The literary era since 1979

In the early morning, the sun shines on the bare branches.

The first thing Gong Xing did when he went out was not to go to the crew of "Farewell My Concubine" as usual.

Instead, she went to the Capital International Airport, contrary to her usual practice, not to pick up Zhang Guorong, but to pick up her own man.

Fangyan walked out of the airport carrying a suitcase and exhaling wisps of white air. He saw Gong Xing not far away. He was wearing a knitted hat and a thick white down jacket. In the cold wind, he was like a plum blossom blooming proudly in the snow, with a smile on his face and waving his hands.

The two looked at each other and said nothing.

When I got into the car, the heater started blowing, gradually raising the temperature inside the car.

Fang Yan and Gong Xing chatted for a while, and were not in a hurry to drive. They spoke slowly:
"Has Guo Rong joined the crew?"

“I’ve been here for a week.”

Gong Xing unscrewed the thermos cup and handed it over.

Fang Yan glanced at the jujubes and wolfberries floating in the hot water and asked, "How is he doing? Is he still adapting to the environment in Yanjing?"

"He's quite good. You know him. He's not arrogant, never picky, and studies very hard."

Gong Xing said that with his performance this week, he has won the respect and love of the entire crew, especially the invited Peking Opera teacher.

During the 3 hours of makeup for Zhang Guorong, he had no complaints. The most interesting thing was that he hardly raised his eyes after putting on the makeup, and his eyelids were just drooping. Originally, the makeup and headband of Peking Opera would slightly raise the corners of the eyes, but he didn't need to raise his eyes like that to achieve a charming effect.

"Even Elder Chen and Master Jiu praised me as a rare talent. It's a pity that I missed the best opportunity to learn Peking Opera."

Hearing this, Fang Yan smiled. After all, this was the only candidate chosen by Li Bihua for the role of "Cheng Dieyi".

"Where are the others? Did that troublesome Jiang Wen cause you any trouble?"

"That's not true."

Gong Xing smiled.

"That's good. If he dares to make a fuss like he did in the Red Sorghum crew, just name me."

There is a hint of amusement in the dialect tone.

The two chatted and laughed as the car slowly began to drive away from the Capital International Airport.

"I have discussed this with Mr. Chen, Director Wu and others. We will hold a reading meeting for the crew after you come back."

Gong Xing said: "As the chief screenwriter and the author of the original novel, let you tell everyone about Farewell My Concubine."

Fang Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "Then let's do it in three days."

Gong Xing was surprised, "Isn't this too fast?!"

“There is no need for the entire crew to attend this crew reading session.”

Fangyan said: "Take Guorong for example, how long does it take him to learn Mandarin and Peking Opera?"

Gong Xing replied: "Teacher Shi and the others said it would take about two to three months."

"This period of time is a good time to film the scenes of Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi as young men learning their craft, right?"

Fang Yan looked up at the gloomy sky and said, "We can't miss this year's big snow."

Gong Xing immediately understood that the scenes of "Farewell My Concubine" during his youth apprenticeship were basically all winter scenes.

"That's true. Well, let's narrow the scope of the first script reading to this part of the play."

………………

The next day, Fang Yan followed Gong Xing to the crew of "Farewell My Concubine".

Mo Shen, who was in charge of the screenwriting team, and Zhang Yimou, who was in charge of the photography team, came up to him with enthusiasm on their faces as soon as they saw him.

"Congratulations. I heard that your Red Sorghum has been applied to participate in the Berlin Film Festival next year?"

Dialect looks left and right.

"It's all thanks to Teacher Fang." Zhang Yimou grinned. If Fang Yan hadn't personally appointed him, he would probably still be sitting on the bench at the Guixi Factory. Of course, starting as a photography assistant didn't have a bad impact on him, but being a director meant more opportunities for him.

"This time, I'll have to trouble you to assist Director Gong in Farewell My Concubine."

