"It's not impossible for me to follow you all and film, but I have one condition: you have to bring my Xiaowei along too, and you have to pay her wages as well."
The way she said it made even the villagers think it was outrageous.
They had assumed Yan Qiu would surely refuse, but unexpectedly, Yan Qiu agreed without hesitation. "Fine. But let me make one thing clear upfront: if your daughter causes trouble in the crew, damages crew property, or affects the filming schedule, not only will she not get a single cent, but you'll have to compensate at full price. Understood?"
Compensation too?!
Jiang Qingmei's expression changed immediately upon hearing this.
She instinctively glanced at the props on the level of vehicles behind Yan Qiu—whether cameras, costumes, or props, they were all brand new and clearly not cheap. If she damaged even one, she couldn't afford to pay for it!
She was already having second thoughts.
But then she thought of all the benefits Xiaowei would enjoy after joining the crew, and in the end, she gritted her teeth and said, "Don't worry, my Xiaowei will never cause you any trouble."
And just like that, it was settled that Jiang Xiaoxiao and Jiang Xiaowei would join the crew.
Yan Qiu had her assistant draft another contract on the spot, then read it aloud to Jiang Qingmei word by word.
When Jiang Qingmei heard that Jiang Xiaoxiao's pay was only two hundred, while her own daughter would get five hundred, how could she not be pleased?
She immediately beamed with joy and pressed her fingerprint on it.
After collecting the contract, Yan Qiu didn't waste any words and got straight into the car. The several off-road vehicles immediately roared to life like a pack of fierce tigers, marching mightily toward the back mountain.
Jiang Xiaowei sat in the back with the crew members, while the lead off-road vehicle carried only three people: Yan Qiu, Qi Jinchen, and Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Afraid the little girl might get carsick, Yan Qiu had deliberately seated her in the front passenger seat. Unexpectedly, the little girl's constitution was quite good—she showed no signs of carsickness at all, and even kept turning her head to talk to her son.
"A-Chen gege, is acting hard?"
The little girl felt both nervous and excited at the thought of filming soon.
"Not hard. Weren't you acting quite well just now?" A low, pleasant adolescent voice came from the back seat, carrying a hint of teasing.
Jiang Xiaoxiao turned back to look with a pair of clear, innocent big eyes. "I wasn't acting just now."
Qi Jinchen was about to speak when he heard Jiang Xiaoxiao continue earnestly, "That was called lying."
Qi Jinchen could see it now—this girl was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Holding back a laugh, he deliberately set a trap for her. "Then do you know that lying is wrong?"
The little girl tilted her head and thought seriously for a moment. "I know. Lying isn't allowed, but lying to Auntie is okay. That's what Village Chief Grandpa taught me."
A trace of confusion appeared on the handsome youth's face.
That old village chief looked so honest and simple—how could he have taught this little girl such twisted logic?
"Village Chief Grandpa sometimes secretly roasts sweet potatoes for me and tells me not to tell Auntie. Isn't that teaching me to lie to Auntie?"
"Oh right, A-Chen gege, have you ever eaten roasted sweet potatoes? Roasted sweet potatoes are so delicious! If you haven't, I'll roast some for you someday!"
Qi Jinchen had of course eaten roasted sweet potatoes.
You could buy one in the city for two or three yuan. He'd tried one once, but thought the skin was too dirty and never bought another.
But now, watching the little girl's eyes sparkle with stars as she talked about roasted sweet potatoes, as if they were some rare delicacy, Qi Jinchen felt an inexplicable tug at his heart.
Before he could stop himself, the words slipped out.
"You don't need to treat me. Once we get to the city, I'll buy you as many as you want."
The little girl's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
"Would I lie to a little imp like you?" The boy snorted. "After we finish filming, forget sweet potatoes—if you want abalone, I'll buy you that too."
The little girl looked puzzled. "Bao-yu? Is that a fish you have to hug before eating?"
"Pfft…"
Yan Qiu listened to the little girl's exchange with her son, her grin stretching so wide it nearly reached the sky.
She knew bringing this girl into the production was the right call!
…
Soon, the group stopped at the back of the mountain and began setting up a simple filming set.
Yan Qiu was shooting a Republican-era warlord romance, with Qi Jinchen playing the young male lead.
At this point in the story, the male lead wasn't a warlord yet—just an ordinary shepherd boy from the northwest.
The little girl, Jiang Xiaoxiao, played the male lead's childhood sweetheart—a mischievous girl who loved clinging to him.
At first, the male lead found his childhood sweetheart annoying, until one day he fell asleep while herding sheep and woke up to find one missing.
Afraid of getting beaten, he didn't dare go home. But late that night, he saw his childhood sweetheart leading the lost sheep back to him.
From that moment on, the male lead's view of her completely changed.
What Jiang Xiaoxiao was filming today was the scene where the childhood sweetheart first starts clinging to the male lead.
Yan Qiu briefly explained the plot to Jiang Xiaoxiao, and she understood right away.
Clinging to someone.
Oh, she knew all about that!
Back in the day, Aunt Mao used to cling to Uncle Xiaomao all the time—following him everywhere, her eyes fixed on him constantly, as if he might disappear the moment she looked away.
So while Yan Qiu was feeding her lines, Jiang Xiaoxiao's gaze was already glued to the boy not far away.
Qi Jinchen was reading the script when he felt a piercing stare land on him. He instinctively turned around and met the little girl's big, watery eyes.
They sparkled as if reflecting an entire summer night's starry sky.
Something stirred in his heart. He thought to himself, this little monkey looks ordinary enough, but those eyes of hers are truly stunning.
He pursed his lips and walked over. "Little imp, why aren't you memorizing your lines? Why are you staring at me?"
To his surprise, the little girl tilted her head with a defiant look. "I'm not slacking off—I've already memorized them all."
Yan Qiu was shocked to hear this.
The little girl's lines were no fewer than her son's, and she'd only gone over them twice. Could she really have memorized them all?
Qi Jinchen was also surprised and couldn't resist testing her. "Really? Then do you dare to run lines with me?"
"Bring it on."
Jiang Xiaoxiao answered crisply, showing no sign of hesitation. So Qi Jinchen recited his line directly: "Chen Xiaoya, are you annoying or what? How many times do I have to tell you—stop following me!"
"But Brother Shitou, you're herding sheep and I'm herding sheep too. We can keep each other company!"
"…"
"Brother Shitou, don't be mad. I'll stay a little farther away, okay? But only a little—if I go too far, I'll get scared."
"…"
"Ah! Brother Shitou, come quick! The little flower I planted yesterday has sprouted!"
"…"
Almost everything after that was the childhood sweetheart's dialogue, because the male lead had long been driven to silence by her chatter.
Jiang Xiaoxiao would now stare wide-eyed with delight, now rest her chin on her hand and gaze at Qi Jinchen in distress, her face always brimming with a little girl's innate ardor and stubbornness.
This was no longer just reciting lines—she had clearly already gotten into character!