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

Wang Dehai leaned closer to the brightest spot by the window, his lips trembling slightly.

From the fluttering battle robes, one can see the intricate patterns of the armor; from the cold, stern face, one can see the three-pointed, double-edged sword in his hand that seems to exude a real killing intent.

The half-open third eye on his forehead, in particular, is depicted with great charm.

He watched for a full minute before taking a deep breath, turning to look at Zhou Fangyuan and the other person, his eyes filled with undisguised affection and admiration.

"Great! Great! That's the spirit! Even more vibrant than in the comic books! The leaves... the eyes... your craftsmanship is absolutely amazing!"

He stroked the wooden base with obvious affection, nodding repeatedly, "This gift is too generous, too generous..."

Seeing that the time was right, Zhou Fangyuan spoke apologetically.

"Director Wang, actually, besides seeing off this Erlang Shen statue, I have an urgent matter I'd like to ask for your help with today."

He recounted the predicament of the film crew's truck suddenly breaking down, making a relocation the next day an urgent matter.

"We had no other choice but to ask if we could temporarily dispatch a vehicle to help us get through this difficult time."

We will cover all expenses and will do everything we can to avoid putting you in a difficult position.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dehai's brows furrowed in thought, as was his habit.

But when he looked at the majestic Erlang Shen in his hand and recalled the scenes in the first volume of "Journey to the West" that he had praised so highly, his brows quickly relaxed.

Without much hesitation, he placed the wooden carving steadily in the center of the eight-immortal table, as if setting the tone for the matter.

"The crew's business is serious! What you've made is good and meaningful!"

With a wave of his hand, he turned and walked to the black hand-cranked telephone, cranking it until it creaked.

"Hello, this is Wang Dehai! Connect me to the transport team's duty room."

Is your team leader here? Tell him to run over and answer the phone!

When the familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, Wang Dehai's tone was decisive and unquestionable.

"Xiao Song, listen up. Get that Jiefang truck in the garage that just finished a long trip out immediately, fill it up with gas, and wait for me at the entrance of my residential compound. I need it urgently."

The Journey to the West crew is transporting supplies; the train cars will be ready tomorrow morning, and they can't afford to be delayed!

"...Yes, it's the one that airs about Sun Wukong. Doesn't your daughter watch TV every day and try to learn monkey boxing?"

A cheerful response came from the other end of the phone; Director Wang chuckled and scolded:

"Stop talking nonsense. I'll fill in the fuel bill tomorrow. It's an urgent task! You don't need to worry about loading and unloading; the film crew has people to handle it."

"Hurry up, come over here right now!"

After hanging up the phone, Wang Dehai turned around, his face beaming with satisfaction at having gotten the job done.

"Alright, this is the apprentice I took on when I was a technician, he's reliable."

The car will be there in no time; it's in perfect condition, driving this short distance is a piece of cake for it.

Zhou Fangyuan and his companion were overjoyed and hurriedly expressed their gratitude, their eyes and brows revealing their undisguised relief.

Director Wang waved his hand, pointed to the wooden carving of Erlang Shen on the table, and laughed.

"Just because of your dedication to filming, and also because of Erlang Shen's reputation, I absolutely have to help you with this!"

Then, he warmly took their hands and began to talk about the exquisitely crafted Erlang Shen statue.

Before long, the clear sound of a car horn could be heard outside the courtyard.

It wasn't a single sound, but rather two short and one long note, conveying a sense of urgency and a crisp, efficient quality.

Director Wang grinned: "Look, they're here! Come on, I'll see you out."

The group arrived at the gate of the courtyard and saw a well-maintained Jiefang brand truck with a gleaming front, which was already parked steadily.

A sharp and efficient driver in his thirties jumped out of the car.

His military green overalls had faded a bit, and he smiled at Wang Dehai.

"Sir, your phone is more reliable than my emergency whistle! The car's here, and it's full of gas!"

His gaze swept over Zhou Fangyuan and Xiao Zhang, finally settling on Director Wang's face as he made a teasing remark.

"So it's the crew of Journey to the West? Okay, I'll have to tell my daughter later that her dad helped with the logistics for Sun Wukong!"

Director Wang chuckled and scolded his apprentice again, then turned to look at Zhou Fangyuan.

"You can call him Master Song. Hurry up and go back to load the truck, don't delay the important business."

With Zhou Fangyuan's help, Xiao Zhang felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

The truck's engine roared with a deep, powerful sound, sounding exceptionally reliable at that moment.

The guesthouse courtyard.

The courtyard was in complete chaos, like a pot had been boiled over.

Li Chengru was so anxious that he kept pacing around, yelling at the people moving the props, "Be gentle!"

A moment later, he pulled out his crumpled phone book from his pocket and started searching through it, his fingers trembling so much he could barely hold the page numbers.

At the very front of the crowd, Li Hongchang, the production manager of the film crew, was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back.

His face was full of anxiety, the veins on his forehead were throbbing, and his usually loud voice was hoarse.

He knew that if they missed tomorrow's train, the next one with empty compartments wouldn't be available for several days, and the film crew simply couldn't afford to be delayed.

As for the truck, he had already made all the phone calls before it arrived, but either the line was busy or they said there were no trucks available.

There's another one that, after much persuasion, might finally get approved, but it takes two days of processing.

I cried out to heaven but received no response, and cried out to earth but received no help.

Li Hongchang was in charge of funding approvals and external coordination, as well as vehicle dispatching and basic necessities.

He's known as the team's troubleshooter, but now he's encountered a fire he can't handle.

He wasn't wearing his usual Zhongshan suit, but only a drab gray polyester shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his forearms covered in black engine oil.

He crawled under the car and struggled for over half an hour, getting himself all disheveled, but it was all in vain.

"Director Li! How about... how about we split up and try to flag down a car on the roadside?"

Some people, desperate for a cure, timidly offered their suggestions.

Li Hongchang turned around abruptly, his eyes bloodshot.

"Stop the car? This truck is full of props, which private individual would dare to take it?! If anything goes wrong, can we afford to pay for it?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtyard fell silent, with only the rustling of the wind blowing through the cloth boxes, and everyone's face was clouded with worry and helplessness.

Li Chengru was so anxious that sweat was dripping from his nose.

He clutched the phone book, his eyes fixed on the direction of the courtyard gate, praying over and over again that a miracle would happen.

Just then, a clear, steady truck engine sound came from afar, breaking the deathly silence in the courtyard.

Li Chengru, with his sharp ears, was the first to hear the noise. He jerked his head up, his gaze fixed on the hospital entrance, and then, as if burned, he cried out in a hoarse voice:

"It's you guys!"

That shout, like a thunderclap, shattered the oppressive silence of the courtyard.

All eyes immediately turned to the doorway.

Then Zhou Fangyuan and Xiao Zhang led a brand-new truck slowly in.

Master Song steadily parked the car next to the pile of props that had been partially unloaded, pulled the handbrake, and jumped out of the car.

Li Hongchang was startled, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. He subconsciously took two steps forward, his steps unsteady.

That gleaming truck, amidst the wrecked yard, was like a ray of light, instantly illuminating the despair in everyone's eyes.

Li Chengru had already rushed over first, his voice trembling with tears.

"Fang Yuan! Xiao Zhang! You've finally arrived! Where did you find this car?!"