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

After hearing these solutions, Director Yang nodded approvingly and turned to Production Assistant Li.

"Do as Comrade Xiao Zhou said. Immediately organize manpower and sort out the supplies to ensure they are packed lightly."

Li Chengru, remember this: core personnel and important equipment should take a detour, while the art design team should follow the original route.

The truckloads must be stored properly on-site; there can be no mistakes in deciding which items to send and which to leave. A designated person should be assigned to coordinate this; the rest will be transported once the roads are dry.

After thinking for a moment, Director Yang continued, "If it rains heavily again and the roads become impassable, we might as well not use the remaining supplies."

"clear."

After giving instructions to everyone, she looked at Zhou Fangyuan with admiration and spoke gently.

"Are you very familiar with the roads around here?"

"Hmm!" Zhou Fangyuan's eyes were full of energy.

"I used to travel around a lot with my father, so the mountain roads here haven't changed much. I know a little about each road and its characteristics."

"I see. And what about your father?"

He left two years ago.

Director Yang's smile froze, but Zhou Fangyuan didn't seem to notice anything amiss; after all, his father had been gone for many years...

"Director Yang, I'm going to talk to the uncles in the village about the oxcart."

"good……"

Director Yang's father had also passed away long ago, so she stopped thinking about it and turned to instruct someone to have Mr. Wang Xichong begin preparations so that he could apply makeup to the monkey spirits on the way.

They now need to race against time and quickly finish filming the effects inside the cave.

He then rushed to catch the train back to Beijing to produce the pilot episode. The leaders in Taichung had given an order that the pilot episode must be broadcast on October 1st.

That's right, what they were trying to test was the scene inside the Water Curtain Cave of Flower and Fruit Mountain when the monkeys first entered it, a scene of jubilation.

Director Yang Jie was organizing the film crew, and the whole village was bustling with activity. Just then, a member of the film crew rushed over.

"Director Yang, Li Mingfa from the art department has a high fever. We've given him fever-reducing medicine."

"Why did he suddenly develop a fever? I remember we even arranged for him to play a mischievous little monkey."

"He must have caught a chill while looking for someone on the mountain last night."

Yang Jie was helpless; the most important thing now was to find someone to replace the monkey spirit.

The number of extras was already tight, with only seven people selected. It was a struggle to make matching monkey sweaters to their body shapes, and now one of them has fallen ill.

After instructing someone to take good care of Li Ming, Yang Jie didn't delay and went straight to find Wang Xichong. The old gentleman was tidying up his makeup case and stopped what he was doing when he saw her coming.

She quickly stepped forward and briefly explained the situation. After listening, the old man placed the adhesive in his hand on the table.

"We're one person short... The clothes and makeup are readily available, but the figure and face shape need to resemble Li Ming's..."

After saying that, the old man began to ponder and fell silent.

"But where can we find a suitable person in such a short time?"

Yang Jie became somewhat anxious upon hearing this.

Just then, Zhou Fangyuan and Uncle Zhao finished arranging the oxcart and happened to pass by.

Wang Xichong's gaze lingered on him for a moment before he recognized him.

He clearly remembered that he was greatly inspired by this child when he was changing Sun Wukong's appearance, and he also understood the monkey's intelligence.

"Call that child over here and take a look."

"Comrade Xiao Zhou!"

Zhou Fangyuan stopped in his tracks when he was called out and quickly ran over: "Director Yang? What do you need me for?"

"Comrade Xiao Zhou, it's like this," Yang Jie said succinctly.

"We need someone to fill in for the monkey now. It might only be for a few shots, but it's related to the filming schedule. Mr. Wang recommended you. Are you... willing to give it a try?"

She paused, observing the young man's reaction.

Zhou Fangyuan's eyes brightened noticeably. At this moment, he didn't know why he needed to replace the monkey spirit, he only knew that he had gotten a horn and he had to seize this opportunity.

"I'm willing! Director Yang, Mr. Wang, what do you need me to do?"

