Lin'an is a small town where trains from Yuncheng to the province stop briefly. There are small bushes and reeds on both sides of the railway tracks at the train station. It is late autumn now, and the white cotton wool of the reeds is flying in the wind.
Whenever a train came by with its whistle blaring, villagers from nearby suburbs would swarm around the train windows with baskets or small wooden basins to solicit business: "Hot tea eggs, 1 cent each!" "Five-spice peanuts, boiled edamame!" "Fresh water chestnuts and cantaloupe!"
The journey on the long-distance train was long and boring, and most people would spend a dime to buy a handful of melon seeds or water chestnuts to chew on, which they could eat all the way to Niangzi Pass. Sometimes the inspection team would come to arrest people, but the battle-hardened villagers would collect their baskets, flee in all directions, and blend into the tourists, leaving the inspection team helpless.
Today's weather is fine, and the dried reeds give off a pleasant smell. This morning's train was very unpopular, and it only stayed at the station for half an hour. The staff first put the equipment and luggage on the train, and Chen Yong and other officials from the Cultural Center were greeting Director Rong and saying goodbye.
Director Rong was smiling. Chen Yong played a big role in getting Cheng Yaoyao, the protagonist, and he was very nice to him. "We were able to find Shen Jiqiu smoothly this time, thanks to Director Chen's hard work."
"Of course, of course!" Chen Yong rubbed his hands excitedly. Director Rong was a national-level director. One word from him was more effective than Chen Yong's ten years of hard work! Cheng Yaoyao was really his benefactor. He first saved his wife, and now he has done such a great deed for him!
Chen Yong was truly grateful to Cheng Yaoyao. After careful consideration, he said to Director Rong, "Director Rong, Yaoyao grew up in a wealthy family and is sometimes a bit temperamental. Please bear with her. If she were in the crew..."
Director Rong laughed: "She was chosen by me personally, how can I let her suffer a loss?"
Chen Yong smiled cautiously: "Another thing is that Yaoyao is too good-looking, which makes her prone to getting into trouble."
Director Rong narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Yong. After Chen Yong was sweating profusely, he laughed: "What do you think my crew is? I, Rong Tian, have been in this industry for more than ten years, and no one has ever dared to put their hands in my crew."
Chen Yong wiped his sweat. He said this with a stiff upper lip. If Director Rong was unhappy, his future might be ruined. But Cheng Yaoyao had saved his wife and children, and he went to film to help him. If Cheng Yaoyao got into trouble on the set, he would never be able to live with his conscience, and his wife would never forgive him.
Director Rong patted Chen Yong on the shoulder and became more accommodating to him: "Don't worry, I will bring her back the same way I took her away! Someone has already come to negotiate the terms with me."
Chen Yong asked blankly, "Who?"
Director Rong smiled but said nothing, narrowing his eyes as he watched a couple talking by the railway track. Since arriving at the train station, Cheng Yaoyao had been hiding aside with Xie Zhao, with endless things to say.
Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao were just standing face to face, but the atmosphere was unconcealable. Chen Yong was an experienced person, and he was worried about Cheng Yaoyao when he saw this scene. He hadn't even joined the group yet, and it would be bad if someone spread something. He hurriedly said, "I'll go get Yaoyao to get in the car."
"No hurry." Director Rong stopped him and smiled and sighed: "It's good to be young."
A very beautiful young couple. The young man is tall and handsome, and the girl is beautiful and delicate. The background is swaying reeds, with fluff flying all over the sky, and in the distance is a light blue sky that is almost transparent.
A very suitable scene for the camera.
"Look at the camera!" Xiao Pu shouted and raised the camera to point it at them.
Xie Zhao and Cheng Yaoyao heard the sound and looked over, and with a click, they captured this scene on the film.
Cheng Yaoyao raised his hands to cover his eyes and shouted at Xiao Pu: "Why are you taking photos again!"
Xiao Pu ran away with his camera in hand, laughing, and went to take pictures of a group of children playing by the railway tracks. The scenery of the Jiangnan water village made this city youth linger and take pictures non-stop.
Cheng Yaoyao snorted, and Xie Zhao grabbed her hand: "Don't rub your eyes."
Cheng Yaoyao was wearing a bright red thick-knit sweater today. Her long black hair was braided into a loose braid and hung down her shoulders, which set off her fair skin against the red dress, making her look exceptionally bright.
