Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 765: Big cities like Shencheng and Yanjing are just bonsai of China. This is the real China.

Fang Minghua did not take the train but drove his Toyota SUV out of Xijing City early in the morning and headed northeast. He arrived at the bank of the Yellow River and crossed Fengling Ferry - the place where Guo Xiang first met Yang Guo in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and reached the territory of Jin Province.

We continued northeast along National Highway G209 until we arrived at Fenyang County around seven in the evening. We asked as we walked and finally stayed in a government guesthouse.

After getting up in the morning and eating a bowl of local snack, zhageda, Fang Minghua did not go out for a stroll. He and Jia Zhangke had agreed on the phone that they would both stay here.

Not long after, someone knocked on the door. Fang Minghua opened the door and saw several people standing at the door, led by Jia Zhangke.

"Come in." Fang Minghua greeted warmly.

The room in the guesthouse was not big, and with several people rushing in at once, it seemed a bit crowded.

There were not enough chairs, so some had to sit on the bed.

"Teacher Minghua, let me introduce you. This is Teacher Zhang Xi, who is the deputy director and also a teacher at Yandian." Jia Zhangke said, pointing to a man in his forties next to him.

Haha, it’s not easy.

A man in his forties was hanging out with a group of young people, and it seemed that he was also fond of Jia Zhangke.

The two shook hands warmly.

"This is sound engineer Lin Xiaoling," Jia Zhangke said, pointing to a girl in military uniform. "She's from the August 1st Film Studio."

"Art design, Liang Jingdong, teacher at the Shanxi Film Academy."

Jia Zhangke introduced the main creative staff of the crew one by one. Even though he is still a student who has not graduated, he knows quite a few people.

"This is my classmate Wang Hongwei, who also plays the role of Xiao Wu in the play." Fang Minghua said, pointing to a young man next to him.

Fang Minghua was delighted when he saw it.

He is short and thin, and looks a little funny in the oversized suit. He has hair parted in the middle and wears black-framed glasses - this is exactly the image of Xiao Wu in the movie.

Wang Hongwei was quite cheerful, speaking in a heavy Henan Mandarin accent, and shook hands with Fang Minghua enthusiastically, expressing his admiration for him, almost like a torrent of flowing water.
The actress who plays the heroine Hu Meimei in the movie is Zuo Wenlu, a student from the Model Class of the Film and Television Production and Performance Department of Yenching Normal University. She is from Northeast China and is estimated to be about 1.7 meters tall. There is an inexplicable contrast between her and the thin Wang Hongwei in the play.

"I'm late, I'm late." Suddenly, a man's voice with the local Fenyang accent came from outside the door.

As soon as the voice fell, the door was opened and a young man in a police uniform hurried in, followed by a young man in a bank uniform.

"I'm sorry, I asked for leave from my unit leader and it was just approved, so I rushed here." The policeman apologized and took out a pack of "Jinhua" from his pocket. He skillfully tore it open and distributed it to everyone.

When it was Fang Minghua's turn, he declined with a smile.

"Let me introduce him to you. He's Hao Hongjian, a police officer at the provincial prison. He plays the second male lead, the upstart Jin Xiaoyong," Jia Zhangke introduced immediately.

"This guy is An Qunyan, a cadre of our county's Construction Bank. He plays the role of the third male lead, the owner of a drugstore, even better. They are all my childhood friends."

"This is my first time acting in a movie, please bear with me. I have to give Zhang Ke face." Hao Hongjian said with a smile.

Compared to Hao Hongjian, who looked like a seasoned veteran, An Qunyan seemed to be more refined and courteous. After introducing each other, Jia Zhangke said, "Teacher Minghua, Lin Xiaoling, Zuo Wenlu and others are all visiting Fenyang County for the first time. How about we go out for a walk together and get familiar with the place?"

“Everyone agreed.

"Everyone, take my car." Hao Hongjian said immediately, "I'll take you around Fenyang. I know it better than Zhang Ke."

When everyone went out, they saw a van parked in the yard of the guesthouse with police lights installed on it. It turned out that Hao Hongjian had driven the police car from his own unit.

There was not enough space for so many people in one van, so Lin Xiaoling, Zuo Wenlu, Zhang Xi and four other people got into Fang Minghua's SUV and followed the police car out of the government guesthouse one after another.

The streets in the county town are relatively narrow. There are quite a few vehicles but relatively few real cars. Most of them are motorcycles, tricycles and donkey carts, all of which are gray.

The girls on the street were wearing bat-wing tops and leggings, which were popular in big cities four or five years ago. People stopped their cars and looked around.

Then Zuo Wenlu said, "Jia Zhangke, before leaving Yanjing, you praised your Fenyang and said that big cities like Shencheng and Yanjing are just some bonsai in China. If you want to see the real China, you have to come with him to his hometown Fenyang. Is this the real China?!"

Before Jia Zhangke could reply, Hao Hongjian interrupted: "Student Zuo Wenlu, this is our Fenyang Old Street. I will take you to our Fenyang's bustling streets and economic growth points! Get in the car!"

Everyone got in the car and followed Hao Hongjian. The car turned at an intersection and stopped at a street corner less than five minutes later.

"Everyone, get off the bus and take a look." Hao Hongjian greeted them warmly.

Everyone got out of the car and looked around.

This is a street about 300 to 400 meters long, wider than the previous street. On both sides are neatly arranged two-story buildings. The uniform design is to use plywood to block the front door, and then open a small door on the plywood. Hanging on the door are various names that have nothing to do with this small town, which is eye-opening:

"Vienna", "Great Shanghai", "Tuber Jasmine"... There are girls basking in the sun on the corridor on the second floor, and some fashionably dressed girls speaking with Sichuan or Northeastern accents are walking in the street in twos and threes.

Oh my god
Zuo Wenlu was stunned by what she saw, while Lin Xiaoling next to her couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She is older than Zuo Wenlu and has already started working. She often runs around with the crew and has seen a lot of things.

Jia Zhangke was a little embarrassed and glared at Hao Hongjian, but he introduced it seriously: "This place is called Cultural Street, and it is also one of our filming attractions. Everyone can walk around."

Zuo Wenlu felt a little embarrassed and followed Fang Minghua closely.

This was her first time taking on a role, and she was recommended by her senior classmate Zhu Liqin. Zhu Liqin had collaborated with Jia Zhangke on the short film "Xiaoshan Goes Home" and thought Jia Zhangke was very talented, so since she didn't have time to shoot this movie, she recommended her junior classmate Zuo Wenlu.

Zuo Wenlu accepted the invitation based on what her senior said about Jia Zhangke's talent, but when she arrived at the actual filming location, the more she looked at it, the more she felt it was unreliable.

These actors are unreliable, and the director is even less reliable.

It’s better to stay closer to Fang Minghua.

He is a great writer with both status and position. What makes the girl feel at ease is that among this group of people, she thinks he is the most reliable.

(End of this chapter)