At nightfall, they arrived at their destination, the ancient city of Mingzhou at the foot of Huangming Mountain. The distant mountains and rivers were hidden in the darkness, making it hard to discern from the terrace.
Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng sat facing each other on lounge chairs, engrossed in their phones, without discussing the plans for the evening.
"Is the scene of your role in 'Chong Lou' filmed nearby?" Zhong Shao suddenly inquired.
Although Yu Cheng couldn't see the content on the phone screen that Zhong Shao had just glanced at, he had already guessed what Zhong Shao had been up to.
With a nod, Yu Cheng handed his phone to Zhong Shao, saying, "Take a look at what you feel like eating."
Modern young people cannot escape the clutches of takeaway, and Yu Cheng was no exception. This was a local restaurant with high ratings on the takeaway platform. Zhong Shao did not take the phone but instead looked at Yu Cheng's eyes and chuckled, "Thought you were going to take me to a local eatery later."
Yu Cheng handed the phone back to Zhong Shao without any hesitation and said, "Isn't this taking you out to eat? After a long day, let's not hassle with modern young people."
Apart from spending a long time in the car, their day wasn't particularly hectic, and both of them were relaxed enough to handle a bit of fatigue. Opting for takeaway instead of dining in was Yu Cheng's way of relaxing a bit, and he also wanted to tease Zhong Shao. As actors who travelled around for filming, they had limited opportunities to taste local specialities, often opting for healthy meals with less oil and salt.
Seeing through Yu Cheng's little scheme, Zhong Shao took the phone and continued Yu Cheng's train of thought, "Well, this old man will also dabble in some young people's stuff." As the page reached the bottom, with a well-balanced basket in the shopping cart, Zhong Shao initiated a payment with friends, picked up his phone, and settled the bill.
The ancient town of Mingzhou is not large, and the delivery of takeout is prompt. Upon opening the takeout, Yu Cheng was a bit stunned but also relieved that it was consumed outdoors. Zhong Shao ordered two dishes, which were the famous "double stinky speciality dishes" of the ancient town - stinky tofu and stinky mandarin fish.
Yu Cheng still remembers the experience of trying these two local speciality dishes while filming "Chonglou". At that time, a few actors in the same group were recommended by locals to visit a local popular restaurant. Upon entering the restaurant, a strong aroma mixed with fragrant spices but indistinguishable scent rushed into their nostrils.
One person asked, "What is this smell?"
A young girl with a youthful appearance smiled and enthusiastically introduced the local speciality dishes.
"Although stinky tofu and stinky mandarin fish smell a bit pungent, it's a unique aroma. Our restaurant specialises in these two dishes, with a 100% positive rating!" Whether it was the girl's words or the undisguised pride and genuine enthusiasm for their dishes on the girl's face, as they smelled the air, it seemed to be... pungently fragrant.
After the dishes were served, everyone was eager to try. The closer they got to the stinky tofu and stinky mandarin fish, the stronger the fermented stench became. When the distance to the plates was only 20 centimetres, Yu Cheng couldn't detect any hint of "fragrance," but only the overwhelming smell of fermented fish was assaulting his senses.
Yu Cheng, calm and composed in front of the camera, subtly hesitated with the chopsticks in his hand. He cautiously tasted the stinky mandarin fish and stinky tofu, observed the expressions of the others at the table who were saying "It's really delicious," and after trying them himself, he confirmed one thing - he really couldn't handle these two dishes.
Yu Cheng almost holding his breath, moved these two takeouts to Zhong Shao's front, the implication was self-evident - these both belong to you, if you don't handle it, you won't sleep.
Zhong Shao reacted like everyone else, thinking the two dishes were pretty good, just a little salty.
"Very characteristic of the local area," Zhong Shao commented.
That night, Yu Cheng always felt a smell of stinky mandarin fish and hairy tofu in the room, so much so that he even dreamt about it at night.
In his dream, he was surprisingly enjoying these two dishes and seemed unable to stop.
The next morning, Yu Cheng was completely speechless about his dream.
As one of the four well-preserved ancient cities, Ancient Ming City was established in the Qin Dynasty and later became the Huizhou Prefecture in the Song Dynasty. With a history of 1400 years, it was the political, economic, and cultural centre of ancient Mingzhou, as well as the main birthplace of related cuisine.
Looking down at the present Mingzhou City, the entire city is characterised by white walls and black tiles, featuring distinctive Ming-style architecture. Within the ancient city area, the prosperous commercial streets have replaced the original ancient style, while the crisscrossing lanes of the ancient city reveal the mottled traces of history. Residents living here have couplets posted on their doorways, and the family workshops' storefronts exude a lively atmosphere.
Accompanied by the gentle morning breeze, Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng strolled through the alleyways. The wine soup dumplings from this place paired with the neighbouring stone cakes brought back memories of the intimate neighbourhood responses. Children ran like the wind towards the school, while old men with carrying poles called out their wares on the stone-paved road.
Time seemed to slow down just like that.
From east to west, from north to south, their aimless wandering did not require any specific destination. Their footsteps traversed quiet paths and bustling lanes, occasionally pausing to watch the sparse passersby at the alley entrance until the sun shone high.
Returning to the main road, they encountered the elderly group in red hats. Zhong Shao chuckled and said, "I enjoyed his time as well as the last."
Zhong Shao remembered the conversation he had with Yu Cheng during the filming. Yu Cheng asked him, "Why do you want to become an actor?"
He replied, "When an actor gains influence, they need to be closer to society," also mentioning that after filming, he would take Yu Cheng to experience getting closer to life.
At that time, Zhong Shao did not realise that from the middle of the filming in Pingcheng to the present Mingzhou, it was not him showing Yu Cheng how to get closer to life, but rather Yu Cheng leading him to experience the most ordinary yet precious days of two people and three meals.
Yu Cheng's lips curled into a smile, going against the lively elder group, saying, "After all, life is bitter and sweet."
Looking back at Zhong Shao's works since his debut, most of them are realistic. The public praises Zhong Shao for being able to delicately portray the psychological changes of characters at such a young age, attributing it not only to talent but also to the effort he puts in beyond his talent.
A commendable performance not only requires insight into a character's development throughout the story, but also demands the actor to tap into their own emotional memories, including personal heartaches and struggles, as a too-perfect life cannot shape a true actor.
Zhong Shao grew up carrying a lot of emotions, but being young, he had limitations. Later, he took over WAT and immersed himself in every project he handled, empathising with each protagonist, gradually turning it into his primary source of ordinary life emotions, becoming the "Zhong Shao's style of connecting with society."
Without getting to know Zhong Shao step by step, it would be hard to uncover this secret. Most of those emotions are deeply buried, and there is a selfish desire to have Zhong Shao get closer to the most common daily life, the most ordinary day. This is his emotional memory and emotional drive, wanting to share with others the insignificant yet solid sense of tranquillity and contentment.
"Zhong Shao's style of connecting with society, I really like it."
Like a romantic whisper between two people, not needing to be explicitly defined, but mutually understood and accepted.
"Should we eat first or head to the next destination?" Yu Cheng sat in the driver's seat, handing the guidebook to Zhong Shao to choose the next destination.
"Stinky mandarin fish?"
Yu Cheng immediately rejected it.
Zhong Shao chuckled and pointed to a location in the guidebook, "Then let's head to the next destination."
Yu Cheng and Zhong Sha spent five days in Mingzhou Ancient City, visiting all the museums in the city, exploring the surrounding attractions thoroughly, and finally taking a commemorative photo at the filming location of "Chonglou."