Huayu 02: The Days of Extreme Pulling and Rolling with the Fairy

That evening, Xie Jin leaned against a big tree downstairs, struggled internally for a long time, and then dialed a phone number.

"Dad, are you busy?"

The phone rang incessantly on the other end, but Old Xie's voice was full of energy: "That's about it. Just one more dish and we'll be done cooking. So, what's up?"

"How's the family business? I might need some money."

If Xie Jin had said this six months ago, Old Xie would have kicked him without saying a word.

But in the past six months, his son has changed so much that Lao Xie hardly recognizes him anymore.

When his son started nagging him to quit his job and trying to motivate him, Lao Xie felt nothing but regret.

When the father and son returned from Guangzhou carrying back a load of goods, Old Xie thought his son had gone mad and that the money had been wasted.

But his wife's clothing store was booming, and his restaurant was thriving.

This will make Lao Xie realize that his son has truly grown up and that young people see things differently from him.

  

"The family restaurant is doing very well. I plan to make some old-style Beijing lamb spine hot pot when it gets cold. Your mother did what you said and opened another shop in the next county, which is also selling very well."

"Your mom originally planned for me to rent the apartment next door, knock down the walls, and add some tables."

"But I'm thinking of opening another branch right next to the cultural center in the city; we can't make big money just staying in the county."

Hearing that the family business was doing well, Xie Jin felt at ease, not because of how much money they were making, but because he could sense his father's high spirits.

He believed that although Lao Xie was tired, his father must have felt a sense of accomplishment.

"Dad, don't just do it all yourself. Hire some people, or you'll ruin your back sooner or later. Don't hire any relatives, not a single one."

Old Xie lit a cigarette: "I know, relatives coming over will ruin business sooner or later."

"I was being mistreated at my old employer's place. He's coming over next week. He'll work there for two months first. If he does well, he'll manage the kitchen of this shop, and I'll go and run the new shop."

"How's school going, kid? Got a girlfriend yet?"

"Dad, I'm only a freshman in college, what's the rush? I'm busy studying."

"Bullshit! Finding a partner is the real deal. I can give you the money, but I want to see you bring someone back within a year at most."

Xie Jin was a little speechless. This was too hasty... But as long as the money was paid, it would save her the trouble of haggling.

Xie's father didn't ask his son what he needed the money for, but directly asked, "How much do you need?"

"Any twenty?"

"Two hundred thousand? What, am I some kind of God of Wealth? You dare to ask for that? You might as well go home and steal it yourself."

"A thin horse with long hair and fat hooves, a son stealing from his father isn't considered a thief."

"Hurry up, Dad. Money's worthless; we can earn more if we lose it. I need this for serious business. Think about it, in the last six months, has your son wasted a single penny?"

Old Xie wasn't stingy, he was just really hurting his wallet. Two hundred thousand yuan! He could forget about his new store anytime soon.

But in Lao Xie's eyes, his son is no longer causing trouble.

He knew from the moment he started seriously studying Lao Xie's ideas that his son was destined for great things, and that he could sacrifice his small business.

"I'll get it for you, my dear! I don't have enough on hand, I'll ask your mother for some more later, don't worry about it."

"Just do a good job. I don't expect you to make money. Just don't get involved in anything you shouldn't. We're rich, you know. Come back and cook with me when you're tired from working hard."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jin felt a sharp sting in her nose and was speechless for several seconds, only managing a muffled "hmm" through her nose.

"Stop crying, you coward! You're just like your mother, all spineless."

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Photography Department Office

Many students and young teachers were peeking into the office from outside.

Ning Hao went through a long internal struggle before finally abandoning all pretense of shamelessness.

He put his bedding roll down by the office door and is now sitting on the floor with his legs spread apart.

He wouldn't let go of the office sofa.

Wang Hongwei glanced at Zhang Huijun; both of them were Ning Hao's mentors, and a look of helplessness crossed their eyes.

