Yin Minglu’s casting journey was quite unexpected. He, along with several actors of the same age and a group of young actors radiating youthfulness, was brought to an ancient and picturesque garden.
Surrounded by many ladies in traditional attire, some sitting, some lying down, some holding flowers and laughing, every movement was full of charm. Among them were many faces familiar to future generations, and these people were in the prime of their lives, exuding an indescribable elegance and charm.
Yin Minglu wore a red robe, quietly watching the scene before him, observing the competition among the actors for the same role as they passionately recited poems. Then he glanced down at his tender hands and realized he had no competitive edge at all. Perhaps it would be better to apply for a role as a little monkey in the neighboring “Journey to the West,” and maybe earn a meal ticket.
Thinking about this, he grabbed the young man, almost teary-eyed, and said, “I don’t want to act anymore; let’s go home.”
“Without giving it a try, are we really going home like this?” The young man liked the idea of going home, but it seemed like there was no chance. Seeing the little guy nod, he sighed regretfully, holding his small hand as they prepared to leave.
Little did they know, just as they were leaving, the sharp-eyed screenwriter in charge of the audition noticed them. Acting on a whim, he suddenly stopped them and said, “Wait, I think this kid might be suitable. Let him give it a try.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the attention of most people in the room turned towards them.
Yin Minglu approached in a somewhat bewildered manner, glanced at the script, then inspected the props in front of him. Relying on his understanding, he performed a segment. Even after he completed the performance in its entirety, the person in charge of the audition maintained a contemplative expression, showing no signs of approval or disapproval. His demeanor remained unchanged, making it difficult to discern whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied.
It was precisely this kind of attitude that left people uncertain.
Yin Minglu silently put down the pastry he had taken a bite of. At this moment, the screenwriter seemed to snap back to reality, clearing his throat a few times and saying, “Leave your phone number or home address. Go back and wait for our notification.”
Whether this was a polite gesture or not, people couldn’t determine. Nevertheless, the young man responded with a simple “Okay,” and wrote down a line of elegant characters before leaving with the pale-faced little boy.
“GeGe, do you think I’ll be selected?” Yin Minglu lifted his small face and asked. When he was eating the pastry just now, he didn’t deliberately control his facial expressions. Now, upon reflection, he wondered if his eating appearance was not attractive enough.
“It’s hard to say,” the young man replied. His gaze was sharp, and when the little boy immersed himself in the performance, the young man noticed. Among the interviewers, one person seemed fascinated, with a thoughtful expression later on. However, the others seemed distracted. It all depended on whose strategy would prevail in the end.
Moreover, the casting and shooting of this TV series took too long. Some actors had academic, professional, or family commitments in their lives, and it wasn’t feasible to wait for a role for two or three years without any activity. Therefore, the initially announced cast might undergo significant changes during the actual filming. Whether one gets selected often depends on the actor’s ability to endure.
If they can endure, they will eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel.
However, regardless of whether he would eventually be selected or not, he wouldn’t let the little one put all his eggs in one basket, so as to avoid ending up with nothing but disappointment.
So, quickly enough, the young man took the little boy to the adjacent “Journey to the West” crew. This crew was far from the romantic and exquisite beauty of “Fragrance Pavilion Romance,” and it was more rudimentary, closer to nature. Additionally, there were numerous roles, numbering in the tens of thousands.
In other words, the crew was in desperate need of actors. Apart from the main characters, anyone with a bit of skill, ensuring a standard performance, could show their face in it. Sometimes, if you look closely with a magnifying glass, you might find this supporting actor in the demons on the mountain and, in the blink of an eye, spot him with a serious expression in a group of celestial soldiers.
In such roles, Yin Minglu naturally excelled. Moreover, among a group of bustling child actors, he happened to be the most handsome. The director, after looking left and right, couldn’t bear to dismiss him as a non-speaking little monster. Therefore, he assigned Yin Minglu a secondary supporting role with more than thirty lines.
The character started off as a naturally unruly and fierce being, nearly beaten to death by the protagonist. Later in the story, the character undergoes a transformation. Yin Minglu took the role seriously, exuding an imposing presence. In the chilly early winter wind, with bare, tender arms, he portrayed the most beautiful boss, flying from one tree to another.
The camera was at a distance, and the quality of the footage in those days was extremely rough, making it impossible to see the goosebumps on his arms or the pale complexion.
Yin Minglu dedicatedly completed the scene, not even daring to sneeze. As he landed, he executed a beautiful turn. The camera captured this scene: a small child, dressed in red with a tiny red mole at the center of his eyebrows, smiling boldly, leaving a striking and memorable impression.
