Returning to the 82 Mountain Village: An Encounter with the Journey to the West Film Crew at the Beg

The scene in the dormitory was like someone who had been keeping a problem bottled up inside for days and nights, and finally, at this moment, the pot lid was boiling over.

"Everyone!" Wang Qiang exclaimed excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

I want to give it a try.

Zhou Fangyuan put down his notebook and looked at him.

"Try what?"

"A dragon crossing the river!"

Zhang Qiang continued, speaking slowly but steadily.

"Once you've made something, you won't feel confident until you try it out... If you just leave it here, you won't know what's wrong with it."

The graphic designers in the room all stopped what they were doing and no one spoke.

Zhou Fangyuan remained silent for a while.

"Now? It's almost dark, how can you try?"

"In the prop room, as for light... let's get a kerosene lamp."

The roof beams there are high enough to hang a meter high, with a cushion underneath, so I can put it on myself without bothering anyone else.

Zhang Qiang had obviously thought about this long ago.

Zhou Fangyuan's expression changed: "You still have to rush to finish the props during the day, you don't need to do it yourself."

"If I don't do the work, who will?" Zhang Qiang looked at everyone present with a solemn expression.

"The other members of our group tried on that cotton-padded coat, but I didn't."

At the time, everyone thought everything was fine, but Jin Lai... Fang Yuan, this time I have to go through it myself first."

His tone was calm and not agitated, but everyone present understood the meaning behind his words.

Men of this age, once they've made a decision, don't intend to take it back.

Zhou Fangyuan stood up and picked up the curled-up notebook from the bedside table.

"Come on, I'll help you pull the rope."

Old Chen from the art department also stood up: "It's all dark here, I'll turn on the lighting for you."

Xiao Li and the others didn't say anything, put their tools on the table, and followed.

When everyone arrived at the prop room, Old Chen set up the lights first, but the lighting was still very dim.

There's no way around it; in this day and age, this kind of lamp is already considered pretty good.

The dim light illuminated the old hemp rope that had been carefully selected and the temporary hanging point on the roof beam.

Zhang Qiang took off his coat and put on the vest.

The thick canvas was a bit stiff, so he shifted his shoulders and asked Zhou Fangyuan to help shorten the shoulder straps by an inch.

"Tighter is better." Zhang Qiang twisted his waist and hips and said, "Okay, that's fine. If it's too loose, I can't exert any force."

Zhou Fangyuan inspected the metal buckle with double hooks; the edges were polished and not sharp to the touch.

He threaded the rope through the pulley, secured one end to the junction on the back of his vest, and held the other end in his hand.

Zhang Qiang stood on the mat, looked up at the roof beam, and then looked down to check the canvas on his chest and the tire lining inside.

He reached out and pressed his hand on his left rib, where Zhang Jinlai had been injured in the fall.

"Alright, I'm ready."

Zhou Fangyuan and the others didn't rush to pull the rope. They looked at Zhang Qiang, and Zhang Qiang looked at them in return.

Zhang Qiang's face was full of determination, but the others all looked a little nervous and hesitant.

Even Zhou Fangyuan himself couldn't be sure that the dragon crossing the river was 100% safe.

"Brother Qiang, if something feels wrong, call a stop."

"Know."

The rope is taut.

Zhang Qiang's heels slowly lifted off the ground, and his entire weight landed on the vest.

He was suspended in mid-air, without spinning or swaying, supported evenly by the weight of his shoulders and back.

He looked down at his height off the ground, then turned his head to look at the position of the shoulder straps and buckles.

Old Chen held the lamp, motionless. Zhou Fangyuan and the others gripped the rope tightly, watching the situation above them.

The hemp rope was lowered inch by inch.

Zhang Qiang landed on the ground.

He didn't speak immediately. He lowered his head and touched the even stitches on the vest with both hands, from the front of his chest to his back, and from the shoulder straps to the edge of the lining.

"How's it going, Qiang-ge?" Xiao Li couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Qiang raised his head, but his expression was unreadable.

"It's done."

His voice was muffled, as if something was stuck in his throat.

But there was nothing inside. Zhang Qiang cleared his throat, took off his vest, and looked at it over and over again.

"It's done!" he said again, this time with a louder, more explosive voice.

Old Chen put the lamp down and let out a long sigh.

Xiao Li squatted on the ground, and after a long while, he managed to stammer out, "That scared me to death."

Zhou Fangyuan put the rope away, a smile playing on his lips, without saying a word. He leaned against the workbench, his palms sweaty.

Just now, images from his previous life kept flashing through his mind; being suspended by wires had become a psychological trauma for him back then.

But now, this shadow can be said to have been broken.

Zhang Qiang did not leave that night.

He hung his vest on the tool rack, sat under the lamp, and stared at it for a long time.

Zhou Fangyuan and the others didn't leave either. Some continued to polish the pulleys, while others organized materials to start making the second set. No one mentioned going back to the dormitory to sleep.

The door to the prop room was gently pushed open from the outside.

Yang Jie stood at the door, with the cool mountain breeze of the night behind him.

She didn't step inside, but stood by the threshold, her gaze passing over Old Chen and Little Li, landing on the vest hanging on the tool rack.

The light then fell on Zhang Qiang's dusty, weary face, which also exuded a sense of steadfastness.

"Have you tried it?" she asked.

Zhang Qiang stood up: "Director Yang, I've tried it! One meter high, it's stable!"

The double anchor points prevent the rope from spinning, and the canvas and tire pads protect the ribs. The pulleys were also tested, and the rope wore down by more than half compared to directly attaching it to a tree branch.

He spoke very quickly, as if giving a work report.

He paused halfway through his sentence, his Adam's apple bobbing, and then stopped speaking.

Director Yang Jie didn't say anything, but walked in and started by examining the vest, looking at the pulleys, hanging points, lining, and stitching one by one.

She pressed her fingers on the canvas, then held the metal buckle up to the light to check the curvature of the polished edges.

No one made a sound from inside the room.

She put down her vest, turned around, and looked at Zhou Fangyuan.

This time, Yang Jie didn't offer any pleasant surprises or praise; he simply nodded, silently making a big fuss about it in his mind for everyone present.

She looked at Zhang Qiang:

"Wear this tomorrow morning and come to the event."

"Call the camera crew, stunt team, and producer together, and let's try it again in front of everyone."

Zhang Qiang straightened up: "Okay!"

Yang Jie walked to the door, then stopped.

"Jin Lai over there." She didn't turn around. "He'll go talk to him himself. Don't stop him."

Everyone agreed. They all knew the reason for this decision; Zhang Qiang had a grudge about it.

"Alright, you guys should get some rest."

The door was gently closed, and the oppressive aura disappeared.

The mountain wind was kept out, leaving only the dim light of the work lamp and the sound of several people breathing in and out of the room.

The next morning, the flat ground below Chanyun Cliff was filled with people.

Zhang Qiang, wearing that vest, stood under the temporary hoisting point.

The surrounding area was filled with camera crews, prop crews, stunt crews, production crews... all sorts of random crews, basically everyone who could come was there.

Even the cafeteria staff came, standing on the outside wearing aprons and holding spatulas.

Zhang Jinlai stood at the very front.

His left arm was still in a sling, his hand hung at his side, and his face was not painted, so his expression was not very clear.

After greeting Zhou Fangyuan, Lin Zhiqian stood at the front of the group pulling the rope and personally controlled the force.

Director Yang, sitting beside him, stared intently ahead and nodded.

"start!"