1RomanceEB Chapter 2 Oda and Junko
Chapter 2 Oda and Junko
Before they had finished their conversation at the dinner table, after paying the bill and leaving the house, Mr. Tian suggested, "A new shopping mall has just opened nearby. How about we go shopping together? It'll help us digest a bit."
Mr. Lin smiled and agreed, "Sure, it's been a long time since I've been to the county town. Let's see what's new."
The four families huddled together, strolling leisurely towards the mall, chatting about everyday matters. Just as he was about to follow, someone tugged at his arm.
"Brother Feng, don't squeeze in with them, I'll take you to eat something delicious!" Tian Xihui's eyes lit up as she pointed to the food street next to the mall. "There's a place in that alley that sells super delicious cold rice cakes, and those 'wolf tooth potatoes' that you always stole from me when we were kids, it's my treat today!"
She pulled him into the alley, laughing and teasing, "You're only a high school sophomore, where did you get the money to treat me?"
"I saved up my New Year's money!" Tian Xihui said stiffly, pulling a small coin purse from her pocket and waving it around. "Besides, after I act in your movie, won't I get paid? I'll just get a little advance!"
The alley was narrow, lined with stalls on both sides. The aroma of fried food mixed with the smell of chili powder wafted over, instantly whetting his appetite. In his past life, when he was away from home, what he missed most was this taste of home.
"Boss, two servings of chilled rice cake, extra brown sugar, please!" She stood in front of a small stall with practiced ease, then turned to ask Lin Feng, "Do you want them iced? They're perfect for now, to cut through the richness."
"Yes." Watching the owner scoop the translucent rice cake into the bowl, drizzled with thick brown sugar syrup and sprinkled with crushed peanuts, made my mouth water just looking at it.
The two found a small table and sat down. Tian Xihui pushed a bowl over and said, "Eat quickly, this place has the most tender cold rice cake, much better than anywhere else."
I took a bite, and the cool, sweet, and chewy flavor melted in my mouth. I squinted my eyes in comfort: "Indeed, the taste of home is the best."
"That's right!" Tian Xihui proudly raised her chin, scooping up a large spoonful for herself. "By the way, Brother Feng, in your movie, do I have to argue with someone? Like when I used to snatch the remote control from you when we were kids?"
"Pretty much, but a bit fiercer." He said with a laugh, "Back then you would cry if you couldn't get it, but you can't cry in the movie. You have to be more aggressive and make your brother so angry he's jumping up and down."
"Tch, I didn't cry!" Tian Xihui wrinkled her nose in protest.
As they were talking, her eyes caught sight of the wolf-tooth potato stall next door, and she pulled him along, saying, "Come on, let's eat that! Make sure it has lots of houttuynia cordata!"
"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you." He stumbled as she pulled him.
Tian Xihui returned with a steaming bowl of wolf-tooth potatoes and handed him a pair of chopsticks: "Try it quickly. The seasoning here is a secret recipe. My classmates and I come here to eat every week."
Lin Feng picked up a piece; it was spicy and fragrant, with the houttuynia cordata flavor just right. Tian Xihui watched him eat with relish and also enjoyed hers, muttering to herself, "Brother Feng, can't you get this in Beijing? Do people around here eat houttuynia cordata?"
"They don't have houttuynia cordata over there," she said, wiping her mouth. "Sometimes I really crave it, but unfortunately, the 'wolf tooth potatoes' in the takeout orders don't have houttuynia cordata."
The two strolled and ate, and as they reached the alley entrance, they saw their parents waiting for them at the mall entrance. Tian Xihui pulled him over, waving the bags in her hands: "Mom, Auntie, look at the delicious food I bought for Feng-ge!"
Mother Tian chuckled and tapped her forehead: "You're so clever! Did you make your brother Feng spend money again?"
"No! I invited them!" Tian Xihui puffed out her chest and raised her head, then secretly winked at him. Looking at her clever expression, he couldn't help but laugh. This girl really is exactly the same as when she was a child.
That evening, the two families sat in the living room of the old house and talked again in detail. Tian Xihui's winter vacation started in mid-January, which coincided with the film crew's shooting schedule. It was finally decided that Tian's mother would accompany her daughter to the film crew, and they would go with the crew for food and lodging. Tian Xihui would also have to bring her homework with her and study on her own whenever she had time each day.
The deal was settled, and I headed to the airport early the next morning. On the way back to school, I was thinking about the remaining roles. The other supporting roles didn't have many scenes, so I could just find some experienced classmates from the crew to act with them. But the female lead Shi Miao's best friend had a significant role, so I needed to find someone who fit the character.
Back at school, he went through a lot of materials and mentally reviewed the names of young actors born in the late 95s and early 00s, finally settling on one name: Liu Haochun.
But how to contact her was a problem. I remembered that she should be studying at the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy at this time, so I went to find the casting director and assistant director of the film crew, my senior, Zhou Ming, who was in his early thirties and had been working in the industry for many years.
"Senior, can I do you a favor?" Chi Zi handed over the script, pointing to her best friend's character description, "I'm looking for an actress at the Beijing Dance Academy Affiliated High School, around sixteen or seventeen years old, with a clean-cut look and a bit of a spark."
