Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Chapter 166 The Day of the Beam Raising
Three days passed quickly.

Today is an auspicious day, suitable for breaking ground and raising beams.

Yu Qiutang had long forgotten this custom, and finally had no choice but to ask his father Yu Dejin to help him.

According to custom, if a son builds a new yard and a large house and puts up the main beams, it is the father's responsibility to be in charge, and there is a very detailed and complicated process.

But because Yu Qiutang had a delicate relationship with his father before, he never thought of calling him father at first.

Originally, it was planned to let Third Uncle Yu Deshui, or even let Yu Qiuyuan take charge.

Even though Yu Qiyuan is two years younger than him, he understands much more about local customs and rules than he does.

Yu Qiyuan has a very good relationship with his parents. He has been cheerful since childhood and likes to follow his father to do these things, gradually developing some good knowledge.

Yu Qiutang had a bad relationship with his father and was an introvert, so he really didn't understand the ins and outs of the matter.

But after his rebirth, through one thing after another, his relationship with his father became better than in his previous life.

Although I can't do what Yu Qiyuan and Third Uncle do, at least I have changed from being stiff and hateful to being able to make do with what I have now.

We can get along with each other.

Also willing and able to speak calmly.

The last time he brought wood back from the mountains, his father had been helping him make door panels and door pillars.

It's also quite hard.

The sculpture his father carved for him was a Qilin.

This surprised him.

He always felt that he was very ordinary and was not worthy of such a good thing. If it was placed at the door, he might not be able to suppress it and felt that he was not worthy of the position.

But my father thought it was nothing.

And tell him that his father had only carved this kind of Qilin for his family throughout his life, and no matter how much money other people offered, he would not carve one.

If you look closely, you will find that the Qilin's beard looks messy, but in fact, if you pull the distance between them, it becomes a complex traditional Chinese character "余".

It really took some thought.

Since his father insisted, Yu Qiutang did not refuse.

He didn't know whether his father was extending an olive branch to him through Qilin, telling him that, in fact, I basically approve of him as my son.

He was not prepared to have an in-depth discussion with his father about this issue.

In his eyes, all fathers and sons may be trying to achieve one thing throughout their lives: to recognize each other.

The father hopes that he is a good father in his son's heart.

The son also hopes that he is a good son in the eyes of his father.

However, perhaps only when they are about to part, or at some critical moment, can they truly understand that the best father-son relationship does not require proof from each other, but rather an acknowledgement that each other and themselves are just ordinary people.

According to custom, on the day of raising the beam, one must eat flowing noodles, or so-called beam-raising noodles.

The size of this top beam surface can be large or small.

It’s actually fried noodles.

If the family is particularly wealthy, or likes ostentation, they will invite all the important people in the village, as well as the neighbors and family members, to have a bowl of noodles.

If one does not like pomp and circumstance, or if one's family is of average or even financially tight, the most one can do is to invite uncles and aunts from the clan to come over for a simple meal.

According to Yu Qiutang, he did not want to make the matter worse, but Yu Dejin did not want the family to eat too shabby a meal.

When the two were discussing the size of the event, Yu Dejin was even willing to bear all the expenses for the running water noodles, as compensation for not giving enough when Yu Qiutang divided the family business.

Seeing his father insisting like this, Yu Qiutang thought there was no need to continue arguing with his father.

Anyway, he is the one in charge, so let him do whatever he wants.

He thought that his father might still have some face-consciousness in his mind, thinking that no matter whose money was spent to build the yard, as long as he was his son, Yu Dejin would have face.

Just let him earn this face.

Perhaps for my father, what he values ​​most in his life and what brings him the most happiness and satisfaction is face.

Carpenter Yu always gets some responses no matter where he goes in the village or nearby towns, and everyone has a good impression of him.

This makes him very proud.

Fortunately, Yu Dejin was also very restrained and did not invite too many people. They were all neighbors with whom he was familiar and people who were close to the clan.

This of course includes the families of his brothers.

However, raising the beam is not a big deal, no matter whether it is a wedding or a funeral. Yu Qiutang is a junior, so the number of people he can recruit is limited.

For example, it was difficult for my second uncle and second aunt to come back. They sent their representative Yu Qiushan to come back in person to congratulate them.

Uncle San's whole family has arrived.

My third uncle and his wife, Yu Qiuyuan and Yu Chunzhu.

Yu Qiutang was very surprised by his fourth uncle's behavior.

