Free Web NovelChapter 144: Chapter 136: Beast Master of the Mountain Village_2
From Director Ding’s tone, it appears that this is also what Ms. Shengnan, the investor, had in mind, and after contacting Ms. Shengnan, he was notably more confident.
At that moment, nearly all of the film crew members were nearby, yet those two strange women did not show up until Director Ding mentioned taking a taxi to the school. Then, some crew members took the elevator upstairs, and not long after, two women wearing face masks and duckbill hats emerged discreetly from the elevator.
This felt odd, as if it wasn’t so much about protecting these two women but rather preventing them from interacting with anyone outside the crew.
Why?
Yang Xiao suspected that there was something problematic about their identities. During the first trip to the school on the school bus, the two women never got off, and this time, they didn’t show up in front of people like Principal Wu either, as if they were intentionally avoiding them.
Considering the sensitive subject matter of the film, Yang Xiao looked the two women over several times and had a vague hunch.
"I’ve brought two lead actresses over; you’ll have scenes to act with them later. Although these two aren’t professional actresses, they’ll surely be able to handle this film. This time we’re doing it in a pseudo-documentary style, realism takes precedence." That was what Director Ding had told them verbatim.
Pseudo-documentary, realism, lead actresses who aren’t professional, scenes to act together... Yang Xiao guessed that perhaps these two women were past victims of the case, or at least informants.
The group hurried to the school, returning to the familiar three-story building, the familiar slogans, the familiar classrooms, but this time, the crew and the two lead actresses were also present.
Upon hearing the news, Principal Wu rushed over, his attitude several degrees better than before. Through conversation with Director Ding, Yang Xiao understood that Ms. Shengnan had called Principal Wu, asking for their full cooperation.
After Principal Wu arrived, Yang Xiao noticed that the two lead actresses had disappeared—or rather, they had hidden themselves at the very back of everyone.
After persuading Principal Wu to leave, Director Ding held a brief meeting for everyone and distributed some stapled pamphlets to those present.
The pamphlet was actually a crude photocopy, with "TOP SECRET" printed on the top right corner in a show of formality, along with the words "void if opened."
Director Ding raised the pamphlet in his hand and instructed them seriously, "This is the content of our film shoot this time. Due to time constraints, we will only select key, exciting scenes that drive the plot forward and enrich the characters to film."
"Since we are using a pseudo-documentary format, realism is the top priority. Other conditions can be relaxed, and Ms. Shengnan has said that we need to expedite the release, so our shooting schedule is very tight."
"There is a lot of content here. I will give everyone time to read, understand the film’s substance, feel the character conflicts, and in half an hour, we’ll start filming."
Yang Xiao opened the booklet, and the first thing that caught his eye was four big characters, which seemed to be the title of the film they were shooting—
Beast Master of the Mountain Village.
Below it was something akin to a draft promotional poster. The strokes were rough, but the intent was clear. With clever use of light and darkness, the composition subtly rendered the characters in complex relief, creating a dark, suffocating atmosphere, and a sense of despair that came from within.
The composition’s center featured a group of students hunched over in feverish writing, all dressed as girls, while to the left of the composition was the teacher’s podium, where the teacher stood, educating and instructing, sunlight bathing his youthful face, symbolizing vigor and an abundance of positivity.
However, on the right side of the composition, everything was different; there was a dark, cramped room lit by a single light bulb. The teacher, who during the day educated and instructed, was now crouched on the ground, his body mostly shrouded in darkness, eyes fixated on the group of fiercely writing students, his whole being exuding a sickly and distorted sense. What was most horrifying was the shadow of the male teacher on the floor, which had already extended a claw towards the group of girl students.
The content of the book began with a male teacher who had gone to the countryside to volunteer as an educator. He had just graduated from university with excellent grades and had better job opportunities in the city waiting for him, but he gave them all up, insisting on going to the most challenging places to teach in the countryside.
Because he said he knew the pain of those children, he understood the longing in their eyes for knowledge. They needed to change their fate, and reading was their only chance.
Thus, the male teacher was assigned to one of the most remote towns, where the locals were fierce, exclusionary, and where feudal customs prevailed. The belief in prioritizing males over females was deeply ingrained, leading to tragedies where elders had drowned newborn baby girls in wells.
At that time, college students were precious, and his arrival caught the attention of the town’s leaders. Many people came to see, and the principal of the local high school personally came to pick him up. They originally wanted to assign him to a better class, but the male teacher disagreed. He wanted to go where he was needed most, and after much deliberation, he chose the most backward class with the poorest families and the worst academic performance—the Bud Class.
This class was exclusively filled with girls whose parents had gone to work in the city, leaving these children in the care of elderly grandparents. The elders had no concept of education; as long as there was food to eat and the children were kept alive, it was enough—as there were other children in the family to consider.
Most of these girls’ parents had two or even three children, keeping the boys with them and bringing them to the city. The girls were referred to as a financial loss locally and taking them to the city would invite ridicule. Therefore, those families with two or three girls would rather pay the penalties and continue to try for a boy. This led to an increase in the number of local girls, and as these families continued to expand, they became poorer and trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and childbirth.
Because the girls rarely saw their parents and the grandparents didn’t understand education, the children in the Bud Class tended to be unruly, causing the principal and teachers considerable headache. Yet unexpectedly, this young college graduate had the courage to take on this mess.
Principal Wu privately met with him, advising him to switch to a different class since he was new and completely unaware of how stubborn these country kids could be. Besides, this was his first job; if he ended up being ruined by these children, it wouldn’t look good for the town’s leaders, Principal Wu, or himself.
But the male teacher didn’t see it that way. Although shy, he had a sunny disposition and soon meshed well with the kids.
His innovative teaching philosophy greatly shocked the traditional teachers. He would bring along the then-rare device, a tape recorder, to play the latest dance music for these curious children, teaching them to sing and dance. He reveled in the feeling of having the children surround him.
He cared not only for the children’s education but also for their welfare, knowing their families’ struggles. He would keep some of them after school in his small dormitory to make dinner for them before walking them home in the dark of night. free𝑤ebnovel.com
To spare the children’s self-esteem, he would find excuses, like tutoring them, and surreptitiously cook precious eggs to supplement their nutrition.
These eggs had been given to him by the town’s leaders, worried he might not adjust well to the new environment and might fall behind in nutrition.
Gradually, everyone began to accept this male teacher. Those teachers who had thought his actions were for show, that his voluntary teaching in the countryside was just a gimmick and that he wouldn’t last, began to change their viewpoints. They started to emulate him and aspired to be like him.
But the good times were short-lived. One rainy night, Ms. Shengnan, who had stayed at school, worried that the heavy rain would cause the male teacher’s old dormitory to leak, so she braved the rain to check on it.
Before she even entered, she heard strange sounds coming from the room. Filled with confusion, Ms. Shengnan approached the window, and the scene inside left her speechless.