Zhou Ming flipped through a couple of pages, looked up and smiled: "You've come to the right person. This is simple. I know the Beijing Dance Academy Affiliated High School well. I'll just talk to the school and say that we're casting for our movie and we'd like to pick some people. They're usually happy to give students a chance."
"Really? That's great!"
"It's no big deal." Zhou Ming patted him on the shoulder. "I'll take you tomorrow morning. They have a professional class there, so you can see their real condition."
The next morning, I went with Zhou Ming to the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy. The winter sun shone through the glass windows into the practice room, where a dozen girls in practice clothes were practicing basic skills. Each of them had a straight posture and outstanding temperament.
The school teachers led them to sit down nearby, and Zhou Ming whispered to Lin Feng, "It's good that you know what's going on."
Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before quickly locking onto Liu Haochun in the corner. She was wearing simple practice clothes, her hair neatly tied back, following the teacher's instructions as she performed the movements. Her face still had a touch of baby fat, and her eyes were clear, revealing a youthful and innocent charm.
At sixteen, before being shaped by the outside world, her natural charm was impossible to hide.
Zhou Ming noticed his gaze, followed it, raised an eyebrow knowingly, and said to the teacher, "Could you please call a few students over here to chat? Just a few over there." He specifically pointed to Liu Haochun's group.
The girls whose names were called were a little nervous and walked over in a line. Liu Haochun stood in the middle, blinked, and looked at Lin Feng and Zhou Ming, clearly a little confused.
"Don't be nervous, we're here to cast movie roles," Zhou Ming said with a smile. "How old are you? What are you studying?"
The girls answered one by one. When it was Liu Haochun's turn, she said in a small voice, "I...I'm 16 years old, and I study Chinese dance."
"Have you acted before?" Raymond Lam asked, his gaze gentle.
She shook her head, her cheeks slightly flushed: "No, I've never tried it."
"Would you like to give it a try?" He briefly described the role of the best friend: "She plays the female lead's best friend, with a lively personality and a strong sense of justice. She has quite a few scenes."
Liu Haochun was stunned for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding. After a few seconds, he asked softly, "I...can I do it? I have no experience."
"Experience isn't important, as long as it feels right," he smiled. "Our play is about high school students, and your current state is quite suitable. If you'd like to give it a try, why don't you come with us to the set to see the script?"
She was still a little confused. She glanced at the teacher next to her, who nodded at her. Only then did she hesitantly reply, "...Okay."
Zhou Ming tried to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, it's settled then. Teacher, could you please contact her parents and we can schedule a time to discuss this in detail?"
"No problem, no problem," the teacher replied with a smile.
Leaving the training room, Zhou Ming patted Lin Feng on the shoulder: "Not bad, you have a good eye. This girl looks promising."
He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders: "It was mainly thanks to my senior brother's help; otherwise, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"Don't be so polite with me." Zhou Ming waved his hand. "The roles are mostly cast. Next, we'll assemble the crew and start filming. Just let me know if you need anything."
In a coffee shop on the weekend, he and Zhou Ming sat by the window, opposite Liu Haochun's parents. The couple looked quite gentle and were carefully looking through the contract in their hands.
"We've read the contract terms, and they seem quite standard." Mr. Liu put down the contract and looked at them. "There's just one thing: our child is young and has never acted before. We'd like to be with her during filming so we can look after her. Is that alright with you?"
"No problem." He nodded immediately, his tone sincere. "We had already considered that. We feel more at ease knowing that you two can come along. There are many people and things going on on set, and having parents around will make the children feel more at ease."
Zhou Ming added from the side, "We will arrange food and accommodation separately from the crew to ensure that filming is not delayed and to make it easier for you to take care of your children."
Seeing their willingness to agree, Mr. and Mrs. Liu exchanged a glance and visibly relaxed. Mrs. Liu smiled and said, "Then we have no worries. This child has been practicing dance since she was little, and she has a simple and honest nature. We'll need your guidance later."
"Don't worry, we will arrange a dedicated acting coach to mentor her. And the official filming will not start until after her winter vacation, which is about a month away. During this period, we will have a coach give her preliminary training every weekend, mainly to familiarize her with the script and practice the basics of acting, so that she can get used to it in advance and get into character more quickly when she joins the crew."
"This arrangement is good; it's very thoughtful." Mr. Liu nodded in satisfaction, picked up his pen, and said, "Then we'll sign it."
After signing the contract, the two parties discussed some details, such as the time and place of the training and what the children needed to prepare in advance.
With the deal settled and Liu Haochun's parents seeing off, I leaned back in my chair and let out a long sigh of relief. From the script to the equipment, the staff, and the main roles, everything was finalized step by step, and the weight that had been hanging over my heart finally lifted.
"Now everything's ready." Zhou Ming picked up his coffee and took a sip. "All that's left is to refine the shooting plan and get ready to start filming. You're quite efficient; much more efficient than when I first organized this project."
He paused, then added, "We're just waiting for the filming permit to come through, but there shouldn't be any problems."
"It's all thanks to your help, senior brother, otherwise things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"Don't give me that." Zhou Ming waved his hand. "Come on, let's go back and finalize the training teacher arrangements. Let's try to get the two girls familiar with each other before the winter break. After all, they're best friends in the play. Let them develop their relationship in advance so that their scenes together will be more natural."
"Yes, we need to arrange that. I believe they can become good friends." He immediately stood up.