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

Li Lingyu was overjoyed and quickly looked around, wanting to know which comrade had said those words.

But when your gaze falls on that face in the crowd, it's as if time stands still.

A strange feeling welled up in my heart...

The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment.

The nearest water source is behind the village, about a half-hour walk away. It's the rainy season now, so the road is difficult to walk on, and the mountain is full of mud pits of all sizes.

Washing by the well in the village?

In those days, even the well water supply to the villagers in the small mountain village was scarce, let alone enough to wash so many clothes.

Zhou Fangyuan, who was in the crowd, continued:

"I know a shortcut to the water source. Go around behind the old ancestral hall, through that bamboo grove, and there's a path that goes straight there. The water flows clean and it saves half the time!"

His voice was clear and highly credible.

Seeing that Li Lingyu was not moving, Zhou Fangyuan spoke again.

"Comrade? I can lead the way."

"Ah, comrade, you really know the way? That's great! We're short-handed when we arrived, and that's exactly what we were worried about!"

"I recognize it, I go there often, come with me."

Li Lingyu was overjoyed upon hearing the reply.

She quickly picked up the large basin and headed out, putting all those strange thoughts behind her. The most important thing now was to take advantage of the good weather and wash the costumes as soon as possible.

Zhou Fangyuan, however, did not consider that much.

What would an old man who has been single for over 60 years and has never been in a relationship be thinking?

I just wanted to take the basin from her hands.

Li Lingyu's portrayal of the Jade Rabbit spirit is both alluring and innocent, her eyes sparkling with a captivating charm.

Her graceful movements during the dance, with their delicate beauty and exotic charm, combined with the song "The Girl from India," left a deep impression on countless people.

As a singer, she surprisingly brought the Jade Rabbit Spirit to life with her acting skills, which Zhou Fangyuan greatly admires.

But Li Lingyu insisted on holding him, so they let her.

The two then turned into the path behind the ancestral hall.

The road is indeed hidden, but it is relatively flat to walk on.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the two heard a "whoosh" sound.

Li Lingyu quickly squatted down by the stream and began to wash her costume in the running water.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair wrists.

"Thank goodness you're here, comrade."

"If we can't wash these costumes, they won't dry during filming, which will cause serious problems!"

She is straightforward, but her voice is gentle, with a mix of Beijing and Shanghai accents.

Unlike her later playful image on screen, she appeared approachable and pragmatic at this moment.

"Haha, you're too kind, Li..."

Zhou Fangyuan almost blurted out "Teacher Li," but luckily he stopped himself in time.

I really need to be more careful in the future...

In this remote mountain village, it's impossible for anyone to know her.

In 1982, she was just 19 years old and was still a trainee in the group, in the accumulation stage.

Moreover, only one or two well-off families in the whole village own radios.

The loudspeaker at the village entrance mainly broadcasts news, notices, weather forecasts, and revolutionary songs, and very rarely plays operas.

In the past, if you wanted to become famous, appearing on the Spring Festival Gala would make you a household name across the country, but the Spring Festival Gala was only held for the first time in 1983.

This was the first real meeting between the two, but fortunately Li Lingyu was focused on cleaning her costume and didn't notice.

Zhou Fangyuan squatted down beside her and picked up the fluffy costume to wash it as he did.

Li Lingyu glanced at him with some surprise.

At this time, when the mountain people saw these "people from the capital," they were either too shy to look up or they would look at them curiously from afar.

It's rare to see someone as natural and generous as Zhou Fangyuan, who also takes the initiative to help with chores.

But sensing the person beside her, she suddenly felt a little awkward.

"Are you people here to film Journey to the West?"

Li Lingyu snapped out of her daze and thought for a moment before replying.

"I'm not quite sure either. I'm not part of their production team. I was assigned to Hunan by the academy, mainly to collect folk music and dance for the new production."

I met the film crew on the way, so I tagged along to help out and learn a bit, so I don't know much about film crews.

Li Lingyu spoke with a slight turn of her head as she scrubbed the stains.

"Are you from this village? I hear the villagers call you Fang Yazi?"

"Yes, Zhou Fangyuan, a native of this area."

Zhou Fangyuan looked up, but his hands didn't stop.

He had just been reborn, and he was still somewhat restless.

Now, with my skin being stimulated by the cool stream water, my mind has calmed down.

"Do you know where I can find those folk art masters? I'd really like to learn about the local folk customs and arts!"

Folk customs and arts... In my memory, my mother could dance beautifully, and he inherited his good foundation from his parents.

"Hmm... My mother dances very well and sings folk songs well, does that count?"

But she's working in the fields now; she can introduce you to her when she gets back.

"Really? Of course! Isn't this too much trouble for you?"

Upon hearing this, Li Lingyu was overjoyed. It was just a casual remark, but it turned out to be such a coincidence.

As she spoke, Li Lingyu excitedly turned her head away, but then she froze again.

This face is truly handsome, with a clear and bright spirit.

"It's alright, no trouble at all. By the way, comrade, what's your name? From now on, you can call me Comrade Zhou, or just the last two characters of my name, it's fine either way."

"Huh?...Li Lingyu."

She answered very softly, her manner seemingly like that of an ordinary woman in the 80s, whose voice would unconsciously soften when she met a man she liked.

Li Lingyu continued to bury herself in washing the costumes, but her mind was no longer on them.

Neither of them tried to start a new topic, and the atmosphere grew cold.

Huh? Why does her face look red? What's going on? Why is she suddenly like this?

I remember she was good at singing, dancing, and opera, and had a very outgoing personality, right? How come she's like this after just a few words? She wasn't like this just now.

I was really something. Maybe she was just being polite, but I took it seriously. Should I still take her to meet En's mother?

Or perhaps...she's actually a very shy person?

So shy, yet she can still dance with the agility of the Jade Rabbit Spirit... truly impressive.

In Zhou Fangyuan's mind, who yearns for art, he once again recognized Li Lingyu's professionalism in portraying the Jade Rabbit Spirit through a strange line of thinking.

"Then... I'll call you Comrade Li?"

"good……"

Zhou Fangyuan remained silent.

He believed that Li Lingyu was actually introverted, and her thanks were just out of politeness. If he continued to talk to her, it would definitely leave a bad impression.

Soon, a large basin of costumes was washed.

Li Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief, her face beaming with the youthful smile that comes after a day's work.

The urge to get up might be due to leg numbness from squatting for too long, or perhaps the bluestone was too slippery.

She instantly lost her balance and plunged straight into the stream!

"Be careful!"

Zhou Fangyuan reacted extremely quickly, almost instinctively.

He took a step forward, quickly stretched out his right hand, and grabbed Li Lingyu's arm.

At the same time, he quickly put his left arm around her shoulder to help her regain her balance.

Even so, Li Lingyu's right foot still stepped into the stream.

Her trousers and shoes were instantly soaked, and the icy touch made her gasp.

But at that moment, sunlight happened to filter through the leaves and fall on his handsome face. The instant his gaze fell on the young man's profile, a blush quickly spread from his ears to his neck.

She was only able to avoid falling completely because most of her body was leaning on Zhou Fangyuan. Still shaken, her chest heaved slightly.