Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, I became a legend in the entertainment industry by avo

Feng Yuanzheng handed Zhang Qilin a slip of paper with an address written on it.

"Thank you, Teacher Feng," Zhang Qilin said, taking the note.

As he left the office, he saw Meng Tingyun waiting for him outside.

He handed this address to Meng Tingyun:

"Some elderly people live here. Could you help me contact the community? I'd like to visit them."

Meng Tingyun took the note and her eyes lit up when she heard Zhang Qilin's words.

Zhang Qilin's popularity on Weibo has declined in the past two days, and she is considering what activities to do to increase exposure and boost her popularity again.

Visit and comfort the elderly.

It's a good angle, and it also highlights Zhang Qilin's compassion.

Thinking of this, Meng Tingyun nodded and said:

"I'll have someone contact them immediately."

"Thank you," Zhang Qilin said with a smile.

After saying that, he walked towards the rehearsal hall.

In the afternoon rehearsal, Chen Mo played the role of Xiao Shunzi.

Zhang Qilin sat in his chair, watching the performance on stage while pondering how to blend the real rickshaw driver with the character Xiao Shunzi from the script.

For him, it doesn't matter what the elderly people he consults tomorrow or the day after tell him.

There is definitely a difference between the rickshaw pullers in literary works and those in reality.

He still wants to integrate.

Meng Tingyun called that evening:

"We've made contact with the community. We can go over tomorrow at noon. The director's surname is Li. He's a very straightforward person. He was very welcoming when he heard that a celebrity was coming to offer his condolences."

Zhang Qilin said:

"Thank you. Please help me buy some daily necessities for the elderly tomorrow morning. I'll give you the money when we meet tomorrow."

"I've reported to General Manager Lu; we'll cover the expenses."

"Thank you, Mr. Lu, but I will still cover the expenses for visiting these elderly people."

……

The next day, at 11:00 AM

Zhang Qilin and Meng Tingyun, along with several others, carrying large and small bags, arrived at an old alley in western Beijing.

Community Director Li warmly greeted them and repeatedly thanked Zhang Qilin and his group for coming to visit the elderly.

As Director Li walked, he explained that most of the residents in this old town area were retired workers, some of whom had worked in a car dealership when they were young.

Director Li warmly led Zhang Qilin and his group into a small courtyard deep in the alley.

Several elderly people were sitting in rattan chairs in the courtyard, basking in the sun. When they saw the group of people come in, they looked at them curiously.

"Gentlemen, this is Xiao Zhang. He's come to visit you all," Director Li said loudly with a smile.

The elderly people looked at Zhang Qilin and his group with curiosity.

Meng Tingyun and her entourage placed the rice, flour, cooking oil, fruit, snacks, and other gifts they had brought on a table in the courtyard.

Several elderly people looked at the items piled up on the table.

An elderly man with gray hair waved his hand, his voice booming:

"You're here, why did you bring so much stuff? Please sit down, please sit down."

Zhang Qilin pulled up a small stool and sat down next to the old man.

Meng Tingyun gave a wink, and the accompanying staff immediately adjusted the shooting angle to ensure that they could capture natural and undisturbed interaction.

He first tried to get close to the elderly people, and only after making them happy did he reveal his inner confusion.

An elderly man surnamed Li glared at him:

"Who says we're uncultured? Back then, rickshaw pullers were mostly urban poor, farmers who had moved to the city, and the unemployed. A significant portion of them were former Qing dynasty scholars and princes, as well as sons of Manchu nobles."

"We're all forced into this line of work by the need to make a living. How can you say we're uneducated?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qilin immediately took out his notebook and began to write it down.

What Grandpa Li said was completely opposite to what Professor Fu said; he took notes while thinking about where the problem lay.

Another old man surnamed Wang chimed in:

"Everyone's just trying to make a living, so we often help each other out. While it might happen occasionally that someone tries to steal customers, it's not a common occurrence. After all, we all live in the same area and see each other all the time."

Zhang Qilin listened and nodded.

The old men's words suggest that people like Xiao Shunzi in the script could exist in that kind of environment, which gives the character a sense of plausibility.

The elderly man with gray hair smiled and said:

"Who says rickshaw pullers can't make a living? Rickshaw pulling is relatively stable. Urban poor people are the backbone of the rickshaw puller group because they have no other means of livelihood and have to pull rickshaws for a long time."

