Today, the Tin Hau Temple has completely enclosed the hilltop platform, with a surrounding wall.
The three large characters “Tianhou Palace” are engraved on the lintel of the main gate. The characters are strong and powerful, showing solemnity and sanctity.
Passing through the main gate, you are greeted by a spacious courtyard.
A beautiful incense burner stands in the center of the courtyard.
Three large incense sticks were burning in the incense burner, their smoke rising and meeting the clouds in the sky.
The Tianhou Temple is not officially open yet, and people on the island usually come to worship unless there is something important to do.
Presumably, these three incense sticks were lit by Old Man Lu, who guards the temple.
Directly opposite the main gate is the main hall of the Tianhou Temple, which houses the statue of Mazu that Feng Ye and A-Can brought back from the sea.
Thanks to the restoration efforts of experts from the Cultural Relics Bureau, the statue, which had been corroded by seawater, is now completely restored, and the missing crown and dragon robe have been replaced.
The Thousand-Mile Eyes and Wind-Following Ears have also been restored and are now enshrined on either side of Mazu.
The original main hall is still there, but it has now become a side hall and has been renovated, where the original statue of Mazu is enshrined.
This was the first time Feng Ye had seen the expanded Mazu Temple.
A little over a month ago, when we came to worship at the Sea Island on the night of our departure, this place was still a construction site with all sorts of materials piled up everywhere.
Today, it is a solemn and peaceful sacred place.
The crowd carried the great white shark into the main hall and placed it on the offering table in front of the goddess Mazu.
Learning from the experience of the Mazu Temple burning down two years ago, there is no wood in the main hall; it is all made of concrete or brick.
However, they have all undergone lignification treatment, so they are almost invisible on the surface.
The same applies to the offering table.
Therefore, there is no problem in supporting the weight of this great white shark.
Then came the lighting of incense and offering of prayers.
Although Feng Ye and his group didn't bring incense, how could the Tianhou Temple be without it?
Old Lu took out a bundle of incense from the side hall and distributed it to everyone who had the strength to lift the Great White Shark.
Feng Ye was undoubtedly the first to be honored.
He took the three incense sticks and carefully lit them on the eternal lamp.
The incense smoke rose slowly, mingling with the three sticks of incense from before, creating an even richer aroma that permeated the entire main hall.
Feng Ye bowed respectfully three times, then placed three incense sticks in the incense burner.
Then, kneeling on the prayer mat, he performed three kneelings and nine kowtows.
The second person to be worshipped was Ah-chan, followed by Xiao Guowen, Xiao Yunhu, and Du Minhui.
They also deserve credit for this great white shark, so they should be given priority in the worship.
As for what to do next, Feng Ye didn't care and turned around to lead them away from the Tianhou Palace.
He hasn't even gone home yet; he can't stay here indefinitely.
It was already past four o'clock when we got back to the dock.
By this time, some of the earlier ships had already docked.
The docks were getting busier, noisy, with people gathering in twos and threes to gossip.
As soon as they saw Feng Ye and the others coming, they rushed over and surrounded them.
"I heard you made quite a bit of money on this trip, tens of thousands..."
"This is a huge windfall, a real fortune!"
"They made a fortune in just over a month on this trip, they're incredibly capable..."
"Are you going again next year? If you are, can we go with you? We're all from the same village, let's get rich together..."
"Yes, having more people means you can look out for each other and you won't be bullied..."
"Let's make money together..."
Everyone, regardless of gender, was vying to speak.
His face was full of smiles, and he was showering people with compliments and saying flattering things.
But the central idea is the same: I want to go again next year, and I must bring them along.
Feng Ye felt exhausted. He had already dealt with one group of people when he carried the Great White Shark to the Mazu Temple, and now another group had come.
Returning home with money is like returning in glory.
Everyone will want to say nice things about you.
After all, kind words are free, and everyone wants to get rich along with them.
But if someone doesn't make money, even if they won't say it openly, there will definitely be a lot of people mocking them behind their backs.
That's just how realistic the world is.
Fortunately, he made money.
Xiao Guowen and the others didn't say anything out of line; they just talked about what they had experienced over the past month.
Feng Ye gave a perfunctory reply and then said they would talk about it next year.
But these people weren't so easily appeased; they stubbornly surrounded us and wouldn't let us leave.
He had no choice but to patiently talk for a while longer.
In particular, it emphasized the uncertainty of traveling a long distance, as there is a possibility of losing everything.
However, these people only saw that they were making a lot of money, and they didn't take the dangers and uncertainties seriously at all.
Feng Ye was forced to make a final promise that if he went again next year, he would definitely inform everyone and bring along those who wanted to go.
Then, they finally managed to escape and pass through the crowd to reach the Rising Sun.
Back on the ship, Feng Ye took out money from his pocket and paid Xiao Guowen and the others their commission for yesterday.
The cargo from both ships was weighed together, so he didn't calculate it separately and gave each of them ten dollars.
As for the commission for catching small yellow croakers, it had already been calculated and paid to them on the way back.
"I haven't prepared anything for today. Everyone's coming to my house for drinks tomorrow night, and I'll cook some good dishes."
"Yes, yes, definitely."
They packed their belongings and disembarked one after another.
Feng Ye finished packing his bags, turned to A-Can and asked, "What about you? Are you going home first, or are you going to my house to split the money?"
Ah-Can rubbed his hands together and laughed, "Of course we should divide the money first. Besides, if I go home first, there's probably no one there, and I don't have my keys."
"Okay, then you can help me carry some things."
Feng Ye tossed the half-full sack of stuff he had bought to A-Can to carry.
The two locked the cabin and the wheelhouse, and then disembarked together.
This time, no one surrounded us, and we walked home smoothly along the path by the shore.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com