Reshaping the golden statue of Mazu and rebuilding the temple was by no means something that an ordinary person could accomplish with just a few words and a wave of the hand.
Su Buchi wrote a letter and sent it to the imperial court post - haste, detailing everything that had happened here.
However, as the New Year was approaching and envoys were coming to the capital, the officials of the six ministries in the capital were so busy that they had no time to deal with the trifles of a small fishing village.
He waited for a long - time without a reply. Fearing that Li Ying would worry, he invited people several times to console her, saying that he would spare no effort to mediate in the matter of rebuilding the Mazu Temple.
Li Ying was not very busy. Granny Sun's legs and feet had recovered about 70 - 80% after two days of rest.
Taking advantage of the festive New - Year atmosphere, Li Ying invited Mr. Yan to be a witness, presented a visiting card to the village head, burned incense and paid homage to heaven and earth. Then she knelt down in front of Granny Sun solemnly and performed the grand ceremony of three kneels and nine kowtows, officially recognizing her as her adoptive mother.
"Mother!" Li Ying called out crisply. Granny Sun, sitting on the mahogany chair, her eyes glistening with tears, kept saying, "Good daughter, good daughter." and was about to get up shakily to help her up.
Li Ying was stubborn. She knocked her head firmly several times before inviting the villagers who were watching the excitement to the banquet.
This incident became a much - talked - about good story in the village for a while.
Good things came in pairs. Li Ying and Granny Sun recognized each other as mother and daughter, and everyone in the village was beaming with joy.
The fishing villagers had a precedent of worshiping the sea god. This magnificent golden statue of Mazu was unearthed again, which inspired the villagers. They regarded this as an auspicious omen.
A grand and lively Mazu incense - patrolling ceremony was imperative.
The female relatives were overjoyed. Even the young girls who had not yet reached the age of coming - of - age in the family put on newly - tailored clothes and were dressed up brightly.
The fishing village was warm and humid. Although it was the depth of winter, there were still many mountain flowers in full bloom. When the fishing girls did their makeup, they picked the flowers and wore them on their smooth coiled buns. They dressed up gorgeously to welcome the god - worshiping fair.
Li Ying had heard a little about this custom of wearing flowers in this world.
She used a long ivory - white chopstick to gather up all her black hair and coil it up behind her head.
On top of her head, she wore several layers of fresh and silk flowers of different sizes, types, and colors. They were overlapping, colorful, and complementing each other. From afar, it looked like a "garden on the head", full of spring vitality.
The women in their gorgeous flower - adorned costumes walked in the Mazu incense - patrolling procession. Each of them had a bright and brilliant smile, and their eyebrows and eyes were overflowing with vibrant vitality.
This mighty crowd lined up in a long column, walked through the streets and alleys, with gongs and drums resounding.
There was also a local opera troupe performing several operas full of joys and sorrows. On the one hand, it was for entertainment, and on the other hand, it was to convey the sufferings of the world to the heavens and ask for the pity of the Mazu Goddess.
Such a lively event was an unprecedented grand occasion for several small coastal villages. For a while, tourists flocked to the village.
Walking in the crowd, Li Ying heard the undisguised praise from the onlookers and had an idea.
"Wearing flowers in this life, being beautiful in this world." Wasn't this what the female relatives in the capital were constantly pursuing?
She didn't spend much effort to draw some more complicated flower - crown designs.
To match these flower crowns, besides the local fishing - girl outfits, Li Ying racked her brains and drew several styles of long - sleeved gowns.
These dresses were either decorated with long ribbons that swayed gracefully, or had jade pendants that tinkled, or had cloud - shaped collars that made the wearer look elegant and ethereal. The styles were extremely novel and were rarely seen even in the clothing stores in the capital.
Li Ying didn't care much about dressing up, so she had never thought of making a living from it.
Now, with her brushstrokes on the paper, everyone was amazed.
"Oh, there are actually such styles of clothes in the world! Wearing them makes one look like a fairy in a painting!"
The fishing girls all showed envy in their eyes, but Li Ying just smiled.
She intended to open a "flower - wearing portrait studio" in the fishing village. These designs would be the "make - up and styling" for the female customers.
She was on a roll and drew many different dresses. She sent someone to the best silk shop in the town, urging them to rush to make them before a large number of tourists arrived.
This silk shop also belonged to the Lu family. The shopkeeper knew Li Ying's identity, so he didn't dare to be negligent. He quickly took out the best materials from his stock and worked day and night.
She went to great lengths, directing the villagers to tidy up several scenic spots most suitable for "portraits". She also issued notices widely to look for painters with excellent painting skills to depict the graceful figures of every woman who wanted a "portrait".
The older fishing girls in the village were dexterous. They could adorn a head of flowers in less than half an hour. Choosing two sets of clothes to change into, plus a carefully framed portrait, only cost two taels of silver.
If one was lucky, one might even have the chance to meet Su Buchi and ask him to write a line of calligraphy.
This young and handsome Master Su was highly talented and had a graceful bearing, which made all the young ladies blush involuntarily.
The custom of wearing flowers was popular in the fishing village, and with the blessing of the Mazu Goddess, it was believed that the coming year would be more peaceful and prosperous, with enough food and clothing.
Everyone was happy, and even Qing Liu and her companions were lucky enough to escape blame.
Although they had almost caused Granny Sun to lose her life, considering that it was an unintentional mistake and that the New Year was approaching, the villagers didn't want to argue with them and bring bad luck. So they were still quite polite to Qing Liu and the others.
"Sister Qing Liu, you really have a good plan. If it weren't for your quick wits this time, those stupid villagers might have listened to Li Ying's instigation and driven us out of the village!"
The girls felt lucky to have survived this crisis. Qing Liu raised her eyebrows and took all their compliments without hesitation. Her beautiful eyes were twinkling, and she was secretly scheming again.
The secret letter from the master said that Li Ying always opposed him and must not be let off lightly. They must spare no effort to stir up trouble in this idyllic fishing village so that they could fish in troubled waters, restore order, and win back people's hearts.
Now that they had finally survived a difficult situation, they had to take this opportunity to stir up some more trouble.
She looked at the bustling traffic at the village entrance from afar. There were also many middle - aged women. An idea suddenly came to her mind.
"Wearing flowers in this life, being beautiful in this world? Fine. Let's show these country bumpkins what real elegance is!"
She whispered in the girls' ears for a while. Soon, the girls understood what she meant and dressed up gorgeously, imitating the local custom of wearing flowers to adorn their coiled buns.