Chapter 225: Everyone's an Actor
The script was set, but where to find the actors?
This was also what Zhou You was most curious about—were those farmers really that good at acting?
Xie Yingying took a few cameramen to the village for interviews.
Who would play the villain?
Zhou Guoqin looked around, but everyone turned their heads away. They were all waiting to see their own heroic images on TV. If you made them play someone blind to the truth, what if people took it seriously? How would they get by afterward?
In the end, there was no other way. Following the template, the best villain was the wife. Between husband and wife, quarrels were normal, bickering happened every day, and besides, fights in bed ended at the bedside.
The first villain was set: Zhou Guoqin's wife.
There also needed to be a second villain: the villagers' sneers and taunts.
This was easier to find. There were still a few villagers who had always been dissatisfied with the farm, so they could play themselves authentically.
Action.
"Excuse me, when your husband first started farming, did you agree?"
The elder sister-in-law's expression twisted: "No way. That stuff is just throwing money away. How many people in the village have tried it and failed? Just because he thinks he's special. If he's so capable, why didn't he go to college!"
Xie Yingying: "That's a bit too broad a target. It's fine, say whatever you want. We'll edit it later based on our needs."
The elder sister-in-law kept complaining: "He wouldn't listen, so stubborn. He drained our family savings and insisted on doing it. After he started, he was never home. He cared more about the chickens, ducks, and geese he raised than his own parents. He'd rather sleep in the farm all day and neglect the family!"
Zhou You was starting to understand why they had the wife play the villain.
It was just too fitting. She never had a chance to vent before, but now she could do it openly, by imperial decree. It must feel great.
The elder sister-in-law showed no signs of stopping: "In the middle of it, a huge batch died. I begged him to give up, to stop. Going out to work could at least earn something. But he wouldn't. When I pushed, he threatened divorce. If it weren't for the kids, I'd have left him long ago. We're drowning in debt!"
Xie Yingying let her go on for a while longer, then signaled the cameraman to stop. They had enough素材.
Then she pulled over another dissatisfied villager.
"From the start, I never thought it would work. They're all migrant workers, pretending to be big shots. Who does he think he is? No skills, no capital—this isn't something us common folks can pull off. I didn't believe it then, and I still don't now. We've got a saying in the countryside: 'A fortune with feathers is a gamble.' Just wait and see!"
Another burst of genuine emotional output. The素材 was incredibly rich.
The key was filming Zhou Guoqin. He needed to show the grief of the chicks dying, but Zhou Guoqin was now in high spirits and had never experienced a mass die-off. He couldn't get into the state.
Xie Yingying hesitated for a long time, then said quietly, "Just think about the frustrations you had when you were working away from home—like overtime, or unpaid wages."
What can you say? She really knew her stuff.
She understood everything. Didn't she know the hardships of migrant workers? Didn't she know how tough farmers had it?
Everyone was pretending to be clueless while knowing full well, just trying to earn a living.
You eat whose rice, you listen to whose words!
With one sentence, Xie Yingying brought up Zhou Guoqin's painful memories. Especially comparing them to his current happy life, it made those past days seem even more unbearable. He didn't know how he'd gotten through them.
Zhou You observed from the side and realized she really had skills. No wonder she'd lasted so long. Her ability to stir emotions was masterful.
Next, they went to the provincial capital to invite an expert. This scene would be filmed on location, and they'd need to go back to the city to shoot additional footage. Now, they were filming Li Baoyin's segment.
Xie Yingying: "Professor Li, as a university professor, what made you willing to come to this small village?"
Li Baoyin took a moment to compose himself, then said with a hint of emotion: "I work in animal husbandry and often go to the countryside for research. I know how hard farmers have it, and I know how tough rural farming can be—it can ruin a family. My abilities are limited, but since I encountered this, I wanted to help."
Xie Yingying: "Does your school support you in doing this?"
Li Baoyin waved his hands: "Yes, look at this school-enterprise cooperation plaque. It's a sign of our school's strong support. We're collaborating here, doing joint research, running experiments, and integrating production, education, and research to develop superior breeds suited to our local area."
The camera inevitably focused on the school and company plaques. This wave of publicity was maximized.
Perfect. All that was left were the scenes of success.
That was the turnaround.
The elder sister-in-law came out again, this time to be proven wrong.