He originally thought that no one would come to their house, and at most they would bring some money.

Unexpectedly, Fourth Uncle actually came in person.

But his complexion and skin looked even paler than last time, which made Yu Qiutang very worried. He even asked his fourth uncle privately if he was okay and whether he should go to the hospital for a check-up.

Fourth uncle smiled and said it was okay, just a little tired.

Yu Qiutang had no choice but to tell his third uncle to persuade his fourth uncle when he had time, so he should go and have a look.

He always felt that there was something wrong with his fourth uncle.

He had noticed something the last time his grandmother attended a meeting, and it was obvious that she did not look like a normal person.

Even though he could still smile and had a chubby body, Yu Qiutang felt that he seemed to be light and airy.

It's like a kite. It looks big on the outside, but it can be blown away by a gust of wind.

The absurd thing is that whether it was his third uncle, his father, or several cousins, they all thought that his fourth uncle had always been like this.

It is said that Fourth Uncle has no opinion on anything, is not in a good mood, has a pale skin, and speaks in a very low voice.

As for the fact that he seemed to be in a very bad condition, no one said anything on the surface, but everyone was thinking in their hearts that since he was a son-in-law who lived with the wife's family, his life was probably not going well.

But what can we do? This is the path we chose in the first place.

Now that it has come to this, there is nothing anyone can do but grit their teeth and keep going.

Besides, Wang Xiaoqin seemed a bit strong, but she was nice to my fourth uncle and even gave birth to a son for him.

The couple are getting older, and as long as they are a little more patient, nothing should be wrong.

Is it really like this?

Yu Qiutang was very suspicious.

But what can he do.

He was just a junior, and he wasn't particularly close to his fourth uncle. He could only keep his doubts to himself, and planned to observe his fourth uncle more if he had the chance in the future, and take care of him if necessary.

Among his uncles, he likes his second uncle the most.

It’s not because the other person is rich.

But my second uncle is truly a gentleman.

He is upright, kind, steady, takes care of his brothers, and has a harmonious family.

What a great role model uncle.

The second is Uncle San.

The third uncle is just a little less capable than the second uncle, but otherwise they are basically similar.

Moreover, since Third Uncle lives in the countryside and is exposed to many things, he speaks more down-to-earth than Second Uncle, which is really good.

Yu Qiutang did not have a particularly deep impression of his fourth uncle. He was too young at the time and he heard more information from the local family.

I can only say that these adults are too rough and have no idea that their brothers are in a bad state.

On the day of raising the beam, we were busy with preparations early in the morning.

Although Yu Dejin was in charge of the arrangements, all actions were carried out by Yu Qiutang and others.

Several cousins ​​and Wang Haofeng also came in handy.

Some were welcoming guests, some were making arrangements, and the yard was full of people coming and going. All in all, including the craftsmen who were working, there were more than a hundred people.

At the entrance to the yard, there was a water shed that had been built in advance. Inside, there were six long tables. On the tables were placed condiments such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, cooked chili oil, and various seasonal cold dishes.

There was a long bench on the inside of the table, and the noodle bowls on the table flowed like water, with noodle bowls and soup bowls being brought in and empty bowls being taken away.

The plates coming and going are like flowing water.

This kind of noodles is not served too much in each bowl, just a full chopstick. Farmers have a big appetite, and those who eat a lot can often eat seven or eight bowls.

Why isn’t there much food in the bowl? It’s because these people ate too much and they feel embarrassed to eat more.

Noodles are divided into soup noodles and dry noodles.

The noodle soup is naturally red cooked spicy oil soup.

Let alone anything else, just look at the spicy red soup with thin tofu slices and white radish cubes floating in it, pour it onto the white noodles, stir it lightly, and then pour some old vinegar into it.

"Suck it!"

Stir it up with chopsticks and take a delicious bite. The spicy aroma will directly hit your taste buds. It is so spicy and intoxicating.

This spicy red soup is cooked in a large iron pot with a diameter of 1.8 meters, with dry firewood supporting it.

Before the noodles start to flow, the soup in the pot will be boiled first, and the hot steam accompanied by the aroma will immediately spread.

If someone set up a soup pot at home, not only those standing in the yard, but also the neighbors and even half of the production team could smell the fragrance of the soup pot.

If you come across a wealthy family, they will put a few large pieces of fat into the pot. As the soup continues to simmer, the aroma of the meat in the pot becomes stronger and stronger, making it a rare delicacy.

