Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 789 Chapter of the Agreement
With a whooshing sound, many people poured out of the rooms, the front yard, and the back yard.

It must be said that martial arts practitioners are quick and agile; in just two or three minutes, more than thirty people were standing on the open space in front of the main house.

Chen Fan also came out at this time and stood next to Yang Zhenlong. Zhou Yali and the other two stood half a meter behind him, looking at these people curiously.

The oldest person standing at the front was an old lady. A strange look flashed in Chen Fan's eyes as he thought to himself, "Could this be Yang Zhenlong's wife?"

The old lady's hair was neatly combed, tied in a bun at the back of her head and wrapped with a handkerchief. Although her clothes were somewhat old, they were clean and tidy. The old lady did not have the bound feet commonly seen in wealthy families during the Republic of China era; instead, she had natural feet and wore cloth shoes, looking very energetic and agile.

Behind her were three middle-aged men, ranging from their thirties to their forties and fifties, who looked similar to Yang Renhai and were probably his brothers.

Later on, things became less formal. Several women would huddle together, some holding babies in their arms, while the other young people would stand separately by gender.

Regardless of age or gender, no one looked directly at Chen Fan and his companions; instead, they all looked at Yang Zhenlong with a calm gaze.

Including that little girl who just opened the window and poked half her body out.

It was obvious that she really wanted to see Chen Fan, but she was holding back, so her gaze kept wandering, which made people laugh.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Yang Zhenlong put his hands behind his back, coughed lightly, pointed at Chen Fan, and said loudly, "This is the most famous martial arts master in the capital, Master Qinglian of Chaoyang Temple. Master Qinglian is a true cultivator with superb skills. Even I am no match for him."

As he spoke, Yang Zhenlong noticed a change in the expressions of the people below the steps and sensed something was wrong.

What was I going to say?

Oh, the movie.

He quickly changed the subject, "Well, Master Qinglian came here today because he needs our Yang family's help. What exactly is it? Master Qinglian is making a movie and he needs a few skilled actors. You know our Yang family, you know..."

At this moment, everyone below breathed a sigh of relief. Goodness, when they heard the ancestor say that he was no match for Chen Fan, they thought today was a challenge match.

It turns out they were filming a movie.

Ok?
filming?
The next second, everyone's eyes were fixed on Chen Fan.

Standing next to Yang Zhenlong, Chen Fan quickly added, "A wealth of talent."

Yang Zhenlong immediately turned around and said with a smile, "You're too kind, Daoist. Compared to your sect, we are far, far inferior."

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that Chen Fan's expression was neither a smile nor a frown, but rather something strange, and he immediately realized what was going on.

It seems like I used "polite" in the wrong context?
Apart from the abbot, what other talented people does Chaoyang Temple have now?
The people standing at the bottom of the steps could no longer maintain their composure and began whispering among themselves.

Yang Congling grabbed Yang Chenfeng's arm, her face flushed red, and excitedly whispered, "Making a movie! Making a movie! Third Brother, making a movie!"

Yang Chenfeng was no longer aloof at this moment. His deep-seated desire to compete with the abbot had been completely forgotten. He stared straight at Chen Fan and whispered to his little sister, "Yes, yes, I heard you. I just wonder how many actors are needed? And how are they going to be chosen?"

"How else can we choose? Since we're picking the most skilled players, the one who stands still wins and the one who loses is eliminated."

Yang Congling's eyes gleamed, and she said with a silly grin, "Who cares how many they choose, I'm definitely going to go. You and my older brothers have to give up your spots to me later."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chenfeng felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. He muttered unwillingly, "What about my uncles' brothers and sisters?"

Yang Congling said impatiently, "You're so stupid. Why don't you just beat them down first and then lose to me?"

Yang Chenfeng was speechless, staring blankly at her. "This is possible?"

At this moment, everyone else was also wondering if they had a chance to be selected.
At the same time, looking at the people around them, they all harbored some ulterior motives.

If the martial arts community were to find out that the prestigious Yang family was about to have an internal conflict, how would they respond?

Realizing he had been too polite, Yang Zhenlong quickly turned back and said, "Well, as for the specific arrangements, please let Master Qinglian speak."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and clapped, "Everyone, please welcome him."

Chen Fan was about to step forward and speak when the enthusiastic applause stopped him in his tracks.

Is this a company meeting or a speech by a leader?

After the applause finally subsided, Chen Fan bowed and said, "Thank you very much."

