Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 496: Overnight in a Small Village Beside the Primeval Forest

The old man is 74 years old this year. Standing in the wind and clouds, he does not look timid at all. Instead, he makes people feel that he is getting stronger with age.

It is not a comfortable experience to come to Cherrapunji to shoot a movie.

Eastwood did not have a private plane, so he and his crew members traveled to Cherrapunji with great difficulty, and braved the continuous heavy rain to prepare for the preliminary work of filming.

Just for this reason, Lin Yuan was full of admiration for this legendary old director.

"Director, I'm here. Sorry to have kept you waiting." Lin Yuan parked the car, jumped out and went to greet him.

"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. You came at the right time." Director Eastwood hugged Lin Yuan and replied with a smile.

"Just the right time?" Lin Yuan asked in confusion.

"It's been raining in this damn place for more than 30 days in a row, but starting tomorrow, it won't rain for four days. Don't you think we're just in time?" Director Eastwood said happily.

He had arrived in Cherrapunji more than a week in advance, and it rained every day, making it difficult to carry out many tasks smoothly, which made director Eastwood feel quite uncomfortable.

Every day the crew spends here is burning through filming costs. If they can't finish filming on time, winter will be even more difficult.

Now there is finally good news. At least we can shoot smoothly for the next few days.

"Great, we will start shooting tomorrow. Where will we stay tonight?" Lin Yuan asked.

"It's up to you to decide whether you want to live in Cherrapunji or Tukamba Village," asked director Eastwood.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Let's hurry up and stay in Tukanba Village tonight so we can start filming early tomorrow morning. I hope the crew members don't object to my request?"

"Of course not. Everyone is eager to get started. Let's have dinner quickly and then set off. By the way, we have prepared the mushroom feast you requested." Director Eastwood replied.

"Okay, I like this one." Lin Yuan and the other two smiled and walked into the hotel with Director Eastwood.

Cherrapunji is a town, more than 20 kilometers away from the virgin forest area by mountain road.

Under such road conditions, it is not surprising that the journey takes more than two hours.

Therefore, the crew members involved in the filming cannot live in the town of Cherrapunji, otherwise the time wasted on commuting every day will greatly reduce the efficiency of the filming.

Director Eastwood set up the crew's base camp in this hotel in Cherrapunji, and various spare supplies for filming and life were also stored here.

Some crew members responsible for logistical support can stay in the town and provide remote support.

However, the most front-line actors and crew members have to live in a small village next to the primeval forest area: Tukanba Village.

It can be said that the small village is the forefront of the filming, but it still takes nearly an hour to walk from the village to the filming location.

It can be seen that it is really not easy to make a good jungle movie.

Director Eastwood brought Lin Yuan and the other two into the hotel. The crew members stood up and greeted Lin Yuan.

This small hotel, perhaps it can only be called a hostel, was completely booked by the crew, so there was no need to worry about the trouble of getting along with outsiders.

Otherwise, with Lin Yuan's fame, he would definitely have a large number of fanatical fans even in Cherrapunji.

Director Eastwood, Lin Yuan and the other two arrived at the hotel restaurant, where a mushroom feast had been prepared in advance.
Butter-fried matsutake slices, stir-fried chicken mushrooms with bacon, braised beef with chanterelles, stir-fried bamboo shoots with dragon claw mushrooms, red mushroom and old duck soup, mixed mushroom stew...

The table is filled with various delicious mushrooms, and the restaurant is filled with the unique aroma of mushrooms, which whets people's appetite.

The people living in Cherrapunji are all Khasi people. From their appearance, they are nothing like the Indians that everyone imagines, but more like Southeast Asians.

The local food cooking methods are mainly frying, boiling and stir-frying, which are about half similar to Chinese food, but also have their own local characteristics.

Lin Yuan, who had been traveling all afternoon, was already hungry. He sat down with director Eastwood and others to enjoy tonight's delicious meal.

No one drank alcohol because, on the one hand, drinking would dull the sense of taste and ruin the deliciousness of the mushroom feast; on the other hand, they had to travel late at night and didn't want to get drunk.

Soon, this delicious mushroom feast was eaten.

Lin Yuan touched his slightly bulging belly, stood up from the chair, and it was time to set off.