Fang Yan smiled and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, this movie may give you the opportunity to participate in the Cannes Film Festival."

"I've been waiting for this day!"

Zhang Yimou was very excited, and then he and Mo Shen acted as tour guides and walked around the crew in dialect.

Fang Yan met Ge You, Chen Huaiai, Lu Qi and others, and quickly set his sights on the child actors.

"This is the little actor who plays the young Cheng Dieyi." Gong Xing gave a brief introduction.

Fangyan was surprised, "He really looks a bit like Guorong."

Gong Xing smiled proudly, "We put a lot of effort into selecting these young actors. We looked at Guo Rong and Jiang Wen's childhood photos and searched in several provinces and cities before we finally found a group of young actors who are suitable for the troupe."

Fangyan glanced around and his attention quickly fell on the woman sitting in the corner holding a script.

"Her name is Jiang Wenli, and she is a student at Beijing Film Academy."

Gong Xing said that after graduation, Jiang Wenli was assigned to work in a water plant, and later she was admitted to the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy.

"Hello, Director Gong, Hello, Teacher Fang...Hello, Teacher Fang."

Jiang Wenli stood up, her heart pounding.

"Don't be nervous. Are you a freshman at Beijing Film Academy?"

Fang Yan originally intended to let Li Zhi play "Cheng Dieyi's mother", but now compared with Jiang Wenli, although Jiang Wenli looks a little immature, she does have an indelible vulgarity that Li Zhi does not have, and there is a kind of charming beauty in her eyes.

"Yes, I was lucky enough to be selected by Director Gong, Mr. Chen, and Director Zhang."

Jiang Wenli stammered, "I have not been in school for long, and I have no experience in acting..."

"Learning less is not necessarily a bad thing. A blank sheet of paper is easier to sketch on."

Fangyan then asked her about her understanding of the character of "Cheng Dieyi's mother".

"I think that even though she is a daughter of a branch woman, she is willing to give everything to secure a future for her son and entrust him to the troupe."

Jiang Wenli blurted it out all at once.

Fang Yan asked: "Then please act out how you should ask the old troupe owner to accept Cheng Dieyi?"

Jiang Wenli pondered for a moment, then spoke the lines from the script and pretended to kneel down without hesitation.

However, just as his knees were bent, Fang Yan gave him a firm support, "This is not the right way to ask for help."

"wrong?!"

Seeing Jiang Wenli's confused look, Gong Xing smiled without saying anything.

Fang Yan said: "A mother is strong. Even if she is a prostitute, when she has nowhere else to go, she will try every possible way to beg people with what she is best at and what she can give the most. So when begging people, whether it is the action or the look in the eyes, she must act out the pleading and the charm."

Jiang Wenli seemed to have suddenly been enlightened. She looked at him eagerly, as if asking, "Is there anything else?"
The speaker directly said that when Cheng Dieyi's mother learned that her child could not join the opera troupe to learn opera because he had six fingers, her body softened and she "knelt toward the sky". Then she tilted her head slightly to reveal her most delicate neck, and her eyes slowly glanced up from the ground, giving people a visual effect of being "at the mercy of others".

Although his face was flattering, his eyes revealed a hint of stubbornness and calculation.

Because flattery comes from asking for favors and is also out of professional habit, while stubbornness comes from a mother's love for her child.

"Great! That's very well said!"

The eyes of Zhang Yimou, Mo Shen and others suddenly lit up, and an image of a woman who was both a brothel girl and a mother in the old society gradually emerged in their minds.

At this time, she was determined to fight for a good future for her children and was willing to pay any price.

Jiang Wenli also understood it immediately and after trying it several times under Fangyan's guidance, she was able to perform the classic kneeling scene in "Farewell My Concubine" quickly.

Gong Xing, Chen Huaiai and others saw it and were happy in their hearts. It turned out that with Fangyan in charge of the crew, the filming of the movie would be twice as effective with half the effort!
The only question now is, when will the snow fall? (End of this chapter)