"The mobility of rickshaw pullers from farming and unemployed backgrounds is indeed relatively high, as they view rickshaw pulling as a transitional occupation."

"There is a clear division within the rickshaw puller community. Rickshaw pullers can be divided into two categories: those who work for a fixed month and those who pull on individual routes. The vast majority of pullers are those who pull on individual routes, and their income is extremely unstable..."

Several elderly people were talking all at once.

As Zhang Qilin listened to the old men's words, he pieced together memories of that era in his mind.

Gradually, he understood why there was such a big difference between what the experts said and what the old man said.

It's not a matter of who's right and who's wrong.

Experts have never gone deep into the grassroots to understand the lives of people at the bottom.

Their understanding of the Republic of China comes from statistics, archives, and newspaper news.

Therefore, what they saw of the rickshaw pullers was a statistically significant group portrait, leading them to believe that that was how rickshaw pullers were during the Republic of China era.

The older men had interacted closely with the rickshaw drivers and witnessed their daily lives.

It's like a joke from later generations.

The wind can enter, the rain can enter, but the king cannot enter.

This statement was made by an expert who, after reviewing the data, believed it without verification.

It has been cited by countless scholars as irrefutable proof of the inviolability of Western private property.

Therefore, in order to understand the real situation, in addition to the knowledge in books, on-site investigation is equally important.

This is the only way to obtain the most authentic information.

For him, the most important thing now is to play the role of Xiao Shunzi well.

So he explained to the elderly people that he was playing the role of a rickshaw puller in "Rickshaw Boy".

I would like to ask a few gentlemen for some guidance.

The elderly men looked at the items laid out on the table and readily agreed.

Zhang Qilin stood up and demonstrated his understanding of the character Xiao Shunzi.

Several people were discussing how to take the steps and how to shout "Borrow a light!"

There was an old man surnamed Zhao who was very talkative.

He recounted how he used to wait for work at the entrance of the Eight Great Hutongs, how he competed with his peers for business, and how he dealt with the patrol police.

Despite the hardships of life, he still faced it with a smile.

As Zhang Qilin listened to the old people's stories, he gradually sketched out in his mind a young man who grew up in a car factory and had seen the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

What attitude would one have towards an honest man like Xiangzi?

Is it sympathy?

Is it contempt?

Or is it some kind of closeness born from shared suffering?

Xiao Shunzi and Xiangzi are like two sides of the same coin in the script.

He represents a completely different attitude towards life from Xiangzi.

Despite living at the very bottom of society, he remained optimistic, loyal, and hopeful for the future.

It is precisely this contrast that highlights the tragic fate of Xiangzi.

It also shows the different choices that ordinary people at the bottom of society make when facing their fate.

After saying goodbye to the elderly folks and promising to return in the next couple of days to seek their advice, Zhang Qilin returned to the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

The afternoon rehearsal proceeded as scheduled.

Zhang Qilin wanted to portray the character Xiao Shunzi as described by the old men in his performance, but his performance always fell far short of expectations.

Director Gu Wei repeatedly stopped him.

After the rehearsal ended, director Gu Wei announced on the spot:

"The rehearsal will be held in six days to determine the roles."

This sentence made some people at the scene tense.

Chen Mo glanced at Zhang Qilin out of the corner of his eye.

Zhang Qilin's performance today once again confirmed his guess.

It's so difficult to portray Xiao Shunzi realistically.

It's impossible to fully grasp a character in just six days, even with guidance from Mr. Lin Liankun.

The situation seemed to be developing in his favor, but he would not let his guard down.

Zhang Qilin felt nervous upon hearing Director Gu's words.

When he got home that night, he spent the whole night blending the character of Xiao Shunzi in the script with the real rickshaw driver, and wrote an 8,000-word character biography.

Although the biography was written, he still couldn't perfectly present it in his performance.

I always feel that some aspects of the performance did not meet my expectations, but I don't know where the problem lies.

That noon, Zhang Qilin was eating at a table by the window in the restaurant.

He was thinking about how to play the role of Xiao Shunzi well.

At the restaurant entrance, Mr. He Bing was seen helping a chubby old man walk inside.