103: Chapter 103 Discussing Important Matters

The morning of the 11th.

Han Jingyang followed Han Bin to the village chief's house to talk about the matter.

They didn't bring any gifts, just some fruit.

It went very smoothly.

But after they finished discussing official business, the village chief cleared his throat. "Now, Jingyang, I heard you've studied a bit of Habitation Environment Science?"

"Huh?" Han Jingyang was stunned for a moment, then nodded once he realized what was being asked. "I've studied it a little. Uncle Jiansheng, is something the matter?"

The village chief's surname was Han, and his name was Han Jiansheng. He was slightly older than Han Bin and held a lot of prestige in the village.

Han Jiansheng said ambiguously, "It's like this. Didn't the village use to have a Dragon King Temple? It's been abandoned for forty years. During the last New Year, your grandfather and a few other old men were talking about it, and their idea was to rebuild it. They want to pair it with the reservoir, the farmhouse resorts, and the orchards on the other side of the mountain to turn it into a small scenic spot."

Han Jingyang understood instantly.

Han Jiansheng was the village chief. Although his rank wasn't high, he was part of the same system as Shen Yuhai. Some things couldn't be said directly; being reported could lead to a reprimand at best and dismissal at worst.

So, Han Jiansheng's real intention was simply to rebuild the Dragon King Temple.

As for the purpose of rebuilding it...

That was open to interpretation.

Regardless, Han Jiansheng had to stick to the narrative of creating a tourist attraction.

But those in the know understood that they actually felt the village's Feng Shui wasn't good and wanted to adjust it.

Or perhaps they believed the village's Feng Shui could be made even better than it was now.

Now that living conditions had improved and the village's economic situation was more comfortable than before, they had both the inclination and the ability to tinker with such things.

Of course, some villages did have genuine needs, such as those frequently facing floods. You couldn't say for sure if these measures worked, but you couldn't say they didn't, either.

They held an attitude of "better to believe it than not."

Besides, building a temple didn't cost that much.

However, according to rural customs, doing something like this definitely required a highly respected person to preside over it.

A junior like Han Jingyang would normally only be expected to donate money and labor; he wouldn't even be qualified to carry the Dragon King's sedan chair.

For Han Jiansheng to ask Han Jingyang to be in charge now was somewhat strange.

It wasn't as if the village lacked other Feng Shui Masters or Yin-Yang Masters. Most villages had fixed people they used for weddings and funerals, and they wouldn't change them lightly, as things could go wrong if the transition wasn't handled well.

Don't underestimate this business; it was very profitable. As long as one's reputation wasn't too bad, earning over a hundred thousand a year was easy, and one could earn even more from large projects.

So, Han Jingyang frowned slightly. "Uncle, have you communicated with the villagers about this?"

"Not yet, but if I speak up, everyone will give me some face. If you agree, I'll handle the rest."

"Is it really appropriate to ask me for this?"

"It's appropriate."

"Uncle, tell me the truth, what are you really thinking?"

Han Jiansheng glanced at Han Bin. "Although I don't know where you learned this craft, who doesn't know how capable you are now? The news has already spread throughout Quancheng."

"Spread throughout?"

"Yes, we were actually the last to know."

At this point, Han Bin let out a muffled snort. "If your Uncle Jiansheng hadn't mentioned this to me, I'd still be in the dark. Speak up, when did you learn this craft, and from whom?"

"..."

For a moment, Han Jingyang really didn't know how to answer his father's question.

He had been carefully hiding it before, thinking he would keep it from his family for as long as possible, since it was hard to fool those closest to you.

With others, he could just make up a plausible story to get by.

But he couldn't do that with family. They ate, drank, and lived together every day—who wouldn't know whom?

But he had to give them some kind of explanation.

So, after hesitating for a moment, he said, "I learned it from an old professor at school when I was in university."

Then he quickly added a cover story: "Don't ask me who the professor is; I can't say. He's been living in seclusion for a long time, only wanting to spend his remaining years in peace. I also swore a solemn oath not to reveal his name. So, it's enough that you two know; don't tell anyone else."

Han Bin snorted again. "Then you should have at least told us about your career change. You became a Feng Shui Master without saying a word."

"I didn't want to either. It was all a coincidence; I was just pushed into it."

"Are you confident?"

How could he answer that?

Naturally, he could only nod.

Han Jiansheng continued, "Then get prepared. Pick a good location and a good day. It would be best to make a design plan. I'll handle the labor and materials."

Han Jingyang could still only nod.

To be honest, this was his first time doing something like this, and he truly had no experience.

Choosing a site was easy enough.

But he was completely ignorant of the other procedures and rituals.

In the eyes of ordinary people, elements like dates, rituals, and taboos were more important—for example, which zodiac signs shouldn't be present, what colors of clothes shouldn't be worn, what date and time to light the firecrackers, who should be the first to offer incense based on their birth date, the route for inviting the deity, and the most important Consecration ceremony, and so on.

However, Han Jingyang knew very little about these things.

And he couldn't even ask anyone else for advice.

Asking would reveal his lack of expertise.

If he revealed that, he wouldn't be able to go through with it.

Feng Shui?

Don't be ridiculous. These days, who really believed that a good life was brought about by good Feng Shui?

To put it bluntly, these people just had too much money and nowhere to spend it, so they were spending it to join in the fun, much like hiring an opera troupe to perform.

Wait, performing opera?

Inviting a deity also required an opera performance; that was part of the process.

He had seen somewhere before that there was a procedure during the ritual of inviting a deity where the statue had to be placed in front of the opera stage to let the deity watch the play. The longer it was, the more efficacious the deity would be.

Thinking of this, he asked tentatively, "Will there be an opera performance?"

Han Jiansheng was stunned for a moment. "So you really do understand. We definitely have to have one. When the time comes, I'll call all the villagers back, including the young people living away. Everyone who can come back should do so to join the festivities. Otherwise, I'm afraid that in a few years, the people of our own village won't even recognize each other."

Han Jingyang nodded. "It's a good thing. Our sense of clan isn't as strong as it is in the south. If even the cohesion of the village is lost, it'll be hard to get anything significant done."

"Right, right, right, that's exactly what I was thinking. Some things aren't officially encouraged, but we still need that cohesion. Later, I'll look into setting up a Student Aid Fund in our village's name. From primary school to university, as long as they're in school, they'll get financial aid. Do you think that's feasible?"

"You're asking me?"

"You're the first student from a prestigious university in our village. Who else should I ask but you? Even if you don't know the specifics, you can ask your teachers and classmates; some of them are bound to know."

"Alright, I'll look into it. I recall there are many similar funds at the university."

"When the time comes, we'll handle these two things together. The village will provide the bulk of the funds, and villagers who want to show some love can also contribute a bit."

"How much does the village plan to provide?"

"My plan is five hundred thousand."

"The village is that wealthy?"

"Look at what you're saying. This is Quancheng. Even if there's no other income, leasing land, rivers, reservoirs, and barren hills brings in a large amount of revenue. Not to mention our village also has three or four factories and several hundred acres of orchards. I won't overstate it, but we still have five hundred thousand."

Han Jingyang nodded.

No wonder Han Jiansheng had been the village chief for so many years; he really was quite capable.

He hadn't given the villagers any reason to complain.

He also did a lot of practical work.

He didn't shirk any village matters that needed managing.

He was a man who got things done.

Take those few factories, for example; although they weren't large, they were all initiated and established by Han Jiansheng.