In front of the pot, there is often a line of boys standing with square wooden plates in their hands, on which are placed empty bowls for soup.

For such a big event, neighbors would help out, and adults would naturally have their own things to do. Children couldn't do heavy work, but if they wanted to eat the noodles here, they could only carry plates and do other relatively easy tasks.

The women who scoop the soup will gently use the spoon to skim the surface of the soup pot and make sure to put some spicy chili oil into each soup bowl, which will make the soup in the bowl appear especially red.

It won’t feel light and airy, making people lose their appetite.

As more and more people come to eat, the soup in the pot will gradually become less, but it doesn’t matter. Just continue to put a large piece of cooked chili peppers splashed with lard into it.

Add boiling water, the tofu and radish that have been cut in advance, and then add some salt, soy sauce and vinegar to mix.

The pot will continue to burn until the last customer leaves, and will only be extinguished after the helpers finish their meal at midnight.

No matter it is a wedding or funeral or a main event, it all starts with a soup pot and ends with soup pot noodles.

It can be said that the soup pot is a major event and a symbolic thing for people.

Yu Qiutang had not participated in this kind of activity for a long time and was very unfamiliar with the process. In most cases, he just passively followed others, as if he was not the host but a Hakka who came to help.

Sometimes, he would stand at the gate of the yard, looking at so many people of all kinds in the yard, and would feel dazed.

Everything in front of him, the people jostling each other, seemed like a dream, not so real, and he stood here, looking at these people from a God's perspective.

This feeling made him very uncomfortable.

He had to spend more time mentally preparing himself to integrate into the environment again.

Sometimes, he would stand at the window of the makeshift kitchen, looking through the brick hole at Miyali who was busy inside. Her young body was full of vitality, and her smile was as bright as the sun.

It will give him a lot of strength.

After people finish their meal, they gather in the yard and wait for 12 o'clock.

12 noon is the time when the Yang energy is at its peak. The sun is also shining right in the middle, which is a good time to put up the beams.

When putting up the beam, there is a taboo that must be avoided: the shadow of the beam cannot be too biased.

If the sun is not directly overhead, the shadow of the beam will be tilted. If even the top beam is tilted, it indicates that the future generations may not have a good development.

In fact, this cannot be completely considered superstition, but is just people's expectation for a better life in the future.

On the floor of the big room, the main beams had already been prepared and wrapped in red cloth, quietly waiting for the moment to be finally lifted.

There are also four thick hemp ropes placed next to the beam, which are also dyed bright red, making them look particularly festive.

As it was almost twelve o'clock, Wang Haofeng and Yu Qiushan, who were in charge of setting off firecrackers outside, lit the firecrackers, and the "crackling" sound immediately echoed throughout the village.

With a melodious "open" from Yin and Yang, the notice wrapped around the beam was opened, and the paper and ink that had been prepared long ago were brought to the front of the beam.

The copper bell of the Yin-Yang mobile phone swung, and he chanted auspicious words. He circled the beam three times clockwise, three times counterclockwise, put the bell away and hung it around his waist. He picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write on the beam in a flamboyant manner:
"On the 6th day of the twelfth month of the Jiazi year, the beams of the Yu family's autumn hall were raised at an auspicious time. May you have good luck and everlasting health."

The last word "Kang" ends in one breath.

Yin Yang put the pen back into the plate, then held some clean water in his mouth and sprinkled it lightly on the beam, then repeated the words he had written.

The clear water in this bowl is, as usual, rootless water.

You need to build a colander in the water tank and cannot use other containers.

As Yin Yang finished his words, the process here came to a temporary end. He was taken away, provided with good food and drink, and his hard-earned money was taken away.

Here, under Mi Wenzhong's shouting, four thick bright red hemp ropes were tied firmly to the beam.

Several people climbed onto the roof, and several people pushed from below. More than a dozen people worked together to hoist the beam weighing several hundred kilograms onto the roof.

After the beam is placed in the originally reserved space, firmly fixed, and the wedge beam and beam are fixed together, the beam-raising activity is finally completed.

What remains is the process of people slowly dispersing amidst politeness.

This process will not last too long.

Soon, all the collateral relatives and neighbors had left, except for some people who were cleaning up the soup pots and the neighbors at the dining table, which were the uncles, aunts, and cousins ​​in the family.

People from my uncle's family don't need to help with things like raising the beam.

(End of this chapter)