25 Farewell to My Brothers
"Do I really have to lie in it?"
Waylon feels a little reluctant. Acting or not, it isn't exactly fun for a young man to be lying in a coffin alive.
Chestnut, on the other hand, has no qualms to act the scene. With just one word from the director, she lies straight and motionless inside the coffin, her little white face looking incredibly realistic in her dead man's costume. In the end, a tall Waylon and a small Chestnut, lying side by side in the coffin, have played touchingly this tragic scene of the two loving brothers who died together but had no money and had to share a coffin.
After taking a few shots, Chow Mingrun is proven to be completely incompetent as the stand-in line producer, always on the side talking on the phone. He is told off by Yuan Ge several times, but he just feigns a smile and carries on without changing his ways. Jinghai's camera crew is short-handed and often has to have one person doing several things at once. Yuan Ge has to roll up his sleeves to set up dolly tracks with other grips[1], and helps out on one of the camera positions from time to time to keep the shooting going.
The last scene is the one where the entire Jinyu Troupe gives a farewell to the two brothers. Because there are not enough extras hired for the day, the crowd shot is looking a little thin and does not have the desired effect on screen, so they have to ask all the staff of the Rong Mansion, including the security guards and cleaners, to temporarily join the mourning crowd. As it is a funeral scene, no one is willing to appear, Chow Mingrun reluctantly agrees to pay an extra 50 yuan for each person, and in the end even himself and Yuan Ge have to join in and make a cameo appearance themselves.
After a lot of palaver, Yuan Ge, dressed in mourning clothes, kneels on the floor and is about to shout "Action" when he sees from the wireless monitor hidden under his belly that Chow Mingrun beside him is still whispering on the phone. He can't help but shout at him, "Fat Chow! The screen of your phone is shining your face green, do you still want us to go on or not?"
"Ow meow! Yes, yes!" Chow Mingrun still has a trifle of scruples about Yuan Ge's rage. "Mr. Wong... I'm very sorry! I'll call back tonight to talk more about it!" Chow Mingrun hurriedly hangs up the phone, "Sorry, Lord director, that's business, an important business deal!" He grins cheekily, not at all like a boss.
"Action!"
Yuan Ge shakes his head helplessly and finally starts to get the camera rolling on this scene.
Chow Mingrun immediately falls to the ground in loud cries, displaying incredible agony and sadness.
"Cut!"
"Fat Chow, have you read the script! Your emotions are right on, but it's not your turn to cry yet!"
Chow Mingrun takes a look at the paper money being blown up by the blower and hurriedly claps his hands and shouts to the crew, "Can I have everyone's attention please! Let's try to get it done in one take, paper money is also money. It's not cheap!" The guys in the props crew roll their eyes silently at these words.
"Action!"
One by one, the famous actors of the Jinyu Troupe bowed and knelt to the coffin to pay their respects and send off for their big brother who was killed and their little brother who died of illness.
Du Jinghai wheels the camera slowly on the dolly track and adjusts its position several times, gradually capturing this poignant scene.
But just then, a young man appears on the scene from nowhere, dressed in a snow-white robe, his jade-like face full of sorrow, his frail body seeming to collapse at the slightest breeze, and he looks so miserable that he is about to burst into tears at any moment.
The crowd is stunned at this unexpected event. Yuan Ge, of course, saw it clearly from the monitor but he did not shout for a cut. Without hearing the director's instruction to stop, the crowd naturally has to carry on as if nothing has happened.
"Who is this?" Chow Mingrun, who kneels beside Yuan Ge, asks in a whisper, and is immediately stopped by a stern look from Yuan Ge.
The man staggers to the coffin and suddenly falls to his knees, his hands trembling slightly as he touches the coffin, tears rolling down from his eyes as he gently recites,
"At night I dream of us together.
In the mornings, I wake up with tears.
Your bones are turning to dust six feet under.
How many autumns do I have to sojourn on earth?"
It's the boy who calls himself Rong Qiuchen that night.
He has somehow found a thin, long undergarment from the costume department, still looking elegant, seemingly unconcerned by the winter cold. His thin, under-dressed body gives a sense of vulnerability, and the sincerity that naturally flows from his mournful choking sobs has not only touched Yuan Ge's heart, but also stirred up the tears of the other "brothers" kneeling on the ground. They all begin to cry their hearts out, bringing the scene to a climax.
This is my Rong Qing!
Yuan Ge is full of praise in his mind, and with the word "cut", he gets up and walks over to "Rong Qiuchen".
But with the word "cut", this poignant atmosphere has instantly changed, Rong Qiuchen's face also changed dramatically. He looks around bewilderedly at the unfamiliar equipment and the curious gazes of the crowd, and sighs as if in a trance, "Has't I been dreaming f'r ov'r a hundr'd years? At which hour shall this dream end?"[2]
Suddenly, he runs away from the scene. He seems to be extremely familiar with this place, so much so that the whole crowd cannot stop this fleeing figure.
Yuan Ge is not willing to give up and has searched the entire mansion for a long time, but the white figure is nowhere to be seen.
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[1] A Grip is a crew member who sets up dolly tracks, moving props, camera cranes, and other pieces of equipment.
[2] Have I been dreaming for over a hundred years? When will this dream end?
