"The burning of the pagoda confirmed the prediction of the old temple priest. In the early years of the Republic of China, there were only three thatched huts in Kuhai Bay. As people came in every year to build shops and expand, by the 23rd year of the Republic of China, Kuhai Bay became a distribution center for goods within a hundred miles. There were all kinds of goods, pedestrians were bustling, and business was prosperous. Kuhai Bay was officially established as a town and renamed Huhai Town."
Zhang Qicheng raised his head suddenly, "This is true."
"What's really wrong?" Xiang Yang asked.
Even if there really was such an activity in Huhai Town in the past, Xiang Yang would never believe in the legend of the God of Fire descending to the earth.
"Have you heard of the Dai people's Water-Splashing Festival?" Zhang Qicheng asked.
Xiang Yang nodded. Nonsense, everyone has heard of this.
"Have you heard of the dragon boat race on the Miluo River?" Zhang Qicheng continued to ask.
Xiang Yang probably understood, "You mean, this is a way to promote Qinglongwan?"
"How can this be a way to promote Qinglongwan?" Zhang Qicheng raised his head and laughed. "This is God's help. This is God's will for the prosperity of Qinglongwan. Burning the pagoda is a unique and consistent intangible traditional culture. The Fire God descended to the earth. Such a magical myth and legend, after the injection of funds, do you think its reputation will not spread? Do you think no tourists will come to see it? Do you think no one will come here to visit?"
Xiang Yang raised his eyebrows. He never considered himself a successful businessman, so he had not thought of this beforehand.
In fact, the prosperity of Huhai Town in ancient times was indeed related to the burning of the pagoda.
At that time, supplies within a radius of 100 miles were extremely scattered. The burning of the pagoda attracted merchants from nearby areas, and over time the prosperous Huhai Commercial Street was formed. This must have been an idea thought up by some wise man at the time.
But that wise man never imagined that the burning pagodas, which represented the joy of a good harvest and symbolized prosperity at that time, could become an important business means today.
Xiang Yang took out his intercom and shouted directly: "Driver, calling the driver."
"Captain, I'm here." Xu Fang shouted from the side.
Xiang Yang ordered: "Notify the flight crew to return immediately. I want to be back in Yanlong Village before dawn."
"Ah?" Xu Fang said blankly: "But we just went out to sea, we have prepared at least two months of supplies."
"It doesn't matter anymore." Xiang Yang shook his head.
After knowing the real purpose of burning the pagoda, Xiang Yang could already see how much economic benefit burning the pagoda would bring to Yanlong Village.
For other villagers in Yanlong Village, this economic benefit may not be that great.
For Xiang Yang, which owns several miles of coastline and beaches, such economic benefits are simply immeasurable.
"Really going back?" Xu Fang asked.
"We must go back." Xiang Yang affirmed.
"Okay." Xu Fang gritted his teeth and said, "I'll arrange it right away and return to Qinglongwan at the fastest speed."
"Brother Xiang." Zhang Qicheng rubbed his hands, "Shall we discuss the sponsorship?"
Xiang Yang wanted to refuse decisively, but when the words came to his lips, Xiang Yang hesitated again.
In terms of business acumen, Xiang Yang can never catch up with Zhang Qicheng, Li Chao and others. His greatest advantage is that he possesses a mysterious jade shell, which enables him to do things on the seabed that ordinary people cannot do.
Moreover, there seems to be no harm in handing this matter over to Zhang Qicheng, as Xiang Yang can still get the benefits he deserves.
The most important thing is that Xiang Yang does not have as wide a network of contacts as Zhang Qicheng and others. Without certain connections, for a large-scale event like burning the pagoda, even if he has money and historical background, Xiang Yang may not be able to pull it off.
After careful consideration, Xiang Yang said, "After we go back, let's discuss this with Village Chief Zuo first. Ask him to go and ask the villagers to raise money. If the villagers can't raise enough, you and I will each pay half of the remaining amount."
This is the greatest risk Xiang Yang could think of, while maximizing his own interests, making sure he would not be kicked out, and at the same time being able to bring Zhang Qicheng along.
Zhang Qicheng thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, then the villagers will collect the money first, and you and I will each pay half of the remaining amount."
Xiang Yang smiled, "It's a pleasure to work with you."
"We are still far from cooperation. This kind of thing requires a lot of money in the early stage. Don't even think about getting your money back without a few years of settling down." Zhang Qicheng waved his hand, "Okay, it's getting late. Go to bed early. We have important things to do tomorrow."
Xiang Yang grinned. Let alone a few years to make a profit, even if it took decades or even generations to make a profit, he would still have an advantage over Zhang Qicheng. After all, Xiang Yang was a local.
No words were spoken that night.
The next morning, the fishing boat returned to Qinglong Bay.
Xiang Yang ordered Chen Qingsheng to take people to process the catch, while he and Zhang Qicheng went straight to Grandpa Fu's house.
Grandpa Fu saw that Xiang Yang was extremely excited. He thought that Xiang Yang was supporting him in passing on the intangible culture of burning pagodas without asking for anything in return.
This made Xiang Yang blush a little, because last night Xiang Yang was not prepared to support the restoration of this tradition.
"Sit down, Yangzi. Grandpa doesn't have anything good to treat you at home. Eat an apple and drink a bottle of milk." Although Grandpa Fu is old, he is still very strong. He brought out a plate of apples and insisted that Xiang Yang have one.
Xiang Yang didn't act pretentiously. He picked up an apple and took a bite, then looked around Grandpa Fu's house.
After all, Grandpa Fu is a retired principal, and his wife is also a retired teacher with a pension, so the house is decorated quite well and is very tidy and clean.
Xiang Yang sat down on the sofa, and Zhang Qicheng tried his best to make eye contact with Xiang Yang.
Xiang Yang smiled and asked, "Grandpa Fu, do you still remember the scene of burning the pagoda?"
Grandpa Fu’s eyes were suddenly filled with memories.
"That was in the 34th year of the Republic of China. I was still a child then."
"At that time, the town of Huhai was filled with the sound of gongs and drums. The elders of the tribe personally built the pagoda, and the villagers gathered more than 200 loads of firewood and countless husks. At that time, there were seven-character signs at the door of every household, and colorful flags were planted on every reef along the coast, as well as star lanterns and Kongming lanterns..."
Xiang Yang raised his eyebrows. More than two hundred loads of firewood was almost a huge sum of money in that era. It seemed that this so-called burning of the pagoda event was even more grand than Xiang Yang had imagined.
Grandpa Fu continued, "That day was New Year's Eve, and the whole Huhai Town was immersed in a festive atmosphere. Hundreds of people gathered together and sat at the bottom of the plate. The adults drank wine and ate meat, and the children also had a red egg. Everyone was laughing and joking. It was really a carefree and comfortable life."
At this time, Zhang Qicheng frowned and interrupted Grandpa Fu, saying, "Hundreds of people? We spent so much manpower and resources to organize such a grand event, and only a few hundred people gathered together?"