novelraw Chapter 7 Daily Life on the Film Crew
Chapter 7 Daily Life on the Film Crew
The scenes that followed in the next few days, the bickering between the siblings in the script, were almost a replica of his and Tian Xiwei's childhood.
Shi Miao hid Shi Fen's comic books, so Shi Fen secretly added salt to her milk. Shi Miao stole Shi Fen's game console, so Shi Fen took advantage of her inattention and pasted her idol poster upside down.
When filming these scenes, Tian Xiwei didn't need to act at all. She just glared at him and pouted, and that angry and anxious feeling came through perfectly, just like when she was a child and her candy was taken away.
He knew the place well, so he deliberately leaned casually against the doorframe, watching her jump up and down, unable to hide the smile on his face. Occasionally, he would add a line he used to say as a child: "Go ahead and cry again if you dare? I won't give it to you even if you cry."
"Cut! Perfect!" Zhou Ming shouted from behind the monitor, smiling and giving them a thumbs up. "You two have such great chemistry, you don't even need to rehearse your lines, you can just go for it."
Tian Xi, slightly out of breath, glared at him, but there was no real anger in her eyes: "If it weren't for the fact that we're making a movie, I would have smashed your game console long ago."
"You dare?"
"You'll see if I dare!"
The two exchanged a few more words, and the production assistant, smiling, handed them water, saying, "Take a break, the next scene is Hao Chun's."
Liu Haochun stood to the side, watching them bicker. She had improved rapidly these past few days. When filming the scene where her best friend stood up for Shi Miao, she could even deliver her lines with a touch of temper: "He went too far! If he bullies you again, I'll beat him up for you!"
After saying that, she blushed first. Tian Xiwei secretly pinched her and whispered, "That's it! That's energetic!"
During their free time on set, the two girls basically had their playground. Tian Xiwei was carrying a shuttlecock, excitedly wanting to teach Liu Haochun, saying she could kick it more than thirty times.
As a result, Liu Haochun took the shuttlecock, lifted her foot, and the shuttlecock seemed to be stuck to her foot. She kicked it more than fifty times in a row, without even panting. Her movements were light and steady, which made Tian Xiwei's eyes widen in amazement.
"You...you call this not knowing how to kick?" Tian Xiwei pointed at the shuttlecock, her face full of disbelief.
Liu Haochun stopped a little embarrassedly, the shuttlecock landing steadily in his hand: "My teacher taught me this during breaks from dance practice before, saying it helps with balance."
"That's amazing!" Tian Xiwei lunged forward to grab the shuttlecock. "One more! I don't believe you can kick a hundred!"
The two girls started playing shuttlecock on an open space next to the film set, taking turns kicking it, their laughter carrying far. The crew watched them playfully, someone shouting, "Tian Xiwei, don't cry if you lose!"
"No way!" Tian Xi shouted, but her attention was entirely on the shuttlecock. As a result, she missed it and watched helplessly as it fell to the ground. She stomped her feet in anger. Liu Haochun bent down to pick it up and handed it back to her, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "I'll let you win this time."
"Who asked you to let me have it!" Tian Xiwei took the shuttlecock and started kicking it again.
He mostly watched from the sidelines, occasionally being pulled over by Tian Xiwei to act as referee: "Brother Feng, look, isn't she cheating?" He would just smile and wave his hand: "I didn't see it, kick it again."
They often finished work early in the evenings and would gather in the hotel's activity room to play games. Sometimes they would play word chain games, but Tian Xiwei didn't know many words, so she would scratch her head whenever it was her turn.
Liu Haochun gradually became familiar with him and was no longer as reserved as at the beginning.
Once, during a guessing game, Tian Xiwei bluntly retorted, "Brother Feng, you can't even guess this right, you're so stupid!" Liu Haochun laughed along quietly.
Time flew by and it was already the 29th.
Early that morning, the atmosphere on set was light and cheerful. Everyone knew that after filming finished today, they would have a three-day holiday to go home for the Chinese New Year, and everyone's face was filled with anticipation.
The scene filmed in the morning was of Shi Fen and Shi Miao eating breakfast at home. There were steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and porridge on the table. He picked up a steamed bun, deliberately broke it in half, and stuffed it into Tian Xiwei's mouth: "Eat quickly, then go to school."
With a steamed bun in her mouth, Tian Xi mumbled, "Can't you eat it yourself?"
"I was worried you'd go hungry, but my good intentions were met with no reward."
"Cut! That's a wrap!" Zhou Ming called out, closing the script. "The morning's scenes are done. This afternoon, we'll shoot one scene of Shi Miao and her best friend leaving school. That's it!"
"Okay!" everyone responded in unison, their eyes beaming with joy.
