An Ancient Well Connects Past and Present, and a Cute Kid Supports the Whole Family

A six-year-old little girl went up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and fell headfirst into a dry well.

When she opened her eyes again, a “flying iron bird” roared overhead, making her drop onto her bottom in fright.

Gu Xiaoman clutched her empty basket and burst into tears. Had the mountain god taken her away…?

As she sobbed, a man holding a “megaphone” rushed over. “Hey, kid, can you cry on cue? We’ll give you a meal, plus 60 yuan!”

Gu Xiaoman had no idea what acting meant, but she understood “a meal.” She wiped her tears and chirped, “I can! I can!”

On her first day on set, she crouched in a corner and wolfed down a cold steamed bun. She ate so frantically that she even picked up the crumbs that fell on the ground and stuffed them into her mouth.

Everyone behind the monitor was moved to tears.

Gu Xiaoman was secretly thrilled. So all she had to do was cry and go hungry in front of these people, and they’d pay her?

Later, she played extras, portraying a refugee fleeing famine and a war orphan. During a rain scene, her lips turned purple with cold, but she still refused to call cut.

The director, eyes red, praised her again and again. “This child was born to be a movie star!”