Chapter 8

In the capital, night had fallen.

Huang Ying pushed her bicycle into the small courtyard and quietly closed the gate.

The main house was brightly lit, and the sound of the TV and the laughter of a family of three could be heard.

Huang Ying glanced enviously, shook her head, and entered her own room.

She hadn't eaten dinner yet, not because she wasn't hungry, but because she didn't want to eat. Or rather, since Chu Qing left, she had been in a state of anxiety and uncertainty.

This room was much better than the previous one, not only clean but also with sunlight streaming directly into the bedroom in the morning, making her want to linger in bed.

After closing the door, the noise from the main house was mostly blocked out, leaving only a faint sound, whether it was the wind or someone talking, seeping through the cracks.

Huang Ying washed her face and rubbed it vigorously with a towel, the tension in her skin gradually easing, and she felt a sense of lightness. She sat in front of the dressing table, gently patting face cream until it was evenly applied.

Then, she just sat there, staring at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was glossy, and her fair skin glowed faintly under the lamp.

Huang Ying touched her hair; she used to like wearing a small hair clip, but one day, Chu Qing casually said that her hair looked better without it, and she never wore it again.

Chu Qing probably didn't remember saying that anymore.

The girl in the mirror was in the prime of her youth, radiating a youthful beauty. She was already 20, and in her hometown, she would have been married by now.

Huang Ying's eyes sparkled, as if they could spill water.

Thinking of home, she sighed inwardly, then opened a drawer and took out a small notebook to keep accounts.

The thick notebook was already more than half full, with detailed records of income and expenses.

Last month, she earned 800 yuan, sent 400 yuan home, spent 123 yuan, and had 277 yuan left.

This month, to her great surprise, the factory's performance was even better, and she had already earned more than 500 yuan halfway through. She estimated that by the end of the month, she would earn a record-breaking 1,000 yuan. This month, she had no major expenses, so if she saved a bit, she could keep at least 400 yuan.

This number lifted Huang Ying's spirits, and her eyes curved into a smile, like willow leaves bent by a warm spring breeze.

Of course, there was another thing that made her even happier. It had been a month and a half, and Chu Qing had said he would be back in no more than two months.

She circled the days on the calendar with a pencil.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Xiao Ying! The door isn't locked, I'm coming in!"

Just as she was lost in thought, someone spoke outside the door. Before she could respond, a girl a few years older than her had already rushed in.

This was Cheng Ying, the daughter of Old Cheng, who had graduated from university and was already working. She was lively and kind, and had hit it off with Huang Ying from the start. She often said that since both their names contained the character 'Ying,' they must have been sisters in a past life.

Huang Ying also liked this chatty sister, and although they hadn't known each other long, they had become very close.

"Hey! How did you get in?"

Huang Ying was startled by her sudden appearance and scolded her.

"What's wrong? Do you have some secret you don't want me to see?"

Cheng Ying ignored her scolding, plopped down on the bed, and before Huang Ying could speak, said, "What are you writing? A diary? Let me see!"

She snatched the small notebook, glanced at it, and said, "An account book!"

She flipped through it and exclaimed, "Oh, Xiao Ying, you keep such detailed records! Do you really record every roll of toilet paper you buy? Don't you get tired?"

Huang Ying rolled her eyes and snatched back the account book, saying, "You have no idea what it's like to be hungry, so don't talk nonsense!"

Cheng Ying knew about her family situation and didn't push the matter, which could hurt her self-esteem. She laughed and said, "You keep talking about men, are you missing a man?"

She tapped her forehead dramatically and said, "Oh, I remember, your boyfriend is coming back soon. Can't you wait?"

Huang Ying blushed and said, "He's not my boyfriend, he's just Chu Qing."

"Oh, boyfriend, Chu Qing, it's all the same!"

Cheng Ying had been talking non-stop since she entered, and Huang Ying couldn't argue with her, so she asked, "Why did you come here?"

