FS-novel Chapter 584: Joining the Production of Snow Ridge Red Journey
Chapter 584: Joining the Production of Snow Ridge Red Journey
On the first day of the new year, they landed in Rong City.As a major city in the southwestern region, the New Year atmosphere here was exceptionally strong, with festive red elements visible everywhere on the streets.
On his very first day, Xiao He took his team out for Sichuan-Chongqing hotpot, which also served as a joint celebration of the New Year and a welcome to the coming year.
During the meal, he ran into quite a few fans. Xiao He didn't refuse any photos either, generously posing with the fans who came to the hotpot restaurant, and in the end, the owner even voluntarily comped his bill.
Before the crowd of fans could grow any larger, Xiao He led his well-fed, well-satisfied team back to the hotel.
The next day, Xiao He officially joined the production of Snow Ridge Red Journey.
Snow Ridge Red Journey was a massive production team—not only was the location huge and the crew large, but even the actors participating in the shoot were far more numerous than Xiao He had imagined. He could barely take a few steps without having to stop and exchange pleasantries with someone.
And to be fair, the atmosphere here felt quite similar to the Let the Mistake Slide production team. The staff coming and going were all serious, no one was chatting or laughing, and basically everyone was busy with their own tasks, each person hurrying about with purpose. Moreover, each type of work had its corresponding uniform, so at a glance, everything looked orderly.
However, unlike the Let the Mistake Slide set, the atmosphere here felt more like an orderliness enforced by strict rules, whereas the Let the Mistake Slide team was simply oppressive, with everyone afraid to speak loudly.
Since Xiao He arrived relatively early, the production team didn’t have a suitable person to receive them, so only a single staff member in a blue uniform came to lead them further inside.
The production’s location was close to the snow-capped mountain from the historical prototype. Even though so many years had passed, the terrain here remained quite complex, and heavy snow sealing off the mountains in winter was a common occurrence. Even the nearby national highway leading up the mountain had only recently been completed, a testament to the hardships of the predecessors back then.
For safety, the production team hadn’t gone directly up the mountain either. The main force was stationed in this village at the foot of the snow mountain, where the surrounding terrain was relatively gentler. Basically, every time Xiao He looked up, he could see the towering snowy peak in the distance.
At that moment, snow was still falling on the mountain, the entire summit hidden in white mist. Down at the base, however, no snowflakes were drifting down, but the weather was bitterly cold. The overall sky was dark and gloomy, with wisps of fog occasionally swirling around, so that even when people spoke to each other, their breath turned to mist.
As they walked, Xiao He also noticed rows of neatly parked military-green trucks lining the roadside.
Those trucks looked quite imposing, parked in perfect order, and even the license plates at the rear bore the unique numbering of the military.
Xiao He raised an eyebrow.
He had heard before that movies like this would cooperate with the military, and that many of the soldiers in the scenes were real, regular army troops. It turned out that was actually true.
Sure enough, after walking a few more steps, they passed by an open area and saw a group of soldiers sitting upright in the center, disciplined and orderly.
At that moment, whether they were real extras or genuine soldiers was immediately obvious just from one look.
That kind of well-trained rigidity and seriousness was a unique aura that only came from being in the military.
Combined with the era-style military uniforms they had already changed into, their brows also carried an added weight and resilience, reflecting the gravity of revisiting history.
Xiao He’s timing was also just right. The director of Group C over there was already preparing to lead these people to another location for shooting. A man wearing a military-green overcoat walked to the front and blew his whistle.
The next moment, the people sitting in the field all stood up in unison, their movements as synchronized as a copy-paste, not even their bodies swaying.
The man adjusted the formation, then shouted an order at the top of his lungs before blowing the whistle again.
Then Xiao He watched as this group, maintaining their neat formation, jogged off toward another direction.
At the same time, the hum of propellers filled the air.
Xiao He looked up and saw a drone following behind them. A young man, also dressed in military-green, was controlling the drone as it trailed behind the group.
Xiao He’s gaze lingered on the drone for a moment before he eventually looked away.
“That’s Group C. Teacher Xiao, you’re in Group B today.”
The staff member explained to Xiao He.
Xiao He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen my schedule.”
But whenever he passed by, he couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.
After leaving this area, Xiao He soon arrived at the filming location for Group B, where he would be working.
Some people had already arrived before them.
Upon seeing them, Xiao He immediately stepped forward to greet them. “Teacher Zhuo, long time no see.”
Zhuo Jianhua looked up at the sound, and when he realized it was Xiao He, the smile on his face deepened. “Xiao He, long time no see.”
Zhuo Jianhua was a senior colleague Xiao He had met during the Killing Life days. Back then, it was Zhuo Jianhua who had recommended Xiao He for Thief Catcher. Later, when Xiao He went to Beijing, he had even specifically visited him at the Beijing Drama Academy. He was a very good, highly respectable senior.
“It’s my honor to work with Teacher Zhuo again this time.”
Xiao He said as he walked over to Zhuo Jianhua. “The other teachers haven’t arrived yet?”
“Mm, the main shoot for our group is just the two of us.”
Zhuo Jianhua patted the chair beside him. “The director hasn’t come over yet either. Have a seat for now.”
“Alright, thank you, Teacher Zhuo.”
Xiao He obediently sat down.
In fact, he had known ever since arriving that he would be grouped with Teacher Zhuo Jianhua.
Snow Ridge Red Journey itself connected multiple small ensemble stories into one main thread. Through the protagonist’s encounters and experiences, the scattered stories of others were strung together, similar to linking small tales into a larger narrative, telling the story of that era’s tragedy and hardship.
This particular segment of the main story was about the protagonist’s comrade being injured and on the verge of death. However, a heavy snowstorm was bearing down, the weather was atrocious, and the entire squad was immobilized, forced to rest in a sheltered spot and wait for the right moment.
After much deliberation, the protagonist decided to brave the blizzard and go meet the transport squad responsible for delivering medicine, hoping to get the medication early to save his comrade.
The storyline that Xiao He and his group needed to handle was very simple. The characters played by Xiao He and a few others were members of the transport squad, responsible for transporting medicine. But due to bad luck, they encountered a sudden blizzard halfway through, lost their way in the storm, and, to protect the precious medication, several of them sacrificed their lives one after another in the vast snow. Only the remaining two ultimately managed to rendezvous with the protagonist.
The transport squad was one of the core logistical support units during the Long March, mainly responsible for transferring supplies, transporting the wounded, and repairing roads. It was a unit with an extremely high casualty rate during that period. Many transport squads ended up suffering reductions, with even entire squads perishing on the snowy mountains. They didn’t die in grand and heroic battles but were gradually consumed and killed by extreme cold and overwhelming tasks.
Zhuo Jianhua played the squad leader of this transport squad, while Xiao He’s character, Chen Shitou, was a local farmer who had just joined the team.
Since Chen Shitou considered himself somewhat of a “local,” he volunteered to join the transport squad, taking on daily scouting and communication duties.
But in the face of nature’s relentless disasters, whether it was an experienced “local” or an “outsider” who had never seen the terror of the snowy mountains, the outcome was the same.
In the blizzard, the transport squad was trapped, and while scouting ahead, Chen Shitou accidentally fell into an ice cave, breaking both his leg and arm.
In the end, however, he managed to drag himself out of the ice cave with his last ounce of strength and encountered the protagonist, who had come searching for them.
Knowing he had no chance of leaving the snowy mountain alive, Chen Shitou pointed out the correct hiding direction of the transport squad to the protagonist, gave him all his warmth-preserving gear and supplies, and then ultimately lost his life in the endless, vast snow.