Huayu Chef

094 Art originates from reality

The fishing boats are quite large and usually moored along the dike. When guests come for a meal, they are given a free ride to the middle of the Yellow River.

Zhang Jinxuan and his companions hadn't yet paid for anything, so naturally they couldn't enjoy the top-tier treatment of taking a boat trip on the river.

Another issue is that the deck of the fishing boat is a bit high off the river surface, surrounded by railings, leaving little room to move around and making it difficult to cast nets.

The Liu family also owns a small fishing boat. When the fishing resort business is not good, Liu San and his son Liu Yushan will take this boat to the river to fish and earn money to support their family and the boat's daily expenses.

The fishing boat was small and couldn't seat too many people. Apart from Liu Yushan and his son Liu San, who were driving the boat, only Zhang Jinxuan, Reba, and a senior from the directing department boarded the boat.

"Xiao Zhang, put on your life jackets. No one has worn them before, they're not dirty, they're brand new. I bought them for our guests." Liu Yushan found out three sets of life jackets.

Zhang Jinxuan said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother Yushan."

"You're welcome."

Seeing Liu San wearing waders, Reba asked, "Uncle Liu, aren't you wearing a life jacket?"

Liu San laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "I don't need it."

Liu Yushan said with a smile, "You guys wear it, don't worry about me and my dad. We fishermen grew up in the Yellow River, dealing with the Yellow River water every day. We're very close. The river has never drowned us. Any accidents are just fate."

Liu San kindly comforted them, "Don't be afraid. The waves aren't big and the water isn't fast. If you fall in, just shout. Xiao Shan and I are good swimmers, and we'll jump in and pull you out in no time."

Uncle Liu, thank you for your jinxing words.

Zhang Jinxuan, Dilraba, the senior from the directing department, and others found it both funny and speechless. The boat hadn't even set sail yet, and talking about falling into the water was a bit unlucky.

While putting on his life jacket, a senior from the directing department suddenly asked, "Jinxuan, do you think Uncle Liu's family's life experiences have any creative value?"

"Creative value?" Zhang Jinxuan paused for a moment, then asked, "Does Senior Brother mean writing a book or adapting it into a movie or TV series?"

"As a director, of course I make movies and TV series. Uncle Liu's family has been fishing for four generations, spanning several decades, so there must be a lot of material to dig out. They are like gypsies on the Yellow River, living a nomadic life, going wherever there are fish, coming and going in the waves, taking the Yellow River's turbulent currents as nothing, living freely, which is particularly interesting."

Zhang Jinxuan shook his head and said, "The time span is too long. A movie can't cover that much content, and it's difficult to control the narrative pace. Without highlighting the key points and without necessary artistic embellishment, the whole film will be absolutely mediocre, uninteresting, and boring."

"If you really want to make a film, I suggest adapting it into a TV series, taking the route of a period drama, focusing on the transformation of Brother Yushan during the period when he was learning from others to open a fishing family business."

"Think about it, Brother Yushan's family has been fishermen for generations. By opening a fish-themed guesthouse, he has essentially changed the fate of himself and his descendants who have been fishermen for generations. By integrating this with the real-world context and using an ordinary fisherman's family as a starting point, we can showcase the changes in the lives of Yellow River fishermen in the new era. This is something that the general public has experienced, and it should resonate more with ordinary people."

The senior student from the directing department's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh excitedly, saying, "Jinxuan, your idea is fantastic! Do you have any other suggestions?"

"The others..."

Zhang Jinxuan thought of a TV series called "Love Between Mountains and Seas" from his previous life and felt that he could draw inspiration from its creative ideas.

In his past life, he had visited Kaifeng, but unfortunately, the Yellow River was under a fishing ban at the time, and fishing was prohibited. There weren't as many fishing boats as there are now; many fishermen had either gone ashore or changed professions. It is said that the local government has introduced policies to strengthen the management of fishing boats and has also helped some fishermen solve their housing and employment problems.

"Brother Yushan opened a fishing-themed guesthouse, which changed his family's fate, but the living conditions of other fishermen did not improve much. This situation has attracted the attention of the government, which has introduced some support policies. The fishermen have benefited from these policies, and have successively started to sail ashore, buy cars and property, and live a happy and prosperous life."

