "How's things going at home lately? Has Jianjian gained some weight? Has the chicken started laying eggs? Are you...are you still driving the tractor lately?"
This was a rather clumsy way of talking. Xie Zhao slowly narrowed his eyes.
…
Cheng Yaoyao's small business has added several products: drunken crabs, pickled mud snails, shrimp oil, and fried shrimps.
Drunken crabs are also high-end products, costing eight yuan per can, but the production method is much simpler. Li Xiuzhen and her two friends can make hundreds of kilograms a day. Pickled mud snails are very cheap, and poor people often buy them to go with their meals. But it is only with such cheap things that one can see the skill. The pickled mud snails made by Cheng Yaoyao are salty and delicious, without any mud smell. Even if they are sold at a dime higher than the market price, they can still make a profit. Shrimp oil and fried shrimps can be used to cook two dishes with one shrimp, and the cost is much lower.
In the kitchen, a large basin of crabs with roe were chopped into large pieces and immersed in the prepared wine. Cheng Yaoyao instructed: "It will take six hours for the flavor to absorb. When canning, make sure the crabs are covered by the sauce."
Li Xiuzhen and the other two stood by, carefully watching every step of Cheng Yaoyao's production. When they heard this, they nodded quickly: "I understand."
Cheng Yaoyao carefully washed his hands. His hands were slender, soft, and white as fresh snow. He didn't look like a cook at all. He raised his wet hands and a clean towel was immediately handed over. Li Xiuzhen asked, "Do I need to turn them over during the soaking process?"
Cheng Yaoyao wiped his hands and said, "Turn it over once every two hours."
Li Xiuzhen's lips moved silently, and she took it seriously in her heart.
Cheng Yaoyao smiled. These days, she never avoided people when she was making butter or other food in the kitchen, and she knew that Li Xiuzhen and others had been learning quietly. An outsider told her that famous chefs in the past were not afraid of being watched or of people stealing their skills, whether they were cooking red or white dishes. The only secrets they kept were the soup and the recipe.
The recipes and proportions of the seasonings for the butter and drunken crabs were all in her hands, so Cheng Yaoyao was not afraid of them learning. Even if they mastered the recipes, they couldn't make the dishes taste exactly the same as hers. She still had this bit of confidence.
Cheng Yaoyao had to stay on the set most of the time. She could only mix the seasonings in proportion in advance, and the rest of the production was up to the three sisters Li Xiuzhen, while the responsibility of sales fell on Sister Meng.
Every day, Sister Meng reported everything to Cheng Yaoyao meticulously, and then gave her the share of the profits that belonged to Cheng Yaoyao. In just half a month, Sister Meng earned more than 500 yuan. If possible, she would rather film with Cheng Yaoyao for the rest of her life!
However, things did not go as planned, and "Tiao Tiao" was finally finished. Cheng Yaoyao and Sister Meng, the business partners, also had to go their separate ways. Sister Meng had to accept this reality no matter how reluctant she was. The money she made with Cheng Yaoyao was enough for her family to live on for several years. Thinking of this, Sister Meng's mood also calmed down a lot.
Meng settled the payment with Li Xiuzhen, and sold the remaining goods to Li Xiuzhen at the cost price plus a 20% profit. She reported the money she made during this period to Cheng Yaoyao, and the two of them divided the money.
The next day after the crew had their farewell dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Meng, who is also from Shanghai, met Director Rong at the door of the crew with her luggage.
Director Rong said: "Wait, there is still one person missing."
Sister Meng looked up and saw Cheng Yaoyao coming over with a suitcase.
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