"Oh, I came to invite you for dinner. My mom made some good dishes today," Cheng Ying said.

"I've already eaten, so I won't go. Thank your mom for me."

Cheng Ying's mother was a retired librarian who often invited Huang Ying over for dinner, feeling sorry for the young girl who was out on her own.

Huang Ying had gone twice but felt embarrassed to keep eating at their place, so she made an excuse this time.

"Come on! I didn't say anything the last two times, but I don't believe you! Let's go, don't be stubborn!"

Seeing that Huang Ying was still sitting there, Cheng Ying raised her eyebrows and said, "Hey, are you being difficult?"

She suddenly reached out and started tickling her under the arms.

"Ah, stop it, stop it... I'll go, I'll go..."

Huang Ying couldn't stand the tickling and had to go with her to the main house.

The table was already set with a variety of dishes, and the aroma filled the air.

"Xiao Ying, come, come, sit here!"

The old lady warmly invited her and seated her at the table.

"You didn't come when I called you before. Today, one of Old Cheng's students brought some fresh crabs, and I said we must invite you to try them!"

Cheng Ying's personality clearly resembled her mother's, while Old Cheng, though cheerful, had a somewhat mischievous side, different from the outgoing style of the mother and daughter.

"That's right, Xiao Ying, don't be too serious at your age. You're staying with us, so it's more fun to have more people at the table. Don't be shy! Besides, there's that boy, Chu Qing. If he finds out I treated you badly, he won't let me win at chess anymore!"

Old Cheng put his pipe on the coffee table and slowly sat down at the table. He knew that Chu Qing had always let him win, but he didn't blush at all when he said it.

"You have the nerve to say that? Come, have a crab!" The old lady glared at him, handed a plump crab to Huang Ying, and said, "By the way, that boy is coming back soon, right?"

"Yes, he said it would take no more than two months to finish filming," Huang Ying said.

The old lady said, "That boy is quite capable, actually making a movie. Xiao Ying, you have to hold onto him! Men, once they see the world, get ambitious. Once they get ambitious, they look down on the people around them!"

Hearing this, Huang Ying took it to heart and said softly, "Chu Qing isn't like that."

"I don't think that boy is like that either, he seems reliable!" Old Cheng chimed in.

"You know nothing! Xiao Ying, let's not talk about men and women. Just think about two good friends. They were fine living in the same place. But later, one traveled and saw the world, creating a successful career. The other stayed in the village, farming and raising pigs. Can they still be friends? No! Why? Because there's a gap. Once there's a gap, communication becomes difficult, and they can't even talk about the same things!"

The old lady said a lot, took a bite of food, and continued, "Don't think that boy is just making a silly movie now. He might become a big star later. I'm not being nosy, but if that happens, you two won't be able to be together!"

Cheng Ying interjected, "Mom! She came for dinner, why are you nagging about this? It's so annoying!"

"Your mom has a point this time," Old Cheng supported her, saying, "Xiao Ying, this is a common situation. Two people who were fine together can drift apart because of the growing gap in their cultural backgrounds, leading to a lack of common language. So you really need to think about it, and you're so young, you can't stay in the factory forever, right?"

"But I don't know how to do anything else!" Huang Ying said, her face turning red and pale.

"You can learn! You're not stupid, you can learn anything! But you need to think about what you want to do, that's the most important thing..." Old Cheng said.

"Alright, alright! Are you inviting her for dinner or a lecture? Stop talking, let's eat, let's eat!"

Cheng Ying couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted her parents' continued lecturing.

Huang Ying suddenly felt very down, and the delicious crabs tasted like nothing in her mouth.

...

Acting is a very mysterious thing.

One person's acting is a performance, two people's acting can sometimes be life, and a group's acting can even be a reflection of life.

Since the start of filming, Chu Qing had been performing well, often praised by Old Jia. Just as he was feeling proud of his small acting skills, Zuo Wenlu gave him a wake-up call.