Zhuangzhuang interjected, "This kind of filming is a bit bland. I think we could add some conflict, like the fishermen not understanding the policies and lacking confidence in their lives after coming ashore, so they initially adopt a confrontational attitude..."

"Xiao Zhang, hurry up!"

"Right away," Zhang Jinxuan urged. "Stop with the small talk, hurry up and put on your life jacket, don't keep them waiting."

A senior from the directing department asked, "Jinxuan, do you think it's feasible?"

"Senior, are you serious?"

"It's rare to have an idea, let's give it a try."

"I suggest you consult the local government. It would be best to get official support first, as this will reduce the resistance and pressure when it comes to implementation. Once you've finished the script, if it's of high quality, I'll try to help you with part of the investment, and I'm even willing to let you play the male lead."

The directing major was overjoyed: "Really?"

Zhang Jinxuan laughed and said, "Chinese people don't lie to other Chinese people."

"Okay, I'll have my third sister bring people to Kaifeng to work on the script when we get back."

Reba listened to their conversation and found it quite interesting, so she asked, "Director, Brother Xuan, since you're talking about this TV series, could I possibly get a role?"

"It's too early to talk about anything like this, it's still far from certain. Let's get on board."

"oh."

In reality, it was the senior students from the directing department who were really into it, while Yao Yao listened in the whole time without saying a word, clearly not optimistic and just treating it as a joke.

Zhang Jinxuan wasn't optimistic either, saying that they should work on "Mountain and Sea Love" instead of this project. However, he didn't rule out the possibility that his senior classmates from the directing department might come up with a good script, so he wouldn't let it go.

Good content is so scarce in this industry.

Of course, the subject matter determines the profit potential, and it's unrealistic to expect to make a fortune from this kind of film and television drama. If they can secure support from local governments and relevant departments, and improve the production team and cast, breaking even or making a small profit shouldn't be difficult; the focus should be on winning awards.

"Senior, don't get carried away, take it easy, don't throw the camera into the river."

"What are you afraid of? It's not like I'm the one paying for it."

"We haven't settled the final payment on the contract yet, and you don't want it anymore?"

"Just kidding, don't take it seriously."

Zhang Jinxuan snorted, followed his senior from the directing department onto the boat, then reached out to Dilraba behind him and called out, "Dilraba, I'll pull you over here."

"Thank you, Brother Xuan."

Reba put her hand in Zhang Jinxuan's hand and used it to step onto the boat. The boat was a little unstable and swayed slightly. She immediately showed a nervous expression and held Zhang Jinxuan's hand tightly.

Because he was holding on too tightly, Zhang Jinxuan couldn't break free. He couldn't help but look at Reba with surprise. Seeing that her expression was strange, he asked with concern, "Reba, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"

Reba shook her head, looking embarrassed, and said, "I'm a little afraid of water."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Zhang Jinxuan shouted, "Uncle Liu, don't start the boat yet, let Reba get off..."

Reba interrupted, "Uncle Liu, let's set sail, we're ready."

Zhang Jinxuan frowned and said, "Don't be reckless in this kind of thing."

"I believe I can overcome this," Dilraba said with a determined look in her eyes.

Standing on the riverbank, Yao Yao asked, "Jin Xuan, what's wrong?"

"Reba is afraid of water."

"If you're afraid of water, then get off. It's quite dangerous to drive into the Yellow River."

Jingjing eagerly said, "Reba, I'll switch with you. I'm not afraid of water."

Dream on, I'm not trading with you.

A smile squeezed out from Dilraba's soft and cute face as she pretended to be strong and said, "I won't give up until I hit a wall, Sister Yao Yao. I want to go play in the river and even cast my own net to catch fish. With Brother Xuan and the director taking care of me, it'll be fine. Don't worry."

"You really think highly of us," Zhang Jinxuan smiled helplessly, then asked Liu San and his son Liu Yushan, "Uncle Liu, Brother Yushan, are we going to take the boat to the middle of the river?"

Liu San said, "The current is too strong in the middle of the river to cast nets for fishing. We'll drive along the embankment until we reach that bend in the river. If you're afraid of the water, don't worry, just come with me for a ride, and you won't be afraid of the water anymore."

Zhang Jinxuan grinned and said, "Does the Yellow River cure all fear of water?"

Liu San smiled and nodded: "It's guaranteed. We don't have a river as long, wide, or big as the Yellow River here. If we're not afraid of the Yellow River, we're not afraid of water."