The total length from Xinwu to Beijing is over 1,000 kilometers. Without high-speed rail, it takes nearly 20 hours to take the green train.
In the late 1990s, the law and order on the train was mediocre, and there were so many pickpockets that Cao Xuan didn't dare to close his eyes. When he got off the train, he almost collapsed.
So Cao Xuan had a rare extravagance, instead of taking a bus, he called a motorcycle.
More than half an hour later, Modi came to Cao Xuan's rented place, and handed 10 yuan to Mo's master with distress, and Cao Xuan carried the luggage into the courtyard gate.
"Yo, this isn't Xiao Cao, he's back."
"Hey, Miss Hu, have you eaten yet?"
"I just ate, my mother-in-law's fried noodles, have some."
"No, we're done eating outside."
Cao Xuan exchanged pleasantries with a woman in her thirties, took out the key, and opened his hut.
The room is not big, more than ten square meters, with only a bed, wardrobe and a round folding table for eating. It is not as shabby as Cao Xuan's dormitory in the crew of "Water Margin".
But for this hut, the monthly rent is as high as 240 yuan.
At this price in Daxing, you can even rent a small yard.
The reason why the landlord dared to ask for such a high price was mainly due to the good location.
The Hutong where Zayuan is located is next to Beijing Normal University, less than 20 minutes drive from Tiananmen Square, 15 minutes from Zhongxi Opera, and 10 minutes from Nortel.
The most important thing is that it is close to the Beijing Film Studio, and it takes half an hour to walk there, which is convenient for Cao Xuan to squat and work, which is why he is willing to pay 240 yuan a month for rent.
If you live far away, you can save money on rent, but maybe when you are on your way, someone else picks up a good job.
Of course, you can also get up early and rush on the road, and use the time to pay for money, but going to the theater every day, leaving early and returning late is very harmful to the body, and it also consumes a lot of energy.
Cao Xuan did this before, and lost more than ten catties in a month. Later, when he found a way to sing in karaoke halls, he decided to move decisively.
Speaking of it, Cao Xuan paid half a year's rent in one go, and he followed Kang Honglei to Xinwu for a "business trip" after he didn't live there for a long time.
I thought I would come back in a month or so, but I played Ximen Qing. After three months of filming, the house was also vacant for three months.
Cao Xuan wasted more than 700 yuan in rent for nothing, and Cao Xuan felt a throbbing pain when he thought about it.
Having not lived in for three months, the room was a bit stuffy, so Cao Xuan opened the window to ventilate, got some water to moisten the rag, wiped the ashes in the house, and then lay down on the bed to catch up on sleep.
This sleep lasted from noon to early the next morning, when Cao Xuan woke up refreshed and washed.
Cao Xuan lived in a complex courtyard that was not small, and lived in several families, ranging in size from dozens of people, including tenants like Cao Xuan, and old Beijingers like Sister Hu who greeted him yesterday.
In the early morning, everyone was busy washing and eating, and then those who went to school went to school, and those who went to work went to work. There was a lot of noise in the yard, pots and pans were flying around.
Although it was noisy, Cao Xuan really liked the breath of life that rushed to his face.
Of course, it would be better if you don't have to queue up to go to the toilet
After washing up, Cao Xuan changed into clothes, locked the door and left the courtyard.
? First, I went to the breakfast shop at the entrance of the alley and drank a bowl of fried liver, served with two taels of steamed buns stuffed with pork and green onions, and a few small pickles in one bite. It was authentic.
Cao Xuan's hometown is located in the south of Lunan. The taste is salty and spicy, which is an out-and-out heavy taste.
After filming in Xinwu for a few months, the big pot dishes in the cafeteria are affordable, but the taste is really average.
Go out and eat out to satisfy your cravings. Nine and a half of the ten local dishes in Xinwu are all sweet.
As you can imagine, people from Xinwu even put sugar in scrambled eggs with tomatoes, Cao Xuan almost doubted his life after eating.
In fact, Cao Xuan doesn't hate sweets, and even likes a few new Wu famous dishes such as sauced pork ribs and crispy eels, but if you let a person with a salty and spicy taste eat sweets every day, no one can stand it.
Although the snacks in the capital are still not as good as the delicacies of his hometown in Cao Xuan's heart, the taste that suits the taste of the north still makes his body and mind happy.
After finishing the meal, Cao Xuan took the bus to the digital street not far away.
In the future, Cao Xuan will need to use communication tools for many things, so he has to buy a BB pager, at least for people to find him.
