Chapter 2858: Trial Operation (2)

"I gave you the day off, not a day to chase girls!" A pang of jealousy shot through Senator Huang Yaomin as he watched the young lad laughing with two youthfully radiant women. During his years at the TV station, Senator Huang had seen every variety of beauty, but as a lowly television laborer, he'd never had the fortune to get close to any of them.

After becoming a Senator, Life Secretaries were naturally available in whatever quantity he desired—but by then, his youth had fled. The regrets of those earlier years had left old scars on his heart.

"Dating? Dating my ass!"

He immediately summoned a shop assistant. "You! Go call Chen Shixin in from outside!"

Seeing the Senator's sour expression, the assistant wondered, No one barged into the studio without knocking this time, so why the long face? Just as he was about to head out, he saw Chen Shixin already walking in with the two girls.

"Chief!" Chen Shixin greeted Senator Huang the moment he entered. "Business is booming today!"

Huang Yaomin nodded; the kid knew how to behave. Noting that he'd brought two girls along, he couldn't help sizing them up with curiosity. One looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn't quite place her. Judging by their hairstyles and attire, they appeared to be naturalized employees of considerable rank.

Noticing Chief Huang's scrutinizing gaze, Chen Shixin quickly introduced He Xiaoyue and Guo Xi'er, explaining that he'd brought them specifically to "broaden their horizons."

Upon hearing they were designers from Wanzi Pavilion, Huang Yaomin mused that Senator Hong was formidable indeed—even the female employees he recruited were this charming. What a waste for him to be stuck in military logistics!

"Ah Xin, it's the first day of trial operation, and the shop is very busy..."

Chen Shixin quickly replied, "I'll stay and help out. I just wanted to show them around. What do you think..."

Seeing him so tactful, Senator Huang was greatly pleased and immediately agreed to let him take the two girls on a tour of the shop—on condition that he help with the photography.

After months of internship, Chen Shixin had mastered the entire operation and had been working independently for some time. Although he had no intention of becoming a professional photographer, Huang Yaomin felt confident that his skills surpassed those of the photographers currently undergoing specialized training.

Taking advantage of the time before opening, Chen Shixin led the two girls on a tour through the photo studio, from top to bottom.

"...Beep... beep... beeep. The final tone indicates 8:00 AM Lingao Time."

With the hourly time signal broadcast from the "chatbox" on the street corner, the trial operation of Coconut Grove Photo Studio officially commenced.

"Chief, let's open the door," the female receptionist reminded him.

"Open the door!"

As the glass door swung open, the customers who had been lined up by the police at the entrance began filing in one by one. Since entry required coupons, order management was far better than it might have been, but the local fondness for spectacle still caused customers to involuntarily squeeze forward.

"Line up, line up, don't push! Anyone who cuts in line again won't get a number... You—yes, you—I saw you cutting in line, get to the back..." The moment the door opened, a dozen people rushed in at once. A crowd still pressed eagerly outside, forcing the assistants to shout and maintain order while controlling the entrance flow.

To separate onlookers from actual customers, they were diverted into two streams starting from the entrance. With so many people wanting photographs, congestion formed immediately. Huang Yaomin instructed Chen Shixin to man Camera Position No. 3 and speed up the shooting process.

Guo and He served as assistants for Chen Shixin. In this era when photography technology remained quite primitive, photographers not only required assistants—the assistants' workload was substantial. This was especially true when it came to soothing the restless crowd waiting outside and guiding customers who had no idea what to do with their hands and feet during the shoot.

Chen Shixin briefly explained their duties and points to watch for, and the two began their work.

Here, the environment was completely different from the Wanzi Pavilion they knew so well. As newcomers, everything appeared fresh, and everything they did felt interesting.

"Miss, may I ask if this is the line for photos?" Just as He Xiaoyue came out to call a number and was preparing to return inside, a voice called from behind. She turned to find a man wearing a crisp Fubo Army NCO uniform standing there with two elderly people. The old man kept dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief. The soldier's brow was beaded with sweat as well, and stains had already appeared on his collar. Were it not for military appearance regulations, he probably would have removed his hat to fan himself.

"Yes, are you three here for photos? Where's your number?"

"Here, here." The soldier hurriedly presented a slip of paper.

He Xiaoyue examined it and handed it back. "This is a visit coupon, not a photography experience coupon."

"Then—then can I pay for it myself?"

"Paying won't work either. For these few days, photos are by coupon only. You could try the counter outside to get an experience coupon. Or come back in a few days—taking photos is free during this period," He Xiaoyue explained.

The soldier accepted the visit coupon back with visible disappointment, glancing uneasily at his parents behind him. He spoke in a low voice: "My parents are over fifty. They're getting on in years and haven't been to the city before. We missed the public carriage, so I rushed over as soon as I picked them up. I didn't expect so many people... I'm back on leave and thought I could take a photo as a memento."

