Chapter 20: Securing the Order

“Too late.”
“Why don’t you all sleep here tonight first?”
He Guangliang said, “I can’t decide this matter alone; we need to hold a meeting to get the villagers’ opinions.”
“That’s fine, thank you, team leader.”

Back when Zhao Dagang was around, anytime there was talk of holding a meeting to seek opinions, there was usually a deal to be made—it was mostly just a matter of price.

But that era had passed several years ago, and now everyone had calmed down. Especially the older generation, whose deeply ingrained beliefs were hard to change. After being suppressed for so many years, they more than anyone else hoped to restore the village temple as soon as possible.

After a long day of travel, Zhu Xiaotao, who suffered from seasickness and motion sickness, was the first to lie down on the two-tiered iron bed and fall asleep.

Zheng Fei decided to take a walk. Daxi Village was a small fishing village by the sea, and at night, the sound of waves crashing against the reefs was clearly audible.

The village had a very small pier where many rowed sampans were moored, along with two larger motor-sail boats.

The night air here was much cooler than in the city. When the breeze blew, there was even a faint chill.

By the pier, a few children were fishing with hand lines—no fishing rods—yet in a short time, they actually managed to catch some fish.

Seafood was so abundant here it was almost free, but once transported to the city, it was not only expensive but also required a fishing permit to purchase.

One of the children who had stopped Zheng Fei and Zhu Xiaotao earlier noticed Zheng Fei and grew nervous.

Zheng Fei broke the ice first: “Can I ask, where is your village’s Mazu Temple?”

The child pointed behind him.

“You mean the old broken temple up on the hill?”

“Right at the mid-slope.”

Looking in the direction the child pointed, under the faint moonlight, the outline of a temple could just barely be seen.

The child who had stopped him smiled and said, “Hey Shanghai guy, wanna try fishing? We can teach you.”

Zheng Fei laughed, “I never fish for these little fish. I fish for those huge grouper in the sea.”

“Hmph, bragging.”

Zheng Fei smiled, “Believe it or not, your choice. Catching those fish is thrilling—they can break the fishing rod, and hand lines like these can’t hold them at all.”

Zheng Fei’s words sounded convincing enough that the kids quickly gathered around. “Is there really such big fish?”

“Giant grouper, ever heard of it?”

“No.” The kids shook their heads.

“These fish are fiercer than sharks; even sharks run away when they see them.”

Zheng Fei had never really fished much in his past life; he mainly watched short videos online. Bluffing these innocent kids was easy.

After befriending the children, they became very enthusiastic. The one who had stopped them smiled widely, “My name’s He Chao, but you can call me Xiao Chao.”

Another kid grinned, “His nickname is ‘Earth Dog,’ we all call him Brother Dog.”

“Shut up, you stinky pig!”

He Chao continued, “Are you planning to go to the Mazu Temple? The path there isn’t fixed yet, it’s pretty hard to walk. We can take you up.”

“Sure.”

Zheng Fei had planned to check it out anyway. He was pleasantly surprised by the kids’ enthusiasm; it seemed that if he got closer with them, they might even help him count the money he earned.

One child held a flashlight, while the others, seemingly afraid of places like this, all hid behind the older boy.

“What’s there to be scared of?”

The once solemn and majestic Tianhou Palace, now dilapidated, had a somewhat eerie atmosphere as Zheng Fei pushed open the door.

The creaking sound was particularly crisp.

The leading child’s flashlight happened to shine on a strange painting. After seeing the grotesque image, the timid kids all ran off, the leader frozen in place, trembling uncontrollably—but fortunately, he didn’t soil himself.

“Ah.”

Zheng Fei sighed. These kids didn’t even recognize the shrimp soldiers and crab generals; it was clear that the Mazu culture had indeed suffered a generational break among them.

Inside the Mazu Temple was empty—no statues, and the murals were all blackened by smoke and largely destroyed, with strange substances splattered over some parts.

It was quite brutal!

Luckily, the building itself was reasonably well preserved and hadn’t suffered severe damage. Otherwise, the two of them, Zheng Fei and Xiaotao, wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

After seeing the Mazu Temple, Zheng Fei felt more confident.

......

The next day.

Many villagers gathered at the team headquarters for a meeting to discuss the matter, around ten o’clock in the morning.

About a dozen elderly men came to find Zheng Fei. Upon seeing him, each showed an expression of disappointment.

“Too young.”
“Not even as old as my grandson.”

One elder took out the sketches Zheng Fei had drawn and asked, “Young master, be honest—did you really draw all these?”

Although he had expected to be doubted, Zheng Fei still felt a bit annoyed.