In fact, Cao Xuan wanted to buy a mobile phone, but after asking someone, he decided to give up the idea.
In 1997, mobile phones were not yet fully popular in mainland China, and most of them were bulky mobile phones with prices above five figures.
The small and exquisite mobile phone is alsoYes, but the price is more expensive, and there is no market for it. Basically, it is sold out as soon as it is available.
For ordinary people, BB phones are the most popular. Anyway, public phones are available everywhere, and they are not much worse than mobile phones. The key is that they are cheap.
With Cao Xuan's wealth in his hands, there is no need to think about mobile phones, and he can only buy second-hand BB phones.
It's not that he can't afford it, but it's not necessary. If he has that money, he might as well save it and buy a Nokia. Not only can he play snakes, but he can also smash walnuts.
The price of a new BB machine ranges from 3,000 to 10,000 yuan, and there are even more expensive ones.
However, second-hand prices can¡¯t be called high, especially at this stage, many second-hand goods are sold by pickpockets. If you know acquaintances, you can get a very favorable price.
Coincidentally, Cao Xuan knew such a person.
Li Zichao, nicknamed Er Cripple, used to be a group performer, but later he got into a fight with someone and lost his leg, so he went to the Digital City to learn how to repair BB machines, and later set up a small shop specializing in repairs and part-time jobs. Sell ??second-hand BB machines.
Cao Xuan had a good relationship with him. Hearing that he wanted to buy the goods, Li Zichao sold Cao Xuan a 90% new Han Xian at the cost price of 800 yuan.
If you change someone else, at least one or two thousand will be slaughtered.
Cao Xuan also accepted Li Zichao's affection, and it was rare for him to reveal the secret. He advised him to give up the idea of ??selling houses and hoarding BB machines to make a fortune, find a master, and learn the skills of repairing mobile phones and computers.
If you are more ambitious, you can do electronic product retailing, maybe you can build a "Zichao Mall"
Don't think this is a daydream, think that when Yifen Donggang started its business, it sold CDs in Zhongguancun. Compared with it, Li Zichao's "starting capital" is thicker.
Cao Xuan didn't care what Li Zichao planned to do, he just came up with an idea to repay the favor, whether he can seize the opportunity, it all depends on Li Zichao himself.
After getting the BB phone, Cao Xuan called a few friends from "Water Margin" and asked them to write down his number, and then received a call from Zhang Jizhong.
Although Cao Xuan's role in "Water Margin" has been completed, the work has not yet been completed, and he still has one episode left to record.
The crew of the recording studio has already made an appointment. On May 10, Cao Xuan will go directly to the studio. After recording "Countless Brothers", he and the crew of "Water Margin" will be the real money and goods.
There are still a few days before the start of the recording, so Cao Xuan stopped working and found a karaoke hall to practice his vocals and earn some extra money.
Speaking of singing in karaoke halls these days, it is actually not that much money.
A little bit of fame is okay, but the unknown ones only cost tens of dollars a night, which is not much better than group performances, and it is easy to be made things difficult by guests and karaoke hall owners from time to time.
Cao Xuan's singing skills are not very good, and the price offered by the karaoke hall is not high, 50 per night, which is neither good nor bad among singers.
However, Cao Xuan has an advantage that many singers envy and hate, that is, he has a good face, and his salary is not high, but there are often female guests who send flowers as tips.
Basically, as long as you play, you can earn 100+. If you are lucky, you can get 300 or 400 overnight.
But then again, high income also means high risk.
Although the karaoke hall earns a lot of money from singing, the environment is too chaotic, full of bad people and dirty things.
Just the disgusting things that Cao Xuan has seen, including the greasy big brother forcing you to drink with money, the fat and old rich woman who is attracted to sex, the gay guy secretly eating your tofu, the colleagues who are jealous and put dumb drugs in the drink, and playing Frozen wanting to drag people into the water, sick malicious revenge
If Cao Xuan hadn't been cautious and clever, he might have been plotted against him long ago.
It is also because this industry is too dirty and chaotic, Cao Xuan would rather go to the film crew to play tricks with a meager salary than come here to sing. If he gets tricked, his life will be ruined.
? I found a singing hall with a good reputation, Cao Xuan brought his own food and drink, sang songs for a few nights, earned a small 600 yuan, and barely made up the rent he lost.
On May 9th, Cao Xuan spent a whole day at home recharging his energy, and early the next morning, he rushed to the recording studio he had made an appointment with.