"Ning Hao, you weren't always like this. How come you've become like those stubborn, unyielding people?"

"The equipment in the department is limited, how can I let you carry it so far away?"

Ning Hao had made up his mind; he was going to stay here all day.

If you insult me, I won't talk back.

Hit me, I won't fight back.

Anyway, you can't get rid of me.

The equipment in the department is meant for students' creative work, so there's nothing wrong with me borrowing it.

"You said you only have 40,000 yuan, which isn't even enough for food and supplies. Even if you borrow equipment, you still won't have enough for anything else."

"Twenty-four!"

"Twenty-four?"

"right!"

Zhang Huijun was curious: where did Ning Hao get the money?

You have to understand that nowadays no director is without money.

Not to mention Ning Hao, even the professors in the department and the seniors in the industry are struggling to secure funding.

The rules of a market economy are different from the old system of equal distribution of resources. China Film Group's funding approval process is extremely strict.

Even with such strict regulations, there are still many veteran film studios queuing up, with applications ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of yuan, leaving newcomers with virtually no chance.

With a budget of 240,000, you could only afford to make a short drama in 2022.

However, in 2002, the purchasing power of 240,000 was still quite strong.

I bought a 60-square-meter house outright in a less desirable location in Fengtai, Shijingshan, or Haidian.

A 20-30 square meter shop in a typical community, paid in full.

This amount of money is more than enough for a low-budget film.

Ning Hao filmed, directed, edited, and choreographed everything himself.

The production staff can save a lot of money. There's no need for publicity or promotion, but if the department can cover the major expense of equipment, it will be more than enough.

Jia Zhangke's "Xiao Wu" from four years ago cost only 20 yuan, and Wang Xiaoshuai's "The Days of Winter and Spring," although from 93, only cost 10 yuan.

"Are you sure you've found the money? Are you going to enter a prize?"

Ning Hao is now going all in, since he's already made a fool of himself: "Yes! I'm going to submit it to the film festival. Teacher, put your hand on your heart and tell me, isn't my script good enough?"

Wang Hongwei couldn't openly defend his student, so he coughed and said, "Give me the notebook, and let Teacher Huijun take a look."

As he spoke, Wang Hongwei handed the notebook to Zhang Huijun.

Zhang Huijun took it, looked at it for a while, and then closed the notebook.

"Give it a try. Judging from the book itself, I think it should be fine for the competition."

Wang Hongwei sighed. What could he do when his own student was in this situation?

Let's grant his wish since this notebook is really good.

"I'll give you a note. The Panna film crew is using it now. Go pick it up from the warehouse in two weeks. I'll make a call and you can pick up the lights yourself from the Qingdao Film Studio."

"Return the equipment within twenty days; not even a day late!"

Ning Hao was overwhelmed with happiness. Panna, that's Pannavishin... a genuine high-end device.

I don't deserve it.....

Even some second-rate productions in Hollywood use Panavisense cameras; in schools, only the cinematography and directing departments each have one.

There's also...and a light!!

As expected, the professor is a highly advanced human being; he'll show me advanced equipment I've never seen before...

"Teacher, I see there's a German editing station in the department..."

"Get out!"

"Eh?"

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The surge in budget directly altered the original production methods.

Originally, this film had no art direction and couldn't utilize Ning Hao's forte of cinematic language.

But things are different now. These days, he's been frantically searching for light in the temple with a viewfinder, and his senior colleagues in the art department are making him work like a mule.

Xie Jin, on the other hand, has been imprisoned in a temple by Ning Hao for half a month.

A kid like Ning Hao, exposed to the harsh winds and sands of the Northwest, will not waste any important opportunities in his life.

He didn't consider himself a human being, nor did he consider Xie Jin a human being.

In order to help Xie Jin quickly get the hang of things.

Director Ning directly contacted Yongning Temple in Nanxiaozhai, Huairen, Shuozhou, and asked Xie Jin to become a novice monk there.

This fellow slipped the abbot a thousand dollars, saying that as long as Xie Jin didn't escape, he would get another five hundred dollars later.

