Chapter 52: Still Water Ripples

  The crew of the film didn't stay until evening, not because they had to leave, but because they couldn't shoot anymore. As soon as it got a bit cooler in the late afternoon, people who were herding cattle, sheep and dogs, and children who had just finished school and were running around wildly, would either make noise that interfered with the recording or run into the camera shot. Director Qin had no choice but to wrap up and head back to town.

  Things in the countryside are like this, no one can control them. Once you leave the village road, even on second-class roads, many farmers spread out to dry their wheat, occupying more than half of the road. Occasionally, they lead livestock, and people walk across the road with a swagger, completely ignoring your vehicle.

  The car drove slowly, with the director and several others, including the cinematographer, sound recordist, and script supervisor, on board. They were reviewing today's footage on two screens: one showed about seven or eight minutes of the opera performance, while the other showed over twenty minutes of the wedding banquet scene. Both screens had their sound turned off, with the images playing silently side by side. As they approached the end, Director Qin turned around and asked, "How is it?"

  "The wedding scene is great, full of energy and joy. The lion dance was also well-filmed, but the expressions were a bit stiff and the atmosphere felt too serious." A female reporter commented, critiquing it. She's a music major graduate and has high praise for that welcoming troupe.

  Another recording engineer looked at the frozen screen and pointed to the wedding scene: "I also tend to agree with this opinion, this scene looks more natural, this is the real folk custom, our opera organization makes people feel too deliberate, wearing such formal attire."

  "What about you?" the director asked the photographer. The photographer nodded, indicating to his two companions: "We agree, filming is also a matter of mood, I feel like I've never been so happy carrying a camera, this festive atmosphere is very strong... but it's just a bit chaotic."

  "Everyone be quiet, let's listen to this suona tune..." Director Qin said, releasing the recording.

  When the high-pitched tune started, everyone perked up their ears. The four old artists from the local organization, three of whom were playing the suona, a traditional instrument with a distinctive sound produced by controlling the embouchure to change volume, pitch and timbre, making it extremely difficult to control pitch accuracy. These few villagers have been immersed in this art for decades and can be considered masters, blowing the traditional "Crossing the Plague Boat" tune from Lüzhou village with perfect pitch and rhythm.

  But it was just a little bit different, after finishing the opera, and then broadcasting the wedding procession, when the sound started, there were inexplicable smiles on several people's faces, the person in the picture who played well, with expressions, rhythm, melody, and expression conveying one meaning, and the way he walked with his legs trembling like a fat duck that couldn't bear the weight, made people laugh uncontrollably. Not just this one, but also the miscellaneous orchestra, each with a joyful expression, smiling like flowers, as if every step was intentionally matching the lively rhythm of the music.

  "Stop! This opening... listen again, it's starting with a glissando..." The director said, returning.

  A loud and sonorous note suddenly rose, the recording was amplified, and the hearts of several onlookers were lifted, it was a high-pitched B note that started directly from the beginning, the player seemed to have used up all his strength, puffed out his cheeks, raised his head, and the sound shot straight up into the clouds, and there was also a glissando in the high notes... Director Qin calculated for a moment, then stopped the tape and said: "Fourteen seconds... how big must his lung capacity be? And this section looks quite interesting to me."

  Which part? Of course, it's the part where the men and women from both families fight. The three of them are in perfect sync, not to mention the suona player, even the erhu player is impressive. The sound is short and sharp, matching the suona's tune, making it sound like they're quarreling or teasing each other, blending perfectly with the whole scene. Just looking at those few people smiling from ear to ear. Of course, there's also that guy who thinks he's a tyrant and a royal soldier, this guy banging on the cymbals is clearly just trying to fit in, but his expression is really unforgettable.

  "Haha... fun, this is really good, haha." Director Qin also laughed when he pressed the pause button. To say that the tone and pitch may not be better than those of the old artists, but it's clear who is better in terms of style and performance. He pointed with his fingers: "Vitality... the difference lies in vitality and aura. On one hand, there's vigor and vitality, on the other hand, there's a sense of agedness. In my opinion, I definitely prefer watching this wedding scene, but I don't know if the judges will have the same taste as us."

