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

The second drawing shows how the pulley moves the rope, how it goes down from the fixed point and around, and where the person pulling the rope stands.

After finishing the drawing, Zhou Fangyuan pasted the picture next to the lines of text.

By the third revision, the manuscript was crumpled and the edges were frayed.

Xiao Li looked at it and said, "Brother Fang Yuan, this is even more troublesome than our set design."

Zhou Fangyuan smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.

That night, he took the final, clean copy to the prop room.

Zhang Qiang took it and read it from beginning to end.

After reading it, he didn't say anything, but just took two thumbtacks from the toolbox and pinned the papers to the wall, right in front of the door.

Anyone who walks in can be seen at a glance.

Zhou Fangyuan stood at the door, looking at the few neatly bound pages of paper, feeling a mix of emotions.

Zhang Qiang took two steps back and stood next to him.

"What you wrote makes sense!"

Zhang Qiang continued loudly, "From now on, whether it's newcomers or veterans who have forgotten, they can all look up and see."

He paused.

"Haha, now I'm not afraid of anyone bringing up 'we've always done it this way' again."

Zhou Fangyuan looked at the safety guidelines but didn't reply.

He saw that it was already completely dark outside the window, and the lights in the prop room made the few pages of paper look yellowed.

After the safety rules were posted on the wall, Zhang Qiang stood at the door and looked at them for a long time.

After Zhou Fangyuan finished packing his things and was about to go back to rest, he turned around and saw that Zhou Fangyuan was still standing there, staring blankly at the few pages of paper.

"Brother Qiang, let's go."

Zhang Qiang responded but didn't move. After a few seconds, he said, "We've really been exhausted these past few days."

Zhou Fangyuan nodded.

From correcting the river dragon's movements to straightening the rope, checking the anchor points, and finally writing this set of rules, the group of people didn't get a full night's sleep for several days in a row.

But now that all this is done, I feel much more at ease.

He didn't urge Zhang Qiang any further and went back to his dormitory first.

He slept very soundly that night, sleeping until dawn.

Two days later.

In the prop room, Zhou Fangyuan finished sewing the last lining, picked up the vest, shook it, and examined it several times.

The canvas was smooth, the tire padding was snug, and the shoulder straps were stitched densely and evenly.

He reached inside and touched the lining; there wasn't a single burr.

"Alright," he said, his voice tinged with relief.

"All that's left is finishing the edges. If we finish tonight, it can be used officially tomorrow."

Zhang Qiang was fiddling with props nearby when he heard this. He looked up and glanced at the new vest.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the thick canvas, making the even stitches exceptionally clear in the light.

Just as Zhou Fangyuan was about to say something, Zhang Qiang suddenly slapped his forehead: "Hey, right! That rolled-up thread and those two needles were borrowed from the clothing department. They should be able to be returned, right?"

I've been saying I'd pay them back, but I haven't. They even asked me for it the day before yesterday.

"Then hurry up and return it." Zhou Fangyuan put down the things he had just picked up.

"But I still need to finish that wooden frame; I need it first thing tomorrow morning, so I can't leave."

"Okay, I'll go return it now."

Zhou Fangyuan put the needle and thread on the table into his pocket and quickly left.

After walking for a while, I thought about it and turned back to Dormitory No. 3.

There was no one in the dormitory.

Old Chen and the other artists from the art team went to work, and the room was tidied up fairly well.

After entering the room, he quickly went to the bedside, picked up the large bag, and placed it on the bed.

Those were local products I brought from my hometown. I encountered an emergency as soon as I got back, and I haven't had a chance to send them out yet.

When they arrived, the villagers stuffed each item into their arms, saying that there were many people in the film crew, and sharing it with everyone was a token of their appreciation.

Zhou Fangyuan separated some from the large bag.

After thinking for a moment, I picked out a small portion from the dried sweet potatoes and wrapped it separately in paper.

That was a special version with added fish-fragrant leaves; there weren't many, I only brought that much.

When he came, his mother specifically told him, "This is a small amount, so keep it and eat it slowly. Don't give it all away."

He stood by the bed with the package in his hand, then turned to look at the small round mirror on the table.

I've been working really hard these past few days; I have dark circles under my eyes, and my hair is a mess. I just casually ran my fingers through it this morning, and now a tuft of hair is sticking up again.

He tried to press the tuft of hair down, but couldn't, so he just ignored it and went out the door.

The clothing team was in another row of bungalows, which required crossing half of the camp to get there.

I ran into a few acquaintances on the way.

Xiao Sun from the stunt team came over from the other side carrying a bundle of prop ropes. Seeing him, he called out, "Brother Fang Yuan, when can we try on those new vests? Can I try them on next time?"

"Haha, it'll be soon, maybe tomorrow or the day after."

After walking a few more steps, I ran into the cafeteria chef carrying a vegetable basket on his way back.

This person was extremely curious and took a few extra glances at what Zhou Fangyuan was holding:

"Hey Fang Yuan, what are you carrying?"

"I brought some local products from my hometown to give to the crew. I also brought some chili peppers and dried mushrooms from my hometown, which I will deliver to you later."

The head chef's already cheerful face beamed even brighter: "Oh! Great! You guys are really in for a treat!"

"The food here is the same every day, my comrades have already told me about it, haha."

Zhou Fangyuan smiled and continued walking forward.

The door to the clothing department was ajar, and the rhythmic clatter of sewing machines could be heard from inside.

Zhou Fangyuan stood at the door and glanced inside.

The room wasn't big; against the wall were several rows of clothes racks, covered with costumes of various colors, all brightly colored.

A long table was placed by the window, piled with fabric, scissors, balls of thread, and several clothes that were half-altered.

Liu Zhihan sat there, head down, sewing a bright yellow theatrical costume.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the window, falling on the fabric and on her lowered profile.

She sewed with great concentration, the needle rising and falling in her hand. Occasionally she would stop, turn the fabric over, smooth it with her fingers, and then continue.

There were a few pieces of work piled up next to it.

One of them was a monk's robe with a torn cuff, placed on top, waiting to be mended.

One was a newly made cape, only half-sewn, and there were several other folded finished products stacked on the corner of the table.

She was the only one in the room.

Zhou Fangyuan stood at the door, not in a hurry to knock.

The sewing machine made a steady, rhythmic clattering sound, one stroke at a time.

He suddenly remembered that the day before he left the group, when Liu Zhihan handed him the mint slices, she also lowered her head and didn't say much, just softly said, "Take it with you, you might need it on the way."

I knocked gently on the door.

The sewing machine stopped.

Liu Zhihan looked up and gazed towards the doorway.

She paused for a moment, then put down her needle and thread and stood up.

"Zhou Fangyuan?"

Her voice wasn't loud and carried a hint of shyness, but it seemed slightly more natural than when she spoke to others.

"Why are you here?"

"Come and return the things." Zhou Fangyuan walked in and placed the rolled-up needles and thread wrapped in cloth on the table.