Putting up the beams of a new house is a top priority in rural areas.
Wan Feng had already experienced the grand scene of his aunt and Zhang Xian raising the beam of their new house in Jiangwei, and now it was finally his turn.
August 16, 1981, the 17th day of the seventh lunar month, the Bingshen month, the Bingyin day of the Xinyou year
Today is an auspicious day for sacrifices, engagements, marriages, renovations, groundbreaking, prayers, sculpting and painting, fasting and offering sacrifices, bathing, demolition, foundation laying, housewarming, installing incense, building temples, moving coffins, thanking the land, removing mourning clothes, completing mourning clothes, attending school, learning a skill, traveling, erecting pillars, putting up beams, digging wells, seeking offspring, resigning, and felling trees.
The date chosen by my uncle is really good. It is so auspicious to have such a good thing to do.
"Hey, why did you come here in slippers? Go back and change your clothes and shoes.
Luan Feng, who was dressed in a formal dress, was very angry when she saw Wan Feng with his arms and legs bared and his belly exposed, wearing a pair of slippers.
"What are you doing? It's not like you're getting married..."
"Shut up and go home and change."
Wan Feng had no choice but to be taken to Luan Feng's house like a prisoner to change clothes.
Today we are putting up the beams, the garment factory is on holiday, and the girls are all helping out in the yard.
Wan Feng changed into new clothes, ran to the shoe factory to get a pair of new rubber shoes, and appeared in the yard in high spirits.
As soon as we arrived at the yard again, we were called by the beam-raising master to worship the four gods, and the beam-raising ceremony officially began.
Since his parents were not here, he had to be accompanied by Luan Feng's parents.
"The sun rises in the east, its light is brilliant. I have a new house, and everything will be prosperous..."
It would be a pity if Wang He Laozi did not become a poet if he was a few decades younger.
As he chanted in a rhythmic manner, Wan Feng and Luan Feng burned incense and offered wine to the surroundings as if they were worshiping heaven and earth, and then bowed three times.
Next it is time to sing the Liang song.
"The sun rises in the east, and the white light shines. This is a good place.
We will build Zhongde Mansion in the front and Ge Lao Hall in the back..."
Familiar accent, familiar words.
How come the same song is sung at the beam raising ceremony at my aunt's house and Zhang Xian's house? It turns out he only knows this one song!
This must be given a bad review!
Luan Feng's little face was as excited as a monkey's butt, with a smile on her face and a happy expression. Wan Feng's intuition told him that if he blew on Luan Feng now, she might turn into an immortal and leave.
Why are you being so arrogant about putting up a beam on a house? It seems like you are protesting against someone. It seems that no one is threatening your position, right?
Wan Feng really wanted to be depressed, but when he thought that today was the day when his house's beam was raised, he absolutely could not be depressed. If he had to be depressed, he had to wait until the beam-raising ceremony was over.
After the song was sung, Wang He waved his hand.
Zhang Hai shouted at the gate: "Fire the firecrackers!" Then he poked the firecrackers with a cigarette in his hand.
Why is he here again? Why does he always interfere with setting off firecrackers when someone's beams are raised? It seems he's just here for some fun.
Zhang Hai fired the whip, while Yang Qilang and several young men were responsible for setting off firecrackers.
A whole plate of firecrackers, these guys are really enjoying it. They even have a whole bundle of firecrackers during the Chinese New Year.
Amid the sound of firecrackers, the last section of the main beam rose to the roof and was installed at the main beam position by two carpenters.
Then throw the small buns.
Today is probably the happiest day for the children in Wahou. Two houses set off firecrackers and threw steamed buns down at the same time, and the children went crazy scrambling for them.
After throwing away the steamed buns, it’s time for lunch.
Zhang Hai and the old accountant sat at the same table. Zhang Hai shouted, "Buy meal tickets!"
Hanwang took out five dollars from his pocket and handed it to the accountant: "Write it down for me first, don't forget it later."
Wan Feng happened to come over at this time and said, "Uncle Zhang Hai, we are all giving double gifts today. Do you feel embarrassed to only give one gift? You should give at least two gifts, right?"
"When you get married in the future, will you marry two wives?"
Wan Feng was speechless. How could this be taken so seriously as to even involve getting married?
The banquet began. Wan Feng, as the host, had to toast Master Shang Liang, and Luan Feng, as the future hostess, seemed to have to follow suit.
So Luan Feng carried the wine bottle and wine glass on a tea tray to the table of the carpenter and the bricklayer to toast.
It's just that the attitudes of those who accepted the toasts were very problematic. They were not solemn at all. After Wan Feng solemnly said thank you to the carpenters and masonsmen for their hard work, he got some messy replies.
You say that a tall and shiny house means a bright future, which is the authentic etiquette, but Wan Feng is a little confused about the love and affection that goes with living together until old age. And what about this early birth of a baby?
Damn, I'm here today to raise the roof beams of my house, not to get married. It has nothing to do with a happy marriage.
Luan Feng smiled and did not refute, instead her eyes were narrowed with joy.
It was obvious that she was feeling the atmosphere of the wedding in advance.
Wan Feng did not tell any of his friends from other places, and specifically instructed those who delivered bricks to the street not to let the news leak out.
This way, Wan Feng had a lot more free time today. He didn't have to accompany those drunkards to drink, although he didn't drink much before.
At around 1:00 p.m., the banquet ended and everyone went home to see their mothers, while the carpenters and bricklayers continued to work.
After the beams are put up, the house enters the cleaning stage.
Wan Feng bought gypsum powder, glue and color concentrate and mixed them to make the original paint. Although it was not as good as the latex paint, spray paint and wallpaper of later generations, it was much better than the white lime paint commonly used at that time.
The rest of the decoration in the house is very simple. Apart from the walls, there is only a cement floor. The main reason is that Wan Feng will not be living here for long and will give it to Luan Feng as a factory. If the whole family comes back and still lives here, they will renovate it.
So now we just have to deal with it and that’s it.
After he leaves, this place will be given to the female workers to live in. Women gathering together is not much less troublesome than men. There will also be demons and monsters. It is hard to say what this house will look like.
Wan Feng bought a boiler that was large enough to power his own house and his grandmother's house. Heating was installed in his grandmother's main house, his own main house, and the east and west wing rooms.
The two wings will be used as garment factory buildings in the future, so they must have heating.
During this period, Wan Feng stayed in the new house, supervising the plumbers to install the heating.
At that time, there were no plastic pipes, only iron tools, and the installation was very slow. It took a week to install the heating for these two houses and two rooms.
By the time the heating was installed, more than ten days had passed before the beams were put up.
After the heating is installed and the bricklayer finishes the work inside the house, the house can be occupied.
Moving also depends on the date. August 28th is an auspicious day for moving and setting up the bed, so the move is scheduled on that day.
The garment factory was also planning to move in. Luan Feng's house was still too small and could no longer accommodate more than 30 sewing machines.
In the new house, the west wing will be used as a sewing workshop, and the east wing will be used as a warehouse.
Wan Feng just didn't believe that the two wings with an area of more than 200 square meters were not enough.
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