The fact that so much could be raised on the island was beyond everyone's expectations.
The news spread quickly across the island, becoming a hot topic of conversation among the islanders.
This funding will indeed allow the Mazu Temple to be completely renovated and expanded to be more grand and solemn.
However, this is just a drop in the ocean if you want to create the most magnificent Mazu temple within a radius of a hundred miles.
The construction of the Mazu Temple was not merely a matter of piling up bricks, stones, and wood; it was a symbol of faith, and every brick and tile required the investment of money and the meticulous craftsmanship of artisans.
For example, the roof of the Mazu Temple requires the use of high-quality glazed tiles, each of which is quite expensive.
For example, the paints used for the murals on the interior and exterior walls are specially made so that they can withstand wind and rain without fading, which is another considerable expense.
Furthermore, the interior and exterior decorations, whether it be the application of gold leaf, the casting of bronze ritual implements, or the carvings, all require a large amount of funds to support them.
Moreover, the surrounding environment of the Mazu Temple also needs improvement, and the construction of roads and the transplantation of trees all require financial investment.
In addition, labor costs are also an aspect that cannot be ignored.
At that time, a skilled worker's daily wage was only about 8 yuan, while a laborer's was only 5 yuan.
However, due to the special nature of temple construction, workers' wages are usually three times that of ordinary construction projects.
A skilled worker costs 24 yuan, while a junior worker costs 15 yuan.
At present, such a wage level is undoubtedly a huge expense.
Therefore, the 120,000 yuan raised is far from enough to create the most magnificent Mazu temple within a hundred miles; more donations are needed.
Fortunately, the fundraising is not over yet, and the power of official newspaper publicity is slowly taking effect.
The first to donate to the island were not influenced by the newspapers, but by the relatives and friends of the Baishi Island residents who lived outside the island.
Upon hearing the news of the expansion of the Mazu Temple, they generously donated money, ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan.
Feng Ye's father-in-law, Ye Haishan, also heard the news and specially came to the island to donate one hundred yuan.
Some families who owned boats wanted to invite a statue of Mazu onto their boats for protection and donated 1,000 yuan.
In the following days, as the power of the newspapers spread, even more people went to the island to donate.
Many families with boats from the villages large and small along the coast of the town came to donate money after hearing the news.
Later on, people from all the coastal areas of the county came, and even people from other counties heard the news and came to donate their money.
These people included fishermen, merchants, and ship owners...
Without exception, they all shared a common characteristic: their livelihoods were all related to the sea.
Although there are Mazu temples in other places, even in their own village, there has been no news of their reconstruction or renovation.
Now that the Mazu Temple on Baishi Island is being expanded, and with official backing, it has naturally attracted their attention.
The main reason is that we can bring back the statue of Mazu to enshrine on the ship.
After all, all Mazus are one family!
The council members were practically grinning from ear to ear as they watched the list of names on the donation book grow longer and the amount of money raised increase.
By the day before construction was to begin, they had raised another 170,000 yuan.
The total amount raised this time reached more than 300,000, far exceeding everyone's expectations.
During this period, the weather was generally good, and Feng Ye and A Can went out to sea almost every day, earning a considerable amount of money.
After returning, I could always hear all sorts of gossip at the dock.
For example, someone from a certain place donated 1000 yuan and took a statue of a deity back with them...
He also received the newspaper from a reporter, which he carefully kept.
Harvest also returned at the beginning of the month to settle the profits earned since the eighth day of the previous month.
Feng Ye received more than 6,000 yuan.
All things considered, it's very good. I've already recouped my investment in just over a month.
Big ships are better; you can make money faster that way.
...
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the day construction was to begin, many people did not go out to sea but spontaneously went to the Mazu Temple to join in the fun.
Feng Ye and A Can didn't go out either, planning to rest for a day, and went to the Mazu Temple early in the morning.
With ample funding, the council members went all out and were truly preparing to build the Mazu Temple into the most magnificent Mazu temple within a radius of hundreds of miles.
Perhaps because Feng Ye had mentioned the ancestral temple, these people actually made a trip to Meizhou Island.
It is both a pilgrimage to worship Mazu and a visit to the ancestral temple.
After returning, he created a design drawing based on the layout of the ancestral temple.
The most eye-catching of these is a Mazu statue that is planned to be built in front of the existing Mazu Temple.
The statue is planned to be 6.6 meters tall, because the area of Baishi Island is 6.6 square kilometers.
On the morning of the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, around nine o'clock, the sun was shining brightly and the sea breeze, carrying a faint salty smell, blew across Baishi Island, bringing a unique vitality to this small island.
The area in front of the Mazu Temple was bustling with activity, as islanders gathered, their faces beaming with anticipation and joy.
Many of them were still holding incense sticks and offerings, preparing to worship Mazu after the groundbreaking ceremony.
Feng Ye stood in front of the temple with a shovel in his hand, waiting for the auspicious time to arrive.
As the primary contributor to the expansion of the Mazu Temple, he was invited to participate in the ceremony and shovel the first shovel of earth.
Also invited were respected elders from four villages, one from each village, plus members of the council, making a total of thirteen people who shoveled the first shovel of soil together.
Time slowly ticked down to 9:30.
"The auspicious time has arrived; the groundbreaking ceremony shall begin."
With a loud shout from the chairman, the oldest man on Baishi Island, who was over ninety years old, stepped forward shakily and entered the Mazu Temple.
Someone had already lit three sticks of incense and handed them to the old man.
The old man performed the grand ceremony of bowing three times and kowtowing nine times to the goddess Mazu, praying for her blessing for the smooth progress of the expansion project and for the fishermen to have safe voyages and full catches of fish and shrimp.
After the old man finished his prayers, he placed the three sticks of incense in the incense burner, and wisps of smoke rose from them.
Firecrackers then went off, deafening and echoing through the sky.
At the same time, Feng Ye and others also stuck their shovels into the ground and scooped up a shovelful of soil.
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd, announcing the official start of the Mazu Temple expansion project.
In the days to come, people of all ages on the island will participate in the project in various ways, witnessing the entire process of the Mazu Temple transforming from a blueprint into reality.
Of course, all of this had nothing to do with Feng Ye.
The day after the commencement ceremony, the Rising Sun set sail again.
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