After the first and second days of the New Year, the remaining days were spent visiting relatives. Zhou You didn't feel like moving much, so he lent his car to his parents, who drove off to visit family.
His parents' generation had quite a few relatives—countless aunts and uncles, a messy bunch that Zhou You couldn't even fully recognize. By the time it came to his generation, there weren't as many people, with at most one or two children per family. By the time he was in his thirties, during the New Year, he barely visited any relatives at all. Every time he went home, a trip to his grandmother's house was enough to wrap things up.
During the New Year, he received many well-wishing calls, including from Zhao Yun, Director Han Jie, Wang Fangfang, Wang Ping, and many others he'd worked with. At that time, Director Han Jie asked Zhou You if he was interested in visiting the set to see how a movie was made. Zhou You agreed on the spot. Although he'd watched behind-the-scenes clips online, the live experience was bound to be different. More importantly, he wanted to connect with Wang Baoqiang to invest in future films.
Just after the Lantern Festival, Han Jie called, saying their movie had started filming and asked if Zhou You had time to come. Zhou You had been home long enough, so he drove back to Luzhou and then flew straight to Northeast China.
As soon as he got off the plane, Zhou You was frozen stiff. It was way too cold—no wonder people with a bit of money later fled to Hainan. The freezing weather made it inherently unsuitable for human survival. The farther north you went, the sparser the population; not to mention, the crops alone couldn't support that many people.
Exiting the airport, a young man held up a sign with Zhou You's name—probably there to pick him up. When he saw Zhou You, he added an explanation: "Director Han wanted to come himself, but since we just started filming, there's a thousand things to handle, and he can't get away."
"No problem, I'm just here to take a look. It's way too cold—how do you even shoot in this weather?"
"You'll see when you get there. Filming is never easy; it's all hard work and suffering."
At the filming location, everything was a vast expanse of white. The crew stayed in a small town, with the shooting site in a tiny village. The scene was bustling, with a dense crowd of people. From a distance, Director Han Jie came over to greet him: "Sorry about the rough conditions. Next time I shoot, I'll find a better location."
"I'm the one causing trouble. I'm just curious—it's my first time seeing this, so I came to check it out," Zhou You said, pulling his hands out of his down jacket pockets.
"The other actors are filming now. Once the main cast finishes, I'll host a dinner for you tonight and introduce you around."
"Let me treat everyone tonight. I came a bit suddenly and didn't bring anything, so I'll cover dinner for the crew," Zhou You said sincerely, especially since the New Year spirit was still lingering, particularly in the Northeast.
As they walked inside, Zhou You found it fascinating. The world inside the lens and outside it were two completely different realms. Watching the actors perform according to the script in front of the camera, while outside it, the director, cameramen, lighting crew, and logistics team crowded around observing—no wonder they said acting required freeing one's nature. Without that, you couldn't pull it off. Zhou You had never considered stepping into the spotlight; being a university professor was his dream job, and that was already the limit of his public speaking.
The movie "Mr. Tree" was shot quickly, wrapping up in just over forty days. It didn't require many outdoor scenes or additional sets elsewhere. That's also why the film's budget was low—mainly due to the cast's fees.
Right then, there was a scene with Wang Baoqiang. Zhou You watched nearby, intrigued. Mr. Tree wore a gray jacket over a green sweater, ear muffs on his ears, and baggy gray pants. He first made a vague grabbing motion with his hand, as if trying to catch something but failing, then casually scratched the back of his head, making his messy hair even messier. His legs dragged along the road, a bit like a duck, or maybe a goose.
He walked to a car, knocked on the window first, then opened the door and slid in.
"Hello, Brother Tree, not busy today?"
"The Premier's busy, but I'm not."
"If you don't become a cadre in this life, it'd be a waste of you."
Brother Tree looked up, took a drag of his cigarette, and stayed silent.
Watching this performance, Zhou You couldn't imagine that the future comedy king had such melancholic acting skills. He spent most of the day on set, observing how each department worked, satisfying his basic curiosity. At one point, he noticed the director and Wang Baoqiang discussing the plot. Baoqiang, coming from a rural background himself, portrayed a small-town character with incredible depth. Sometimes, even without script cues, Wang Baoqiang naturally acted it out.
After half a day outside, Zhou You couldn't take the cold anymore. His hometown also had snow and cold weather, but it was nothing compared to the Northeast. Thinking about Russia further north—how could people live there? No wonder they loved vodka; without frequent drinking in this weather, you'd freeze stiff.
After the last scene of the day wrapped, Director Han Jie grabbed a megaphone and shouted, "Today, our film's investor, Boss Zhou, is visiting the set. He's treating everyone to dinner at the town's Golden Spoon Restaurant. Once you're done, head over!"
The crowd cheered in unison, "Thanks, Boss Zhou!" After all, crew meals were never that great.
Zhou You went ahead with the director and Wang Baoqiang. Tan Zhuo, after removing her makeup, also hurried over. At the restaurant, it was indeed a big one—only two restaurants in the whole town, and this was the largest. Typical Northeast style: rough, hearty. As soon as he walked in, a wave of heat hit him, and Zhou You felt the heating had saved his life. No wonder his Northeast classmates in school said Luzhou was unbearably cold. Back then, he was curious—Northeast was much colder than Luzhou, so how could they say it was warm? In the Northeast, it's minus 20 degrees Celsius outside but over 20 inside. In Luzhou, it's minus 5 outside and 5 inside. Northeast kids in Luzhou really did shiver from the cold. As the locals say, "We survive winter on sheer willpower." It was a tearful truth—no central heating in winter.
Just after the New Year, the restaurant still had a festive vibe. The couplets and window decorations were still up, and a big "fortune" character was pasted upside down at the entrance. The owner, who had done business with the crew a few times, beamed with joy when she saw them. In this small town, who would eat out in winter? Everyone was busy at home. One crew dinner could cover a month's income for her.
"Director Han, you're here again! How many people this time? I'll arrange it for you," the owner said, her face crinkling like a flower.
"We'll probably take over the whole place. The entire crew is coming today."
"Bring out all your local specialties—blood sausage, cabbage stewed with vermicelli, one of each."
Zhou You didn't mind; he'd never tried any of it, so it was a novelty. After a short wait, several dishes arrived. No wonder they said Northeast food was generous—it really was. Calling them plates was an understatement; they were practically basins.