Chapter 85: Tian Yuan Dharma Assembly (II)
The location of the Tianyuan Dharma Assembly was unexpectedly far away, and Zongyi's black Bentley circled around the city and finally drove directly onto the ring road.
According to Soichi, the Tianyuan Dharma Assembly will be held at the main house of the So family, but the main family does not want to live in the city, which does not show their high status. Therefore, the main house is located on an unknown hill in the north of the city, which has been the property of the So family for generations.
The reason why Soichi took a long detour and appeared in the city center was to retrieve the camera he had just repaired. That was his wife and his livelihood. In Soichi's words, "For it, even the journey to the west is worth it."
After some joking around, Soichi talked to everyone about the division of labor and the script for this shoot:
Due to his excellent physical strength, Lu Ren was honorably assigned to the job of photographer. This job required extremely high physical strength, and Lu Ren was the only one who could do it.
The Qilin cub was assigned to the job of field management, responsible for wiping Lu Ren's sweat and fanning him with his little hands.
After Soichi's insistence, Shan Gui reluctantly agreed to appear in the video as Soichi's co-host. Soichi said that this way he could not only learn hosting experience, but also take advantage of Soichi's existing popularity and lay the foundation for his future as a self-media blogger. At the same time, the appearance of a beautiful sister like Shan Gui in the video could also add luster to Soichi's video: "I have to make these otakus jealous, haha."
Although Zong Yi said it lightly, even though Lu Ren was not in the self-media industry, he had heard that in the entertainment industry, it was actually quite taboo to unequally use popularity for free. The reason why Zong Yi was willing to spare no effort to help Shan Gui accumulate popularity was largely because he knew that Shan Gui was a distant relative of Lu Ren, and he was willing to help as much as possible.
Lu Ren was grateful for this.
Lu Ren was more worried about whether he could repay Zong Yi's kindness, that is, whether he could complete the videotaping task Zong Yi gave him. After all, it was his first time as a videographer, and he was not sure whether he could achieve the effect Zong Yi wanted with his novice photography skills.
Zong Yi was very calm: "It doesn't matter. I will teach you how to stand in advance. Just stand still and take a clear picture of the person. As for focusing, this is a point-and-shoot camera. You just need to get the person in the picture. Don't worry. If you really can't, you can still use a mobile phone. It's just that the clarity will be a little lower, but it can still be used." After that, he kindly taught Lu Ren some shooting tips.
Although Zong Yi seemed to be indifferent, Lu Ren knew in his heart that this was, after all, a career that Zong Yi loved and focused on. If he messed it up, it would definitely cause some trouble for Zong Yi, so he couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
He wrote down everything Soichi said, and after slowly digesting it, he couldn't help but ask, "Where is the script you mentioned? Let me memorize the script first."
"The script is in the binder at the back." Speaking of the filming plan, Soichi remembered that he had omitted a very important piece of information and did not tell Lu Ren, "Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you. Ah Ren, if you have nothing to do, you can stay one more night, because the Tianyuan Dharma Assembly is divided into two days."
Lu Ren, who suddenly heard about staying overnight, was stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously refused: "This is not good, it's too disturbing, and it's not convenient."
Zong Yi said, "We are friends who have risked our lives for each other. Why would we bother you?" Fearing that Lu Ren would continue to refuse, he added, "Besides, the Zong family has too many houses and covers a large area. There is simply not enough space for so many people to live in them. When they are not holding meetings, they also operate as a tourist resort. You can just think of it as a free trip."
But Lu Ren didn't have the habit of disturbing others. He thought about it and refused firmly: "Forget it. We didn't bring anything with us, and it's not convenient to stay here."
Zongyi did not insist, but just sighed and said: "Well, since you don't want to forget it. Come back after I drive you back in the evening."
Lu Ren was embarrassed to say this: "It's okay, we can just take public transportation back, no need to trouble you."
Soichi shook his head and said, "This resort is usually only visited by rich people. You know, rich people have some quirks and don't want to breathe the same air as poor people, so they resolutely refused to build public transportation facilities. It's even difficult to get a taxi. Don't be polite with me. I stepped on the accelerator, and I was the one who insisted on asking you to help. I should take the responsibility to send you back."
Although Zong Yi said it lightly, Lu Ren knew in his heart that it was not a matter of one step on the accelerator. It would take at least two hours to go back and forth. In addition, the resort was located in a remote area, and the lighting was insufficient after dark, so driving was not safe.
In order to ensure Zong Yi's safety, Lu Ren no longer insisted on going back: "Then let's stay overnight. Sorry for disturbing you."
"Oh, why are you being so polite? I'm so happy that you're staying here. We should have a good drink this evening. I was so happy last time, but ended up encountering so many bad things. I can't be so unlucky this time!"
Mountain Ghost and Kirin Cub, who were sitting in the back row, also heard about the class reunion for the first time and couldn't help but feel confused: "Something upsetting?"
Zong Yi was not the kind of person who would hide things, so he interrupted and talked about the terrifying experience he had at Qi Fan's house. With the intention of scaring the child, he even exaggerated the horror of the paper man.
"I looked back--" Zongyi paused maliciously, causing the Qilin cub to hold his breath.
