Kids could be winners of rural vitalization

I'm in Haoyuan village filming a video about rural vitalization. To the west are the Helan Mountains and to the east is Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. The crew and I are interviewing a businesswoman about managing a homestay. Between takes, I notice a boy who has wandered onto the scene. He watches me with unblinking eyes, holding my gaze.

The director says "action" and we do another take. The outcome is fine but someone's clothes have rubbed against the microphone, so we have to reset and try again. I turn toward a chair but stop as I almost trample over the boy. He stands silent and motionless, looking up into my face.

"Hey there," I say awkwardly. He doesn't respond and doesn't move. We stand face-to-face for an awkward moment, until I finally break away and sit. He follows and stands in front of me while I check the messages on my phone. I can barely focus on them because I'm aggressively aware of his presence filling the peripherals of my vision.