Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Gradually, the two became acquainted. Wang Siyi was a hardworking girl who spent every day memorizing her lines from the script, but her acting skills were always lacking, especially when acting opposite Liu Xiang. She would get so nervous that she would forget her lines as soon as she saw his eyes.

Even though Liu Xiang isn't formally trained, her improvisation skills are truly remarkable; she's more talented than Wang Siyi, a newcomer to the cast.

He didn't mind at all. Every day after work, he would help her go over her lines in the work shed, teaching her to find the right emotions word by word. "Second Uncle, have mercy on me, you can't just cry during this part," Liu Xiang said, patiently pointing out the lines in the script.

Liu Xiang pointed to the words on the script, "At this moment, Pan Jinlian is afraid, regretful, and a little unwilling. She is unwilling to have her life ruined like this, unwilling to be used by Ximen Qing. You have to act out that unwillingness. Your eyes have to be expressive, not just empty crying."

Wang Siyi nodded, following his rhythm, and pondered the lines again and again. Moonlight shone through the cracks in the shed, falling on the hands of the two holding the script. Outside the shed came the neighing of horses in the stable and the rustling of the wind blowing through the weeds, quiet and gentle.

The crew noticed this and inevitably started gossiping. These words spread like wildfire and quickly reached Lan Xiaoling's ears.

Lan Xiaoling didn't say it, but she felt like she had a sour plum in her heart. Every time she saw Liu Xiang and Wang Siyi acting together, her face would darken.

That day, after Liu Xiang finished filming her scenes, the setting sun dyed half the sky red. The crew members were busy packing up the props. Liu Xiang had just changed her clothes and was about to go to the stable when Lan Xiaoling blocked the entrance of the work shed, clutching a roll of script in her hand, and said in a harsh tone: "Liu Xiang, Director Zhang said that we'll be filming the important scene of 'Killing the Sister-in-Law' tomorrow. Go over the lines with me. Let's put the stable scene aside for now."

Liu Xiang paused for a moment, looked at the horse feed bag in her hand, and then at Lan Xiaoling's tense face: "Tonight? I still have to feed the horses. Those horses are shy and won't eat if it's late."

"Is the scene more important or the horse?" Lan Xiaoling raised an eyebrow, a hint of competition in her eyes. "Director Zhang said this scene is crucial for Wu Song. If you mess it up, all your previous efforts will be wasted! You won't even get a minor role, let alone play Wu Song!"

Liu Xiang couldn't refuse her, so she had to put down the fodder bag and follow her into the work shed.

Wang Siyi happened to be there too. She was sitting on the wooden bed, holding the script and memorizing her lines. When she saw Lan Xiaoling suddenly come in, she subconsciously shrank back, like a naughty child who had done something wrong.

Lan Xiaoling glanced at her, her tone indifferent yet carrying an air of unyielding authority: "Siyi is here too? Perfect, let's go over the words together, more people means more references."

The atmosphere in the work shed suddenly became somewhat awkward. Liu Xiang looked at one person with a tense face and the other with their head down, and inwardly groaned: This isn't rehearsing lines, it's a battleground! He steeled himself, picked up the script, and began, "Then I'll go first. 'You harlot, you killed my brother!'"

The moment Liu Xiang opened her mouth, her streetwise air vanished, replaced by the grief and determination of Wu Song. The ruthlessness in her eyes seemed to want to devour the person before her whole. Wang Siyi couldn't help but shiver, tears streaming down her face. Her lines were stammering, yet more moving than ever before: "Second Uncle… I… I didn't mean to… Ximen Qing forced me…"

As Lan Xiaoling watched, the bitterness in her heart was unconsciously suppressed by Liu Xiang's acting skills. She couldn't help but help Wang Siyi smooth out her emotions: "When you cry here, don't shake your shoulders too much. You have to control yourself. In the end, Pan Jinlian resigned herself to her fate. She knew she couldn't escape, so when she cried, it should be out of despair, not panic."

Wang Siyi nodded quickly, wiping away her tears, and said, "Thank you, Sister Xiaoling."

The three of them went over their lines until late at night. The chirping of insects outside the window rose and fell, and occasionally a horse neighed from the stable. The dim light in the work shed created a rare sense of harmony. Liu Xiang watched as the two girls finally stopped being at odds and breathed a sigh of relief, but she had a vague feeling that beneath this calm, there were probably still undercurrents.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the film crew had already set up the backyard of the Yanggu County government office. Under the old locust tree stood a stone table, on which was placed the memorial tablet of Wu Dalang. The tablet was written on yellow paper, with a small black and white photograph pasted on it. Two incense sticks were burning, and when the wind blew, the smoke rings swirled and dispersed, exuding a sense of desolation.

Wang Siyi had already finished her makeup early, dressed in a plain white mourning dress made of coarse cloth, faded from washing. Her face was bare of makeup, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her lips were chapped—she was the spitting image of Pan Jinlian, the woman caught in the clutches of fate. Standing before the memorial tablet, clutching an incense stick, her eyes were already red before filming even began. She was completely immersed in that atmosphere of despair, even her breathing was choked with sobs.

Liu Xiang had also changed into his costume, a black short-sleeved outfit with a hemp rope around his waist, the trousers rolled up to his knees, revealing his muscular calves, which were still a little dusty. He had deliberately left some stubble on his chin, looking travel-worn, just like Wu Song returning from the martial world to seek revenge. He stood at the entrance of the set, stretched his wrists, and slowly built up the emotions in his eyes.

It started with calm, then gradually turned into suppressed grief and indignation, and finally into burning rage.

Director Zhang sat behind the monitor, holding a megaphone, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Attention all departments! Scene 36 of *Water Margin*, Wu Song kills his sister-in-law, first take, action!"

The clapperboard clapper rang out crisply and clearly. Liu Xiang strode towards the stone table.

Hearing footsteps, Wang Siyi trembled violently, nearly dropping the incense stick in her hand. The ash landed on the back of her hand, burning her and making her shiver, but she didn't notice. She slowly turned to look at Liu Xiang, her lips trembling and her voice shaking uncontrollably: "Second Uncle... you're finally back."

Liu Xiang didn't speak, but stared intently at her. In her eyes, there was grief, indignation, disappointment, and a trace of barely perceptible pity, which made Su Qing's heart tighten. Tears welled up instantly, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto her mourning clothes, leaving a small dark stain.

"How...did my brother die?" Liu Xiang's voice was terribly hoarse, every word filled with heavy hatred, as if squeezed out from between her teeth.

"It was...it was heart disease that caused her to die." Wang Siyi lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, like leaves falling in the autumn wind, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Heart disease?" Liu Xiang suddenly raised her voice, took a step in front of her, grabbed her wrist with such force that she almost crushed her bones. Wang Siyi groaned in pain, tears streaming down her face. "My brother is stronger than an ox, he can eat three big bowls of rice in one meal, how could he get heart disease?! Tell me! Did you and that adulterer Ximen Qing kill him?!"