He checked his watch: 6: p.m. local time.

Lin Yuan and director Eastwood came out of the hotel and took two cars to Tukanba Village.

Lin Yuan was still driving the Hummer off-road vehicle with GAKKI and Taylor Swift in it.

Director Eastwood, a guide, and three crew members rode in another car, leading the way.

By the time we had our meal, the rain had almost stopped, with only intermittent slanting rain drifting in the wind.

Cherrapunji in the drizzle gives people a lively feeling, like a beautiful girl without any makeup.

At this time, a large number of local people poured out of the streets and alleys, set up stalls on the roadside, and took advantage of this precious time to trade with each other. The noisy voices were bustling and full of vitality.

Although this small town does not have any tall buildings and many roads are paved with gravel except for the main roads which are cement roads, you will not feel it is shabby and decadent.

It feels like the towns in China in the 80s. Although the houses and streets are old, the bustling and vibrant scene is delightful.

As two cars slowly made their way through the crowd, Taylor pointed at the local indigenous people and asked, "What is that? It looks like a turtle shell."

Following Taylor's gaze, Lin Yuan discovered that the indigenous people in front of him were all covered in yellow "turtle shells" from head to toe.

The turtle shell is teardrop-shaped, larger at the top and smaller at the bottom, with a length of more than one meter. There is a head cover on the head so that the head can be inserted into it. The huge back shell is arched in an arc, covering from the shoulders to the knees.

After buying the goods they want, residents skillfully stuff them into the arched part of the "turtle shell" on the back to prevent them from getting wet by rain.

"This is a local specialty 'bamboo clothing', woven from bamboo fibers and used to protect against rain," Lin Yuan explained.

"Wow, so cute! It looks like a turtle shell when carried on the body, so unique." Taylor Swift exclaimed.

Lin Yuan complained in his heart, fortunately, the people here are Khasi people. If they were Han people, they would probably get angry if you said someone was carrying a turtle shell.

"This 'bamboo coat' is so big, and it seems to be very waterproof and has good storage properties." GAKKI also said.

"I want to buy one, it's quite interesting," Taylor said.

"This thing is very inconvenient. If you really like it, buy it when you return after filming." Lin Yuan said.

"Why?" Taylor asked.

"Do you know how heavy such a large bamboo raincoat is? Do you know how difficult it is to clean the burrs from bamboo fibers? How difficult it is to remove the burrs when they get into your skin?" Lin Yuan asked a series of questions.

Such a big "bamboo coat" must weigh about seven or eight kilograms. In addition, there are no shoulder straps, so the shoulders cannot be used to bear the weight, and the only support is the head.

If you wear "bamboo clothes" for a while, your neck will definitely ache severely.

"With so many questions, why do locals like to use this kind of 'bamboo clothing'?" Taylor asked.

"How do you know they really like it? Don't beggars like living in villas?" Lin Yuan said helplessly.

Taylor Swift's words sound a bit like "Why don't you eat meat?"

But this cannot be blamed on her. After all, she grew up in the most powerful and richest capitalist empire in the world. Her family is also middle class or above. Taylor Swift has never seen a truly poor person since she was a child.

What's more, this is the life of poor people in the third world.

Lin Yuan patiently explained to her, "It rains all year round in Cherrapunji, and the rain is heavy and fierce. Umbrellas are not popular here because they can't block the rain at all. You have to use a raincoat."

"Given the locals' income level, raincoats are still too expensive. They can only make 'bamboo clothes' out of local bamboo, even though they are a bit heavy. Who wouldn't want to wear a light raincoat?"

After hearing Lin Yuan's explanation, Taylor Swift seemed to have thought of something and suddenly said, "When I was looking at the budget for the production a few days ago, Director Eastwood submitted a budget for purchasing 5000 raincoats.

I thought it was a bit strange at the time. Even if the crew needed raincoats, 200 would be enough, including the spares.

I thought it was a little unreasonable at first, but since the total expenses were only $6, I didn’t argue with him and just signed it.”

Taylor Swift is the film producer of "Jungle Bully", and her responsibilities cover every aspect from script review, casting, budget control, shooting management to post-production, distribution and promotion.

In principle, when it comes to expenses, the director needs to obtain financial approval from the producer.

