Chapter 49: The Banquet

As the saying goes: "Fair-weather friends for wine and meat, but a spouse for rice and firewood."

Of course, fair-weather friends are mostly superficial, but that is still much better than losing face entirely.

Zhang Yuan's focus on the "wine" aspect struck a chord with the two directors.

They had expected him to offer some "high-end, grand, and sophisticated" advice.

"Zhang Yuan, eating and drinking is one way, but our filming location is remote, and there are no large restaurants nearby."

"The crew only has about 200 permanent members. Even if we found a place to eat, transporting everyone there would be a massive headache."

As middle-aged men accustomed to managing large-scale productions, they had certainly considered eating and drinking, but the conditions simply didn't allow for it.

Zhang Yuan smiled and handed cigarettes to the two directors, speaking as he smoked.

"Going to a restaurant is indeed difficult."

"So, why not move the restaurant to the filming site? That way, these problems disappear."

There is a type of banquet in China that is rarely seen in big cities, but is very common in the suburbs, especially in rural areas.

It is called a *liushui xi*—a flowing banquet!

Professional teams that handle weddings and funerals have their own specialized methods for hosting banquets. They bring their own pots, pans, tables, chairs, and meat. They can even build a stove on-site using bricks.

Moreover, these banquets are not expensive. These days, a table full of meat, fish, and various hot and cold dishes costs only a hundred or two hundred yuan.

At the turn of the century, the factory price of the national liquor was only 185 yuan, with a retail price of around 220. By 2001, after a surge, the retail price reached 260. By 2002, it was roughly 280 per bottle.

By that calculation, even with one bottle per table, the total cost for food and alcohol wouldn't exceed 500 yuan per table.

"That's a good idea. It's not expensive."

Yang Tao was deeply moved. He had grown up in hardship, earning money to support his younger siblings since the age of twelve. Now in middle age, if you asked him what the most delicious food was, his mind would still drift back to the massive braised pork hocks at those rural banquets from his childhood—every bite dripping with fat. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

"Alright, I'll go find someone to ask for a contact for a banquet service..."

Before Yang Tao could finish, Zhang Yuan spoke up: "I've already asked in advance. If you agree, I can have them here with a single phone call."

Every construction site has people who set up stalls to sell food; these people usually know banquet organizers, or sometimes they even run the services themselves. When Zhang Yuan had asked Zhao Decai for help earlier, he had already inquired about this.

The two directors looked at each other in disbelief.

Was this kid a fortune teller or something? He had even prepared for this!

Zhang Yuan wasn't a fortune teller, but he had observed the tense atmosphere of the crew. He knew there was a high probability they would need a banquet to "wash away the bad luck," he just hadn't expected it to come so soon.

Under the astonished gazes of Yang Tao and Lai Shuiqing, Zhang Yuan stepped out to make a call to contact a head chef.

As the sun dipped behind the mountains, the crew finished work for the day.

The director had notified everyone in advance to stay for the banquet.

Against the glow of the setting sun, six or seven Jinshangjiang small trucks arrived, carrying everything needed for the feast. The daytime filming location was quickly transformed into a lively, bustling banquet site amidst the sounds of chopping, washing, and cooking.

Many actors, especially the younger ones, were quite curious about this style of gathering. They loitered around, observing and playing, as the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Don't let the rustic nature of a rural banquet fool you; if a five-star hotel chef were brought in, they wouldn't be able to handle it. They would have to churn out dozens of tables of food in just a few hours—without real skill, they'd be dead before they finished.

Since it was summer and the set was near a reservoir, the temperature for outdoor dining was perfect.

Once the food was served, the crew members began to find their assigned tables in an orderly fashion.

"Zhang Yuan, come sit here."

Just as Zhang Yuan was about to sit at the table with Chen Zihan and Gao Yuanyuan, he heard Yang Tao calling him.

"Handsome boy, come over here!" Lai Shuiqing also waved him over.

Helpless, Zhang Yuan stood up, greeted his friends, and headed to the main table where the two directors were seated.

Chen Zihan pulled on Lin Jing and Gao Yuanyuan. "Look, Zhang Yuan is really capable. He has such a good relationship with the directors."

"Yeah, he doesn't seem like those other boys his age who are so immature," Lin Jing remarked. She and Chen Zihan were classmates and were on good terms, so they were also quite friendly toward Zhang Yuan.

"What do you think, Yuanyuan?"

Gao Yuanyuan rested her chin on her hand and glanced over. "I wish I had his talent." Her personality was relatively quiet and gentle, and she envied Zhang Yuan's social skills.

Meanwhile, at another table, several people were also looking at Zhang Yuan.

"Youpeng, look at that guy. He's so young, but he seems very close to the directors," Jia Jingwen said, peeking forward, her almond eyes darting around to observe her surroundings.

"I heard from my assistant that he was the one who found those extra actors earlier. He must be quite impressive," Su Youpeng added, also taking an interest in this young actor he wasn't well acquainted with.

