Night falls, Lin Fu'an holds a candlestick, walking through the main hall of the temple, where rows of official statues are displayed.
Each night before bed, the old man checks here, ensuring the altar is clean and the incense candles in front of the statues are sufficient.
As he reaches the back door, Lin Fu'an stops.
The statue at the end of this row is the White Crane Child.
Seven days ago, the statue of the Child developed cracks.
Initially, the temple folks thought it was because the statue was at the back near the door, exposed to the elements most.
But gradually, the cracks increased, spreading densely from the statue's head to its chest, even the feet, the outer paint began to large-scale peel, cleaned up, yet soon another pile gathered under the feet.
Such degree of damage couldn't merely be explained by location; all statues were custom-made, consecrated, and invited in together, unlikely to have such severe quality issues on just this one.