Then Zong Yi's voice suddenly became louder: "Two lines of blood and tears flowed from the eyes of the paper man!"
The startled sounds were so frightening that the Qilin cub was so frightened that it hid in the arms of the mountain ghost.
Having succeeded, Zong Yi laughed loudly, looking very proud. He then comforted the Qilin cub, saying, "Don't be afraid. We were the ones who got into bad luck last time. It's not easy to run into non-human creatures."
Lu Ren: “…” Should I tell him that there are only a few people in this car?
After laughing enough, Zongyi finally got back to the point and talked about the relevant matters of the Tianyuan Dharma Assembly: "The first day is mainly for the greetings between several families, and then we can just walk around casually. The shooting requirements are also mainly to take pictures of food and scenery, and many viewers like to watch this.
The next morning there was a discussion meeting, where a group of intellectuals sat together and argued in a sarcastic manner.
The formal general meeting did not begin until the next afternoon.
You don’t have to worry on the first day, especially Miss Shan Gui. Just act naturally in front of the camera and treat it as a travelogue.
The next morning's discussion meeting is not interesting, so I plan to skip it and not take pictures. As for the formal plenary meeting, I will find a fixed angle and use a tripod to mount the camera and take pictures from a fixed point, so you don't have to worry. "
After listening to Zong Yi's words, Lu Ren felt a little more confident and decided to just treat it as an ordinary visit to a rich classmate's house. However, when he arrived at the Zong family's main residence, Lu Ren realized how poverty limited his imagination.
When Lu Ren was a child, he also went to his classmates' houses to play. In his memory, there would usually be a gentle woman standing behind the door of his classmates' houses, smiling and saying, "Are you back? Come and eat ."
Then her background should be an old but neat leather sofa, faded curtains, and the smell of laundry detergent scattered in the sunlight after washing clothes.
The gate of the Zongyi School that Lu Ren arrived at this time was actually a towering archway standing at the foot of the mountain. In the middle of the archway hung a plaque with four large characters "Purple Air Coming from the East" written in golden ink. In front of the archway stood a huge stone sculpture of a giant turtle looking up at the sky, vivid and lifelike.
The Qilin cub pointed at the turtle statue and said, "Aren, look! A big turtle."
Lu Ren laughed and corrected him: "Wrong, it's a turtle."
Zong Yi also laughed when he heard this: "I put it here when I was a child. It is said that it was passed down from my ancestors. It means longevity."
The Qilin cub suddenly realized: "Oh, it's a turtle!"
After passing through the archway, there is a winding path up the mountain. It is paved with bluestone bricks and looks quite old. At this moment, many people are climbing up along the winding path. It is close to noon, and those who are still climbing have obviously not eaten yet. They are weak and look indignant.
One of them even shouted loudly: "The Zong family is really outrageous. They built a cable car in the back mountain but they are reluctant to let guests take it. They let people climb the mountain on an empty stomach. Bah, what a joke."
Zong Yi immediately recognized that the person who was complaining while climbing the mountain was Zhong Yong from the Zhong family. Although Zong Yi was not from the Zhong family, as a descendant of the Zhong family, he could not stand anyone speaking ill of the Zhong family, so he shouted at Zhong Yong: "Zhong Yong! You are a useless person, don't blame others for your own incompetence. I can run up and down this mountain without taking a breath. You are not physically strong enough and you still think you are right? "
Zhong Yong looked towards the source of the voice and became even angrier when he saw it was Zong Yi. He stopped halfway, pointed in Zong Yi's direction, and jumped up and down, yelling, "Zong Yi! You're boasting loudly. If you have the guts, come up and show us who's better!"
Zhong Yong was obviously furious with his fierce look, and the people traveling with him had to work very hard to finally grab him.
Zong Yi looked at Zhong Yong who gave up in dismay after being persuaded by his companions, snorted coldly, and was too lazy to continue to pay attention to him. He glanced at Zhong Yong who continued to climb the mountain sadly and said, "The man just now was Zhong Yong from the Zhong family. He is not good at anything and complains about being the first. I have always looked down on him. I will surpass him in a while."
Then he turned around and reminded Lu Ren and the others: "I almost forgot to tell you that we young people can only walk up the mountain. In previous years, checkpoints were set up at various places on the mountain, euphemistically called "passing three levels". The first one to pass the checkpoints could get a prize. But this is just a tradition, just a formality. Don't worry too much even if you fail to pass the checkpoints."
Lu Ren nodded upon hearing this, and consciously picked up Zong Yi's camera, preparing to take pictures while studying, but was stopped by Zong Yi: "You can take pictures after you reach the top of the mountain. There is nothing to take pictures of on the mountain road. I can just take two empty shots. Besides, it's very tiring to hold all these photographic equipment. Let me, who has better physical strength, do it." After saying that, he snatched the photographic equipment bag from Lu Ren's hand and took the lead to set foot on the winding mountain trail.
Ten minutes later.
The camera bag had been transferred to Lu Ren's hands three minutes ago. Zong Yi was panting and holding his hands on his waist, complaining: "It's outrageous. They built a cable car in the back mountain but they didn't want to let their family members ride it. They let people climb the mountain on an empty stomach. What the hell!"
Lu Ren: “…”
