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

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Zhou Fangyuan had no choice but to think about it seriously.

My gaze swept into the distance and I saw Xiao Zhang lovingly stroking the edge of a piece of wood.

He recalled that Xiao Zhang had mentioned in a casual conversation that he particularly liked the feel of this kind of good wood, and that using it to practice knife skills and ponder details was a pleasure.

Unfortunately, big finds are rare, so we can only enjoy the scraps.

A thought struck him, and he said what he wanted.

"Team Leader Han, since you put it that way... then I won't stand on ceremony. I think the key to Comrade Zhang and his team's carving is the wood."

If it's convenient... could you give me a few larger, better quality pieces of wood?

It doesn't need to be anything particularly rare or expensive; the size, um... just something that can be carved into a decent ornament will do.

Old Han was stunned for a moment. He thought Zhou Fangyuan would ask for subsidies, even if they were some practical tools, but he didn't expect him to ask for wood.

"Is this the one you want?" he asked to confirm.

"Yes, this is it." Zhou Fangyuan nodded, smiling frankly.

"Alright! That's no request! Come with me!"

Old Han readily agreed and immediately put his arm around Zhou Fangyuan; this was much simpler than any reward he had anticipated.

He led Zhou Fangyuan to a small warehouse behind the art studio, where a lot of wood was piled up.

Old Han was indeed an expert. After careful selection, he found three pieces of catalpa wood with straight grain and uniform color. Each piece was about half the size of a tabletop and was also thick enough.

"These three pieces are made of fine-grained wood, they won't crack or warp, they're perfect for carving! Is that enough?"

As he spoke, he spotted another piece and brought it out.

"That's enough! Thank you so much, Team Leader Han!"

Zhou Fangyuan looked at the four large pieces of wood and was very satisfied.

"No need to thank me! Someone, help Xiao Zhou carry these pieces of fabric into his room!"

"Okay!"

At this moment, Zhang Jinlai also walked over and looked at Zhou Fangyuan:

"Fang Yuan, now that the problem here is solved, I feel relieved. I need to go back and work on the play some more, so I won't stay any longer."

"Okay, thanks for showing me the way today, keep it up!"

Zhou Fangyuan sincerely thanked him, then, as if remembering something, he opened the Wukong blueprints and took out a few sheets.

"Here, take this. You might glean something from looking at your new look."

Zhang Jinlai accepted the wood, then curiously examined it before turning and leaving the art studio.

Several young carvers laboriously carried the heavy piece of wood into the house and placed it against the wall.

After Xiao Zhang finished his work, he came over to watch the excitement. When he saw the four pieces of wood, his eyes widened and he couldn't help but touch them.

They exclaimed in admiration, "The team leader is really generous this time! This is top-quality material! Comrade Zhou, you want to learn carving? Starting with this material is such a high bar!"

"It's not for me."

Zhou Fangyuan looked at Xiao Zhang and said earnestly, "Comrade Zhang, these are for you."

Xiao Zhang froze, then turned around abruptly, his face filled with disbelief: "Given to me?!"

After saying that, he suddenly stood up: "Comrade Zhou, are you kidding me? How can this be! This is a reward from Boss Han!"

"It really is for you," Zhou Fangyuan said sincerely.

"Comrade Zhang, I must thank you first. Since I moved in, you have helped me make my bed and carved so many lifelike characters from Journey to the West for me."

He pointed to several pieces of wood: "I know you like to use this kind of good material for carving. It feels good to the touch and produces beautiful results."

Team Leader Han rewarded me, so I'm taking this opportunity to give back to him.

"Your craftsmanship is excellent; only in your hands can these pieces become true works of art. Please accept them."

As Xiao Zhang listened, his eyes welled up with tears. Despite his usual carefree and jovial demeanor, he was actually quite thoughtful.

He knew very well that such a good piece of material was rare in the group, and Boss Han was only willing to give it to Zhou Fangyuan because of his merits.

