The old man was pleasantly surprised for a moment. He had originally just asked as a routine question, not expecting the man to have this awareness, or not expecting that there would be other bronze artifacts. He did not expect that there really were some.
He said with a big smile: "Okay, okay, go get it, we'll wait here."
Ye Yaodong went and came back quickly, handing the bronze wine glass in his palm to the old man.
"This was pulled up with the bronze tripod by the fishing net. It's the only one. I don't know if there are any more on the seabed. This thing doesn't look very useful. I can't really use it as a wine glass. It's just a toy for my children at home."
The old man took the bronze wine cup directly, and took out a magnifying glass from his pocket to look at it. Others around him also leaned forward with curiosity.
"Is it really a bronze wine cup?"
"What era?"
"Dad, can you tell which era this is from?"
Ye Yaodong glanced sideways. This county committee member called the director of the cultural center "dad". No wonder two or three people from the county committee came today to show support. They were probably afraid that they could not deal with these fools and would return empty-handed.
The old man shook his head. "It's hard to say. We have to take it back for identification to know."
He looked at Ye Yaodong again, "Comrade Ye Yaodong, do you know that this is a cultural relic?"
Ye Yaodong shrugged, "I only know that this thing has no owner. It's a commodity in the sea, so whoever fishes it out owns it."
"Well... in principle, you are right, but this is a cultural relic, and cultural relics belong to the country, not to individuals."
"What do you mean? You want to rob me for nothing? I'm fine letting you take a look at it, but you can't take it away. I got it..."
What if he was given too easily and forgot to commend him? What about his reward? Donation is donation, but the reward can't be less, there are still some in the seabed, so he has to be given a definite answer first, anyway, he is an uneducated fisherman.
The old man looked at the others, then smiled and said, "Don't worry, your donation will also contribute to our country, and the county will definitely show its support."
"What do you mean?"
"We all need to go back and discuss this. Also, the bronze tripod in the temple..."
"Ah... don't ask me about that. I've already donated it to the Mazu Temple. I can't make the decision. You have to ask the villagers in our village whether they agree or not."
At this moment, an idea suddenly popped up in Ye Yaodong's mind. He felt that it was absolutely right for him to donate the bronze tripod to the Mazu Temple. It might even make the Mazu Temple in the village more prosperous.
"Well... that was donated by you, and the villagers should listen to you."
"Ah, no, no, no. I can't influence the villagers in our village. They just told me at the dock that the tripod cannot be taken away. It's Mazu's thing. You should understand the beliefs of people living by the sea." After making up his mind, Ye Yaodong became more calm.
The villagers who were watching the excitement at the door heard the conversation inside the house and started shouting too.
"Yes, that tripod belongs to our Mazu Temple and cannot be taken away."
"Yes, yes... you can't take it away..."
"Yes... You can't take it..."
The old man frowned as he listened to the noise outside, feeling the situation was a bit tricky.
The others also frowned, feeling that it would be difficult to deal with. People living by the sea all believed in Mazu, and they all knew it. They were more enthusiastic in worshipping Mazu than attending a banquet. They turned their eyes to the village committee members.
The village committee members were all there laughing and not saying anything.
They are also villagers of this village, so of course they have to safeguard the collective interests.
Ye Yaodong saw them frowning and exchanging glances, and he had no idea what to do. He smiled and said, "Why don't you go back first? It's getting late today, and the mountain road is not easy to walk on after dark. How about we wait until tomorrow?"
"Okay, then we'll come back tomorrow. We'll have to keep you here for a few days. Wait at home and don't go out to sea..."
Mother Ye interrupted with some disapproval, "That won't do! The weather has been good these past few days, and one day without going out to sea is a day's loss. We fishermen depend on the weather and the sea for our livelihood. A whole family of so many mouths depends on Dongzi to go out to sea to earn money. It's okay for you to let him wait at home for a day or two, but not for a few days. If he stays at home for ten days or half a month, the whole family will have to starve. He can't just sit at home and wait for you all day without doing anything."
"We are doing serious business..."
"He's going out to sea for a serious matter. Does he have to give up food and drink for the whole family just to cooperate with you? If you can't achieve your goal, and you come for ten days or eight days or a month, does he have to wait for you at home for a month or so? That won't do."
Ye's mother is a country woman who seems to be ignorant of heaven and earth. Anyway, she thinks she has not broken any law, so how can she only care about others and ignore her own family
The county official said helplessly: "Don't worry, he donated cultural relics to cooperate with the work, and the tripod was also found by him on the Internet. When he donates it, the county will give corresponding commendations and rewards. We will also give some subsidies depending on the situation."
"What's the reward? What's the subsidy?"
"This needs to be discussed, but you have to cooperate with us in our work."
Ye Yaodong grabbed his mother who wanted to speak again. He had already completed the assist and it was over if he kept pestering her.
"I know. I can cooperate in the short term."
He fished this out, so he had to cooperate, and he also had some other ideas in his mind.
