My 1995 Small Farm.

Seeing Chen Ling's slightly depressed expression, Liang Yuemin laughed: "I guess your previous idea was to have Qingwen go along, with his family, and when the other side found out, it scared them."

As for your own words, I think when people say they're adding another side quest, they're not just trying to fool you.

But if you take advantage of their leniency and try to squeeze people in haphazardly, they'll find themselves in a difficult position.

There's one more thing Liang Yuemin didn't mention.

That means even the director would feel challenged.

Chen Ling said whoever he wants to join the crew will join, so in the end, whose decision will this TV project be based on?

Moreover, they all send in relatives and friends who are novices with no acting experience, and then they have to guide them during filming, which is not only exhausting but also very expensive.

After all, the cost of filming at that time was much higher than in later years.

Too many mistakes will result in a lot of lost wages.

Not to mention the "mainstream ideology," which carries the characteristics of a political mission.

Who's kidding me?

"Well, so they were just bragging all along. I thought our braised beef noodle soup was all that important now."

"It is very precious, but you know how it is with men from Beijing. If you don't brag like this, you're not a true Beijing man. I just met you before, and I thought you were young and promising, so I just wanted to brag a little."

Liang Yuemin laughed heartily; he had grown up there and knew it all too well.

When men from the North get carried away, they'll pat their chests and make grand promises. If they regret it later, they'll make excuses with a nonchalant attitude.

It's actually quite funny.

The only thing to do is not to take it too seriously afterward.

Even Zhao Dahai was speechless at this point, as he had clearly experienced many similar things from his old man.

Hearing Liang Yuemin mention it, he was speechless.

……

After shoveling snow and venting their frustrations, Liang Yuemin called back to schedule a meeting.

These days, it's true that working hours are quite late.

Most people will actually be there from the tenth to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Before the Lantern Festival (January 15th of the lunar calendar), it is normal to visit relatives frequently.

Who's in the mood to start working this early?

However, the situation is rather special for the crew of "Return to Glory".

They need to get to Hong Kong Island as soon as possible.

This kind of drama needs to be filmed on real locations.

Special landmarks must be featured in the photos.

All arrangements must be made to appear on camera authentically.

So after discussing it with Liang Yuemin, they set the date for the twelfth day of the first lunar month.

They wanted to come and meet as soon as possible, and after meeting, they immediately went to Hong Kong Island.

Meeting here is just something we did on the way, or a rest stop for a while.

After all, long-distance travel is very tiring these days.

"Let's meet, okay? Let's meet in the city, alright?"

"No, they came to the village saying they were with Teacher Chen Xiao'er..."

Liang Yuemin said with a hint of surprise, "Isn't it said that Teacher Chen is not a sociable person? I heard people say that many times when I was in Beijing. I didn't expect that he had a good relationship with the crew of 'Return to Glory'."

"Oh?"

Chen Ling never expected that Chen Xiaoer would know these people.

But then I thought about it again. What kind of status does his father, Old Master Chen Qiang, have? Although there are many big shots in "Return to Glory", they are different. It's not surprising that they have this kind of relationship.

"Alright, if we're coming to the village, then we're coming to the village. Luckily, the waiter is here to guide us, so we don't need to worry about anything."

To be honest, after the "Return to Glory" production team pulled this stunt, Chen Ling felt a sense of loss, and his desire to join the production immediately faded.

While it's understandable that they're in a difficult position, it's their own fault for making such confident statements beforehand.

What a convenient door to opening.

Even the most reasonable person would feel uncomfortable when faced with such a discrepancy.

But I didn't expect it.

On the night of the twelfth day of the first lunar month, the group of people followed Chen Xiaoer to Tenghe Township.

Liang Yuemin, Zhao Dahai, and Shanmao drove a sled to pick them up.

The two parties realized it was a misunderstanding after they met.

The reason is quite simple.

The higher-ups have made a request: the plot must be streamlined.

Because these mainstream TV dramas with political missions are not only for ordinary Chinese people, but also for foreigners and overseas compatriots.

This is something you really can't do carelessly.

Otherwise, it will be a disaster.

On the surface, everything seems fine, but sooner or later they'll have to produce a high-quality drama.

In other words, sooner or later a good drama about the return of Hong Kong to China will be produced as a commemoration and a presentable production.

Why can't it be this one?

Moreover, this film has gathered so many veteran actors and powerful figures from Hong Kong.

The storyline also includes a story about a rising domestic enterprise, braised beef noodles.

Braised beef noodles are now the leading dish in China.

It has suppressed Japanese companies in Taiwan, making them unable to raise their heads, and is a source of pride for the country.

There are political factors, cultural factors, and public sentiment to consider.

Given so many factors, everyone should definitely be cautious.

and so……

Upon arriving at the farm, I met Chen Ling for the first time.