  This is the most difficult part. The nine camera crews of "Charm of Luoyang" simultaneously tested their machines, divided into several themes such as Red Light Seeking, Pear Garden Seeking Fragrance, Mythical Source Seeking, Delicious Food Seeking, Folk Custom Seeking Roots and so on. All the camera crews from different places worked hard to take away one theme's shooting, which means they can get tens of millions of investment. The nine camera crews used all their strength, not to mention the official public relations, but also the efforts below. At least the team from Dahua Film and Television Company used the company's top photographers and sound engineers. In half a month, they shot more than 60 hours of footage, but in the end, who knows if they can get the shooting rights?

  "Director Qin, why don't we send a copy of the edited version to the reviewers first?" said the photographer. The unspoken rule in the industry is that everyone knows about it, but the final decision still depends on the quality of the film. Thinking about this, he opened his mouth and said: "You don't need to consider this, sending it is a must... If it passes the review, we'll have the qualification to enter the Yingcheng Temple for filming tomorrow. Originally, I wanted to ask these few people to come again tomorrow, but they asked for too high a price, not very reliable. Thinking about it again, there's no need, naturally coming out is the best, intentionally blowing it up would be bad. Now I'm a bit indecisive, dare I put this segment into the editing? Let's discuss and make a decision... This time, don't treat me as the director, let's have a democratic discussion, if you think it's okay, we'll edit it immediately, if not, we'll throw it away."

  The meaning is finally clear, the director was worried that this unorthodox and irregular thing could not pass the censorship of the film, and the film was very important, it was the key to getting the shooting rights and investment. If public relations were done under the same conditions, without special background, it would ultimately depend on the quality of the film. The headquarters of Dahua Film and Television is also in the provincial city, and it is rumored that Luzhou City has come up with this project to make a fortune, obviously lacking local advantages.

  The director finished speaking, looking at everyone, without expressing his own opinion. When asked about the recording, the young man thought for a moment and nodded. The two recorders looked at each other and nodded too. As for the photographer, there was no need to ask, he had taken the shot himself, so of course he nodded. With everyone nodding in agreement, the director clapped his hands and said:

  "Alright, let's get it edited, everyone take a rest for a day. We've been busy for over half a month, whether we can achieve the best result or not, let's just go with the flow."

  The car drove towards the city, and the night sky of Lanzhou was just lit up with lights, like a decorated fairy tale world. After the news of the holiday break came out, several cars' crew members couldn't help but cheer for a few times. These days were exhausting enough, and the approaching city meant comfort, hot showers, lazy mornings, strolling around, and having fun to everyone...

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  One day has passed, and there is still one more day until the internship ends...

  Another day passed, the eve before the internship ended...

  The busy city life is after all different from the slow pace of the countryside, counting on fingers, this internship period is about to end. At 7 o'clock in the evening, I received a notice from the school office to attend a meeting. When Wang Hengbin, the director, came out of the teaching building, he had already vaguely guessed the theme of the meeting. Just thinking of making a phone call to ask about the internship situation in each group in the countryside, he was stopped by a shout from behind.

  It's Ren Qun teacher, waving his hand, just got off the car, not living in school, specially came to attend the meeting. This is good, the host has arrived. Director Wang put down the phone and asked directly: "How are those groups in your class? Nothing happened, right?"

  "No, I just called, Huating said it's fine. Director Wang, what time is the bus arranged by our department tomorrow?"

  "Let's go at six o'clock. You several class teachers will follow the car and must bring everyone back. By the way, are those few in your class okay?"

  "Who is it?"

  "Who else could it be?"

  "I asked and it's nothing, I've been worried about this in my heart, chasing after phone calls every day, just afraid that something will happen to the internship group... It's also strange that among all the groups, theirs is the only one with no issues at all."

  Ren Qun smiled, feeling somewhat relieved. Fortunately, nothing major happened this year, although there were some minor incidents. In the three groups of our class, two girls who couldn't take it dropped out halfway and returned home, and a boy was bitten by a dog in the countryside. Nothing else went wrong, but the most surprising thing is that Wang Hua-ting's group didn't have any problems at all.

  Director Wang Hengbin stopped suddenly and asked: "What's wrong? Director? Is there something else?"

  "How come I always feel like my eyelids are jumping. Every time my eyelids jump, something bad is going to happen..." Director Wang said with a bit of guilt, scaring the students. Upon hearing this, Ren Qun laughed and said: "Director Wang, have you developed occupational phobia?"

