novelraw Chapter 54 Teacher He's Class Begins, Li Zi's Sense of Crisis
Chapter 54 Teacher He's Class Begins, Li Zi's Sense of Crisis
On the very night they landed in Beidu, He Xi kept his promise and took Li Zi out to eat authentic Beidu snacks.
He Xi hadn't originally planned to offer her soy milk, since few decent people could resist it.
However, after eating the other food, Li Zi brought it up herself.
"On my way here, I heard people say that douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) is the most famous snack in Beijing. If you don't try it, you'll regret it."
He Xi tried to dissuade him.
"Fermented mung bean juice is actually a special product of an era of scarcity. It's not particularly delicious; in fact, it's rather... indescribable."
"Many people vomited after drinking it."
"So I advise you to..."
Li Zi listened carefully to He Xi's advice, but still firmly shook her head.
"I still want to give it a try."
In the end, He Xi could only respect her choice and ordered the classic combo of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and jiaoquan (fried dough rings).
It is said that the heavy oil in the fried dough rings will block some of the taste buds, making the fermented mung bean juice less difficult to swallow.
Click!
Suck!
Li Zi ate a fried dough ring and a sip of soy milk, and under He Xi's shocked gaze, she stuffed the entire meal into her stomach.
Then, she wiped her mouth and explained with a look of deep emotion.
"When I was a child, I lived with my parents and younger brother in a public housing unit that was only 20 square meters."
"Back then, my family was very poor and we often didn't have enough to eat. We never wasted food, even if it was spoiled or rotten, as long as it filled our stomachs."
"Compared to the food I ate when I was a child, this fermented mung bean juice and fried dough rings are rare delicacies!"
Li Zi was born into a prominent family; her grandfather, Li Minwei, was one of China's earliest film and art workers.
He not only founded the first film company on Hong Kong Island, but also made documentaries for Sun Yat-sen, Premier Zhou Enlai, Li Dazhao, and others, and is known as the 'Father of Chinese Documentary'.
My grandmother, Lin Chuchu, was also a famous actress during the Republic of China era.
However, his father was seriously ill, had limited work ability, and had a low status in the family. After his grandparents passed away, the whole family was kicked out of the Li family and moved into a dirty and chaotic public housing.
Having experienced such a childhood, Li Zi's personality is much more resilient than one might imagine.
There's no affectation when eating, and when you speak, you can't tell if you're faking it or forcing it.
He Xi couldn't help but give a thumbs up.
"Sister Zi, you're awesome!"
"I almost threw up after just one sip."
Then, he said seriously.
"Now that we've finished our snacks, let's begin our first lesson in making friends: striking up conversations with people."
He Xi couldn't stay on set for long, so she didn't waste any time and switched directly to teaching mode.
Afterwards, he started chatting with the owner of the snack shop.
The owner was a native of Beidu and was naturally talkative. Seeing that there weren't many customers in the shop, he sat down and started chatting intently with He Xi.
Having lived two lives, He Xi's knowledge and experience far surpassed that of a small restaurant owner. With just a few words, he made the owner applaud and his enthusiasm for the conversation explode.
Half an hour later, He Xi and Li Zi walked out of the snack shop.
"Sister Zi, did you learn anything just now?"
Li Zi frowned.
"Yes, I've learned some things."
"for example?"
"For example... people in Beidu really like to use retroflex endings and slang, and there are many things I can't understand."
"..."
He Xi shook her head speechlessly.
"What I really want you to know is that if you want to drink with a close friend and never feel like you can drink a thousand cups, you first need to know how to drink."
"Chatting is the same. If you want to become friends with people and talk about a lot of things, first you need to have something in your mind."
"This is especially true for actors."
As Lu Xun once said, in the end, what actors compete for is their cultural knowledge!
"Only when you have high cultural literacy and know a lot can you effectively steer the conversation and control the situation when facing anyone."
The best way to make friends is to let others take the initiative to treat you as one!
"Otherwise, one can only be a hopeless illiterate."
Li Zi's eyebrows furrowed.
"Did Mr. Lu Xun say anything like this?"
He Xi shrugged.
"That's not important. What's important is to be cultured, to know the proper etiquette, and to enrich yourself. Do you understand?"
Li Zi stood there for a long time, then finally nodded.
"I think I... understand."
Soon, the two returned to the film set.
He Xi went straight back to her room and went to sleep.
Li Zi, however, picked up the book he had given her, "An Actor Prepares," and started reading it.
She had heard of this book when she was studying at the Hong Kong Island Academy for Performing Arts, but she had not studied it systematically.
After being taught by He Xi, she decided to study this book carefully.
If there's anything I don't understand, I'll ask He Xi for help tomorrow.
Before they parted, He Xi had already demonstrated to her what it meant to be able to recite something backwards fluently.
He Xi can accurately describe the contents and meaning of any page in this book.
I feel she's even more capable than her teachers at the Hong Kong Island Academy for Performing Arts.
Li Zi was curious as to why He Xi, who was only 19 years old, was so amazing.
But the facts were right in front of her, and all her doubts eventually turned into trust in He Xi, and a little bit of... admiration.
The next day, He Xi arrived at the film set early in the morning to prepare for makeup.
Period dramas require wigs, making the makeup process much more complicated.
"Good morning, Qi-ge!"
He Xi walked into the dressing room and greeted the head makeup artist with a smile.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
This Mr. Qi was also the chief makeup artist for "Tai Chi Master". He witnessed He Xi's work as a handyman on set and was also amazed by He Xi's learning ability.
After just one day of observation and learning, his makeup skills surpassed those of his assistant who had been with him for two and a half years.
Qi Ge would love to recruit such a genius in the makeup industry and use him like a beast of burden until he dies.
Unfortunately, the heads of other departments think the same way.
He Xi's genius is not limited to makeup; he has also made a name for himself in photography, lighting, and props.
Moreover, he's an actor by profession; if he can work in front of the camera, he'll never work behind the scenes.
So in the end, Qi Ge had no choice but to give up on the idea.
But since He Xi volunteered to come and help in the makeup team, we might as well make the most of such a good person.
"I'll finish your makeup first, then you'll be the temporary leader of the supporting actors' makeup team, leading them in doing the makeup for the supporting characters!"
Li Zi stayed up very late reading last night and overslept a bit this morning.
Upon arriving at the film set, they witnessed a miraculous scene.
He Xi, who was originally supposed to play the fourth male lead Song Qingshu, was wearing a wig and holding makeup tools, applying makeup to Abbess Miejue.
"Teacher Sun, could you please tilt your head to the right a little?"
He Xi behaved very professionally and politely.
Sun Mengquan, who played Abbess Miejue, was also very cooperative.
This scene was quite harmonious.
"This little brother, Ah Xi, can even do makeup? That's amazing!"
Li Zi's admiration for He Xi instantly grew from a tiny bit to many threads.
Just as she was about to go up and say hello, she noticed a voluptuous woman with a beautiful face slowly walking towards He Xi.
For no apparent reason, Li Zi felt a sense of crisis.