The expense application submitted by Director Eastwood is a thick volume that details every detail. It is impossible to have a detailed explanation for every expense.

A big director like Eastwood is not only famous but also old. When applying for expenses, he will definitely not be as nervous as a young director, fearing misunderstandings and giving the producer something to think about.

Generally, matters involving small amounts of money will only have one title, and only those that cost more will be discussed in detail with more words.

It’s no wonder that Taylor Swift’s first reaction when she saw the purchase of 5000 raincoats was confusion.

But facing a legend like director Eastwood, even if Taylor Swift felt it was unreasonable, she would not object to the $6 expenditure.

There won't even be any doubts. Even if the director wants to pocket some money, as long as it's not too excessive, most producers will turn a blind eye.

"Now I guess the purpose of these raincoats. Director Eastwood should have purchased a batch of raincoats and given them to the Cherrapunji government and the villagers of Tokamba village," said Taylor.

"Did you suddenly figure it out?" Lin Yuan asked.

Taylor nodded. "Not only did we buy raincoats, but we also bought a large amount of canned goods and insect repellent. We spent a total of $15. All of that should have been given to the locals."

Lin Yuan continued, "That's as it should be. When filming on someone else's land, if you want better cooperation from the locals, it's necessary to show appropriate goodwill."

"No wonder the villagers of Tukanba Village were so enthusiastic about the crew. I heard that the villagers gave their best houses to the crew to live in," said Taylor Swift.

There are no hotels in Tukanba Village, which is located on the edge of the primeval forest.

The crew had no choice but to spend money to rent the villagers' houses for a short period of time to have a place to live.

But having money doesn’t necessarily mean you can get it done. If the villagers don’t welcome the crew, it will cause a lot of trouble.

It now seems that Director Eastwood handled the communication with the local indigenous people quite easily.

"These should be your jobs." Lin Yuan said.

Taylor nodded, admitting her shortcomings: "I really hadn't considered this aspect, and I didn't even realize I had to deal with these things. Fortunately, director Eastwood is very experienced and took the initiative to help the crew sort out so many problems."

"You have just taken over Mr. Eisen's job. This is your first time as a film producer. It's not your fault that you are not aware of these problems. But learning more from Director Eastwood will definitely benefit you a lot," said Lin Yuan.

"You're right, I still have a lot to learn," Taylor said.

Having said that, Lin Yuan didn’t say anything more.

Taylor Swift is not even 20 years old this year. Whether in terms of work experience or social skills, she certainly cannot compare with director Eastwood, who has experienced the ups and downs of life.

Among the directors Lin Yuan has worked with, perhaps the most capable ones are Director Nolan and Director Eastwood this time.

Director Nolan is characterized by his meticulous work and great patience. Before filming begins, he will take the trouble to communicate with every actor and carefully examine every aspect of the filming process.

Lin Yuan had not yet experienced director Eastwood's style during filming, but he was quite experienced in handling human relationships.

Such people can eliminate many contradictions and conflicts before they even arise.

Good fighters have no illustrious feats.

Director Eastwood is a low-key person. If you don’t understand him, you might not even know what his strengths are. You will just think that he is very lucky and every filming goes smoothly.

But is it really just luck?
While Lin Yuan and Taylor were talking, the vehicle had already left Cherrapunji.

In the darkness of the night, Lin Yuan drove the car shakily and followed the vehicle in front closely.

The mountain road was pitch black, and the car lights cut through the darkness. The two beams of light seemed to be exploring the unknown journey ahead.

In the darkness, the road and grass mixed together, making it difficult to distinguish the boundaries.

The mountain road is winding and turns constantly.

Every time the driver turns a corner, the scene that appears before his eyes is like being suddenly forced to open the next page of a book.

This results in a very fragmented picture of the journey, making it easy for people to lose their sense of direction and feel confused.

For inexperienced drivers, driving on such a mountain road at night can easily cause them to run off the road and roll down the hillside.

But Lin Yuan's driving skills are definitely the best in the world, and driving on such a mountain road at night is just a piece of cake for him.

The car he was driving was obviously less shaky and more stable than the car in front.

The two cars, one in front and one behind, staggered forward in the night.

The two women in the car were quite curious. It was difficult to have such a travel experience in either Japan or the United States. They looked out the window with interest, even though they couldn't see much scenery in the night.