The afternoon sun was particularly bright, casting dappled shadows on the school's tree-lined paths. Tian Xiwei and Liu Haochun walked side by side, backpacks on their backs, chatting.
"Where are you planning to go for your holiday?" Tian Xi asked.
"Let's go back inside. My mom wants to make wontons," Liu Haochun said.
"We also make wontons and deep-fried pork at home, they smell amazing!"
"Wow, this is so comfortable?"
"Absolutely! Come over whenever you're free, and eat right away at our place—it's all you can eat!"
They chatted casually, their tone as natural as students about to go on vacation. He sat behind the monitor, watching the two figures on the screen.
"Cut! Perfect!" Zhou Ming's voice was filled with laughter. "That's a wrap! Happy New Year everyone!"
"Happy New Year!"
The set instantly erupted in excitement. The crew began packing up the equipment, the actors removed their makeup and changed clothes, and everyone was busy stuffing things into their bags, their steps hurried but their faces beaming with joy.
"Brother Feng, I'm leaving soon!" Tian Xiwei ran up to him with her schoolbag on her back, her face flushed. "Want me some of our family's fried pork?"
"No need, it's inconvenient to carry on the road. Go home and enjoy the New Year, don't just play around, don't forget to do your homework."
"Okay, okay! You nag!" Tian Xi made a face at him, then ran to find Liu Haochun. "Haochun, let's go! See you after the New Year!"
"See you after the New Year." Liu Haochun nodded, a smile in his eyes.
Liu's mother came over and thanked him, "Thank you for taking care of me during this time. Haochun said he was very happy to be with you."
"Of course, Happy New Year, Auntie."
Tian's mother also came over: "We're going back to Tongliang for the New Year soon. You should go home early too, and spend the New Year with your parents."
"Yes, I know."
Everyone wished each other a Happy New Year and gradually left the set. Soon, the bustling set quieted down, with only a few staff members on duty doing the final cleanup.
He took out his phone and called home: "Mom, I'm coming home later. I want to eat cured pork and sausages for dinner."
"Okay, Mom will get it ready for you right away!" The mother's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with joy.
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, he was awakened by the sound of firecrackers outside the window. His mother was already busy in the kitchen, and the aroma of stewed meat wafted in through the crack in the door, mingling with the sound of the Spring Festival Gala being replayed on the TV in the living room.
"Awake? Get up and eat some tangyuan (sweet rice balls)." Lin Jianguo called from the living room, holding a red envelope in his hand. "A New Year's red envelope, for good luck."
I casually took it, wished my parents a Happy New Year, and sat down to eat a glutinous rice ball as big as a bowl. I don't know which deity started this.
I accompanied my parents to visit relatives, listened to the elders chat about everyday things, sent New Year's greetings to Teacher Jiang Wei and Zhou Ming, and spent most of the rest of my time studying the script.
The later scenes were indeed not easy, with several important scenes of the siblings quarreling, as well as Shi Miao's emotional outburst after learning the truth, which was a test of Tian Xiwei's acting skills.
Xiao Tian kept sending messages. On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, she sent a video of fireworks. The background was the night sky over her hometown of Tongliang. Her voice, tinged with the sound of firecrackers, was filled with excitement: "Brother Feng, look! The fireworks we're setting off here are even more beautiful than those in the city!"
She video-called again on the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year. The camera was shaky, and it sounded like she was visiting relatives. There was the loud sound of mahjong in the background: "Brother Feng, I'm going to the main city this afternoon. My mom has something to do, so she told me to go ahead by myself. I'll come visit you then!"
"Have you finished your homework?" he asked habitually.
"Oh dear, there's only a little bit left!" She rolled her eyes at the camera. "I'm not saying anything more, my aunt wants me to go get some fruit!"
Not long after I finished lunch, my phone rang. It was Liu Haochun's mother.
"Lin Feng, Happy New Year." Liu's mother's voice was a little apologetic. "I was planning to go back to Shancheng with Hao Chun tomorrow, but something came up at home and I can't get away. So I'm letting her fly there by herself first. Could you please pick her up at the airport and take care of her?"
"No problem, Auntie. Don't worry, just send me the flight number, and I'll wait for her at the airport."
"Thank you so much. It was my first time flying alone, and I was quite worried."
"It's nothing, please don't mention it."
After hanging up the phone, I glanced at the time; Liu Haochun's flight arrived at 4 PM. Just as I was about to message Tian Xiwei, her message arrived: "Brother Feng, I've arrived in the main city! Shall I come to your house now?"
This girl's timing was perfect. He replied, "I'm going to pick up Haochun from the airport, come with me," and then got ready to leave.
When I got downstairs, Tian Xiwei was already waiting there with a backpack on her back and wearing a red down jacket.
"Come on, Feng-ge!" she skipped over. "What time is Hao-chun arriving?"