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

In the following days, Zhou Fangyuan seemed to be wound up tightly.

During the day, he continued to diligently perform various coordination and support tasks within the film crew.

But as soon as he has a break, he immediately takes out paper and pen and immerses himself in his "big plan".

He first drew up a rough outline in his notebook, and then began to fill it in with content.

The first challenge we encountered was getting specific data.

He knew that the back of his hometown was a shady and damp place, but he didn't know which medicinal herbs were suitable for it.

The seeds Master Wang gave him were good, but he had no idea about their detailed characteristics, approximate yield per acre, or how many years it would take to harvest them.

He wrote a long letter to Master Wang of the Guchang Taoist Temple, explaining in detail the environment of his hometown's mountainous area and sincerely asking for advice on the most suitable varieties and the most basic planting points.

He knew that the Taoist priests didn't use telephones, so they could only ask the film crew's driver, who occasionally came down the mountain on business, to take the letters to the post office at the foot of the mountain and mail them out. Then he would wait patiently.

With the data temporarily unavailable, he first outlined the logic and vision.

He pondered Director Li's words repeatedly, focusing on "using the collective's idle barren mountains to explore a new way of life for the whole village."

He tried to describe the scene: if it succeeded, the hillside that had been barren for decades would be transformed into neat rows of medicinal herb plots.

It sprouts in spring, turns lush and green in summer, and yields a harvest in autumn that can be exchanged for money. This can help alleviate the worries of the elderly in the village when they need to see a doctor or get medicine.

As he was writing, he got stuck on the question of "approximately how much money can he earn?"

He only knew that medicinal herbs were more valuable than grains, but he had no idea how much seed and fertilizer to invest or what price to sell them for.

Zhou Fangyuan looked worried. This can't be left empty; the commune cadres would think it's just wishful thinking.

After finishing work, he seized the opportunity to approach Ma Dehua and Yan Huaili, who were chatting over peanuts and water instead of alcohol.

These two are very knowledgeable, especially Mr. Yan Huaili. He is the oldest and has a high reputation in the crew. It seems that his family used to run a small business.

"Brother Yan, Brother Ma, I have something to ask you both." Zhou Fangyuan said respectfully.

"If you want to calculate, for example, how much money you need to invest from seed to harvest for planting one acre of Scutellaria baicalensis, and what price you can get in the end, how do you estimate this?"

Is there a general algorithm?

Ma Dehua chuckled as she chewed on a peanut: "Hey, Fang Yuan, are you going to switch careers and become an accountant? Doing all this meticulous bookkeeping?"

Yan Huaili put down his water glass, squinted his eyes and thought for a moment, then said loudly, "This matter really can't be guessed blindly!"

You need to know the current price of seeds and how many kilograms are needed per acre. The price will differ depending on whether you use organic fertilizer or chemical fertilizer.

The most crucial point is when selling: is it the whole, dried herb with roots, or just a portion? The price difference varies greatly depending on the grade of the purchasing station.

Seeing that Zhou Fangyuan was a little confused, he put it more bluntly: "If you keep doing this, don't think about how much you'll earn."

Just write, "Initial pilot project, not seeking profit, only aiming to break even and master the technology." That sounds realistic and not exaggerated!

These words enlightened Zhou Fangyuan.

Yes, the first step is a "pilot project" and an "exploration," we can't exaggerate it! He quickly wrote it down.

Two days later, he took the draft, which was covered with revisions, and mustered up the courage to go to Dai Yinglu.

After reading it, Elder Dai didn't comment on the content, but pointed to a few places and said decisively: "Here, the sentences are too long. The cadres are busy and will get dizzy just looking at them. Shorten them."

This part is redundant; please delete it.

Most importantly, you spent too many pages writing "why it can be done," but the "first step" was written too vaguely.

List it out clearly, one, two, three, four: what to do in the first step, who will do it, and approximately when to do it. The clearer the better.

Following Dai Lao's instructions, Zhou Fangyuan went back and made another major revision.

The sentences are shorter, the logic is clearer, and the key points of the "three-step approach" are highlighted: In the first year, two or three kinds of medicinal herbs that are easiest to survive are planted on a very small scale.

If successful, expand the area in the second year and try to contact established purchasing channels; in the third year, promote it as needed.

One evening, while he was engrossed in revising his manuscript, Liu Zhihan tiptoed over and placed a bowl of steaming sweet fermented rice with eggs on the corner of his desk.

"Brother Zhou, there's still some left at the mess hall. I saw you didn't eat much tonight, so I got you a bowl."

She spoke softly, and without lingering after finishing, she turned around to check the costumes she would be using the next day.

Zhou Fangyuan thanked him, picked up the bowl and took a sip. The warm sweetness went straight to his stomach, dispelling the fatigue from staying up all night.

He glanced up at Liu Zhihan's slender figure as she busied herself in front of the clothing rack, a warm feeling washing over him, but his attention quickly returned to the manuscript.

A few days later, Master Wang sent a reply through a messenger. The letter indeed listed in detail three medicinal herbs that were most suitable for the damp environment of the hilly area in central Hunan.

Even the approximate sowing season, daily management, and harvesting precautions are clearly stated.

Zhou Fangyuan was overjoyed, as if he had found a treasure, and immediately added this valuable information to the proposal.

Finally, a preliminary proposal on the trial planting of Chinese medicinal herbs on collective barren hills in Qingshi Village, which incorporates the wisdom of many parties and has been revised repeatedly, has been finalized!

It is short but well-organized, with a pragmatic goal, containing both a beautiful vision and a feasible first step.

Zhou Fangyuan copied it twice using the neatest handwriting.

He carefully kept one copy, and sealed the other, along with a long letter he had written to the village secretary and his family, into an envelope.

Zhou Fangyuan asked Director Yang for the address of the guesthouse at the next filming location.

Because the film crew is constantly on the move, this is the only way to ensure that the letters reach you in the shortest possible time.

In his letter to the Party branch secretary, he explained in detail the policy basis and action steps pointed out by Li Hongchang.

We earnestly request that the Party Secretary first consult with Wang Bo, the production team leader, and the elderly people in the village to see what they think.

He dropped the letter into the mailbox on the old street outside Qingyang Palace, and his heart jumped as he heard the soft "thump".

The seeds have been sown; now, it's time to wait for the soil's response.

Back on set, he felt a sense of relief at having completed a phase of the task, but even more so, he longed for a response from afar.

He knew that the real test might have only just begun.

At noon, several more teachers were about to enter the film crew, and the atmosphere was filled with the anticipation of welcoming important characters.

Zhou Fangyuan was helping the props team put away the items when he heard the news, and he felt a sense of admiration for the artists.

However, when Zuo Dabing, who plays Guanyin, walked through the courtyard with the "Three Star Gods of Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity" accompanied by Director Yang, her gaze swept across the crowd.

Surprisingly, he stopped on Zhou Fangyuan, a surprised yet friendly smile appearing on his face:

"Xiao Zhou? Zhou Fangyuan? You're here too?"

The surroundings fell silent for a moment.

Zhou Fangyuan quickly stepped forward and greeted him respectfully, feeling equally surprised.

"After all this time, Teacher Zuo still remembers me?"