Ni Bingyan didn't hesitate, squatting down to hoist the basket onto her back. But, embarrassingly, she couldn't lift it.
The director said nothing more. He just took a small basket and bent down to take some potatoes out.
"Try again. I want the kind of feeling where your back is bent, where you can only manage to lift it with extreme effort."
Ni Bingyan bit her lip and didn't utter a single complaint.
The director nodded in approval. When he saw she could finally stand up with the wicker basket on her back, he had her put it down again and waved over the props team. "Bring a smaller one."
The basket was too big. With only half the potatoes left, they wouldn't even be visible from a distance.
A smaller basket would give the impression that it was filled to the brim, which was better. Besides, she was so slender that even a small basket would look large on her.
Ni Bingyan silently observed the director. 'Just as I thought,' she reflected, 'he's meticulous about details. If the feeling is off, he'll keep adjusting until it's right.'
'I'll have to think more carefully in the future to save time.'
Having figured this out, she took the initiative to grab the smaller wicker basket and pour the potatoes into it.
"Excellent. Now, carry the potatoes and walk in from that little path. I want you to look exhausted, like you're about to collapse but are gritting your teeth and pushing through. Show Yingzi's capacity for hard work, her stubbornness, her simplicity, her tenacity... You get what I mean, right?"
Ni Bingyan nodded.
'When something has to be done, complaining about how hard or tiring it is serves no purpose other than to annoy people. I don't like wasting time on pointless things.'
'I just lugged my baggage up the mountain, and now I have to haul a basket of potatoes for the first scene. It's definitely tiring, but it's not impossible.'
'And if I really couldn't do it, I wouldn't push myself to the point of injury.'
'Health is wealth, after all. A healthy body is what will let me play countless lead roles.'
"Alright, all departments, listen up! Let's do a blocking run-through first."
A low, rammed-earth wall enclosed three adobe houses. In front of one stood an apricot tree, and beneath it sat a stout stone roller mill. The millstone had been scrubbed clean, and several golden cobs of corn rested on top of it.
Hair disheveled and face smudged with dirt, Liang Hongying slowly approached the small courtyard, a full wicker basket of potatoes on her back. At first, only her stooped upper body was visible over the wall. It wasn't until she passed through the courtyard gate that her faintly trembling legs could be seen.
She dragged her feet, each step heavy and laborious, nearly tripping as she entered the yard.
Her nostrils flared, her heart pounded like a drum, and sweat dripped from her chin onto her chest, soaking the dark fabric of her collar.
She leaned against the gate for a moment's rest before gritting her teeth and walking into the yard. Rising onto her toes, she set the wicker basket down on the millstone.
Deng Yu raised his megaphone, about to call out his approval, when he saw Ni Bingyan lean back slightly against the basket. She gripped a strap with one hand and raised her other arm to wipe the sweat from her brow with her sleeve. As she did, her gaze drifted to the layered mountains in the distance, and she became lost in thought.
She looked as if she were yearning for the world beyond, her eyes filled with the radiant light of hope. But a moment later, that light went out.
She knew that even if she were accepted into a university, her family couldn't afford to send her.
She lowered her head, sighed, and stood up. Then she picked up one of the sun-dried cobs of corn and began to shuck it.
There wasn't a single line of dialogue, yet because of the many subtle details she added and the story she told with her eyes, the entire scene crackled with tension.
For a director to encounter an actor who not only understands his vision but, when asked for an 80-point performance, delivers one worth 120... his mood was probably akin to an author discovering their keyboard could write on its own.
'I've struck gold!'
'Back at the audition, all I knew was that she had the right look, decent acting skills, and an agreeable temperament. That, plus the fact that there was no one more suitable, was why she was cast. But I was still a little nervous, since we'd never worked together before.'
'I never expected her to be this good. Unbelievably good!'
"Perfect! Just like that! Alright, all departments, listen up! We are officially rolling!"
The departments took their positions, and the script supervisor stepped forward with the clapperboard.
"Scene one, take one! Action!"
The first scene went surprisingly well; the very first take met the director's standards.
But no one relaxed.
They were all veterans, so they knew this hard-driving director would want a safety take at the very least.
And sure enough, Director Deng picked up his megaphone, a rare smile on his face. "That last take was great! Okay, everyone, listen up! We'll get one more for safety, and then it's lunch time!"
And so, after a break of less than ten minutes, Ni Bingyan had to go haul the potatoes again.
Thankfully, the director still had a shred of conscience. He had a burly assistant carry the basket out for her instead of making her lug it both ways.
After the safety take, there were makeup touch-ups and camera repositioning, then they filmed a second and third take.
And so Ni Bingyan filmed the scene again and again, carrying the heavy basket of potatoes each time.
By the time they finished the scene, the director was satisfied, but Ni Bingyan felt not just her hands shaking, but her legs turning to jelly.