  "Ah, I've been in school for decades, and it's this class that makes me the most fearful. It's good that they're finally graduating soon, I just hope they all leave safely and happily." Wang Hengbin sighed and walked on, while Ren Qun, the teacher of this class, understood what he was referring to, and it was also what she had been worried about. As they walked, she asked in a low voice, "Director, how will we handle the matter with Shan Yong? I haven't heard any rumors about it."

  "If there's any delay, it'll be too late. I'm also unsure about how to handle it, as the school administration and student affairs department don't have a legitimate reason; if we don't handle it, we won't achieve the desired effect of warning others...I heard that he has a romantic relationship with Left South's daughter?" Wang Hengbin said. That day, they saw the two of them coming out of the security office at the same time, and there were similar rumors afterwards. However, Ren Qun shook his head in disbelief: "It shouldn't be, should it? The difference between the two is too great."

  "It's better if he has it, otherwise, if something really happens, he won't be able to withstand it." Director Wang said, and seemed to have hinted at something deeper. Ren Qun thought for a moment, didn't ask any more questions, and the two of them entered the conference room with several others from the same department.

  The topic is simple, with two emphases: harmony and safety. Recently, a big incident occurred in the Lushi City education system, which happened at Weidong School. Six female students forced another female student to jump from a building and get seriously injured. Principal Wang emphasized at the meeting that the incident of boycotting classes and causing trouble two months ago must not happen again at Lushi Institute. The new head of the Security Department, Guo Zhanfeng, also made a speech and presented a report on the incident of boycotting classes and causing trouble two months ago, which was basically identified as an organized and premeditated riot. The severity of this incident is even more serious than the impulsive mistake that occurred at Weidong School.

  Director Wang's eyelids started jumping, knowing where the uneasy place had been for the past two days. It is said that a new official takes office with three fires, and now he has to worry about this fire burning into the Chinese department again. After a round of emphasis, it was the turn of each department to report on the progress of their internships, arrangements for the return journey, as well as recruitment plans for each district and county this year.

  After the meeting, Wang Keqiang specially kept Wang Hengbin and Ren Qun teachers behind. The two of them looked at each other and almost guessed the topic again, eight or nine out of ten. As expected, as soon as they entered the principal's office, Principal Wang let out a seat and got straight to the point: "Where are these people in your department?"

  Director Wang's hand trembled slightly as he took the report, and after a glance, he saw that the first name on the list was Shan Yong, followed by Lei Dapeng, and then two others who also had a history of fighting. After a brief summary, Principal Wang pointed with his finger and said: "Yesterday, the provincial and municipal education commission organized a joint investigation team to visit various secondary and primary schools, as well as vocational colleges, regarding one matter - safety. The incident at our school has had an extremely bad impact on society. As the only undergraduate college in this city, we absolutely cannot be used as an example of such incidents... Your department is a high-risk area, let's talk behind closed doors. Fights, troublemaking, and boycotts are all mostly caused by you few people. The newly appointed head of the security department, Director Guo, has reviewed the situation, but didn't mention it at the meeting. However, you must be vigilant and absolutely cannot be careless."

  As he spoke, his eyes inquiredly turned to Wang Hengbin and Ren Qun. The two of them were a bit embarrassed, and before they might have been able to muddle through with some perfunctory explanation, but after that incident, Ren Qun and Wang Hengbin had both become speechless. Finally, Teacher Ren managed to squeeze out: "Principal... what do you mean..."

  "There's nothing special about it." Principal Wang bowed slightly, withdrew his gaze, and carefully chose his words: "One of you is from the Chinese department, one from the physical education department. You'll be returning to school soon after your internship, and I don't want another sensational incident in this short period of time. We must focus on preventing major disasters, strictly guard against them, grasp their actions and ideological trends, and strangle all unstable elements in the bud..."

  The words were stern, as if facing a great enemy. Wang Hengbin and Ren Qun teachers listened with trepidation, not daring to sweat, and let the principal arrange for someone to monitor the students specially. This is also considered a pioneering work of Luan Yuanyang Institute. After making several guarantees to the principal, this private conversation finally came to an end. Originally wanted to test the leader's tone, but looking at this situation, Director Wang Hengbin did not ask about the result, since he was monitored, it should be that there is no temporary treatment measure.

  The small meeting started half an hour later than the big one. After leaving the building, Ren Qun dared to ask Director Wang in a low voice: "Director, what does Principal Wang mean? And about security, how is it? Is this matter not over yet?"