All the heavy work in the temple could be entrusted to him; he could be used like a mule. During the early stages of filming, the crew would film in the front yard, and he could be kept in the back yard like livestock.

The goal is simple: to let him experience the hardships of life and quickly empathize with the character.

Then, to ensure Xie Jin wouldn't be disturbed and could completely enter a state of absorption, he even took away Xie Jin's phone...

Before dawn, Xie would get up to chant sutras, then cook vegetarian meals for the other monks. In the afternoon, he would work in the fields, and at night, after everyone had gone to sleep, he would still sweep and clean.

The only thing that made Xie Jin happy was that he could eat five meals a day...

I'm exhausted, like a dog, and I've even gained weight...

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Ning Hao was talking to the art director when his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.

"Director, answer the phone."

Ning Hao reached into his pocket and found Xie Jin's Nokia. He was about to hang up, but then he thought, what if it was someone from his family...?

"Hello, feeder"

A bright young woman spoke on the other end of the phone: "Hello, Xie. We met at the beginning of the semester."

Before the girl could finish speaking, Ning Hao interjected, "I'm not Xie Jin, I'm his senior brother Ning Hao. Xie Jin locked me up in the temple."

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone. "I...I dialed the wrong number?"

"No wrong number. Who are you? He's currently experiencing rural life. I'll let him know if anything comes up."

"Oh, hello senior, my name is Liu Yifei, I'm a classmate of theirs."

"I've finished filming in Zhejiang and am about to head to Yunnan. The crew gave me three days off in the middle of the filming, which was perfect for going back to school. I haven't seen my classmates much since, so I brought gifts for everyone."

"Everyone received their gifts, so we haven't been able to contact Xie Jin..."

It was actually Liu's mother's idea that this was the case. She was worried that her daughter wasn't interacting with her peers at school, which wasn't a good thing.

Although preparing gifts will cost some money, it's worth it to keep my daughter from leaving school.

This also saves the media from always saying that their daughter is unsociable.

Ning Hao was stunned for three seconds.

"Liu Yifei? The one who played Wang Yuyan and Bai Xiuzhu?"

Liu Yifei thought to herself, "My two dramas haven't even aired yet. My senior brother is really well-informed. But why is he so easily startled?"

"Hmm...yes."

Ning Hao's shout was so loud that Xie Jin in the courtyard heard it. He pressed his face against the temple door and peered out through the crack in the broken door.

"Senior brother, what are you doing? Give me the phone!! Give it to me!!" Xie Jin's face was contorted and he looked no different from a zombie.

He was sure he heard it clearly.

Mom, my smelly little cell phone got a call from Liu Yifei!!

Looking at his junior brother's ferocious expression, Ning Hao laughed.

Hehe, junior brother.

Women will only slow down our creative process. Senior brother, I'll lend you a hand. Let's cut through the skeletons of women!

Junior brother, don't hate me... It's all for art.

Liu Yifei heard a lot of noise from the other end and asked in confusion, "Senior brother, I think I heard Xie Jin speak..."

"You misheard, it's a monk from a temple who's gone mad."

"Ahem, Junior Sister Liu, don't worry about him. You guys have fun."

"Xie Jin's mind is currently only focused on Buddhism and meditation. He asked me to tell you that women will only disrupt his creative process."

Liu Yifei was stunned for a few seconds. She had only met Xie Jin once on the first day of school. He seemed quite normal and didn't seem like a lunatic.

He stammered, "I...I understand, goodbye, senior brother," and then hung up.

Xie saw his senior brother put down his phone, collapse to the ground, and roar to the sky.

"Ning Hao! You beast!!!"

Ning Hao coughed and pointed a finger at the abbot. The old abbot raised his eyelids and put his hands behind his back: "Wu Ku and Wu Fu, drag Wu Yu to the back and keep a close watch on him."

Two burly monks carried Xie Jin away like he was carrying a chick.