She looked up at Xie Zhao and said in a very coquettish tone: "The jar of sweet-scented osmanthus honey I preserved is for grandma. You must remind grandma to drink it every day."
"If you see a stubborn one, stay away from it and don't let it bite you again."
"Also... don't talk to the baldy! If I find out, you're dead."
Xie Zhao looked at her deeply, with a hint of a smile in his eyes: "You said it all last night."
Hearing him mention last night, Cheng Yaoyao's cheeks became hot, and he turned away, not daring to look at Xie Zhao, and hummed, "I'm just helping you consolidate your memory!"
Xie Zhao said slowly, "I remember it very clearly, not missing a single detail."
His magnetic voice was low, like the heavy breathing in his ear last night. Cheng Yaoyao was woken up last night, and he remembered everything clearly, and he couldn't forget it even if he wanted to.
Cheng Yaoyao was so angry that he said, "I'm about to leave, and you don't have anything serious to say?"
Xie Zhao said seriously: "Repeat what I told you."
Cheng Yaoyao's face fell as he repeated what he had memorized: "Follow the crew closely on the road and don't be left alone. Keep your things with you and don't show off your wealth. Control your temper and don't argue with others. I'll send you a telegram as soon as I arrive in Suzhou..."
"Call the fertilizer factory," Xie Zhaozhen said. "I'll go there and wait every day."
Cheng Yaoyao deliberately said, "I have to make phone calls every day, and long-distance calls are very expensive. ...Why are you glaring at me so fiercely?"
"I'm not glaring at you." Xie Zhao said, "You must call me. Call me when you're settled."
Cheng Yaoyao became happy again, twisting her hair with her fingers, and raised her chin proudly: "That depends on whether I like it or not."
Xie Zhao's fingers moved. People were coming and going beside him, and many eyes were on Cheng Yaoyao. He restrained himself by clenching his fingers and said only one sentence: "Be careful on the road."
These were not what Cheng Yaoyao wanted to hear: "You have already said this."
Xie Zhao said again: "Be good."
"...... Humph!" Cheng Yaoyao turned his face away unhappily, leaving Xie Zhao with only a picturesque profile. A teardrop mole was glittering under his eye, adding an infinite touch of charm.
He wanted to let such a delicate girl go.
In the distance, a little girl in a blue shirt was carrying a basket. Her sweet voice was carried by the wind: "Water chestnuts, freshly cooked sweet water chestnuts——"
Cheng Yaoyao was surprised: "There are water chestnuts so early? We used to eat them in winter."
"Do you want to eat? I'll go buy some." Xie Zhao suddenly asked, and walked towards the girl without waiting for Cheng Yaoyao to speak. He was afraid that if he looked at Cheng Yaoyao again, he would be unable to resist hugging her in public and never let her go.
Looking at his tall back, Cheng Yaoyao stamped her feet in anger. Who wants to eat water chestnuts? She was about to leave, and Xie Zhao didn't even say a few nice words!
"Beep——" the whistle sounded sharply.
The conductor shouted, "The train is moving, hurry up and get on if you haven't gotten on yet!"
Director Rong called out to Cheng Yaoyao, "Yaoyao, get in the car!"
Cheng Yaoyao said: "But Xie Zhao..."
Chen Yong pushed Cheng Yaoyao into the car: "Oh, it's too late, hurry up and get in the car!"
Cheng Yaoyao kept looking back. Xie Zhao had his back to this side and was talking to the little girl. The conductor helped Cheng Yaoyao up attentively, and the door was closed immediately after Cheng Yaoyao got on the train.
The carriage was about 50% full, and most of the passengers were chatting or eating the spiced peanuts they had just bought. When a cute figure in bright red appeared in the carriage, the air suddenly became quiet for a moment, and all eyes were focused on Cheng Yaoyao.
A natural born protagonist.
Director Rong was pleased with his own vision, and with a smile he called out to Cheng Yaoyao, "Yaoyao, sit here."
It turned out that they had companions. Director Rong and his group were dressed in an unusual way, so the others calmed down a little, but their eyes were still on Cheng Yaoyao.
Cheng Yaoyao ignored him and ran to the window to look out. Xie Zhao turned around with a bag of water chestnuts in his hand and happened to meet Cheng Yaoyao's eyes. They were too far apart, so Cheng Yaoyao couldn't see his expression clearly and waved at him.