Life is like that; all contradictions and progress come from comparison.

Zuo Wenlu, though still a student at the Performing Arts Department of a normal university, had a much stronger acting talent than Chu Qing.

Chu Qing's acting with her went from initial novelty to later surprise, and now to unease.

When she accompanied Xiao Wu in the dark, narrow staircase, her eyes playfully glanced at Xiao Wu, and her tongue curled in her mouth.

When she fetched water at the tap, there was no water. Zuo Wenlu suddenly sucked on the tap, and water came out, an action not in the script.

Then, she stood by the tap, waiting for the kettle to fill, looking up at the sky and gently swaying her body...

The melancholy in that moment left Chu Qing, who was watching from the side of the camera, speechless, his hair standing on end, and his skin tingling.

This was a completely natural state, not part of the performance. Her relaxed state completely blew Chu Qing away. Later, he even became a bit afraid to act with her, and it was only after Old Jia's encouragement that he regained his composure.

Perhaps inspired by this pressure, Chu Qing's acting improved to a new level, able to keep up with Zuo Wenlu's rhythm and occasionally surpass her.

Old Jia's feelings towards Zuo Wenlu were mixed. On one hand, he was amazed by her talent, but on the other, he was wary due to previous unpleasant experiences, and might not work with her again.

History also showed that Zuo Wenlu, a promising actress, lost her reputation during this film and later had to take minor roles in low-quality shows to make a living.

"Sit down!"

Zuo Wenlu, wrapped in a blanket, sat sideways on the bed against the wall.

Chu Qing gave a slight, shy smile and sat down on the bed.

His legs were long, and the bed was short, making him uncomfortable. He tried to move up, but his hand slipped, and he leaned to one side.

Zuo Wenlu naturally said "Ouch" and reached out to steady him, then continued with her lines:

"Do you like listening to me sing?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Actually, I like singing too. Many people say I look like a star, but I know I'll never be one..."

"Sing a song for me!"

"What do you want to hear?"

"What do you like?"

"Wang Jingwen's songs."

"Okay!"

"Then I'll sing, but you can't laugh at me!"

This was a very long shot, with a yellow-green wall in the background, and the only light coming from the window. Chu Qing and Zuo Wenlu sat side by side on the bed, accompanied by the noise from the street outside.

"My sky, why is it full of wet tears? My sky, why is it always gray..."

Zuo Wenlu sang, and Chu Qing listened quietly.

One was a nightclub singer, the other a thief.

He held a cigarette, the smoke curling around his face.

As she sang, she suddenly started to cry.

Unconsciously, Chu Qing had been in Fenyang for one month and twenty-three days.

The film had only one story left to shoot. "Xiao Wu" was clearly divided into three parts: the first part about the loss of friendship with Xiao Yong, the second part about the end of the relationship with Hu Meimei, and the third part about the fading of family ties.

Xiao Wu's home in the countryside was chosen in a village near the county, with caves on the hillside.

As the crew entered the village, it started raining heavily, and the road conditions were terrible, blocking the crew's vehicles at the village entrance.

The only road into the village was muddy, with one side against the mountain and the other a deep ravine.

Gu Zheng got out of the car and, with deep steps, made his way into the village to inform the villagers that the crew wouldn't be coming today. On his way back, he met Old Jia, who thought he had fallen into the ravine and came to meet him.

The two shouted to each other on the muddy road, and Chu Qing, sitting in the car, could hear them clearly.

He didn't know what he was thinking, but he suddenly jumped out of the car and ran over to join them in shouting.

Then, Yu Liwei and Wang Hongwei also joined in.

The rain was heavy, drenching them from head to toe, and the five of them, like madmen, jumped and shouted in the mud.

That day, Old Jia, who rarely did so, announced a second break, both due to the rain.

In the evening, there was a football match against South Korea, and the whole crew gathered around a broken TV, each holding a bottle of alcohol.

They lost again!

Five days later, "Xiao Wu" wrapped up.