Night had fully fallen, and Gaojia Village entered its "non-static frame" mode.
Well, not entirely still anymore. Two villagers now patrolled the wall on rotating shifts, walking circles around the perimeter under the dim, flickering lantern light.
Boring sight. Nobody could watch it for long.
Every day at this hour, Li Daoxuan could safely look away from the box and return to his own life.
He could not be bothered to turn on the computer. Picked up his phone instead.
A message from Cai Xinzi popped up.
"Daoxuan, I talked to that client for hours. Finally settled it."
Li Daoxuan: "Oh? How did it go?"
Cai Xinzi: "Our Supreme Treasure craftsmanship is excellent. But that character doesn't sell in that market. Too close to a toy. Not worth much. Client bought it for 8,888 yuan just as a greeting gift to establish a connection."
Li Daoxuan: "So you're saying, if we switch the carving subject, we can make money?"
Cai Xinzi: "Exactly. Buddhist and Daoist statues are worth far more than Supreme Treasure. That's how you escape the toy category and become real art."
Li Daoxuan: "I only made the Supreme Treasure for fun. I can do Buddhist and Daoist statues too. What price did he quote?"
Cai Xinzi: "Normal subject, no parody. One centimeter tall, same detail as that Supreme Treasure? 48,888 yuan."
Li Daoxuan: "Oh? That's enough to make twenty Hakka walled houses."
Cai Xinzi: "I make you a half-meter model with tires, a motor, a remote control, and over two hundred rooms. Iron sheets and all kinds of materials cost a fortune, and I only charge you two thousand yuan. You carve a one-centimeter piece of wood and sell it for 48,888 yuan. I'm not convinced. I want to punch you."
Li Daoxuan: "Hahahaha!"
Cai Xinzi: "The client also made a perverted request. Let's see if you can handle it."
Li Daoxuan: "Oh? Let me hear it."
Cai Xinzi: "He wants something even smaller. Smaller than one centimeter. Five millimeters. Can you do it?"
Li Daoxuan: "..."
Cai Xinzi: "Sigh. So it really is impossible? He's willing to pay 228,888 yuan for a five-millimeter piece."
Li Daoxuan: "Why do you have so little faith in me? You added him on WeChat, right? Ask him right now. Is five millimeters a bit too big? I can make one-millimeter pieces. I'm just worried it'll be too small for him to see clearly, and he'll refuse to take it."
Cai Xinzi: "Fuck!"
Li Daoxuan: "Talk properly. No swearing."
Cai Xinzi: "You can actually make one millimeter? That's smaller than a grain of rice!"
Li Daoxuan: "The master who made the Supreme Treasure for me specializes in rice-grain micro carving. One millimeter is not a problem. Ask the client if he wants it."
Cai Xinzi: "Wait a moment. I'll ask."
Two minutes later.
Cai Xinzi: "For a one-millimeter piece, if the detail is at least half the level of that Supreme Treasure, he'll pay 1,288,888 yuan."
Li Daoxuan: "Deal. I'll take the order."
Cai Xinzi: "You really are a madman. You can handle an order like this. I'm starting to admire you."
Li Daoxuan: "Hahaha. Tell me, what does he want custom-made?"
Cai Xinzi: "A statue of Taishang Laojun."
Li Daoxuan: "What can a one-millimeter Taishang Laojun statue even be used for?"
Cai Xinzi: "I was curious too, so I asked. He said it's for a sacred image inside a bead."
Li Daoxuan: "What the hell is a sacred image inside a bead?"
Cai Xinzi: "You've never seen it? Haha! Neither had I. I only found out after asking him. You've heard of sandalwood Buddhist prayer beads and Daoist beads, right? One bead after another, strung together and worn on the wrist."
Li Daoxuan: "I've heard of those."
Cai Xinzi: "A sacred image inside a bead means hollowing out the middle of a prayer bead, placing a tiny image of a Buddha or deity inside, then filling it with a special liquid and sealing the bead. A small window is left on top so you can look inside. Pick up a bead, squint one eye, peek through it. You see a Buddha image floating within the bead. For a believer, that's a treasure."
Li Daoxuan: "Fuck. That does sound pretty impressive."
Cai Xinzi: "Ordinary craftsmen can only put a crude little picture inside the bead. With your micro carving skills, he can stuff in a lifelike statue. Far more three-dimensional than a painting, way more impressive. The statue can even float and rotate inside the liquid. A picture can't do that."
Li Daoxuan understood. This thing really did sound like a clever way to impress people.
Cai Xinzi: "I'm certain. He'll take your micro carving for 1,288,888 yuan, put it in a bead, and turn around and sell that bead for three million each."
Li Daoxuan: "Hahaha. Interesting. How much he sells it for is his skill. We just need our end to be fair. Be magnanimous."
Cai Xinzi: "You can be magnanimous as a person, but not as a businessman. I need to negotiate with him again."
Li Daoxuan: "Fine. How much you can negotiate is your skill. I just need 1,150,000 yuan. Anything extra is your commission."
Cai Xinzi: "Damn. You really are magnanimous. If you lived in ancient times, you'd be a hero who generously gives away wealth. Like that Little Whirlwind Chai Jin from Water Margin. Giving money to everyone he meets, useful or not. Throwing money around until every hero near and far respects you."
Li Daoxuan thought to himself. Oh, you actually hit the nail on the head. For the past half month, I've been pouring money into those little people. Now they all respect me plenty.
Generous with wealth was not a bad phrase. He would take it.
---
Time ticked by. Days passed in a flash.
Recently, the most prominent figures in Gaojia Village, aside from Gao Yiye and Shan Shi'er, were the two new sculptors. They had presented several statues to Tianzun in succession and earned several huge rewards.
On top of the first two large slabs of pork tenderloin, the two men also received plenty of flour, rice, rapeseed oil, and a huge lump of white pork fat.
In a drought year, those things were more useful than gold and jewels.
They traded the goods with other villagers for daily necessities, and even hired a few fellow villagers to build two shacks for their families during breaks from constructing the Dao Xuan Tianzun temple.
The two sculptors became the first immigrants in Gaojia Village with an actual roof over their heads.
Zheng Daniu, who was just as hardworking and chopped wood every day, did not get rich.
He received rewards too. But every single time, he asked for Happy Water.
The stuff was joyful to drink. But no villager was willing to trade their limited goods for it.
Simply put.
If it was free, they would drink it happily. If they had to pay, they would rather die.
Zheng Daniu was happy not to sell it. He drank it himself. Finish one basin, go get more wood, drink another basin. He did not care whether anyone else wanted to work hard for it. As long as he was happy, that was enough.
Of course, some people just lie flat.
Zheng Daniu patted his round belly. Everyone else was busy getting rich. He was fine with his two liang of pork and a basin of Happy Water. What is the point of working so hard? What is the point of climbing higher? Is it not better to just lie down and rest?
Except.
That Happy Water really was happy. He wanted another sip.
Damn. Cannot lie flat.
He grabbed his axe and sprinted out of the village.
In the midst of this joyful atmosphere, the Dao Xuan Tianzun temple was finally completed.