"Yes, we'll tear it down now," Gou De'an said. "The notice says the land god no longer has any spiritual wishes, so we'll tear down the old temple and welcome the new god."
"Yes, I understand." The master said without hesitation and accepted the order with a fist salute.
Afterwards, a notice was quickly issued from the government office and then posted inside Yangxia County and at the city gates.
The people of Yangxia County were in an uproar. When they saw the notice, they immediately tore it up in anger and went to the county government office to appeal.
"The land god has blessed Yangxia County with good weather and good health for the past two years. How can you say there are no wishes?" A white-haired old man standing outside the county government office said loudly.
"Exactly. Just three months ago, I dreamt that the God of Land appeared to me and showed me a clear path to doing business. Why do you want to demolish the God of Land Temple?"
"How can the Earth God Temple be demolished just like that?!"
"My son got smallpox, and it was the blessing of the land god that saved his life. Who dares to say that the land god has no spiritual wishes?"
"Who dares to demolish the Earth God Temple?! We will never yield!"
"Yes, I will never obey you!"
The people shouted angrily, saying that from ancient times to the present, folk customs have always been the most simple, and most people are grateful and repay favors.
Fang Jian has been blessing the people with the power of incense and vows for the past three years, and now it is finally time to be rewarded.
Seeing the people's fierce opposition, the lawyer was frightened and hurried back to report to Gou De'an.
When Gou De'an heard this, he immediately shouted angrily: "They are all troublemakers, arrest them!"
Afterwards, more than 20 constables and yamen runners rushed out of the yamen with knives and sticks in hand, and arrested the leading civilians and took them into the county government office.
The remaining people became even more angry and rushed forward to rescue people.
Seeing this, the lawyer also became furious and shouted directly: "The unruly people attacked the county government office. This is tantamount to rebellion. Beat them!"
The constables and yamen runners started beating them immediately. For a while, sticks kept falling on the people. Many people were beaten and screamed, and retreated one after another.
Despite this, the people still cursed and voiced opposition.
Gou De'an's eyes were red at this moment, and he immediately gave a fierce order: "Issue another notice! Anyone willing to work to demolish the land temple will receive thirty taels of silver!"
Thirty taels of silver! This is enough for an ordinary family of three to eat for three years. As the saying goes, big money will attract more people, and soon some people who were waiting on the sidelines were tempted by the money and signed up immediately.
In just a cup of tea, more than a hundred people carrying hoes followed Gou De'an and the yamen runners out of the city and headed towards Qingping Mountain.
The people in the city who opposed the demolition of the temple were extremely anxious, but they did not dare to stop it by force, so they could only follow behind and cry.
Some smart people immediately sent their families to various villages to report the news. When Gou De'an brought the yamen runners and the volunteers to the foot of Qingping Mountain, the people in each village also received the news.
The County Magistrate wants to demolish the Earth God Temple on Qingping Mountain! How can this be allowed?
...
"What?! He wants to demolish the land temple?!" Yang Jin from Shelin Village suddenly stood up and asked his cousin in front of him.
Cousin Yang Jin panted and said, "Yes, yes... I'm afraid we've reached Qingping Mountain now."
Yang Jin's eyes widened, and he immediately shouted angrily: "How unreasonable! If it weren't for the Earth God, my life, Yang Jin, would have been gone by now!"
After saying that, Yang Jin raised the hoe in his hand and said to his cousin, "Cousin, go back immediately and call the brothers and sisters in the village. If you are willing, come with me to Qingping Mountain."
My cousin nodded and said, "Okay!" Then he turned around and ran into the village.
After a while, all the people of Shelin Village, young and old, men and women over the age of fifteen, ran out of the village in a mighty procession, especially Yang Jin's wife Li Zaorong, who was running in the front.
"Everyone should have heard that the damn county magistrate wants to demolish the temple of the God of Land. Not to mention that I, Yang Jin, was able to recover from my injury with the blessing of the God of Land this time. If the God of Land had not appeared to help us in Shelin Village point out the location to dig a well and get water half a year ago, where would we get water to irrigate the seedlings!" Yang Jin shouted loudly to the men, women, and children of Shelin Village.
"Yang Jin, stop talking. We all know very well how kind the God of Land is. Hurry up and go to Qingping Mountain. If you go too late, the God of Land's temple will be gone." A woman holding a kitchen knife yelled at Yang Jin.
Yang Jin nodded, said nothing more, and said very simply: "Let's go!"
What happened in Shelin Village is also happening in most villages around Yangxia County.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