"As I walked along, I found a lot of holes on the roadside. Each one is bottomless. What would happen if I fell into one?" Taylor Swift suddenly asked.

"Are you good at swimming?" Lin Yuan asked back.

"Why do you ask about my swimming ability? I'm okay. I can swim 100 to 200 meters," Taylor Swift replied.

"Then there's no hope. If I had the swimming skills I had when I jumped into Hukou Waterfall, maybe I could still be saved." Lin Yuan said.

"Is it so exaggerated? Are these holes so scary?" Taylor Swift asked.

"Do you know why there is heavy rain every day in Cherrapunji, but the drainage is very smooth and there is never flooding?" Lin Yuan asked.

"I don't know, is it related to these holes?" Taylor Swift said.

Lin Yuan nodded. "These holes are all underground limestone caves. As far as I know, there are more than 300 such underground caves in Cherrapunji, which are interconnected to form a huge sewer network. In the year with the highest rainfall in Cherrapunji, a total of more than 28000 mm of rain fell, and there was no flooding. This shows how quickly these underground caves drain water.

If you fall in, it will definitely be more powerful than going down a high-speed water slide at an amusement park, and you will be thrown an unknown distance in an instant."

"Drive carefully, our lives are in your hands." Taylor Swift was not nervous at first, but after hearing what Lin Yuan said, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Don't worry, we're almost there." Lin Yuan replied.

"So fast?" Taylor asked.

"The rain has stopped and the road is not too difficult to travel on. The vehicle is moving faster than expected. We are almost finishing the 20-kilometer mountain road." Lin Yuan said.

It was originally estimated that it might take an hour and a half, but now it seems that it has only taken half the time and we are almost there.

Sure enough, after turning around several valleys, the vehicle came to a big river and stopped.

Through the car window, Lin Yuan could already see a village on the other side of the river, dark in the night.

"Is this Tukanba Village? Why are the lights so dim?" Taylor Swift asked, looking at the village across the river.

Lin Yuan took a look and replied, "This village has no electricity. We have no electric lights and can only use oil lamps, so the lighting is very dim."

"No power?" Taylor Swift had never expected to encounter such a situation.

"Well, there are no lights, no TV, and no refrigerator," said Lin Yuan.

"It doesn't matter if I don't have these, but how do I charge my phone if it runs out of battery?" Taylor Swift's biggest worry is losing contact with the outside world.

Taylor Swift has seen some documentaries about the trafficking of women, and the village in front of her is even more backward than those in the documentaries.

If Lin Yuan and the crew hadn't been around, she would probably have wanted to go back immediately.

Hearing Taylor's words, Lin Yuan smiled and asked, "The crew has a diesel generator. If your phone is dead, it can be charged. But can you see if there's a signal?"

Taylor Swift immediately took out her phone and found that there was no signal at all.

"For me, not having electricity is more painful than not having running water. Not having electricity means being completely away from modern life," Taylor said.

"Are you sure it's more painful to be without electricity?" Lin Yuan asked, "Have you ever heard of a dry toilet?"

Lin Yuan and Betty had already experienced dry toilets once in the slums of Mumbai, and this time in Tukamba Village, they were bound to meet again.

In villages without running water or sewers, dry toilets are naturally the only option.

Lin Yuan explained to Taylor Swift and GAKKI what a dry toilet is, and the two girls felt their scalps tingling after hearing it.

It’s not that they are too spoiled, but city girls who have never experienced dry toilets will inevitably feel quite uncomfortable when they come into contact with this primitive toilet for the first time.

Lin Yuan continued, "Dry toilets aren't unacceptable. What's really unacceptable is the sewage flowing through them after it rains. The rain here..."

At this point, Taylor Swift and GAKKI-chan were even more shocked.

Lin Yuan felt that this was not enough, so he added fuel to the fire: "As you know, sexual violence often occurs in India. Many bachelors hide near toilets at night and abuse women while they are in the restroom."

"When I go to the bathroom at night, you have to accompany me," Taylor Swift said immediately.

"I think we should put a spittoon inside the house," said GAKKI.

"Of course, it's my duty to accompany you and ensure your safety. It's best if we stay in the same room. If we are separated and something unexpected happens, I may not even know about it." Lin Yuan's true intentions were completely exposed.