The assistant director apologized immediately.

"Brother Chen, I'm really sorry, this is our fault. We made a big boast before..."

This means that only Chen Ling himself can appear on screen. Other characters, such as his brother-in-law Wang Qingwen, can play minor roles like drivers or characters with few lines.

It's really not appropriate to give roles with lines.

"So this is ah."

After hearing the whole story and looking at the stamped documents the assistant director had brought out, Chen Ling suddenly understood.

Those minor discomforts and unpleasant feelings vanished without a trace.

"I knew it. Some things can only be clarified by communicating face-to-face."

At this moment, Chen Xiaoer, wearing a military overcoat and a dog-faced hat, poked his head out from behind and said, "Fugui, this is why they definitely want to come and see you. It's not just to test your acting skills. They've shown their sincerity, haven't they?"

He blinked after he finished speaking.

It means they're not here to see your acting skills, but to take this opportunity to see if you're angry or not.

Has there been any change in attitude?

After all, the fact that the braised beef noodles use Chen Ling's Fugui Farm as its brand name already says it all.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling chuckled, saying nothing more or offering no explanation.

It's likely that these people didn't go to Tenghe Township to pick them up after seeing him.

He apologized as soon as they met.

Did you think he was angry?

Even though he understood, he didn't expose it.

The snow has been falling intermittently for the past few days, making the mountains unsettled. He has to stay in the village at night and not go out.

His presence in the village puts his family and the villagers at ease.

The dogs, cows, eagles, and horses in the house all have their own leaders.

If anything happens, it can be dealt with promptly, and there's no fear of unexpected situations.

Liang Yuemin, Zhao Dahai, and the other two naturally didn't bother to explain further.

These are all seasoned men who have been in society for many years, so they naturally know that sometimes you have to be careful and not seem too easy to talk to.

The crew of "Return to Glory" were all bundled up tightly.

Upon arriving at the farm and going to the kitchen for lunch, Chen Ling took off her clothes and realized that not only were there crew members present, but also Jiao Huang, the lead actor from the mainland.

"Holy crap, Teacher Jiao?"

Chen Ling was stunned. Who didn't recognize Kangxi's face? It was so distinctive.

But what he didn't understand was that actors at this time were all so low-key and simple; this was the epitome of being low-key.

Putting aside his clothes, the key point is that he didn't bring anyone with him and just followed the film crew all the way to the mountains.
"Huh, Mr. Chen knows me?"

Jiao Huang was also taken aback. The title "teacher" wasn't common these days, and he was full of curiosity when Chen Ling called him that.

I thought the young man's way of addressing me was very affectionate.

But he could clearly see that Chen Ling wasn't the smooth-talking type.

"We know each other, we know each other very well."

Chen Ling smiled and stepped forward to greet him. Putting aside others, this man was one of his idols, or rather, calling him an idol would be an insult to Grandpa Jiao.

"I have seen your plays and movies."

"Oh? No wonder, haha. I'm actually quite surprised that people in our country don't really recognize actors these days."

Jiao Huang smiled to himself, thinking that even if he had seen my work, he shouldn't have called me "teacher" right away.

But after only glancing at the thought twice, he warmly shook hands with Chen Ling.

After all, this young and promising Mr. Chen is the owner here, and calling him by a respectful title is a great sign of respect for himself.

"Why did you come along, Teacher Jiao? I heard you live in Shenghai, didn't you?"

“Hey, my father lives in Beijing. He’s getting old and his health isn’t very good. He’s frequently hospitalized and discharged. I spent the Lunar New Year with him there… Also, our crew needs to catch up on the schedule. I also have my own tasks. There’s another historical drama to film next year, so I came along. I’ll finish filming my scenes as soon as possible so I can feel a little more at ease.”

Jiao Huang is a veteran in the entertainment industry. He became a legend through stage plays and has profound skills. His acting in TV dramas is like descending to earth.

That's true; she can handle any role with ease and is extremely hardworking.

While others might be multitasking and this could affect the quality of the footage, he doesn't need to worry about that.

"Historical drama?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling immediately perked up. At this point in time, it must be the Yongzheng Dynasty.

I didn't expect to find Teacher Jiao so soon.

"Yes, it's a historical drama. They want me to play the emperor. It's only for twenty episodes. It's not a huge workload, but we still need to prepare in advance. After all, I promised them, and our superiors here also attach great importance to it."

Jiao Huang was serious, but he spoke in a gentle manner, which made people feel comfortable.

"Is that so... Look at me, I've been so busy talking to Teacher Jiao. Come on, everyone, sit down. We've been traveling for so long, let's have a quick meal and then go rest."

Chen Ling invited everyone to sit down.

Jiao Huang also sat down.

Dinner that evening consisted mainly of wild game.