It was a good thing she had a regular fitness routine; otherwise, she would have probably collapsed into a boneless heap.
The director said a few brief words, and the crew dispersed. Some began packing up props, others went back to their rooms to rest, and a few paired off to wander around the village.
Peng Huan still had to wrap things up, so she couldn't leave yet. Thinking about the two scenes she had that afternoon, Ni Bingyan couldn't be bothered to change. She went straight to the break room, found a stool, and pulled out her phone to call her dad.
Her father had been so good to her lately that she was relishing her role as a doting daughter. She didn't feel right if she didn't call him at least once a day.
But the signal was bad inside. Someone told her she had to go up on the hill, so she had no choice but to put on a straw hat and start climbing.
The area around Lao Gua Village was all arid, terraced fields. Due to the drought, they were mostly planted with hardy millet, which was just now beginning to sprout heads.
She followed a small path slowly to the top and moved around a few times before finally getting a signal. The call connected, but it turned out her dad was busy.
'Sigh...'
'That wave of fatherly love had been so intense, but it wasn't very long-lasting. It had only been a few days, and now he was telling her:'
"You're a grown woman now. Just focus on your filming. Don't be as clingy as you were when you were little. I know you're safe, so I'm not worried. The factory is about to launch a new product, and I'm swamped. Gotta go!"
'Retired Dad was having a career renaissance, more energetic than a young entrepreneur.'
'At home, she was his precious darling; he'd get anxious and feel he'd let her down if he forgot to put almonds in her goat's milk. The moment she left for work, though, she was like a weed on a hillside—the bar was low, just 'staying alive' was good enough.'
'Sigh... It's so magical how just leaving home can turn you from a child into an adult.'
With her dad having hung up on her so callously, and with no man in her life to dote on, she looked at the millet rustling in the terraced fields and decided to take some pictures instead.
She snapped a few photos and uploaded them to her Weibo account. It felt as if that little sliver of disappointment in her heart was sent out along with the post. Only then did she head back down the hill, content.
She had just returned to the small courtyard and drunk half a bottle of water when she heard the big loudspeaker announcing lunch.
'The crew uses that loudspeaker for everything, big or small. It might have seemed novel at first, but after a while, I wonder if the villagers find it annoying?'
Hearing the call for lunch, the diligent worker instantly transformed into an enthusiastic eater. Ni Bingyan's energy surged, and she ran so fast she kicked up a cloud of dust, just barely managing to be the first one in line.
The woman serving the food was clearly very satisfied with her morning's performance. With a deft flick of her ladle, she made sure Ni Bingyan's plate was full of all the best cuts of meat.
Ni Bingyan couldn't fully understand the local dialect, but she could grasp the general meaning.
'The woman was praising how realistic my acting was!'
If it weren't for the long line forming behind her, the woman probably would have kept her there for a good while longer, lavishing her with praise.
She ate her meal happily. Because of the heat, everyone was tired from the morning's trek up the mountain, and since the first scene had wrapped up early, the director had a rare bout of conscience and let everyone go back to their rooms for a nap.
She had been enjoying her nap for two hours when her young assistant knocked on the door. She said the people from the Poverty Alleviation Office had arrived and they were about to start filming the second scene. Ni Bingyan immediately peeled off her face mask, sat up, and called out, "I'll be right there!"
The area was arid, and it was the hottest time of the year. The young assistant felt like her skin had already started to peel after just one day, and she'd gotten at least three shades darker. She was stunned when Ni Bingyan opened the door, still as dazzlingly fair as ever.
'No wonder she's cut out for this line of work.'
'She has a great natural base and works hard, but the key is having the money to splurge on her face. She deserves to be that beautiful!'
'As for me, a humble worker bee, I'd better just get back to my grind.'
Seeing her looking so glum, Ni Bingyan casually grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her. "It's really dry here, so you have to stay hydrated. It can take some getting used to at first. Here, drink up!"
'Oh no, she's beautiful *and* kind. It's impossible to even be jealous of her!'
The young assistant took the water, thanked her, and then whispered, "I heard the people from the Poverty Alleviation Office say they want you to do a livestream to sell potatoes after the shoot. Sister Bingbing, I just thought you should have a heads-up."
The livestream wasn't in her contract; it was purely a charitable act. There was no specified number of streams, no required duration, and certainly no sales quota. The assistant assumed Ni Bingyan had only agreed because she'd been put on the spot and couldn't refuse, so she wanted to give her a warning and make sure she didn't exhaust herself for no reason.
Ni Bingyan smiled and patted the assistant's shoulder. "Thanks for looking out for me. I got it!"
The young assistant broke into a smile that was sweeter than honey. "Sister Bingbing, my name is Luo Tiantian. Just call me if you need anything!"