He then coughed twice to clear his throat and continued, "This time, I'm mainly making a movie about the story of the ancestors of Chaoyang Temple who broke down the temple and went down the mountain to fight the enemy and save people."

Since these predecessors all possessed martial arts skills, in order to strive for authenticity, it was necessary to find some people who were skilled in martial arts to film this movie.

Let me first talk about the compensation. If you are selected, you will be seconded to Jiangnan Film Studio. Your salary will be paid by the studio, and all benefits will remain the same. During the secondment period, all food and lodging will be provided, and each person will receive a field allowance of one yuan per day.

It's not that Chen Fan is unwilling to pay; it's just that this is the standard for fieldwork these days.

There are two standards for field work subsidies: one yuan per day for ordinary workers and 50 cents more for heavy physical labor, which is the same as the daily wage standard for some temporary workers.

The temporary porters at the Nanhu Commune Water Transport Company's dock were paid 1.5 yuan a day.

In addition, if it is a business trip, the personal allowance depends on the level. Ordinary clerks get one yuan a day, cadres get one yuan and fifty cents, and a few senior cadres can get two yuan.

However, if it is a group business trip, all food and accommodation expenses are arranged uniformly, so there is no food and accommodation allowance, only field work allowance.

The standard is right here, and no one can change it arbitrarily, otherwise someone will surely report it to the authorities.

Therefore, the establishment of the Shekou Industrial Zone, which broke the wage grade system and implemented pay based on work, was later regarded as "groundbreaking".

Chen Fan paused deliberately at this point to observe everyone's reaction.

Sure enough, someone called out, "Master Qinglian, what if you don't have a work unit?"

He sounded like an unemployed young man waiting to be assigned a job.

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Is that so? Although I am visiting today as the abbot of Chaoyang Temple, we are discussing matters related to the film studio. You can call me Director Chen."

Now, to answer your question, if you don't have a work unit, Jiangying Studio can directly hire you as a temporary worker. The salary will be paid according to the six wage categories in Beijing, with the highest temporary worker salary being 28 yuan per month.

As is well known, when the national wage standard was established in 55, the country was divided into 11 wage zones, based on county-level areas. Zone 1 had the best natural conditions but the lowest wage standards, while border areas or places with harsh natural conditions were the highest grade and had the highest wage standards, with a 3% difference between each grade. Part of Jiangnan Province belonged to the earliest Zone 1 wage zone, such as Yunhu City, which was entirely Zone 1, including Lujiawan.

Places like Beijing and Shanghai, being large cities, are specifically categorized a few levels higher; Beijing is classified as a Category 6 district, and Shanghai as a Category 8 district.

The most outrageous case is Guangzhou. Despite its conditions being no worse than those of Yunhu, a Class 1 wage zone, it was designated as a Class 11 zone simply because it is a "frontier" area, with wages only slightly lower than a few Class 12 zones.

The famous Yuanxi County in "Ordinary World" is based on the area around Yanyu Special District, where the natural conditions are harsh, especially the lack of water. However, it was only designated as a Class 7 to Class 10 district, which is not as good as Guangzhou.

Later, in the early 1960s, because the wages in the first and second wage zones were too low, these two standards were abolished, and the lowest level after that was the third category.

As a result, the Yunhu area was upgraded to a Category 3 wage zone, resulting in an average salary increase of 1.03 yuan per person, equivalent to being able to eat an extra pound of meat each month. ...If one had meat ration coupons.

Then in 79, which is this year, wages were finally adjusted again. The wages in Category 3 and Category 4 areas were generally increased by one level, and the wage standards also increased significantly.

As a result, Yunhu has become a Category 4 wage zone.

The provincial capital of Jiangnan Province is also in good condition. Like Yunhu, it is a Class 4 district, but it is still two levels lower than the Class 6 wage districts in Beijing.

The wages for temporary workers are, in principle, no more than five years of apprenticeship. In Jiangnan Province, the first year's apprenticeship wage is 18 yuan, the second year is 19.5 yuan, and the third year is 21 yuan. Ordinary positions should be converted to permanent positions after this point, but a few positions require further training, so the fourth year's wage is 22.5 yuan and the fifth year's wage is 24 yuan.

In Beijing, the salary is slightly higher, especially after this year's salary adjustment, with the highest reaching 28 yuan.

That's why Chen Fan specifically emphasized that he was using Beijing standards, which can be considered a high-salary recruitment.