The old man was very satisfied with his attitude. "Thank you, Comrade Ye Yaodong, for your cooperation and understanding. In the next two days, I may need you to lead our people to the sea where the bronze artifact was salvaged."
"no problem."
Others were also very satisfied with his cooperation. Although his mother was a little difficult to talk to, Comrade Ye Yaodong's attitude was still acceptable.
"We want to take this bronze wine cup back and have it appraised by a professional..."
Ye Yaodong nodded, "Okay."
It's all going to be donated anyway.
Now everyone is more satisfied and no longer gets stuck on it. They are aware of the problem.
Those leaders from the county finally did not return empty-handed today. After smiling and saying a few polite words, they left surrounded by everyone.
As soon as the people left, the villagers were in an uproar.
"I said they were planning to take the cauldron away. Look, they really did."
"We can't let them move away... This belongs to our village..."
"It's just... we can't let them succeed. How can Mazu's things be taken away so easily?"
"Why are you still cooperating with them, Adong? They all want to move the tripod you donated to the Mazu Temple."
"That's right, they shouldn't be allowed to enter the village."
Seeing that the villagers were somewhat dissatisfied, Ye Yaodong quickly explained: "We grew up under the five-star red flag. We have to cooperate with the government when it needs us. Moreover, if they want to move the big tripod, they need the consent of the villagers. If the villagers don't agree, who can move it?"
"That's right. If it's serious work, we have to cooperate."
“But they want to move away.”
"If we don't agree, who will dare to move? The government can't be unreasonable."
"That tripod is so amazing that even officials were attracted to it. And how come they just took away the wine glass you just gave me?"
"It's useless for me to keep it if they don't take it. It's just one. If they want to study it, then let them do it. Anyway, didn't they say they would commend me and reward me? The country will not treat me unfairly."
"That too… "
"Okay, fellow villagers, please go back home and visit your mothers. As for tomorrow's matter, we'll talk about it tomorrow." After explaining, Ye Yaodong sent everyone away. He was exhausted, tired and hungry.
"Why are you looking for mom? That's weird. Don't we all call mom? It's true that we have to go home for dinner..."
"I've been running around, but I haven't seen any results..."
"Let's come back tomorrow when someone arrives. We need to help keep an eye on it..."
"Yes, keep an eye on them tomorrow. If anyone enters the village, notify everyone immediately..."
After driving everyone away, Ye Yaodong slumped down in the chair at the door.
Ye's mother stepped forward and asked, "Dongzi, what do they mean by commendation and reward? And what kind of subsidy? It's not just a fountain pen, a thermos, or an enamel pot, right?"
"I don't know. I haven't received it gloriously before. I'll know when the time comes. What else can we lack? Reputation and honor are what's important."
"It would be good if you could give me more rewards. It's free stuff anyway, so the more the better. It sounds like you have a lot of money... You might have to stay at home with me for a few days, how much loss would that be? You should talk to them and give them more..."
Country women can't change their habit of taking advantage of small opportunities, and his mother is the same. Ye Yaodong agreed helplessly: "Yes, yes, let's see how the county handles it. You can go to the dock to see if Dad has sold all the goods. He will be alone outside when I come back, and I don't want to move at the moment."
"I gonna go see."
Only after sending his mother away did he feel at ease and could rest for a while.
After Lin Xiuqing and other leaders had left, she quickly brought the clothes that were drying at the door into the house, then simply cooked a meal and heated up the lunch dishes before coming out to call him to eat.
A bunch of people were staying at their house before, and she couldn't do anything and didn't dare to do anything. Now it was late, so she could only eat something.
"I'll take a break. You and the kids can eat first!"
Lin Xiuqing stepped forward and massaged his shoulders considerately, "Are you exhausted? You can rest for two days after cooperating with them and take a break."
"Hmm~ Comfortable~ I think so too. What's more, I was the one who salvaged the bronze artifact, so I have to cooperate with them and let them salvage what needs to be salvaged and move what needs to be moved away."
"Did they really move the tripod away?"
"We'll see. We need to discuss this and see if the villagers agree. For us, it's better to put it in the Mazu Temple. If the government takes it away and forces it to donate, it has nothing to do with us. But it's unlikely that it will be taken away by force, so we have to respect the wishes of the villagers."
She frowned and said, "If I had known, I should have deposited it at the Mazu Temple instead of donating it. When these people come, I can just give it to them and take it away. It would save the trouble of having to come back time and time again."
"If you don't donate it to Mazu and leave it in the temple, it will probably be gone in a few days. There are many people who don't know anything and would rather spend money than their lives. This junk can be worth tens of dollars. Donating it to Mazu is different. This is a belief. If you want to take Mazu's things, you have to think twice."
"That's true."
"Okay, it's none of your business anyway, don't worry about it, just watch how things develop."
"Hey... it's because they came to our house, so we have to pay more attention to them, and I don't know how many days I will have to delay you."
"Well, it won't take long. Let's go inside and eat first. Where are the two little ones?"
"Next door, I'll go call them."