My Wandering Swordsman

The production assistant, Niu, shook the papers loudly, pointing at us behind the loudspeaker: "What? Look at this! What kind of rubbish have you recruited! Tall, short, fat, thin—you name it, they've got it all, but not a single one looks human!"

The loudspeaker, having been scolded, shrank back, stepped forward, grabbed the stage manager, and dragged him behind a screen.

I was at the back of the line and heard their conversation clearly.

The loudspeaker announced, "Production Manager Niu, there's nothing we can do. You've driven the price down too far. Eighteen yuan a day? There's no going rate like that in the entire film studio. We're lucky we even managed to find anyone."

The production assistant was taken aback, then muttered a curse under his breath:

"No, what are you talking about in public? Who tried to lower your price? I gave you a fair price. You know the production budget is tight right now..."

"No? Brother Niu, there are no outsiders here, why are you pretending with me? The crew pays extras twenty yuan a day, we'll deduct two yuan, use eighteen yuan to hire people, and split it fifty-fifty... You can't go back on your word about this..."

"Alright, alright, stop talking."

I gritted my teeth after hearing that.

So, the two of them colluded to embezzle the extras' fees, pocketing two yuan per person. Today, with ten of us, that's twenty yuan going into their pockets every day.

Moreover, the job of an extra sounds good, but in reality it's just a daily wage job, without even a contract, and the turnover rate is very high.

If the production manager takes a cut every time they recruit extras...

Yeah, making money from acting is definitely more lucrative!

Niu, the production assistant, and Dian Balou argued behind the screen for a while longer. When they came out again, Niu's expression had softened considerably.

Even so, Niu, the production manager, eventually chased away the few elderly men with gray hair.

There's no other way; who would dare hire an old man?

Bumps, bruises, getting cold or hot – these are all problems, and the money you earn isn't enough to cover the losses.

The loudspeaker walked away with its head down, probably off to find another enemy.

About seven or eight people remained inside.

I glanced at it briefly and was convinced. What the loudspeaker said was absolutely right; at eighteen yuan a day, it really wouldn't attract any decent people.

This group of people has a mixed appearance; no, it's more like a mixed bag of good and bad among misfits.

This explanation might not be intuitive.

Let me give you a few examples.

There was a man who was 1.9 meters tall, which was a good height, but he was so thin that he looked like a stick. He would probably be gone if a gust of wind blew him away.

Look, there's a skinny guy over there with a band-aid on his neck. I don't know if he's injured or if he's covering a mole.

The most ridiculous thing is that he's bald!

I'm so screwed.

The person arrived wearing a bathrobe from a bathhouse and plastic slippers...

These are all people!

wrong!

and many more!

Bald head? Bathrobe?

I composed myself, glanced at the bald man a few more times, and was instantly dumbfounded.

This damn thing, isn't it a frivolous monk?

Then I looked at the skinny monkey standing next to him, peeking around with shifty eyes. Wasn't that his little brother, the thief who ripped my bag off at the train station?

I never expected to run into them here.

On second thought, I figured that after I took all their cash yesterday, these two were desperate and had no other choice but to come to the film studio to work as extras to make a living, at least they could get a boxed lunch.

Life is full of coincidences.

By a twist of fate, the three of us bumped into each other here.

This is getting a bit troublesome.

If those two recognized me, a fierce battle was inevitable, so I instinctively shrank back into the crowd. Luckily, there were many people around, and the two monks didn't notice me.

"Cough cough cough!"

When the production assistant, Niu, spoke, everyone turned their attention to him.

"You are all newcomers, welcome to our crew. Some of you may have worked on other crews before, and I believe the rules are the same on most crews."

"I'll reiterate this point here, as it concerns everyone's vital interests, so please remember it carefully."

"Those who are late or leave early, or who cannot arrive at the shooting location on time due to makeup or changing clothes, will have 50% of their daily wage deducted."

"If the costume is damaged, compensation will be three times the original price. Sweat stains and dirt will be fined 5 yuan per instance."

"The crew provides lunch, but bottled water is charged separately, 2 cents a bottle."

"After each day's filming, all the extras line up to collect their wages from me. If anyone is unable to collect their wages for personal reasons, their entire wage for the day will be deducted, and they shouldn't come looking for it the next day."

"Yes, the crew provides accommodation at night. If you need to stay overnight, go to the assistant to register in a bit. It's 2.5 yuan per person per night."

As the production assistant read out the details one by one, I was so angry that my teeth were chattering.

These rules, when combined, are practically designed to squeeze you dry.

Three times the compensation for the costume? How much is that tattered costume worth? If we really had to pay compensation, it probably wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap with eighteen yuan.

A five-dollar fine for sweat stains? That's outrageous! Who can film in this heat without sweating? So you have to pay for sweating?

A bottle of mineral water costs two cents, which doesn't sound like much, but if you drink at least two or three bottles a day, several cents will be gone.

After all that, if you can save 12 or 13 yuan out of the 18 yuan daily wage, you're lucky.

Someone actually does this job?

To my surprise, not a single extra left.

I glanced at the expressions of the older men, and they all looked perfectly normal.

I quickly realized that these rules must be the same in all film crews in Hengdian, and some are even more shady.

Besides, eighteen yuan a day may be a small amount, but it's still money, and it's better than just sitting at the entrance of the film studio waiting around.

The production assistant, Niu, deliberately gave everyone some time to process what was going on. Seeing that no one had any objections, he continued:

"Alright, those who need accommodation, go and register. I'll show you around this afternoon so you can get familiar with the procedures."

The extras murmured amongst themselves for a while. A few remained where they were, while the majority, including the Flower Monk and the Thief Boy, obediently went to the assistant to line up, register, and pay for their accommodation.

This situation is not difficult to understand.

Although Hengdian World Studios is located within the county, it is quite a distance from the county center. The surrounding area consists of farmhouses, wasteland, and newly built imitation ancient buildings. It's hard to find even a decent small shop, let alone rent a house.

If we go back to the city to live, not only will we have to get up early and work late, but we'll also have to pay for transportation to and from there.

So, if you can stay in the dormitory, then stay in the dormitory; most people can accept the price of 2.5 yuan.

I waited in the corner for a while, and after seeing that all the extras had finished registering, I hesitated for a few moments, but finally walked over to the assistant.

The Ji family only had a few hundred yuan left; there was no need to waste money on a hotel.

"ID card."

"Here you go, my name is Ji Xiaosong."

"Stop talking nonsense, I can read." The assistant's attitude was rude.

My eyes flickered, but I didn't say anything more.

After paying the money.

My assistant threw me a key with a red string attached and the handwritten number "143" on it.

"Go east from the main gate of the film studio. There are two rows of tin-roofed houses on the side of the road. Those are your dormitories. The room numbers are on the doors."

"Also, if the key is lost, ten yuan will be deducted from that day's wages, and the dog will be fed a boxed lunch."

I cursed him in my heart:

This entire production crew is obsessed with money; there's not a single good person among them.