Several Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asian artists sat together, including Guo Feili, who played Yin Susu, and Chen Xiuli, who played Xiao Zhao.

"Maybe we should go introduce ourselves in a bit."

"Sure."

The incident with the extra actors from that morning had become a hot topic at many tables, and Zhang Yuan naturally became the center of conversation.

By now, he was seated. Beside the two directors and the assistant director were several veterans of the industry, such as Zhang Guoli, Zhang Tielin, and Wang Gang.

Of course, there was also Zhao Decai, who had been a huge help today and was naturally being treated as an honored guest.

"Director Yang, let me toast you first." Zhang Guoli picked up his glass and gestured toward Yang Tao.

Besides being an actor and director, Zhang Guoli had been an actor in the Railway Art Troupe, and his father had been a leader there, so he had a deep connection with Yang Tao. Furthermore, just a few months ago, he had taken Buddhist refuge at the Anhe branch of Fagu Shan in Taipei, receiving the dharma name "Changsheng."

Thus, he was well-acquainted with both Mainland and Hong Kong/Taiwan circles, and the character of Cheng Kun was ambiguous enough to fit his identity perfectly.

Old Yang took a sip and then looked at Zhang Yuan. "I think the person who deserves the most toast today is Zhang Yuan. If it weren't for him, the start of filming wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Lai Shuiqing raised his glass, and everyone else followed suit.

A mouthful of white liquor went down—spicy and stimulating, like oil on a blazing fire, much like Zhang Yuan's rapidly rising fame within the crew.

"Supporting a collapsing building and turning the tide against the current—another round!"

"Director Yang, you flatter me. I wouldn't dare." Another glass went down.

Oh... seeing Zhang Yuan knock back two glasses in a row without his face turning red or his heart skipping a beat, the industry veterans immediately became interested.

Zhang Yuan instantly realized he had become like Zhang Wuji, fighting a war of attrition against the "Six Major Sects." But the "Six Major Sects" quickly realized that this young man's "internal strength" was unfathomable!

"Zhang Yuan, you're something else. You can down half a bottle of white liquor without feeling dizzy. That kind of tolerance is rare among young people," Zhang Guoli said excitedly after having quite a bit to drink.

"Not at all, Teacher Guoli is the one with the massive capacity," Zhang Yuan said modestly, waving his hand. "I heard you are a master of opera. I am very interested in traditional opera; I hope you can give me some guidance when you have time."

At the mention of opera, Zhang Guoli's eyes lit up.

"You can sing opera too? Good, let's exchange skills when we have the chance."

Successful people are always surrounded by praise, but often, what they are most proud of is not their main profession, but their hobbies. It's like Jay Chou—if you praise his songwriting, he might just nod, but if you praise his magic tricks, he'll want to perform one for you on the spot!

Zhang Yuan hit the mark perfectly, precisely grasping Zhang Guoli's interest.

"Teacher Wang Gang, these two are 'Munjian Lion' walnuts, aren't they?" Zhang Yuan pointed to the walnuts the man was playing with in his hands. "And they are the authentic vintage style."

"Ho, you've got a good eye!" Wang Gang smiled and leaned closer.

"Teacher Tielin, I heard you are a master of calligraphy. May I request a piece of your work?"

"I'll give you some pointers when the opportunity arises."

"Hahaha..." Zhang Tielin let out a standard "Imperial Father" style laugh.

Yang Tao held his glass with a smile on his lips. He had called Zhang Yuan to the main table actually to help introduce him to these industry veterans. This was all networking!

However, he realized he might have been redundant. Zhang Yuan didn't need him at all. In less than an hour, he had already blended in with the veteran actors so well that they were practically ready to treat him like a godson.

While their table was chatting heatedly, the other tables were no different.

The Hong Kong and Mainland staff, who had been at each other's throats earlier, were now drinking heavily under the intentional arrangement of Lai Shuiqing and Yang Tao.

If they were eating at a grand hotel, everyone would be restrained and trying to act civilized. But a *liushui xi* is all about the liveliness; it's easy to stir people's emotions.

In the morning, they were arguing and couldn't stand the sight of each other. Now, they were playing drinking games, standing on chairs, and playing finger-guessing games. They had become "fair-weather friends for wine and meat," and that was enough.

This was also the experience Zhang Yuan had gained from construction sites; massive conflicts occur on construction sites every day, and a drinking session is the best lubricant for human relationships. For a group of rough men, there is no problem that cannot be solved with a drink—and if there is, it just means they haven't drunk enough.

Seeing that the relationship had softened significantly, the two directors both breathed a sigh of relief.

"This kid's future is limitless," Yang Tao remarked, watching Zhang Yuan's figure darting between different tables.

"Learn how to be a person first, then learn how to do things. He is very good," Lai Shuiqing added with a sigh of admiration.

One would have thought the banquet would end smoothly like this.

But wherever there is alcohol, besides human connection, there are also those with ill intentions, emboldened by the drink...