The director was very satisfied and shouted, “Cut! That’s a wrap!”
After the director’s announcement, he praised Yin Minglu for portraying both the tearful repentance before Guanyin1a bodhisattva associated with compassion and mercy in East Asian Buddhism and the willful and unrestrained demonic child exceptionally well. The director even recommended him to the neighboring “Heroic Tales of Loyalty and Righteousness” crew, which was also in need of actors. He suggested Yin Minglu try his luck there and see if there was a suitable role for him.
In these times, young actors who could act and endure hardships were still relatively rare and always in demand.
With the conclusion of this production, Yin Minglu shivered as he put on his cotton jacket. Without much rest, he immediately moved on to the next production. As nearly three months passed, there was no call from the “Fragrance Pavilion Romance” crew. Just as Yin Minglu decided not to wait any longer and was preparing to pack up and return to the countryside, a turning point emerged.
He got selected.
One of the screenwriters, with profound meaning, told him the reasons for his selection. Firstly, he is very good-looking, with delicate and refined features, requiring little embellishment, which perfectly matches the description of the character in the book. Secondly, his manner of eating the pastry is not simple; it resembles that of an aristocratic young master born with a golden spoon, with a natural arrogance in every expression. It’s as if he were truly born into a wealthy and noble family in a past life. Such a deeply ingrained charm is hard to cultivate in a short period. His performance is impressive. Thirdly, he is the most sincere among the candidates. Most actors who haven’t received a notification within three months can’t wait any longer and gradually leave this place. He stubbornly stayed, and as a result, he was chosen.
Regardless of any misunderstandings the production team might have had about him, Yin Minglu eventually secured a role that would undoubtedly be recorded in historical encyclopedias in the future.
While he was diligently striving to establish himself in the entertainment industry and gain a certain level of fame, Yin Yue’s grand plan for wealth encountered a stalemate in its early stages.
Her mind was sharp, and the initial plan for selling food was excellent. However, she greatly underestimated the imitative ability of the people. The popularity of her Guandongzhu shop in the early days led to similar shops popping up like mushrooms throughout the entire night market in just a few days. Almost every corner had one.
Moreover, the soups used for boiling the vegetables in those stalls were brewed better than hers. Some skilled stall owners even improved upon the base soup, making it even more delicious. In short, relying solely on the soup base, Yin Yue’s abysmal basic cooking skills were thoroughly overshadowed.
Not to mention the ingredients; most of the meat and vegetables were frozen, which was cheap and readily available in the market. Yin Yue couldn’t prevent others from obtaining these ingredients. Even their pricing was much lower than hers. She priced tofu at three yuan for five pieces, two pieces of seaweed for fifty cents, and three pieces of meat for one yuan. However, tofu could be bought for fifty cents per row in the market, and seaweed, which five cents could buy a substantial amount of, was more than a handful for an adult.
It was ironic that she was pleased with the profits, oblivious to the fact that the other stall owners’ affordable pricing better matched the psychological expectations of customers. When both stalls sold Guandongzhu, one priced at three yuan for tofu and fifty cents for seaweed, while the other sold tofu for one cent, even a fool knew which one to choose.
So, in front of Yin Yue and Qin Mao’s stall, which was once bustling with customers, it eventually became deserted.
In the beginning, Qin Mao also found his wife’s pricing a bit outrageous when they started the stall. Five cents for a few vegetables, wasn’t that like robbing people? Who would be willing to buy at such prices? But his wife insisted on this pricing and even listed the profit data for him.
Unable to argue with Yin Yue, he had to agree.
Now, with no customers left, even if they lowered their prices to match others, the soup base alone wouldn’t be enough unless they improved the quality of the soup to gain a competitive edge.
Not to mention that Yin Yue was not willing to set such prices. After adopting this pricing strategy, the profits she could make were too little. After a month of hard work at the stall, deducting the costs, she found herself earning even less than the monthly wage of the textile worker introduced to her by the Yin family, five or six yuan lower. Of course, compared to the hard work of farming in the fields, this income was considered good.
Qin Mao was satisfied, but considering Yin Yue’s usual pride, how could she accept this? At first, she was furious about these shameless stall owners copying her business. She once rushed over and angrily overturned their stalls, spilling the entire pot of soup and scattering the ingredients on the ground. This angered those stall owners.
Unlike Qin Mao and Yin Yue, who came from another place, some of these stall owners were from other provinces, but most were locals who grew up doing business in the area. They had established connections, even with the city management. Although they copied her, they had intentionally moved their stalls away, giving Qin Mao and Yin Yue some leeway. Yet, Yin Yue, still dissatisfied, confronted them with her hands on her hips, scolding and blaming them for their shamelessness. How could two outsiders be so audacious on their turf?
