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

Just then, Xiao Liu suddenly said from the side, "I have a picture book here, do you want it?"

Upon hearing this, Ahai excitedly turned to look at him.

Xiao Liu said, "It really comes with pictures! They're all depicting fish and dragons and stuff. I don't know if they're real or not, but they look interesting... I think they're quite interesting, hehe."

After hearing this, Ahai's eyes widened. He didn't immediately say thank you, but just nodded very quickly.

On the way back, Xiao Liu kept holding the string of fish, muttering about how he wanted Master Huang to cook it properly when they got back.

Xiao Chen walked beside him, occasionally humming in agreement.

Zhou Fangyuan slowed his pace and walked at the back. He looked back and saw that Ah Hai was still standing there, and his father was still sitting there.

The setting sun shone on them, turning their old cotton-padded jackets a dark red. Ah Hai seemed to be talking to his father, while the middle-aged man remained still, simply listening.

When Zhou Fangyuan and the other two were carrying the fish back, the sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving only a dark red glow in the west.

Xiao Liu walked at the front, carrying the string of fish, his steps quick as if afraid the fish would spoil.

Xiao Chen followed behind, walking slowly.

Zhou Fangyuan was still thinking about what Ahai had said earlier about wanting to read a book.

He said, "I don't know many words, but I can read pictures."

These words swirled in Zhou Fangyuan's mind. He recalled that when he was a child and first entered school, he understood pictures better than words.

I couldn't get enough of the illustrations in the textbook, but I was slow at recognizing the words. It was only after I gradually learned more that I found the things in the book interesting.

Ah Hai is currently at that stage; he wants to know what's happening outside, what's on that island, and whether the fish and dragons depicted in the books are real.

But he doesn't know many words, so he can only rely on looking at pictures.

Zhou Fangyuan recalled his notebook, which contained many drawings: the location of the experimental field, the shape of the reef, the location of the hanging points, and how to install the pulleys.

He can understand those drawings himself, but I don't know if Ahai can. If I show them to him, will he point and ask, "What is this?" "What is that?" like his little sister?

With that thought in mind, I had already reached the entrance of the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was lit up, and steam and aroma wafted out from under the door, the smell of stew. Two people stood at the door.

Master Huang was wearing an apron and holding a scallion in his hand, talking to someone.

The person standing opposite him was wearing an old cotton-padded coat and holding an enamel mug.

The two were chatting, and when Master Huang got excited, the scallion swayed back and forth with his hand.

Xiao Liu was the first to rush over. He was walking fast, and only when he got close did he realize who it was. He paused for a moment and subconsciously hid the fish behind his back.

But the string of fish was too long to hide; its tail was sticking out and swaying, and its scales reflected the light.

Yang Jie glanced at him, his lips twitching slightly. "Why are you in such a hurry? What are you hiding behind your back?"

Xiao Liu chuckled, a hint of guilt in his voice: "Director Yang, the fish..."

Master Huang slapped the scallion onto his apron with a crisp sound.

"What, it's you again? Why did you bring back fish again today... Did Ah Hai give it to you again?"

As soon as these three thought-provoking questions were posed, Xiao Liu quickly handed the fish forward, right in front of Master Huang's eyes, wishing he could smell it.

"Master Huang, look how good this fish is! This time it's not free, I traded it for the dry rations you made!"

Ah Hai loves your cornbread, steamed buns... oh, and the pickled vegetables!

He spoke with such confidence, as if he had done something truly remarkable.

Master Huang paused for a moment, looked down at the string of fish, then looked up at Xiao Liu, his eyes slowly widening.

"You'll take the dry rations I make from grain and trade them for fish, then bring the fish back for me to cook?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Fangyuan, who was listening nearby, almost lost his composure.

Xiao Liu shrank back when glared at, and quickly looked at Zhou Fangyuan, his eyes filled with "Save me" meaning.

Zhou Fangyuan couldn't bear to look at him and turned his head away; he couldn't help with this.

Xiao Liu scratched his head, as if he had experienced this situation before. He chuckled and said, "Well...didn't that all go to you?"

Xiao Chen spoke slowly from the side, his voice calm but the corners of his mouth turned up: "So in the end, it's Master Huang who suffers the most after all this."

Chef Huang chuckled, sighed, and waved his hand, "Alright, alright, put it in the kitchen, we'll stew it tomorrow."

As if granted a pardon, Xiao Liu grabbed the fish and ran inside, his shoes making a clattering sound on the wet mud.

He ran a couple of steps, then turned back, craning his neck to say to Master Huang, "By the way, Master Huang, Ah Hai said thank you for the dry rations!"

Master Huang ignored him, turned around and looked at Yang Jie with a smile:

"Director Yang, this is Ah Hai, the one I just told you about. If you're looking for extras, this kid is definitely a good fit."

The fish that Xiao Liu and his team brought back last time was a gift from him. The fish was so fresh, and when I cooked it, everyone in the group said it was delicious. Some of the guys even drank the soup clean.

Yang Jie, holding his enamel mug, listened to Master Huang finish speaking, then turned his gaze to Zhou Fangyuan and the other two: "You all know this Ah Hai?"

Zhou Fangyuan nodded.

"I know him. I would see him at the beach every time I finished work early. He was there every day to collect and mend the nets. We got to know each other over time."

Xiao Liu, who had just run back after releasing the fish, eagerly spoke, his voice still slightly breathless:

"He's amazing! He goes out to sea to fish every day, and he can fix his nets so well. We sat there watching him fix them for ages!"

Xiao Chen, standing nearby, added irritably, "You're mainly looking at the fish in his net."

Xiao Liu was speechless; he opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Director Yang looked at these two clowns and his lips twitched. Zhou Fangyuan understood his expression; he was holding back his laughter.

Helpless, she asked Zhou Fangyuan again, "How is that child?"

Zhou Fangyuan didn't answer immediately; he carefully recalled what Ah Hai looked like.

His face was tanned dark, and when he grinned, he revealed a set of white teeth. When he spoke, his eyes looked directly at people without flinching.

When she talked about that island, her eyes lit up, as if she longed for it but also felt a pang of regret.

But when I asked them to borrow the book just now, I was a little embarrassed, and I even glanced at my dad halfway through my sentence...

After considering his words for a moment, he said, "Ah Hai is a very honest person, and he likes to express himself. Once you get to know him, he talks quite a bit."

Director Yang nodded, brought the enamel mug to his lips, took a sip, but didn't drink, and put it down again.

She seemed to be thinking about something, and tapped her fingers lightly twice on the edge of the jar.

"Besides him, do you know any other fishermen? Are there any who are interested in acting?"

Zhou Fangyuan shook his head: "I only know him. I haven't had any contact with others. There aren't many people at the beach. I usually only see him and a few old people."

He thought for a moment, then added, "But Ah Hai was born and raised there, so he must know a lot of people. If he's interested, he might be able to help ask around."