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

Master Huang was stunned for a moment, and stopped cooking: "Going out to sea? What are you going there for?"

"Fishing!" Little Liu exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly. "Let's go with Ah Hai, just near the shore, not far away!"

After listening, Master Huang looked at the three of them in disbelief. He threw the vegetables into the bowl, wiped his hands, stood up, and finally looked at Zhou Fangyuan:

"Did Ahai agree?"

Zhou Fangyuan nodded.

"He's taking you out to sea tomorrow?"

Seeing that Master Huang was becoming increasingly skeptical, Zhou Fangyuan simply explained that Grandpa Ahai was in poor health, worried about his health, and wanted to find someone to help him.

After listening and pondering for a while, Master Huang suddenly became interested and asked, "Then, can he sell us the fish he catches tomorrow?"

Zhou Fangyuan was slightly taken aback.

"Think about it," Master Huang began, "With so many people in our crew, buying groceries every day is quite an expense."

The fish he catches are fresh; if we buy directly from him, isn't it cheaper than going to town? He saves himself the trouble, we save money, it's a win-win situation.

Xiao Liu nodded vigorously beside him, "Yes, yes, yes! Master Huang is right!"

Zhou Fangyuan also felt that this idea was appropriate.

Ah Hai usually has to carry most of the fish he catches to town to sell, which takes a long time and the fishmongers drive down the price.

Selling directly to the production team would allow him to earn more and work less, which would be a win-win situation.

"Okay, I'll ask him tomorrow."

Master Huang immediately perked up, patting the dirt off his hands after cleaning the vegetables: "Alright, alright, then come back early tomorrow, I'll be waiting."

He seemed to suddenly remember something, turned around, rummaged through the cabinet, pulled out two steamed buns, and stuffed them into Zhou Fangyuan's hands: "Take these with you tomorrow morning, don't go out to sea hungry."

Zhou Fangyuan took the steamed bun, thanked him, but also told the truth: they didn't know when they would be back...

The three of them left the cafeteria and headed towards their dormitory.

Xiao Liu was much quieter this time, probably because he had vented all his excitement.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly spoke again: "Brother Fang Yuan, will it be cold tomorrow?"

Zhou Fangyuan recalled the wind at the beach in the early morning and nodded: "It must have been cold."

"I need to wear more clothes. I still have a jacket somewhere..." Xiao Liu muttered to himself, already starting to plan.

Back in the dormitory, Xiao Chen went to the water room to get water, while Xiao Liu started rummaging through drawers and cabinets as soon as he entered.

He pulled open the cabinet and took out the items one by one.

A kettle, dry food, an old coat, and even a pair of socks that he rarely wore were spread out on the bed, and he examined each item carefully.

Without turning his head, Xiao Liu said, "Brother Fang Yuan, do you think I should bring an extra pair of socks? Just in case they get wet?"

Zhou Fangyuan lay down on the bed, watched him bustling around aimlessly, sighed softly, and said with a smile, "Why are you bringing so much? It's not like we're going for three days."

Xiao Liu ignored him and continued to cause trouble.

After flipping through the pages for a while, he suddenly stopped, turned his head and asked, "Brother Fang Yuan, where is that nearshore area that Ah Hai mentioned? Is it far away? Can we see the shore?"

Zhou Fangyuan didn't know either, so he didn't respond.

Xiao Chen came in carrying water and happened to hear this. While pouring the water, he said casually, "I'll pick you up at the beach tomorrow after filming."

Xiao Liu's eyes lit up immediately: "Really?"

"Hmm." Xiao Chen put down the kettle: "What if you catch too many fish and can't carry them?"

Xiao Liu chuckled twice and then plunged back into his pile of luggage.

Zhou Fangyuan lay on the bed, watching Xiao Liu bustling around in the dim light, feeling calm and peaceful.

This simple yet reassuring liveliness made him feel very secure.

After the lights were turned off, Xiao Liu finally calmed down and snored evenly a few minutes after getting into bed. Xiao Chen also fell asleep, breathing lightly and steadily.

Only Zhou Fangyuan couldn't sleep.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind replaying Ah Hai's words from earlier that day...

"My grandfather felt sorry for me and insisted on watching over me."

"My dad has bad legs and can't do heavy work."

"I'm the only one in my family who can go out to sea."

During the day, it just felt like a hardship, but now, in the quiet of the night, as each sentence rolls through my mind, the feeling becomes much stronger.

And that barely audible "thank you" wasn't just politeness; it meant truly remembering even the smallest act of kindness...

Zhou Fangyuan gently turned over.

The sound of waves came from outside the window, muffled, lapping against the shore like a steady heartbeat.

He knew he had to get up early the next day, so he forced his eyes shut and tried to fall asleep.

I don't know how much time passed, but I finally drifted off to sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was still pitch black outside the window.

Zhou Fangyuan got up in the dark, dressed quietly, and walked to the bedside to nudge Xiao Liu.

Xiao Liu was fast asleep. After being nudged twice, he mumbled sleepily, "What's wrong...?"

"I'm gone."

Xiao Liu sat up abruptly, paused for half a second, and then suddenly became fully awake.

He quickly put on his clothes, grabbed the things he had found last night, and followed Zhou Fangyuan out.

It was still dark outside, with only a few scattered stars hanging in the sky.

The two walked towards the sea in the dark. The dirt road under their feet was blurry and they couldn't see clearly. The road they were used to walking on during the day required extra caution at night, for fear of stepping into a pit.

Xiao Liu walked quickly, shivering slightly as he went: "Brother Fang Yuan, it's a bit cold."

Zhou Fangyuan was also cold. The early morning at the seaside was much cooler than during the day. When the wind blew, it felt like a fine knife drilling into his collar.

He pulled his collar up higher, said nothing, and quickened his pace.

As we reached the beach, a hazy, grayish-white light was just beginning to appear on the horizon.

Ah Hai's boat was already quietly waiting on the shore.

The boat was small, even dilapidated.

The old wooden boat had several old nets and empty baskets piled inside.

Ah Hai was squatting at the bow of the boat packing his things when he heard footsteps. He looked up, saw them, and smiled.

"You're here so early?"

Zhou Fangyuan and the other person responded.

Xiao Liu rushed over and jumped onto the boat. The boat rocked, and he quickly crouched down.

"Ah Hai, where are we going today?"

Ahai pointed to the distant sea and then to the hull of the ship: "You'd better sit still and don't move around."

Xiao Liu obediently found a place to sit down, his eyes still looking around.

Zhou Fangyuan also boarded the boat and sat down on the side of the boat. The deck was wet and had a salty, fishy smell.

Ah Hai started rowing, and with a creaking sound, the boat slowly left the shore and headed out to sea.

The gray-white layer on the horizon gradually dispersed, revealing a hint of orange-red, and a faint golden light spread across the sea, so dazzling that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The guesthouse on the shore grew smaller and smaller, and the reefs became a blurry mass.

Xiao Liu lay on the gunwale, stretching out his hand and then pulling it back, muttering, "It's really out, it's really out, it's really out..."

Zhou Fangyuan didn't speak, he just stared at the water.

Waves surged in one after another, rocking the boat and making people a little dizzy.

He thought of the river in his hometown, where he had taken a boat ride as a child, but a river is a river, and the sea is the sea; they are not the same.

Ahai rowed the boat for a while to slow it down. He stood up, looked around, and then began to cast the net.