The earth yields the five grains, which in turn nourish the people. It is for this reason that people worship the God of the Land.
The God of the Land's divine rank isn't high, and his temples are often crudely built—even shabby—but they are extremely popular, with a constant stream of worshipers coming to offer incense.
Zhao Lin and Liang Song stepped through the temple gate. Before them, enshrined in the main hall, were two endearingly simple clay statues: the God of the Land and his wife, the Goddess of the Land. They looked just like any ordinary elderly couple from the countryside.
A couplet flanked the divine niche. The first line read, "The Old Man is exceedingly fair," and the second, "The Old Woman has a boundless heart."
The horizontal banner above read: Protected by Earth, Blessed by Heaven.
Statues of the Buddha and Daoist patriarchs also stood on either side of the great hall, where a few monks and Daoist priests were busy soliciting donations for incense.
