Before Ye Yaodong could speak, the sharp-eared officials heard him. "Use money to buy off the villagers? How did you even come up with that? Are we supposed to buy off every single person in the village? Give them a chance to demand the moon? What kind of lousy idea is that?"
The officials had also grown angry after all the trouble these unruly villagers had caused. It really was true that harsh lands bred troublesome people! Ignorant country folk were the hardest to deal with.
Especially when they had religious beliefs, and those beliefs were precisely what was being touched.
Under the barrage of curses, Secretary Chen secretly shot Ye Yaodong a glare.
Ye Yaodong had no choice but to speak up. "What Secretary Chen means is that the museum could donate some money to Mazu Temple, as recognition and a reward for Mazu for the recovery of the bronze ding."
At those words, the Village Chief's and the village secretary's eyes instantly lit up. That was right. A-Dong had received recognition and a reward for handing over the bronze artifacts. There was no reason Mazu should get nothing.
The officials paused at that, considering whether it might actually work.
He continued, "Of course, if you donate too little, the villagers certainly won't agree. Donate a little more, and the villagers can use that money to repair and rebuild Mazu Temple. Wouldn't that make everyone happy? You get what you came for without offending Mazu, and you even rebuild her temple. The villagers will certainly be satisfied, and Mazu will be happy too."
He had thought of this long ago, back when the county officials first arrived. He had meant to tell Secretary Chen, but who would have thought the man would come up with the lousy idea of