OBS Chapter 86 Old Acquaintance
Chapter 86 Old Acquaintance
Two tricycles with blue-printed cloth canopies creaked and groaned as they pedaled along the wet cobblestone road, one after the other.
Crushing the hazy rain and reflections on the ground, we drove into the depths of the misty rain.
Guo Fan and Jing Tian's car was behind, and Qi Yue and Nazha's car was in front.
The fine rain, like silk threads, was blocked by the roof, only weaving a transparent curtain of water at the edge.
Naza sat in the innermost seat, unconsciously clutching the long willow branch that symbolized "good luck" in her hand.
She quietly turned her head to look at Qi Yue's profile.
Qi Yue was gazing at the winding river and the hazy arched bridge in the rain and mist, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps simply relaxing.
The longer willow branch was skillfully wrapped and then loosened at the fingertips.
"Senior Brother Qi."
"What?"
"fine."
"..."
"Senior Brother Qi."
"What?"
"I'm still fine."
Qi Yue assumed he was blocking Nazha's view, so he shrank back a little.
In the rain and mist, a small boat is gliding under a stone arch bridge, creating a picturesque scene.
However, when Qi Yue was enjoying the scenery, he didn't realize that he had also become part of the scenery.
Naza squeezed the willow branch in her hand and silently recited a sentence in her heart.
......
Two tricycles swayed and wobbled as they traveled through most of the scenic area in the light drizzle.
As the rain intensified, the group began to feel hungry. They spotted a restaurant, called the driver to stop, paid the fare, and rushed inside.
The shop is small, but it is clean and elegant, with wooden tables and chairs, and some ink paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls. The air is filled with the aroma of food and a faint fragrance of tea.
"Let's go with this place. It looks clean, and the taste should be pretty good too," Guo Fan decided.
The group chose a square table by the window and sat down. The rain outside the window was like a woven curtain, creating a unique atmosphere.
"Look everyone, there's a poem engraved on the table here!" Jing Tian, with her sharp eyes, noticed the "secret" on the table.
Upon hearing this, everyone curiously crowded around to take a look.
Sure enough, a short poem was engraved on the smooth tabletop:
卧春
Lying on the plum blossoms, I smell their fragrance again.
Lying down, I know the sky is in the painting.
Fish kiss the stone lying in the water,
Lying down is the answer to spring's green.
Naza leaned closer and read it aloud softly, word by word.
Her Chinese language skills were relatively weak. After reading it aloud, she blinked her big eyes, a look of confusion on her face.
"Senior Brother Qi, Senior Brother Guo, what do you think of this poem? The imagery seems quite beautiful."
Qi Yue and Guo Fan exchanged a glance and burst out laughing at the same time.
Their laughter confused both Jing Tian and Nazha.
"What's so funny about this poem?"
Qi Yue suppressed a laugh and pointed to the poem on the table:
"Try reading it a few more times."
Jing Tian and Na Zha were skeptical, so they read the poem a few more times.
"Lying in spring, lying among the plum blossoms, I smell their fragrance again..."
Then, almost simultaneously, they both exclaimed "Ah!" and immediately burst into laughter.
It turns out this wasn't a beautifully poetic ancient poem at all, but rather a carefully crafted pun. Its true meaning is:
I'm stupid
I am uneducated
All I know is farming.
欲问我是谁
I am a big idiot donkey
The four men sat around a table engraved with the words "Stupid Donkey Poem," laughing so hard they almost fell over.
The restaurant was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"Gentlemen, you seem to be having a great time, would you like to order something... Hey! Bosses! What are you doing here?!"
Just as the group was laughing and joking, a familiar young male voice with a heavy Northeastern accent rang out from the side.
Qi Yue looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man in a restaurant uniform and apron, holding a menu and a teapot, looking at them with a look of surprise.
Although he was dressed as a waiter, Qi Yue and Guo Fan recognized him at a glance because of his honest yet enterprising face.
It was Zheng Peng, the young man from Northeast China they had "picked up" on the bus on their way to Hengdian!
"Zheng Peng?" Guo Fan recognized him and was quite surprised. "Didn't you... want to be an actor? What are you doing here working as a waiter?"
Zheng Peng was even happier to see that they still remembered him, and casually pulled up an empty stool and sat down next to them.
Anyway, there are no other customers in the store besides them, and the owner doesn't manage things too strictly. He's also naturally outgoing.
"Oh, it really is you guys!" Zheng Peng greeted them cheerfully, then began to explain.
"Of course I wanted to be an actor! I arrived in Hengdian, and the very next day I registered with the Actors Guild, got my certificate, and became a legitimate extra!"
He started talking and began to recount his "adventures" in Hengdian over the past two weeks.
At first, things went quite smoothly. I followed the group leader, played a dead body, acted as an extra, and carried a flag.
But problems soon arose: firstly, he was a newcomer, and secondly, his appearance was not particularly outstanding.
In his own words, he was "so inconspicuous that he would be lost in a crowd," which is why he rarely gets acting opportunities.
"It's raining now! A lot of film crews have stopped working. No filming means no pay. We still need to eat and pay rent, right? Luckily, the owner of this shop is a fellow Northeasterner of mine. He's a really nice guy. He knows my situation, so he told me to come and help out here for now. He'll provide food and lodging and give me some pocket money. Once the weather gets better and there's filming again, I can leave anytime."
He spoke vividly, showcasing the unique humor and storytelling ability characteristic of Northeasterners.
Qi Yue and his group witnessed the talking therapy skills of Northeasterners. It was as if Zhao Benshan from the Spring Festival Gala had possessed them, and they could make an ordinary thing interesting and full of jokes.
He talked about the interesting stories of celebrities he saw on set, about being scolded by the assistant director for not knowing the rules and then secretly learning the rules, and about cooking instant noodles and bragging with a group of fellow "Hengdian drifters" in their rented room.
There were also bad things, such as being deliberately harassed, having opportunities stolen, or being bullied, but he would just gloat over them and laugh it off.
"Oh, by the way, let me tell you a secret: I met a girl on set the other day, she was so beautiful! Seriously, I've never seen such a pretty girl in my life!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Fan couldn't help but joke, pointing to Jing Tian and Nazha beside him: "Prettier than them?"
Zheng Peng's face flushed red instantly, and he quickly waved his hands:
"That's incomparable! That's incomparable! These two ladies are like angels, they're even prettier than TV stars! The girl I'm talking about, she's... she's the one I think is especially beautiful, and a really nice person too."
Finally, he pulled out a photo of them together, and she was indeed a very pretty girl.
"I believe that as long as I work hard and make a name for myself, I'll definitely be able to win her over!"
Guo Fan smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Then I wish you every success!"
"Thank you for your kind words! Thank you for your kind words!" Zheng Peng smiled so broadly that his eyes disappeared.
The meal ended in such a relaxed, pleasant, and heartwarming conversation.