"Everyone has misunderstood. Please let me finish what I have to say, okay?"
Seeing this, Jiang Dequan hurriedly tried to explain, but no one listened to him at all.
"What else is there to say? You're not welcome here, so get out!"
"That's right, get out of here, leave our White Stone Island!"
"Get out of White Stone Island..."
At first, the crowd was indignant, each shouting different things, but eventually, everyone shouted in unison, "Get out of White Stone Island!..."
Jiang Dequan frowned deeply; the scene before him was extremely difficult for him.
The people living by the sea worship Mazu. They are willing to put aside everything else and are more enthusiastic about worshipping Mazu than about anything else.
Moreover, everyone becomes extremely excited and sensitive whenever it comes to matters related to Mazu.
He was aware of all of this, after all, he himself was a believer of Mazu.
However, the problem is that he didn't intend to take the three statues; he just wanted to remind them of something about them.
In desperation, he could only turn to Secretary Xiao and Village Chief Luo for help, hoping they could step in and calm the enraged villagers down.
However, to his surprise, the two men did not react at all, sitting there motionless with their eyes closed and their minds at ease, like old monks in deep meditation.
As villagers, they naturally have a strong sense of responsibility to defend the collective interests of their village.
After all, if they can't even do this, how will they establish themselves in the village in the future?
However, the cultural relics bureau has virtually no influence over village-level collective self-governing organizations.
When you're in a good mood, it's fine to address someone respectfully as "leader" and cooperate with their work; but if you're in a bad mood, you can completely ignore them and not give them a second glance.
Thinking of this, Jiang Dequan felt a surge of bitterness and sorrow.
He could only blame himself for having neither money nor power, being merely a minor bureau chief in a powerless department.
Seeing that the situation was at a stalemate, Feng Ye felt that this could not continue, so he stepped forward.
He shouted, "Everyone, quiet down and let's see what Director Jiang has to say. If their Cultural Relics Bureau dares to mess with Mazu again, I, Feng Ye, will be the first to object and will lead the way in driving them out of Baishi Island!"
His words eventually had an effect on the villagers.
In an instant, the previously noisy scene gradually quieted down.
"Alright! Since A-Ye has spoken, let's hear what he has to say."
The villagers' eyes were fixed on Jiang De, waiting for his explanation.
Jiang Dequan looked at Feng Ye with gratitude, took a deep breath, and said, "Fellow villagers, I fully understand your respect and love for Mazu. In fact, I feel the same way."
"At the same time, please believe me, our cultural relics bureau will absolutely not take the three statues away."
Hearing this, everyone felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders, and their expressions improved considerably.
Jiang Dequan paused for a moment before continuing, "Although these three statues are indeed cultural relics with high historical and cultural value, I also know that they are not suitable for being kept in a museum."
"Since our Cultural Relics Bureau does not have any temples dedicated to Mazu, we have absolutely no objection to enshrining these three statues in the Mazu Temple on your island."
"but……"
When they heard the word "but," the villagers' hearts, which had just settled down, were once again filled with anxiety.
Fearing that they might lose control of their emotions again and stop listening to him, Jiang Dequan quickly added, "However, I must solemnly remind everyone that these three statues are cultural relics and must be given full protection."
"Although they are enshrined in the Mazu Temple, they must not be damaged in the slightest, let alone lost. The council of your Mazu Temple must assume the obligation to protect the statues."
"At the same time, our cultural relics bureau will regularly send special personnel to inspect and carefully maintain the site."
"Furthermore, let me make this clear from the start: if we find that you are not protecting it properly, then don't blame us for moving the shrine to another location."
After hearing Jiang Dequan's words, the villagers were somewhat dissatisfied, especially with the last sentence.
However, considering that the statue of Mazu could remain in the Mazu Temple on Baishi Island, she didn't care too much.
After all, we'll leave the future to be discussed later.
Therefore, everyone expressed their determination to do their best to protect the statue and prevent it from suffering any damage.
Seeing this, Secretary Xiao and Village Chief Luo breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the State Administration of Cultural Heritage doesn't have much power, their words still carry weight in this matter.
“We need to repair the three statues. That shouldn’t be considered damage or destruction, right?” Secretary Xiao asked cautiously.
“Of course not,” Jiang Dequan replied with a smile. “Professor Yuan is not only an expert in cultural relic appraisal, but he is also very skilled in cultural relic restoration. You can ask him for help.”
"That's wonderful!"
Secretary Xiao was overjoyed.
How could one miss out on such a good opportunity to have professionals help restore the statues for free?
He turned to look at Mr. Yuan, and was about to make a request when he heard Mr. Yuan say, "When you start the restoration, just send someone to let the Cultural Relics Bureau know."
"Then thank you very much, Elder Yuan," Secretary Xiao said quickly.
At this moment, Jiang Dequan glanced at the sky and said, "Alright, it's getting late. Let's call it a day and come back tomorrow. We might have to keep Comrade Feng Ye occupied for the next few days, so let's not go out to sea for now."
"no problem."
Feng Ye nodded. Although fishing at sea was his livelihood, he would definitely cooperate in this matter.
"One or two days is fine, but it won't do if it goes on for too long."
Xiao Chunxiu suddenly interrupted.
“A day or two will be enough,” Jiang Dequan said with a smile. “And it won’t be a waste of his time; we’ll also give him some subsidies depending on the situation.”
"That's more like it."
Xiao Chunxiu muttered something and didn't say anything more.
Everyone was quite satisfied with the result.
After exchanging a few more polite words, Jiang Dequan, Old Yuan, and the young man left, accompanied by Party Secretary Xiao and Village Chief Luo.
The villagers who had been watching at the entrance gradually dispersed when they realized there was no more excitement to be had.
Ah-Can took out the money and handed it to Feng-Ye. After receiving his share, he said a few words and hurriedly went back.
After everyone had left, Xiao Chunxiu tidied up the used cups and said, "Aye, you have to talk to them later and make sure they give more of the subsidy. They can't just give you a couple of dollars and call it a day."
"Yes, yes, I will definitely tell them."
Feng Ye reluctantly echoed this.
Women, whether in the city or the countryside, generally love to take advantage of small things, and the older they get, the more they love to take advantage.
"Mom, hurry up and cook dinner. I'm exhausted after a long day and I'm starving."
Seeing that Xiao Chunxiu was about to say more, he quickly cut her off.
"Okay, I'll go cook now."
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