Along the way, Feng Ye met many people, some of whom were like him, going to the Mazu Temple to donate money, while others had already donated and returned home.
When he arrived at the Mazu Temple, he saw even more people.
There were elderly people, children, and quite a few women on the island.
Everyone had solemn expressions and held money in their hands. They lined up in a long queue under the eaves outside the Mazu Temple, ready to offer their own contribution.
The donation area was in a side hall next to the main hall, where several tables were put together and the eight members of the council sat there.
A crowd gathered around the table. Some had already donated and didn't want to leave, while others hadn't donated yet and were all curious to see how much others had donated.
Feng Ye didn't queue up first; instead, he planned to ask about the threshold for requesting a statue of Mazu.
If his guess was wrong and the threshold exceeded one thousand, he could go back and get the money.
"Oh, Ah Ye is here. Make way for our great hero."
When Secretary Xiao glanced up unintentionally, he saw Feng Ye pushing his way forward and quickly greeted the crowd with a smile.
Those people turned around and smiled kindly, squeezing in a space to make room for each other.
Feng Ye thanked him and went inside. Before he could even speak, Secretary Xiao said, "Come on, Ye, how much are you planning to donate? I'll write it down for you."
"No, everyone is queuing up. How could I possibly cut in line? Besides, those people queuing up would have a problem with that."
Feng Ye quickly waved his hand in refusal.
Party Secretary Xiao laughed heartily and said, "What are you saying? You are the biggest contributor to the expansion of this Mazu Temple. It's just a matter of cutting in line. What could they possibly have to say?"
"Yes, we have no objection."
"It's definitely not allowed for others to cut in line, but it's allowed for him and that Ah-Can."
"That's right, it's just cutting in line, it's a small matter, of course you can do it."
The people in line echoed this sentiment.
The news of Feng Ye's actions had spread, and people knew that he had played a significant role in the expansion of the Mazu Temple.
"Thank you all very much."
Feng Ye didn't stand on ceremony, smiled and clasped his hands in thanks, then looked at Secretary Xiao: "Secretary Xiao, may I ask how much money is needed to bring back a small statue of Mazu?"
"Our council members discussed it and decided that if the islanders donate 500 yuan, they can invite one statue."
“For families that go out to sea, 500 yuan is not much. They can earn it in one or two months at most, so it is not a big burden.”
"For families without boats, this number might be a bit high, but they don't need to invite anyone; they can just come to the temple to worship."
"Of course, if someone wants to donate more, that's fine too. The more you donate, the more merit you accumulate."
"As for people from outside the island, if they want to bring the statue back, they will have to donate more than 1,000 yuan."
Some people know this threshold, while others, like Feng Ye, don't. After listening, they all nodded, finding it very reasonable.
Although fishing is a high-risk profession, the income is also relatively high.
Even with bad luck, they still earn more than the average worker. If they're lucky, they can easily make hundreds or even thousands of dollars in one go.
Of course, all of this has a major prerequisite: good weather.
If it rains non-stop like in spring, lasting for ten days, half a month, or even a month, then all our efforts will be wasted.
It's normal that people from outside the island have to donate twice as much to qualify.
The Mazu Temple belongs to the people of Baishi Island, not outsiders, so it certainly cannot be treated the same.
For 1,000 yuan, you can get a statue of Mazu that has been worshipped. That's a great deal.
Some people want to hire, but even if they spend more money, they still can't find a place to do so.
"How much are you going to donate? You have a boat, so you should donate at least 500 yuan, right?"
Secretary Xiao chuckled and put the merit book aside, then picked up another merit book.
"How many people donated more than 500?"
Feng Ye immediately understood that this was for the convenience of statistics.
Secretary Xiao flipped through the merit book: "Quite a few. Look, these are all of them."
He glanced at it and saw that the donation book was mostly filled with donations of 500 yuan or more; no one had donated more than 500 yuan yet.
Among them, he also saw several familiar names, one of which was A-Can, and the others were Fang Yi, Wang Teng, and Zhang Qiang.
"Huh...why are their names listed here too?"
Feng Ye pointed to the three names in surprise.
"You mean them? They gave me the money before they left our island, asking me to donate it for them after the donation drive started."
Secretary Xiao said with emotion, "They are all outstanding. May the Goddess Mazu bless them."
Upon hearing this, Feng Ye couldn't help but feel a little moved.
They donated all the money they were given for the big croakers; they didn't keep a single penny.
"That really shows your thoughtfulness," Feng Ye said softly.
He then took out the money and handed it over: "Here is 2,000 yuan. I will donate 1,000 yuan in my name and 500 yuan each in my wife's and son's names."
Upon hearing this, especially the half-sentence, many people's eyes lit up, particularly the women present, and it sparked a discussion among the crowd.
"Is this even possible? Women can have names?"
"If possible, I would also like to donate some in my own name."
"I'd like to, but I don't know if it's really possible?"
"Oh dear, I've already donated. Otherwise, I would have written my wife's and daughter's names on it too."
"Could you donate a little more? It doesn't have to be much, ten or twenty yuan would be fine too."
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