But to my surprise, Zhou Fangyuan gave it to me right away.

"Comrade Zhou..." Xiao Zhang's voice was a little choked up. He blinked hard to suppress the heat in his eyes.

"Good brother! I'll keep those words in mind! Since I joined the team, the team leader has only been generous this once. I never expected... that you would be the first to consider my needs."

"Alright, I'll take this material! I'll definitely carve the best piece out of it!"

He looked at the wood with affection, his eyes catching a glimpse of the monkey-shaped wooden carving placed outside the bag.

That was carved by myself based on the monkey spirit played by Zhou Fangyuan.

He picked it up, suddenly lost in thought, and whispered:

"Comrade Zhou, to be honest, sometimes when I look at these horns I've carved, I think..."

"How wonderful it would be if I could play a leading role in a play, like the lead actors, and live someone else's life."

Zhang Youqing remained in a daze for a long time. Zhou Fangyuan looked at him and understood his longing for the stage.

After all, I am the same way.

Suddenly, Xiao Zhang asked, "By the way, what do you think of Teacher Zhang? You actually managed to bring him to the studio, and they seemed quite familiar with each other?"

Zhou Fangyuan was somewhat surprised by the question and replied, "Jinlai? That's great! What's wrong?"

"Teacher Zhang's acting skills are beyond question, he played the monkey perfectly! It's just... he seems quiet and doesn't talk much usually."

When I was being shrewd, I tried to greet him, but he just nodded and seemed a bit unapproachable.

Hearing this, Zhou Fangyuan was amused and quickly responded.

"Jin Lai isn't hard to get along with; he's just introverted and a bit shy, especially with people he doesn't know well."

Actually, he's simple-minded, and he's very focused on things that interest him outside of acting. By the way...

Zhou Fangyuan recalled the focused look in Zhang Jinlai's eyes when he was watching the carving in the art studio.

"He's actually quite interested in wood carving. He watched you work for a long time."

"real?!"

Xiao Zhang's attention was instantly drawn to the fact that he was "interested in wood carvings," and his eyes lit up.

"Does Teacher Zhang like this too?"

Zhou Fangyuan nodded.

"Hmm, I think he's quite interested. Why don't you... carve a Monkey King for him too?"

Maybe this will lead to a longer chat and you two will become closer.

"Great idea!" Xiao Zhang suddenly perked up.

"I'm going to carve him a one-of-a-kind Monkey King! Absolutely! Hehe, I'll use this fine catalpa wood to carve it!"

He was eager to get started, but hesitated when he looked at the wood.

"To carve one directly from such a good piece of material... well, that won't do. It would be a waste of a lot of material. I need to plan this out carefully."

Watching Xiao Zhang meticulously plan, as if afraid of wasting even a single piece of wood.

Zhou Fangyuan felt that this was more vivid than simply "cherishing materials," perfectly embodying the craftsman's instinct to be meticulous and make the most of everything.

"Wait!" Zhou Fangyuan carefully took out the final draft of Wukong from his personal cloth bag.

"Comrade Zhang, look at this. How about sculpting it to capture the spirit of Sun Wukong?"

Xiao Zhang took it and was immediately captivated.

"Wow! This drawing...this Sun Wukong is so beautifully drawn! The expression, the posture! Absolutely amazing! Comrade Zhou, did you draw this? You have such talent!"

"No, no," Zhou Fangyuan hurriedly explained.

"This is the final draft drawn by teacher Wang Xichong. Jin Lai and I were right next to him at the time, helping to hand him a pen and offering some ideas."

"It's Wang Lao's doing! No wonder!"

Xiao Zhang was filled with awe, holding the blueprints as if they were imperial edicts.

"Well done, Comrade Zhou! It's a real skill of you to be here assisting! This drawing is fantastic; I must do my part to make it worthy of it!"

He was in high spirits and immediately got to work.