In fact, can the area in northeastern India where the Khasi people live be the same as the Hindu area?

The reason why he half-scares and half-coaxes them is to find an excuse to live in the same room with the two women legitimately, which will realize the goal he has always expected.

Looking at it now, the results are very good and we are only one step away from achieving our goal.

At this time, the car driven by Lin Yuan followed director Eastwood's car and drove forward more than 200 meters and came to an open space.

There were more than ten cars parked there, all of which were rented by the crew.

Director Eastwood jumped out of the car and motioned Lin Yuan to get out.

Lin Yuan and the other two got out of the car. GAKKI asked curiously, "Director, isn't the village quite a distance away on the other side of the river? Why don't you drive over there?"

Director Eastwood shook his head and said, "We can't drive through. Grab your luggage and let's walk."

Taylor Swift pointed to a bridge not far away and asked, "Isn't there a suspension bridge over there? It looks pretty solid."

Director Eastwood smiled and said, "Come on, I'll take you to see what kind of bridge it is."

Led by director Eastwood, the group came to the bridge and crossed the river from the suspension bridge to reach Tukanba Village.

When everyone got closer to the suspension bridge, Lin Yuan was surprised to find that the suspension bridge was made of several pillars?

It's so outrageous. The entire suspension bridge is made up of countless pillars entwined together to form a huge suspension bridge.

This is not the fantasy world of The Lord of the Rings, nor is it the settlement of the elves. It is really shocking to see a bridge made of tree roots, full of the beauty of nature's magic.

"Are you surprised? I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw this bridge," director Eastwood explained. "Because Cherrapunji experiences heavy rains year-round, ordinary wooden bridges simply can't withstand corrosion and will soon rot away."

No one asked why a reinforced concrete bridge was not built, because even without considering the high cost, it would be almost impossible for heavy vehicles to transport materials into Tukanba Village based on the road conditions.

"So the locals came up with an ingenious idea and built this tree root bridge," said director Eastwood.

"I'm very curious, how is this kind of bridge built? Are these tree roots so obedient? And are the tree roots so resilient?" Lin Yuan asked.

Director Eastwood said: "The locals built the root bridge and chose the roots of the Indian banyan tree. This kind of banyan tree grows very fast, twice as fast as the roots of ordinary banyan trees, and the roots are more resilient."

"The locals used wood and bamboo to build a framework that stood horizontally on the bridge deck, and then guided the roots of the banyan trees to climb along the framework, gradually forming a bridge."

"This process takes a long time, often ten years before it can be used initially. It usually takes 30 years for it to become a solid root bridge.

The tree root bridge in front of you is 110 years old.

It is still growing, a growing bridge," said director Eastwood.

After hearing Eastwood's answer, Taylor and Gakki were also happy:

"I love this bridge. It's a truly living bridge. It's magical to think that it will continue to grow, just like a living thing," Taylor said.

"The ancestors of Tukanba Village planted this Indian fig tree by the river. They gave it life, nurtured it to grow strong, and protected it from being cut down and pests.

The Indian banyan tree also gives back to the villagers of Tukanba, helping generations of villagers cross the river.

This is truly the most beautiful scene of harmony between humans and nature. I think it's so romantic." GAKKI also said.

I have to say that women are more emotional than men and are naturally more easily moved by such stories.

Lin Yuan was thinking: Even if this bridge has been growing for a hundred years, its main structure is made of tree roots after all. No wonder it cannot bear the weight of vehicles.

Therefore, I had to carry my luggage across the river by myself.

Arriving at Tukanba Village, Director Eastwood took Lin Yuan to a small wooden house and said, "You can stay in this house. Go inside and see if you are missing any daily necessities.

I live in the building next to yours, so let me know if you need anything."

Lin Yuan nodded, and Director Eastwood left first, leaving the space to them.

The three of them looked at the one-story "wooden bungalow" in front of them:
This is an old house, and time has left indelible marks on its surface.

The brown wooden door has lost its former luster, and the door hinges make heavy creaking sounds, as if telling the vicissitudes of history.

The walls of the house were covered with green moss, and even on the wooden boards in the corners, there were a few unknown mushrooms growing.