Though He Xiaoyue had never worked in a photo studio, her years of dealing with clients at Wanzi Pavilion had sharpened her instincts. She had experience with such situations. With so many people around, if she agreed to accommodate him, others would make the same request, which would inevitably cause problems. She thought for a moment, then said:

"I'll need to ask about this. Please wait a moment." With that, she went inside and spoke to Chen Shixin.

"It's definitely not possible right now. We haven't even finished with the people who have coupons."

"Can we add a number? It's not easy for him—he's on leave trying to bring his parents to the city for a photo." He Xiaoyue pleaded on their behalf.

"I'll add a number for you, but they'll have to come later." Chen Shixin considered. "Tell them to come back at four this afternoon. By then, the line should be mostly cleared. Adding a number won't be a problem."

He Xiaoyue took the added number coupon outside. Under everyone's watchful gazes, she didn't hand the coupon over directly. Instead, she announced loudly with a stern expression, "The quota for photography coupons is full today—no more numbers can be added. Why don't you pay at your own expense? No need to line up or wait for a number. Just come directly at two in the afternoon." As she said "at your own expense," He Xiaoyue winked at the soldier and emphasized the word "afternoon." Seeing him smile and nod at her, she knew he'd understood.

He Xiaoyue pretended to guide them out, led them to the door, and then secretly pressed the photography coupon into the soldier's hand.

"Come on time this afternoon. If the photographer leaves, you won't be able to get your picture."

"I know! I know!" The soldier nodded repeatedly.

The photo studio used Flag brand cameras produced by the Lingao Optical Factory. Wet plate photography was not a swift process. More troublesome still was that the required plates and solutions had to be prepared in advance, and the prepared materials couldn't be kept for long—they could only be made according to the number of tickets issued. Today's allotment was forty tickets, but accounting for photography failures and other unpredictable factors, Huang Yaomin had actually prepared fifty sets of consumables. Adding a number for one or two more people posed no problem.

Back in Studio No. 3, Chen Shixin had already become absorbed in his work. The first few numbers were all single portraits, mostly young people who had come to try it out of curiosity. It wasn't until number six that a couple in their early thirties appeared. Both wore factory work clothes and had two children in tow, a boy and a girl. They might have stepped straight out of an Australian propaganda poster—the model naturalized family.

"Are you taking a family portrait? What background would you like? We have the Holy Ship, Bairen Town, farms, factories, and various Western and Nanyang landscapes..." Guo Xi'er, now self-taught, introduced the options in a tone mimicking Chen Shixin's.

The so-called backgrounds were painted backdrops and props designed to make photographs look less stiff. The background walls here were large oil paintings that Senator Huang had specially commissioned from Trini's studio, sparing no expense. They were colorful and remarkably realistic, mounted on racks that allowed for quick changes.

The couple led their children around to examine several background options and the sample photos hanging on the wall. They whispered and conferred at length before settling on the farm background. This made Chen Shixin somewhat proud—he had built the tractor panel prop for that backdrop himself.

He arranged the couple and children on fixed seats, then wheeled the tractor backdrop into place behind them, positioning them as though seated before an Australian tractor.

The couple had clearly dressed with care for the occasion. Their clothes were new, their hair neatly combed. The two children were also tidied up properly. Only the older child's clothes—probably altered from something of her mother's—didn't quite suit a girl of around ten. Chen Shixin fetched a Fangcaodi Primary School girls' uniform without the school name or badge, gave her a prop schoolbag, and had her hold a prop copy of Selected Stories of Senators. The younger child was only four or five. Chen Shixin had initially wanted to seat him on a toy wooden horse, but the boy rocked incessantly the moment he climbed on. In the end, Chen Shixin had to stuff a rubber ball into his hands and have his mother hold him, placing the wooden horse at their feet as a prop instead.

Once the couple and children were all posed, Chen Shixin first walked them through a rehearsal of the process—staying still and holding the pose for ten seconds. Both children were relatively obedient and didn't require fixing frames, much to Chen Shixin's relief. He retrieved a plate that had been prepared just that morning from the workroom, loaded it into the camera, lit the gas lamp covered with white cloth, reminded them once more not to move, and then took his position beside the camera lens.

Chen Shixin called out "Start!" and removed the lens cap, counting the numbers loudly to serve as a timer. The couple and their two children obeyed dutifully, gazing motionlessly at Chen Shixin as he counted from one to ten. Then he covered the lens cap and announced "Done," exhaling deeply. Chen Shixin removed the plate and returned to the workroom to register it. These plates would have to wait until the day's photography work concluded before there would be time for developing.

(End of Chapter)