The train started moving slowly.
Xie Zhao ran over here. Having known Xie Zhao for so long, he had always been calm. This was the first time Cheng Yaoyao saw him running, his short black hair was blown by the wind, and his posture was as sturdy as a cheetah.
Cheng Yaoyao almost leaned his upper body out of the window and waved at him: "Xie Zhao!"
The passengers also looked out of the carriage and saw a handsome young man running after the train. Several water chestnuts jumped out of his arms and fell to the ground.
How could Xie Zhao's legs outrun the train? Cheng Yaoyao shouted, "Stop chasing him!"
Xie Zhao stared at her with his deep eyes, and opened his mouth to shout something, but the roar of the train drowned out his words. Xie Zhao was soon left behind by the train, becoming a small black dot in her sight.
Director Rong said: "Yaoyao, you are in danger, come back quickly."
Cheng Yaoyao still leaned against the window, looking back with reluctance. The train turned with a whoosh, and the scenery in his sight changed, and Xie Zhao's figure could no longer be seen.
"It's so dangerous, sit down." Makeup artist Sister Meng pulled Cheng Yaoyao and half coaxed and half persuaded her to sit down. She was the only woman in the crew, and the director asked her to take care of Cheng Yaoyao on the way.
Sister Meng is a woman, and seeing what happened to Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao just now, how could she not understand? Sister Meng considerately poured some hot water for her: "Drink some water, don't let it freeze after being exposed to the wind for so long."
"Thank you." Cheng Yaoyao warmed his hands with hot water and turned to look out the window.
The long journey was not comfortable. The train seats were hard and the smell in the carriage was foul. Cheng Yaoyao was petite and could not stand it even before the train had been running for half an hour.
Director Rong placed all the high-quality chocolates and snacks he brought from Shanghai in front of Cheng Yaoyao, but Cheng Yaoyao didn't eat a single bite.
At dinner time, the train attendant pushed the dining car to sell meals. A train meal cost 30 cents, no ticket required. A portion of fragrant and soft red braised pork was served with white rice, and the whole carriage was filled with the tempting aroma of red braised pork.
Cheng Yaoyao still didn't eat. His pretty little face was pale, and he leaned against the car window in a daze.
Director Rong was anxious: "Are you on a hunger strike? If you continue like this, I will take you back to the next stop!"
"Okay, I'm going home!" Cheng Yaoyao agreed immediately.
"..." Director Rong almost choked to death. He had spent so much effort to coax Cheng Yaoyao to come to film, so how could he let him go? He immediately persuaded her in a gentle voice: "Now that you are here, don't you want to go to Suzhou to see the world? The whole crew is ready in Suzhou, just waiting for you to go there to start work, you can't let her down, okay?"
Cheng Yaoyao's eyes, which had just lit up, dimmed again. She was no longer a child, and could see that the director was unwilling to let her go. Xie Zhao was not here either, and no one would tolerate her unreasonable behavior.
The secretary also advised: "The scenery in Suzhou is the best at this time of year. It would be great if you could go there and see it. When our crew has a holiday, I will take you to the Friendship Store!"
"Our crew has hired an old master who is waiting to make a cheongsam for you. With your figure, you will look so beautiful in a tailor-made cheongsam."
The secretary's words were so eloquent that Cheng Yaoyao finally regained some spirit. Sister Meng stuffed the chopsticks into Cheng Yaoyao's hand and said, "Come on, eat it while it's hot."
The braised pork was cooked soft and glutinous, and the sauce was poured on the rice, making it shiny. Before Cheng Yaoyao put the food into his mouth, the train shook. Cheng Yaoyao's stomach churned, and he immediately put down his chopsticks, covered his mouth and shook his head: "I... I can't eat it."
Director Rong was so anxious that he was getting angry, as if he was looking at an expensive and difficult to raise cat.
"Yaoyao!" Xiao Pu ran over excitedly with a bag of food in his hand across several carriages and placed it in front of Cheng Yaoyao, "Eat this!"
A handful of water chestnuts.
Cheng Yaoyao blinked, seemingly not reacting.
Xiao Pu wiped his sweat off his forehead and said as if he was presenting a treasure: "I looked for several carriages and bought it from someone else! Don't you want to eat this?... You, don't cry!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