  "It's all over, everyone is in danger, what else can happen? However, Director Ren, we can't afford to have any more incidents. The new head of the security department, Guo Zhanfeng, used to work in firefighting, I think they've already figured out most of the things about the strike. If they really want to find some small mistakes and make a big deal out of it, I'm afraid our department will have to add a few more names to the expulsion list..." Director Wang Hengbin said gloomily as he walked away, but when he finished speaking, Ren Qun's figure was already gone. He turned his head back to look, and Ren Qun also had a gloomy expression, thinking for a long time before picking up the phone and softly calling out:

  "Hua Ting, I want to tell you something, it's like this... You go find Dan Yong and have a good talk."

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  "Dan Yong, come out."

  Wang Huating held her phone and shouted at the two brothers playing cards in the dormitory, "Lei Dapeng has already lost and had a note stuck on his face!" Upon hearing this, they stared at Shan Yong and then at Dang Hua Mei with puzzled eyes. Just as they were looking, Wang Huating rolled her eyes and said, "What are you looking at? And you, Lei Dapeng, come out too."

  This time, Lei Dapeng and Shan Yong looked at each other in confusion. They both didn't understand what was going on. Then they put on their shoes and went out the door. The two of them stared at Wang Huating in surprise. As the day of her return drew near, the frosty look on Party Flower's face grew thicker, and she gradually returned to her former proud and arrogant appearance as the team leader. It was still Lei Dapeng who had ideas, asking directly: "Wang Team Leader, what do you mean? We brothers have cooked for you for two months, almost serving you like a mother. Now that we're about to return to the city, are you going to turn against us?"

  Wang Hua Ting smiled, but her face couldn't be held back, ignoring him and continuing to say: "I'll pass on the class teacher's phone call just now. I can't bring personal feelings into this matter... Firstly, our school's security department has undergone a change in leadership, and the new head is a professional, it's said that he conducted an investigation into that incident and had in-depth conversations with those involved."

  A hiss... Two gasps of cold air, shocked Lei Dapeng's cheekbones were trembling, Shan Yong was fine, but his heartbeat also accelerated a bit.

  "Besides, recently there have been several incidents at various vocational schools in our city of Lanzhou. Specifically... These incidents prompted our school to improve its security and surveillance technology. I heard that the number of cameras has doubled from before and can now directly monitor every classroom... It seems like I also heard that last time someone broke into the broadcasting room, they first smeared paint on the school's camera lenses. This thing wouldn't be you, would it, Da Peng?" Wang Huating asked with a smile.

  "It's not, it's absolutely not... It's the stinky feet they did, a stick with a cloth tied to the end dipped in paint, stretched up and poked, and the head turned black... Ahh!" Lei Dapeng covered his foot, unable to continue. Next to him, Shan Yong stepped on his foot and asked Wang Huating with a smile: "Branch Secretary, it's all in the past now, do you know how interesting these are?"

  "I'm too lazy to care about these rotten things, as long as you don't get into trouble... The class teacher said that during this period of time, the school's management is stricter than before. She hopes you can graduate safely and soundly. Anyway, I think you should consider others a bit more. Teacher Ren and Director Wang are not easy to deal with. You count yourselves, how many things have happened in these four years." Wang Huating said this, and Shanyong sucked his teeth, while Lei Dapeng scratched his cheek, both looking somewhat embarrassed.

  "You two, choose a representative, Teacher Wang wants to talk to the representative on the phone, who will it be?" Wang Huating asked after a moment of silence.

  "Egg brother, you represent me... You come, I'll write the appraisal report." Lei Dapeng heard this and dodged, pushing Dan Yong out instead, and slipped back into the dormitory. Perhaps this was what Wang Huating had been expecting, she nodded: "Let's go, I also want to talk to you about something."

  "Hey... did Teacher Ren look for me or were you looking for me?" Dan Yong asked, chasing after Wang Huating's footsteps.

  "What do you want?" Wang Huating asked without turning her head, in a strange tone.

  "I wish? I wish... I have no way of wishing, wishes and reality are different." Dan Yong said with a smile, feeling a bit uneasy in his heart.

  He walked down the stairs, and when he turned back, Shanyong looked at the dormitory with a bit of guilt again. Leidapeng and Simu Xian must be peeking secretly. The class monitor's room was lit up, probably working overtime to prepare for the internship report. Liu Cuicui was also in the dormitory. In this environment, even if there was a moon on the willow branch, not even a hint of ambiguity could be felt, only a bit of awkwardness and discomfort all over his body.