“Yes, I drew them. If you don’t believe me, give me a blank wall, and I’ll draw live for you right now.”

For Zheng Fei, actions spoke louder than words; his skill was the best proof.

“That’s best. Let’s go directly to the Mazu Temple. Whether it’s a donkey or a horse, you’ll know once you see how it pulls.”

The group went to the temple. A faded white wall stood outside. Zheng Fei didn’t waste time—he took out a charcoal pencil, made simple grid marks, and began to draw a scene called “Breaking the Storm to Rescue Father Yan,” depicting Mazu and her sisters weaving while her soul had already flown to the sea to save her endangered family.

......

Murals and sketches are two very different styles. Murals mostly use line drawing, which is the main technique in traditional Chinese painting.

Of course, some murals are made with meticulous brushwork, like the Fahai Temple in Beijing, which uses heavy color and fine detail, especially the Water Moon Guanyin statue, a model many have eagerly copied.

Zheng Fei’s major was in comics, which didn’t teach traditional Chinese painting. He learned so much during his time working as a laborer because a project manager once impulsively wanted to create a Chinese-style anime. The project nearly killed them, and due to a terrible script, it not only lost money but ended in a huge deficit.

Though the project failed, Zheng Fei learned a lot. He thought it was useless, but after time traveling, it became an invaluable skill.

While drawing, Zheng Fei was fully focused and silent. The spectators watched for over two hours.

Everyone was amazed—though the drawings were still uncolored, the figures seemed almost alive.

An elder couldn’t help but praise, “This is much better than what was in our Mazu Temple before.”

But right after speaking, another elder glared at him, as if scolding him for revealing too much.

“Amazing. So young with such skill—this is a real iron rice bowl,” someone praised.

“Young master, it’s enough, we believe you. But how much will you charge exactly?”

When they asked about the price, Zheng Fei was straightforward and gave a quote on the spot: “Two hundred for the entire set of murals depicting Mazu’s life story, fifty for each colored clay statue, additional charges for gilding, fifty for the pair of door gods, and since the walls are all damaged, they need to be scraped and replastered... altogether about five hundred.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiaotao gasped inwardly. Brother Fei was really impressive, daring to quote such a price.

The elders frowned at the five hundred price tag. Just then, someone said, “It shouldn’t be that expensive. I asked a Master Zhao last time; he said three hundred could handle it.”

Zheng Fei was a bit surprised. There weren’t many in Shanghai doing this work. “Is this Master Zhao the one called Zhao Dagang?”

“You know him too?”

Zheng Fei smiled, “The circle’s small, of course I know him. He learned from my grandfather, but his talent was poor. My grandfather disowned him as a disciple...”

“Your grandfather was an artist?”

Zheng Fei replied, “Yes, my whole family is in this field. My father is a comic artist who published several picture books.”

“Well, impressive.”

But then the team leader looked puzzled. “Your family is so skilled, why did you apprentice under someone else?”

Zheng Fei was silent for a moment, as if a painful spot had been touched. “My grandfather died early, and my father was sent to the far northwest for reform. I grew up relying on others’ hospitality. Luckily, my master was willing to take me in.”

Many present frowned slightly; nobody wanted to continue that heavy topic.

“Young master, can you make it a bit cheaper? This price is too high.”

Zheng Fei firmly shook his head. “You get what you pay for. I could give you a three hundred price, but then I’d just slap something together and probably make more money than charging high.”

“I have great respect for the goddess Mazu. For me, matters of faith can never be taken lightly.”

The other party looked conflicted and finally said, “How about four hundred, then?”

“Seems our fate isn’t strong enough. I was introduced here by someone else. At that price, I really can’t do it. If my master finds out, he’d scold me to death.”

Seeing Zheng Fei turn to leave, the elders were at a loss. They looked to the team leader for help.

He Guangliang pulled Zheng Fei aside and revealed the bottom line.

“Four hundred fifty at most. Several boats broke this year; the team can only afford that amount. No more.”

“Alright, for Grandpa Sun’s sake, I’ll go down by fifty. Four hundred fifty it is.”

Zheng Fei said, “Also, I need a twenty-yuan deposit. Otherwise, if I prepare all the materials and you back out, I’d take a big loss.”

“That’s fine, no problem. We can pay the deposit now.”

Zhu Xiaotao felt like he was floating on air, his smile impossible to suppress.

He never expected things to go so smoothly. Brother Fei was so powerful, he grabbed the contract in one go.

Four hundred fifty!

He and his father worked themselves to the bone carrying goods at the pier; they barely made that amount in a year.