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

Li Lingyu stopped, smiled in response, and then slowly walked over.

"Director Yang has officially let me join the film crew. I'll be heading back to Beijing with the convoy tomorrow. Are you... still going to stay here and continue learning?"

Li Lingyu's smile froze. The nineteen-year-old girl already knew how to hide her emotions.

But in that instant, the sense of loss and emptiness that flashed in his eyes could not be completely hidden.

However, this feeling was quickly overshadowed by something else.

She remembered the promise that Director Yang had made to her when he came over.

A promise about the future from a director she respected.

Her eyes had regained their clarity, even carrying a glimmer of light from that shared future.

"I will stay here to study, but Director Yang told me that there will be opportunities to contact me in the future, so we will still be able to meet again."

The girl didn't know why she said those words, but she felt more at ease after saying them.

The young man didn't understand what these feelings meant.

This was a feeling he had never experienced in his previous life, and suddenly he thought of something.

"If you want to get a big role with Director Yang, you'll have to work on your eyes and posture a lot."

The girl repeated it to herself, then asked, "Okay! Then tell me what else I'm missing~"

"Hmm...Is everything else you need?"

The girl's expression froze upon hearing this... What do you mean you don't lack anything?

Seeing this, the young man quickly and earnestly added to the explanation.

"I heard you sing that day. Your voice is very distinctive, lively and charming."

You can do fewer covers and record more original demos in your own style. That way, you'll stand out from the crowd.

Seeing the earnest look on the person's face, Li Lingyu couldn't help but laugh out loud, and she kept the suggestion in mind.

"Then I'll have to see how good an actor you've become, and you'll have to check if my studies have improved. Neither of us is allowed to slack off!"

"Okay, it's a deal. I'll be waiting for the day you get to go on stage."

The two made a promise.

That night, the film crew and villagers sat around the bonfire in the ancestral hall for the last time.

They still surrounded Zhou Fangyuan in the middle, chatting about interesting things.

The five main creators who returned from Boyue Cave were deeply moved by the atmosphere.

The crew is still in the exploratory stage. Everything is difficult at the beginning. It is a great start to have such a supportive small mountain village.

Accountant Zhao Bo, holding far more lodging fees and national grain coupons than initially agreed upon, repeatedly made excuses to the person in charge of the film crew.

Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, he accepted them.

The next morning, with everything ready, Zhou Fangyuan bid farewell to the villagers and resolutely got into the jeep.

Then, amidst everyone's farewells, the convoy started and slowly drove away.

All the crew members will never forget their experience here.

Li Lingyu stood beside Zhou Niang, watching the convoy drive away. She then turned her gaze away and clenched her fists.

She would never forget their promise, and neither would Zhou Fangyuan.

The convoy swayed and bumped along the mountain roads for most of the day, then turned onto uneven roads, finally entering the town where the region was located around noon.

Compared to the mountain village, there are now three- or four-story buildings and wider gravel roads, but dust still flies everywhere, and the air is filled with coal smoke and the smell of the marketplace.

Finally, the convoy stopped in front of a drab, gray building.

The exterior walls are unfinished gray-white cement surfaces, with wind and rain leaving marks of varying sizes on them.

The windows have standard steel frames, square and neat. Although they are somewhat mottled, they still gleam in the sunlight.

Above the main facade are large, three-dimensional red characters: Lengshuijiang East Station.

Lengshuijiang East Station is a small station. The waiting area doesn't even have a simple rain shelter; there are just a few long wooden benches.

Unlike the major stations, this place is relatively quiet.

The crew members could squeeze together to rest, and while waiting for their train, they could even get a cup of hot tea from the station staff.

However, the situation is quite different when transferring to Changsha Railway Station.

Changsha Station in 1982 was a major hub where the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and the Shijiazhuang-Changsha Railway intersected, and the station building had a strong Soviet architectural style.

It is much more imposing, with a sturdy feel that is unique to its era.

The area in front of the station was crowded with all sorts of people.

Farmers carrying huge bags of urea or bamboo baskets, workers in faded overalls carrying aluminum lunch boxes, and a few people who looked like cadres.

The smells of sweat, cheap tobacco, fermenting food, and a cacophony of various dialects assaulted my senses.

"The train carrying the equipment has arrived! Keep an eye on our belongings! Gather all the equipment together and count them!" Zeng shouted at the top of his lungs, his face covered in dust and exhaustion.

Zhou Fangyuan followed along, because he had played two roles in his previous life, so this was not the first time he had taken a train to a major station.

The production crew always tries to save money wherever possible and did not hire a dedicated transport team.

The group of twenty or thirty people, carrying a pile of boxes reinforced with hemp rope and wooden strips, as well as several metal boxes that required special care to carry, quickly attracted the attention of some travelers in the vicinity.

It wasn't because they were recognized, but because what they were carrying was so unusual, unlike ordinary luggage.

"Hey, which unit is this...? Are you moving?"

Several men squatting in the corner smoking asked curiously, their eyes glued to the large boxes.

"It's for filming a TV series," a young crew member replied casually, struggling to lift a box.

The man became interested and looked them up and down.

"What are you filming? I only know how to film movies. What's a TV series?"

"The TV series is..." The young man was about to explain when he was stopped by a look from the production assistant Zeng next to him.

Now is not the time for propaganda; the most important thing is to safely get people and supplies onto the train bound for Beijing.

Director Yang and Ren Fengbo were quickly checking the important supplies, giving them repeated instructions.

"Make sure the film boxes stay with you! Xiao Liu, don't damage those boxes! Everyone remember your group and carriage number, don't get on the wrong train! Hard seat tickets, conditions are tough, look out for each other!"

Liu Xiaoling Tong, carrying a simple shoulder bag, stood somewhat lost in the crowd.

The crowded and unfamiliar surroundings, along with the curious gazes directed at him, made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, and he subconsciously moved closer to Ma Dehua.

Ma Dehua remained calm and even helped a young man from the lighting crew who was almost knocked over, muttering, "Slow down, it's more troublesome if something breaks than if a person falls."

Zhou Fangyuan was assigned to the group that escorted costumes and props.

He helped carefully move several labeled wooden crates onto the designated luggage trolley; the rough wooden crates rubbed against his palms.

On the platform, sharp whistles sounded intermittently.

The announcements, accompanied by a piercing static and heavy accents, broadcast train arrival and departure information, each broadcast causing an even greater crowding and uproar.

"Quick! Our train is starting to check tickets! Head to platform three! Bring your stuff!" Old Zeng's voice was almost drowned out.

He saw Zhou Fangyuan in the crowd and quickly grabbed him, pointing towards Director Yang.

"Don't forget! Stay close to Director Yang and the others later. It's your first time traveling in a crowded train, so make sure you stay close! It's safer to squeeze into the same carriage as them!"

Although the two were very close, he still shouted at the top of his lungs, and Zhou Fangyuan quickly responded.

The crowd began to surge towards the various platforms like a flood. Zhou Fangyuan followed closely behind Director Yang, carrying his gray cloth bundle and a net bag in his hand.

The ticket check was extremely crowded; he was almost pushed and shoved by the crowd, then ran down the dimly lit steps and rushed up to platform three.