Really, she seemed so ignorant! Let’s teach her a lesson on how to behave!
So these stall owners gathered around, and with their larger numbers, they overturned Yin Yue’s stall. Terrified, Yin Yue collapsed to the ground and dared not speak. Only after the crowd dispersed did she, in distress, prop herself up with her tricycle and the discarded iron pot, crying bitterly for a while.
At that time, the night market in the city was not as lively as it would become later, but the rudiments were there. Various stalls sold goods and wholesale daily necessities, as well as simple clothing. There were even people playing radios on the square, and a group of people danced to the soothing accompaniment. Talented wandering performers and beggars sleeping outdoors on bamboo mats were also present. The foot traffic was definitely not small.
Even in other parts of the city, it wasn’t as lively during broad daylight, let alone legal to set up stalls. So, before they could afford to buy a shop, Yin Yue and her husband couldn’t afford to leave this place. With meager earnings, other areas didn’t even have customers. Therefore, Yin Yue could only endure silently, counting the meager income of just a few yuan a day, suppressing her frustration and feeling trapped.
What’s even more ironic is that before they came to the city to make a living, they had borrowed startup capital from others in the village.
They had made big promises, saying they would definitely make money within two months and pay back the loans. Whether the people who lent money believed it or not, given the good reputation of the Yin family, many still contributed some money. Some less affluent individuals lent Yin Yue three to five yuan, while more generous ones lent her thirty to fifty yuan. In total, they owed several hundred yuan to various people.
With their current slow earning pace, not to mention two months, even if they didn’t eat or drink, it would take at least a year to fill this financial hole. Qin Mao himself was nonchalant, thinking that this income was sufficient. It was higher than what he earned previously when he worked the land in Wenshui Village. His contentment with the status quo, his lack of ambition, all this made Yin Yue, who had passed the honeymoon phase, very displeased.
She couldn’t help but think, how could her brother-in-law be so different from the elite and decisive person he was in his previous life? Back then, she looked at her honest and straightforward military husband and then at the well-dressed Qin Mao, full of longing and admiration.
But now that she had this man, she found out that he was just like that. What’s going on? Could it be that he hasn’t truly matured and awakened yet? Or is it that her sister and her have such different auras that they can make a man show two completely different faces? One is an ordinary and mediocre person, and the other is a strategic and influential workplace boss.
What went wrong? Does she really have to be patient and wait for a few more years to witness this man’s transformation? Yin Yue was puzzled, and at this moment, she finally remembered her good sister.
Before leaving, she copied a widely circulated high school exam revision schedule from the future for her sister. For example, study mathematics from this time to that time, study language from this time to that time, and the schedule was packed until the evening with hardly any rest time.
She urged her sister to follow the schedule, saying that with this scientific revision plan, she would definitely perform better in the exams. Yin Yue wondered if her sister followed it.
Of course, Yin Yue, who was initially afraid that her sister wouldn’t follow the schedule after she left, even provided lofty and grand reasons. She said that although it was a bit hard, the college entrance examination was an exam that changed the destiny of millions, a selection that continuously supplied talents for domestic universities, and a great feat to save the future of domestic education. Each candidate had to take it seriously; there could be no negligence.
It sounded impressive and seemed like a big deal.
Yin Yujiao was also intimidated by this and, holding the timetable, earnestly and diligently studied for several days. However, staying up until midnight and having to get up at 5:30 a.m. the next day to ride a bicycle for an hour to go to school, even with a robust body, became a bit overwhelming.
Moreover, on one occasion when she felt drowsy while riding her bicycle and almost threw her little cousin off the back seat, Yin Yujiao woke up. She realized that, even if the timetable her sister gave her was excellent, it wasn’t suitable for her! Now she was a candidate. She could avoid chores at the Yin family, letting her mom and aunt do the work while she focused on studying. However, she couldn’t skip sleeping.
Otherwise, after a year like this, even if she got into university, her whole person would definitely be exhausted.
So, in the end, she locked the timetable in a drawer. Through this incident, Yin Yujiao became even more clear-headed. She thought her sister was usually quite decisive, with a sharp tongue, but she hadn’t studied. Therefore, her suggestions weren’t practical. She was too eager for success, and all the proposed measures clearly didn’t suit her, making it hard for her to catch her breath.
She decided to set aside her sister’s various suggestions. It would be better to follow her own thoughts and rhythm.
Yin Yue didn’t expect Yin Yujiao not to follow through; otherwise, she would have rushed back from the city to continue giving orders.
Author’s note: The next chapter will be updated at 10:30 tonight.
Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated with nutrient solution~
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