He suddenly thought, shouldn't we give Liu Juan and Ma Lan a raise?

Upon hearing this treatment, almost everyone nodded slightly.

Finding a job these days is not easy. Let alone a temporary job that pays 28 yuan a month, even a job that pays 20 yuan a month is highly sought after.

Moreover, during filming, there is a subsidy of 1 yuan per day, which adds up to 58 yuan per month, not counting other benefits.

This is the same standard as college students, okay? How could there be any dissatisfaction?

Yang Congling had originally wanted to apply, and now that she heard the benefits were so good, she couldn't resist and immediately raised her hand to sign up.

Yang Chenfeng reacted quickly, grabbing her hand and shouting, "Director Qing, Director Chen, what are these actors supposed to do? We've never acted before, we don't know how. What if we don't act well? Wouldn't that be a delay for you?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd that had been discussing the matter immediately fell silent, all staring expectantly at Chen Fan.

Even Yang Zhenlong suddenly realized this at this moment.

Yes, if Chen Fan chooses someone from his family and messes things up, wouldn't that ruin the Yang family's reputation?

People in the martial arts world fight to the death, all for the sake of "fame." With fame, people will respect you, and others will come to you to become your apprentices and pay to learn your skills.

It can be said that "fame" is the foundation of martial arts practitioners, while their martial arts skills are merely tools for seeking fame.

Of course, there are also boxers who are indifferent to fame and fortune and only seek to hone their skills, but even they would not dare to do anything to tarnish the reputation of their school.

The Yang family has more than just one branch in the capital. If someone were to do something that would tarnish the reputation of the Yang family, I'm afraid those senior and junior brothers would all come out to clean up the mess!

Thinking of this, Yang Zhenlong broke out in a cold sweat.

Just then, Chen Fan said loudly, "I know you all don't understand filmmaking, but since you dared to come to me, it means that this is not a problem."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This is my second point: the obligations of an actor. If anyone is selected, we need to agree on three rules."

Yang Zhenlong immediately raised his hand and said, "Please speak."

Chen Fan smiled at him, then turned and said, "The first rule is that you must obey all orders and never act arbitrarily. If you can't stand being restrained, it's best not to sign up."

Yang Zhenlong nodded slightly after listening, "It is one's duty and obligation to work for others and obey the employer's rules."

Chen Fan nodded and continued, "The second point is that when we're filming, I'll teach you how to act and how to fight. You can't say that you think this way of fighting is wrong or that it won't kill anyone, and you can't argue with me like that."

Yang Zhenlong nodded again and said to everyone, "I'll say it again: once you're in the company, you have to listen to your superiors. When you're under Director Chen, uh, Director Chen is in charge of everything. Nobody is allowed to talk back."

He originally wanted to add, "No one can fight back," but thinking of Chen Fan's abilities, he swallowed those words.

If he can't even beat himself, who can fight back?
After Chen Fan waited for him to finish speaking and saw that he didn't intend to say anything more, he added, "As for the third rule, we still have to follow the rules. These are the rules of the production team. We can't just do whatever we want; that won't work."

Yang Zhenlong turned to look at him and asked, "Just these three?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Yes, just these three."

Yang Zhenlong suddenly laughed and said, "So, it really boils down to one thing: follow orders in all actions, that's all."

He patted his chest and said, "You can rest assured about that. All the members of the Yang family are law-abiding and will never act recklessly. If there really is such a person, you are welcome to teach him a lesson. I, Old Yang, will not say a word."

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, then said to everyone, "This movie needs a lot of actors, but other actors can be borrowed from other arts and culture organizations. Only the thirty-odd people who know martial arts will have to be found from our martial arts lineage."

That's why I came here today.

As for the specific requirements, ..."

He spread his hands and laughed, "Anyone, regardless of age or gender, can try it; there are no restrictions."

Although there are only 14 Taoist priests in Chaoyang Temple, there are quite a few other martial arts practitioners who will come down the mountain.

As for those playing Japanese soldiers, they might need to be seconded from certain arts organizations, or they could call Master San and ask the local armed forces department for help to find soldiers to play the roles directly.

Otherwise, Chen Fan worried that these people would rather not act at all than play Japanese soldiers.

After he finished speaking, another round of discussion broke out below.

While others were still feeling embarrassed and hesitant, Yang Congling decisively broke free from her third brother's grasp, ran forward, raised her right hand high, and shouted to Chen Fan, "Director Chen, I...I...I'm signing up!"

(End of this chapter)