But even such a house is the best house Lin Yuan has seen since entering the village.

The villagers gave their best houses to the "Jungle Bully" crew and squeezed into worse houses.

This kind of thought is already very rare, and there is nothing difficult for Lin Yuan to accept.

No matter how bad the environment is, can it be worse than the tin room where you have to sleep on the floor in the slums of Mumbai?

There were countless people squeezed into a large iron warehouse.

Taylor Swift and GAKKI heard Betty talk about her and Lin Yuan’s trip to India.

While listening to it, both women felt it was quite romantic and exciting, with a sense of adventure, and were full of longing for it.

But when the real reality is in front of us, we can immediately find that it is not as beautiful as it seems.

But the two of them were not so pretentious and didn't even complain.

Whether you can endure a harsh environment depends on who is around you.

When this person is Lin Yuan, then nothing else matters.

"Come on, let's see what surprises our home during this period can bring us." Taylor Swift took a step ahead and pushed open the door.

As the door opened, the furnishings inside the house appeared before our eyes.

The furnishings in the room were quite simple. A square table was placed alone in the center. The tabletop was smooth and dull due to the passage of time. There were a few chairs beside the table.

There is a large bed in one corner of the room and a wardrobe in another corner.

Apart from this, there is no other furniture.

Walking into the house and pushing open the door, there is a smaller bedroom with equally simple furnishings: a bed, a wardrobe, and even no table.

The two simple rooms serve as both bedrooms and dining rooms.

Where is the kitchen, you ask?
In a corner of the yard outside the house, there is a smaller old house, which is the kitchen.

Where is the toilet?

Walk out of the courtyard and turn right. More than 50 meters away, there is a lonely thatched house by the river. That is the toilet.

Where is the shower?

According to Lin Yuan's common sense, he could just boil a basin of hot water in the kitchen and move it to the bedroom to wash. There was no need to be so particular.

But this common sense may not be true in Cherrapunji and Tukamba Village.

Because it rains heavily here every day, Lin Yuan thinks that if he stands in the rain and takes a shower for a minute or two, he will definitely be clean.

Return to the house in time, wipe off the water droplets on your body to avoid catching a cold.

This way you don’t even have to wash your clothes, it’s perfect.

Lin Yuan didn’t know whether this was common among the locals, but there were definitely lazy people who did it.

"Bang!" Lin Yuan closed the door.

Then he walked into the inner room, carried the bedding on the bed, came to the outer room, and spread it on the bed.

"This bed is quite big, so it's no problem for three people to sleep on it." Lin Yuan said.

The beddings were all brand new, apparently bought by the crew from Cherrapunji and then brought in.

But it is obviously against one's will to say that three people can sleep on the bed. Although the bed is not small, it is definitely no problem for two adults to sleep on it.

But the problem is that Lin Yuan, Taylor Swift and GAKKI are all tall people, and the average height of the three is over 1 meters.

If they really sleep in the same bed, they will inevitably be squeezed together, so accidental shootings seem to be expected.

Watching Lin Yuan skillfully making the bed, Taylor Swift said warily, "Why do I feel like you have bad intentions?"

Lin Yuan said, "We're unfamiliar with this place, and I'm thinking about your safety."

"Then Gakki and I can sleep in the inner room, and you can sleep outside alone." Taylor Swift immediately thought of a solution.

"I can't sleep alone, please stay with me." Lin Yuan said.

"don't want……"

Before he could finish his words, Lin Yuan said, "Last time when you guessed the box office of 'The Legend of Tang Dynasty', you owed me a favor. Now I'm going to fulfill my promise. Lie on the bed with me. I promise not to do anything rash."

I silently said to myself: As long as we lie together, you won’t be afraid of me doing something wrong, but you will be afraid that I won’t do something wrong.

Lin Yuan’s request is obvious to everyone.

They are both adult women and have experienced sexual relationships. How could Taylor Swift and GAKKI still be so naive?
But matters between men and women are like covering with a veil first, and then breaking through with a slight poke.

No matter how thin this fig leaf is, it is necessary.

Sure enough, the two women stopped talking and tacitly agreed to Lin Yuan’s request.

Lin Yuan silently clenched his fists in celebration in his heart. The long-awaited wonderful night was finally coming.

(End of this chapter)