Pheasant, venison, etc.

Chen Ling didn't arrange these things on purpose.

It's just that the snow these past few days has made it much easier for the dogs to catch their prey.

There are many gains every day.

Chen Ling took it, gutted it, plucked the hair, cleaned it, and then quickly started stewing it.

We need to eat these wild animals quickly.

We can't not eat it. Once the snow melts and the temperature rises, this stuff will spoil if we don't finish it.

Moreover, the small water tower is already full and can't hold much more.

"Wow, this pheasant and this venison are so delicious!"

"Thank you so much, Mr. Chen, for your hospitality. This meal would definitely cost less than a thousand yuan in Beijing."

This is not an exaggeration at all.

Although prices haven't skyrocketed in this era, in Beiji, eating such a large quantity of meat, especially wild game, would still be quite expensive.

The key is that there are a lot of them.

"What kind of meat is this? Is it rat meat? It looks like rat meat, but it tastes delicious."

"They're not mice, they're squirrels. These little creatures come down the mountain to steal food too, and the kids have caught a lot of them."

Chen Ling explained that although squirrels can store food, their population has become too large in the last two years.

Each individual's inventory will naturally decrease significantly, so needless to say, they will come down the mountain to find food after the heavy snow.

"Huh? No way, you can eat squirrels? And they taste so good?"

Everyone was surprised, and then they enjoyed the meal.

They were exhausted and hungry after a day and a night of travel, and they only talked about food and drink, as well as the rumors about Chen Ling.

After all, besides being the second boss of the braised beef noodle shop now, Chen Ling had previously appeared on television frequently, playing roles like tigers and ancient turtles.

Everyone was very curious.

After filling your stomach, you'll naturally have many questions to ask.

really.

In the end, they never mentioned when they would check on Chen Ling's performance.

This is really just to see how his attitude changes, whether he gets angry or not.

Sigh, that's just how the cultural environment is in China—too many twists and turns.

Chen Ling didn't say anything. When the assistant director mentioned that the accommodation expenses would be included in his performance fee, he simply waved his hand and said no.

After eating so much good food, they felt a little embarrassed to stay another night for free.

Jiao Huang, on the other hand, is quite old, but he is very energetic.

After finishing his meal, he didn't rest but instead took his teacup and went to visit Zhao Yubao and Professor Zhong.

indeed.

Chen Ling idolizes him, and he idolizes Zhao Yubao and Chen Ling. They are both artists, and they have some things in common, so they can really have a great time chatting.

Don't let Zhao Yubao's quirky and unserious behavior in front of Chen Ling and his friends fool you; he's quite imposing in front of outsiders, and not just anyone can talk to him.

They were having a great time talking.

Chen Ling and the other younger members had already taken their pack of dogs out on night patrol.

Snowy nights are suitable for a small hunt, but that's secondary. The main concern is that wild animals might come down from the mountains and sneak into the village, harming livestock or injuring people.

They patrolled the night, set off firecrackers, and lit bonfires at the local temple and threshing ground.

At least it serves as a warning to the wild animals.

In the first month of the lunar calendar, on a snowy night, we went on a night patrol and a small hunt.

After returning, the young people in the village gathered at Chen Ling's farm.

Then they would stew the meat of their hunted prey in a pot, and the young men would drink and play cards until midnight.

Even without the need to defend against wild animals, it's still a lot of fun.

Perhaps due to thorough preparation, the dogs kept patrolling back and forth.

Chen Ling and his friends played until late into the night, and there was no sound outside.

Just as they were about to disperse, someone in the backyard suddenly screamed.

When Chen Ling and the others went over, they learned that someone from the film crew had gone to the restroom and spotted golden monkeys in the tree. Late at night, the shadowy figures in the tree looked like human shapes.

It scared the person so much they peed their pants.

He fell flat on his face.

It's truly both laughable and infuriating.

……

The next day, the guy felt terrified after being frightened by the monkey.

I can't help but say:

"Mr. Chen, is this a farm or a zoo? How come you keep so many strange and unusual things, even monkeys?"

"Yeah, I didn't notice it when I came over last night because it was dark. Why does Boss Chen keep so many dogs? Those gray ones, they look like wolves, they're really a bit scary."

"There are monkeys in the trees, and there are eagles over there. Those eagles are huge. There are also cows and horses outside. It's really like a zoo."

"...You're too late. You could see tigers here before, as well as red-crowned cranes on the mountain and geese outside. Don't be alarmed."

This is what Chen Xiaoer said.

He had just finished speaking.

As if to show their support, early in the morning, before even having breakfast, villagers came to call for Chen Ling: "Fugui, Fugui, come quickly and help us! Our sow gave birth last night, but it's so cold, the piglets are almost frozen to death, and the sow is still protecting them. We're so worried!" (End of Chapter)