  Looking back, Wang Hua-ting didn't seem to mind, smiled and handed the phone to Shan Yong. Shan Yong answered the call from their class teacher, Ren, listening to his lengthy words of advice, but actually thinking that some things were really pointless, not only causing trouble for himself, but also bringing a lot of trouble to these two popular teachers in the department. Otherwise, at this time, they should be carefree and waiting to receive their graduation certificates, why did it have to get more and more nerve-wracking as the internship was about to end?

  As they walked, they talked for a while, nothing more than following the rules and grasping themselves tightly. Tomorrow is the day to return to school, Teacher Ren mentioned many things to pay attention to, showing such concern that Shan Yong almost sighed. After finishing the phone call, when handing the mobile phone to Wang Huating, Wang Huating nodded and invited: "Let's take a walk? It's the last night of the internship, who knows if there will be another chance to come here again."

  Shan Yong's heart skipped a beat, and he looked back with a hint of guilt, but unexpectedly, this glance made Wang Huating sneer and say sarcastically: "I think you're being quite shameless. If you consider me as Lei Dapeng's girlfriend, then you shouldn't have any improper thoughts about me; if you treat what happened between me and Dapeng as a joke, then you shouldn't let the blame fall on the class monitor's head while you don't dare to stand up for yourself. I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm very disappointed."

  As he spoke, he walked out of the school gate in a self-absorbed manner, as if to appreciate the night view alone. Shan Yong hesitated for a moment and chased after Wang Huating's footsteps.

  Upstairs, can't there be prying eyes? Lei Dapeng watched as Dan Yong chased out and turned back to ask Si Mu Xian with a bitter face: "Younger brother, I was infatuated with Party Flower's beauty recently and told her many internal secrets. Won't that cause trouble?"

  "Huh? Who knows... I'm telling you, Ray, you can't be too distracted by girls, okay? You're doing great, but this one thing is really a problem." Si Mu Xian said, changing the subject, afraid that Lei Da Peng would discover something. Lei Da Peng lay down on the bed with a huff and said: "Whatever, we'll talk about it later if there's anything to say... Hmm? This doesn't seem right?"

  "What's wrong?" Simu Xian was startled, and saw Lei Dapeng sitting up again, hurriedly asking. Lei Dapeng bit his finger, his eyes rolling around in circles for a while, before suspiciously saying: "Could it be that Wang Huating likes Egg Brother? Hmm? Hmm?... That's right, the more I look at it, the more it seems like it! No wonder she came to Majia Village for practice with ulterior motives, no wonder when she saw me, she asked about Egg Brother's affairs......Hmm? What's going on here?"

  Lei Ge has become clever, biting his index finger, and turning around with a puzzled expression. The answer seems to be on the tip of his tongue, as if it's related to every detail of his interactions with Wang Hua Ting. Every single thing seems to reveal Egg Brother's shadow, making him suspect that these two people have an illicit relationship.

  "Absolutely impossible."

  Si Mu Xian said solemnly, suppressing the topic, not daring to let Lei Da Peng's clever thinking continue, stirring up muddy water and saying: "Lei Ge, listen to me, even if Party Hua follows the law and respects discipline, your second brother doesn't look down on him. Think about it, how could he possibly look down on Lao Da Nie who leads the way in violating laws and disciplines? If we combine the advantages of us three brothers into one person, others may not even look up to them, let alone Lao Da Nie who has the most shortcomings?"

  "Ah, one word and Leigang is confused again. Thinking about it, that's right. He said: "Huh, that's possible, maybe she'll take him out for ideological education, she likes to do this, whoever marries her in the future will be nagged to death."

  Found a comfortable spot, fell asleep with my head buried in the blanket, playing cards with three people missing one. Even had fun, Lei Dapeng flipped through an e-book, his interest piqued again, calling out to Simu Xian: "Xian brother, come over... I'll read you a chapter of 'A Record of Exotic Scents from Another World', improve your appreciation for food and life, don't be skeptical, we're about to enter society soon, can't not learn..."

  Lei Dapeng was enthusiastically inviting, Si Muxian was bitter-faced, sitting on the execution ground, listening to Lei Ge's reading with ups and downs, mispronunciations, and frequent nods of approval against his will. He had no choice but to do so, fearing that Lei Ge would get excited and chase after him to see what happened...