Xie Yingying: "So now, do you think your husband was right to start the farm?"
The elder sister-in-law beamed: "Yes, but that's also because of my strong support. Without my silent dedication behind the scenes, the farm wouldn't have gotten off the ground or lasted. Women hold up half the sky, too."
Wow, that directly attracted a huge female audience.
If you lost, it was because you didn't listen.
If you won, it was because of my silent contribution.
Xie Yingying nodded in satisfaction. They needed to add more elements—the awakening of women's consciousness was a great hook.
The rest involved interviewing the old village chief and some people from the farm.
They filmed scenes of the farming process, interspersed with shots of a few young college students, which instantly elevated the production value, making it look professional and正规. They also specifically highlighted the fruit and vegetable pairing being implemented.
The focus was on being high-end, scientific, and organic.
Then came the moment of triumph.
Sales were in high demand. This scene also included the Emerald Lake Guesthouse. With such a beautiful environment and such upscale decor, all using the farm's products, what was there to worry about?
One person full wasn't enough; they had to lead everyone to prosperity.
Through a collective voluntary election, the villagers chose Zhou Guoqin as village chief, hoping he could lead them all to wealth and fulfill the promise of common prosperity.
Next came the benefits for the village.
These素材 were the most readily available.
They picked a few families with kids in high school and one with a child in college, all filled with gratitude.
"The village chief is great. Now everyone in the village gets support for schooling. Education is completely free."
"Free college tuition? I've never heard of such a good thing in my life."
Then they visited a few struggling households.
"The government is good. They give us subsidies. The village chief is good too. He hasn't forgotten us useless people even after making money."
They even went into the kitchen to film. The vegetables, chickens, ducks, and geese were all identical to what was on the farm.
Zhou Guoqin also took them to film the kindergarten construction.
"It's built to city standards, even better. Never skimp on education, no matter how poor; never let the kids suffer, no matter how hard."
When Xie Yingying heard that, she thought for a moment. She'd definitely cut it out later. That line wasn't quite right for a village setting.
The town and county officials had been waiting.
After a long wait, they finally got their turn.
The agriculture and livestock departments were interviewed first.
Xie Yingying: "Excuse me, how do you generally support a farm like this?"
Relevant official: "We strictly follow national and provincial policies, ensuring vaccine quality and standards, while also adapting to our county's actual situation. We provide on-the-ground assistance and have repeatedly organized experts and scholars to come and share their knowledge."
That was enough. Just getting some face time.
Seeing that the reporter had stopped interviewing, Luo Daxing grew anxious. He had to get some screen time—this was CCTV, after all. He couldn't miss it. So he tugged at Zhou You, put on a pained expression, and whispered, "Teacher Zhou, our town has tasks too. Please help out. Just one sentence will do."
Zhou You understood the situation. A county official wasn't as good as a direct supervisor.
Fear the official, but fear the one in charge even more!
He got up, walked over to Xie Yingying, said a few words, and pulled Luo Daxing over.
Xie Yingying didn't mind. It was just one sentence. Since Zhou You had asked, she had to give him face.
"Excuse me, are there many farms like this in the town?"
Luo Daxing straightened his clothes and smiled slightly: "Not many at the moment, but in the future, we plan to use this as a model, set an example, and achieve governance by capable people. Electing Zhou Guoqin as village chief is the best example. Next, our town will continue to monitor and support the farm."
A word from you, and it's all empty talk.
No choice. That's how it was.
All clichés. Say too much, make too many mistakes. Safe, empty words were the easiest.
The filming progressed very quickly. It was done in less than half a day. They just needed to shoot a few more scenes tomorrow.
Xie Yingying was also very satisfied. The素材 was excellent. She barely had to put in any effort. Back home, this would be another hit.
Everything was almost wrapped up. Xie Yingying was ready to head back.
But then, Zhou Guoqin ran over to Zhou You: "The town mayor just told me that the county's supervising leader is coming. There's a dinner arranged tonight. He insisted I make sure to keep them here."
Zhou You pondered for a moment, then walked over to Xie Yingying: "The filming was too rushed. Since you're here, and it's mostly done, why not stay the night in our county? Rest up, and tomorrow you can look around. The county leaders also want to show you some hospitality."
Xie Yingying didn't hesitate. Normally, a program like this took at least three to four days to film. This time, it was fast enough, so she had some time to spare for fun.