Wang Xichong had already stood up, gestured for him to turn around, compared his shoulder width, and then carefully examined his facial features.

"His build is similar to Li Ming's, and his face shape is also similar to a monkey's."

He turned to Yang Jie and said, "I can handle the makeup, but we need to find someone to train him in his movements and demeanor as soon as possible."

Yang Jie immediately summoned the veteran actor who played the monkey spirit.

The man didn't refuse and pulled Zhou Fangyuan to an open space to the side, showing him the monkey-like gestures of bending over, scratching his cheek, and blinking.

Zhou Fangyuan studied diligently and quickly; it was as if a kind of spirituality had been awakened within him.

Within minutes, its demeanor and behavior had become exactly like that of a mountain spirit.

Everyone present thought it was good.

Yang Jie was overjoyed: "Great, that's the one!"

Li Lingyu had been woken up by the noise and hadn't rested much before immediately helping the crew move things around.

She boarded the oxcart and accompanied the art department and set materials team to leave first. Then, Zhou Fangyuan led the men from the village to help the other teams sort and unload their supplies.

By the time the last box of important items was secured, it was already quite late.

Zeng loosened his wrist, glanced at the sky, and hesitated.

"Director Yang, it will be dark in a few hours. We're not familiar with this road, and what if we get hurt walking at night..."

Director Yang Jie also had this concern.

Although she acts decisively, she is never reckless, especially when leading a large group, as she is responsible for everyone in the crew.

"Safety first. We'll stay in the village for another night and set off early tomorrow morning."

This decision was quickly proven correct.

After nightfall, a light rain began to fall. Although it wasn't heavy, the tarpaulin was sufficient to keep out the rain, so there was no need to rush like on the first night.

But this rain was enough to make the road surface, which had been half-dry during the day, slippery again.

Looking at the drizzle outside the window, many members of the crew felt fortunate.

The next morning, the rain had stopped and the air was exceptionally fresh, though the mountain mist had not yet dissipated.

Everyone got up early to check the vehicles and supplies being secured.

Looking at the big truck at the village entrance, everyone knew that it was definitely not going to move.

Fortunately, the essential items were already with me.

After Zhou Fangyuan said goodbye to Enma and Xiaomei, Director Yang gave an order.

"Set off!"

Zhou Fangyuan naturally sat in the passenger seat of the lead car.

The driver who stayed behind, Lao Zhang, was highly skilled, but facing this completely unfamiliar mountain road, he still needed a pair of local eyes, just like when he went to town for the first time.

The convoy started moving slowly.

Just as Zhou Fangyuan had said, the road was narrow but sturdy, with a mixture of gravel and mud on the surface, which had turned somewhat black after being soaked by the night rain.

"Master Zhang, there's a bend ahead. It looks flat, but it's easy to slip. Let's stay on the left; it'll be safer."

Zhou Fangyuan looked intently ahead, offering a reminder.

"Alright."

Sitting in the back row, Li Chengru admired the young man and spoke with a grin.

"Little Zhou, with your brain and memory, it's a waste for you to stay in the mountains. Come learn field management from me!"

Yang Jie was displeased after hearing this: "Go away! What are you going to do, learn to be a script supervisor!"

Zhou Fangyuan smiled broadly. The two of them were like siblings, bickering quite a bit along the way.

He himself didn't pay much attention to what Director Yang said, thinking that the two were just bickering normally.

The convoy traveled smoothly on the mountain road for about an hour before arriving at a relatively spacious area.

Director Yang Jie ordered a temporary stop for a rest and to allow everyone to stretch their legs.

Taking advantage of this break, Mr. Wang Xichong immediately got to work.

Time waits for no one, and with the filming schedule looming, we must race against the clock.

He and his apprentice unloaded the iconic makeup case and headed towards the nearest jeep.

They used the hood of a Jeep as a makeshift workbench, laying out various paints, hair, and special glue.

"Come on, who's next? Hurry up!" Wang Xichong called out. He had a kind face, but his hands were incredibly nimble.