Refinement Hall Rising
After their loved ones passed away, the living still had to continue living.
After her husband, Master Rego, left, Madam Huang had been planning to build a very large house. This plan had been in place for ten years mentally and five years in terms of resources. She had five sons, and the houses that were passed down from their ancestors were only the main house of the Gaoshan Temple, the dark main house, and the Shi An main house. In the future, when they split up, there would definitely not be enough people to live in.
On the day when he was seven years old, Madam Huang called her sons to her side and said,"How are the materials for our house coming along? How much longer would it take to build the house?”
Xingren said," The last batch of bricks and green tiles has been used up. The wood is also well prepared. The only problem now is the choice of the house site.”
"How much money do we have at home?" Mrs. Huang asked again. It takes a lot of money to build a house!"
Li Ren was in charge of money. He said," Don't worry, I have plenty of money at home. It's enough to build two houses."”
"Boss, tell me, where is the best place to build our new house?"”
Xing Ren said,"I've long since found a good place. It's Uncle Ding's cotton field in Wang Jia Yuan."”
Wan Ren said,"It's good, but I'm afraid it's just your wishful thinking. Uncle Ding won't agree."”
"You're not a worm in his stomach, how do you know he won't agree?"”
Madam Huang said,"Your Uncle Ding is a difficult person to talk to. Wanren's worries are very reasonable."”
Xingren said," We have to fight for it. If we fight for it, we can rest assured. If we don't fight for it, how do we know what his attitude is?”
Madam Huang said," That's true. Boss, you should go and talk to your Uncle Ding tonight. No matter what conditions he offers, you can consider agreeing to them."”
Wan Ren said," I can't do that. What if Uncle Wan Biding asks for an exorbitant price?”
Madam Huang said," It can't be. Your Uncle Ding is also an experienced person. Besides, we are a big family. He might not be so cruel.”
Xing Ren said,"I have a scale here that allows him to exchange one mu of land for two mu of our family's land. We can also allow him to exchange one mu of land for one mu of our family's land.”
Li Ren said," This is too disadvantageous for us. The people who grow the fields depend on the fields for a living. In order to build a house, our family may lose two acres of land for nothing. It's not worth it."”
Madam Huang said," Building a house is a long-term plan. It's not bad for Boss to have such a plan. We can give it a try."”
At night, Xing Ren brought Wan Ren to Uncle Ding's house.
Uncle Ding was eating. There was a bowl of pickled vegetables on the table. There was still half a bowl of porridge in Uncle Ding's bowl.
Xingren said," Uncle Ding, how can you be so thrifty? It's the busy season now, and time is tight. How can you have some porridge and pickled vegetables?"”
Uncle Ding said," Nephew, how can my family compare to yours? Even if I eat porridge like this, I won't have your family's wealth even if I eat porridge for another hundred years."”
Wan Ren said,"Since Uncle Ding knows that wealth doesn't come from eating porridge, then eat better!"”
Uncle Ding said," We are stupid people. Stupid people are stupid people's ways. Saving a little is a little."”
Xingren said,"Uncle Ding is right. Wanren is not sensible. Uncle Ding, don't listen to him."”
Uncle Ding said,"Nephew, you must have something to do. Otherwise, why did you come to the wrong place tonight?"”
Xing Ren said,"I came here for something. Isn't our family going to build a house? I'm here to discuss it with Uncle Ding."”
Uncle Ding said,"Building a house is a good thing. Didn't your family prepare for it for many years?" You brothers are all promising young talents, Uncle Ding is a piece of rotten wood, how can you participate in the discussion?”
Aunt Zhang said,"I'm afraid this is a weasel paying a New Year's visit to a chicken!"”
Uncle Ding glared at the woman and said,""You b * tch, why do women have so much to say? Hurry up and make some tea. Nephew Gu is a guest.”
Xingren ignored Aunt Zhang's words. He followed his train of thought and said,"I did come to discuss with Uncle Ding, not for anything else, but for the homestead. The materials for our house are ready, but we don't have a homestead yet.”
Uncle Ding's heart skipped a beat, and he asked with doubt,""Homesteads? Are you here to discuss the homestead with me? Are you interested in one of our family's plots of land?”
"That's right," Xingren said."I've taken a fancy to the cotton field your family has in Wangjiayuan.”
Aunt Zhang said as she started the fire,"Look, I'm not wrong, am I?!"”
Uncle Ding scolded her again,"You're the one who talks too much. If you say another word, you'll slap yourself!"”Aunt Zhang was so frightened that she stuck out her tongue and went back to doing her own things.
Uncle Ding said," Nephew, building a house is a good thing that has been going on for thousands of years. A person can build a house several times in a year. Those who are capable can only do it once. People like us can only eat the ancestral industry. Logically speaking, if you brothers have ambition, as your uncle, I should support you. The problem is that your topic has already exceeded the limit of what I can bear. I'm sorry I can't comply. Please forgive me, Nephew.”
Xingren said," Uncle Ding, don't close the door too early. My family has favorable conditions for wanting your land. We won't let you suffer any losses. We will only let you benefit."”
Uncle Ding said,"I don't dare to take the interest that isn't earned through labor. Please give up this idea."”
Xingren said,"My family will use two acres of land to exchange for one acre of your family's land. You won't suffer a loss, right?"”
Uncle Ding shook his head without hesitation and said,""No, no, absolutely not."
Xingren said," How about this? Our family will use one mu of paddy field to exchange for one mu of your land. Whether it's land or paddy field, you can choose. Our family will happily give it to you."”
Uncle Ding said," No, no, it won't be nice to hear it spread outside. People will say that I bullied your old master and took your family's land out of thin air."”
Xingren said,"Land for land is no good, farmland for land is no good either. Can you buy it with silver?" Name a price. As long as you can afford it, I can afford it. Name a price!”
Uncle Ding said," I know that your family has a lot of silver. I also know that my family is poor and needs silver. However, this land was left to me by my ancestors. I can't squander. Otherwise, my ancestors will scold me to death.”
Xingren said," Our family doesn't have a lot of money. We really need this house site. Please make it convenient for us. Name a price and I'll buy it."”
Uncle Ding said,"Nephew, don't waste your breath. Let's put it this way, even if you covered that piece of land with silver lace, I wouldn't sell it to you." The reason is simple. This is my ancestral property, and I can't sell it. Besides, every dog has its day. After a few decades, my children might not be undeveloped. When they are rich and want to build houses, they will lose their homesteads. Wouldn't they scold me? I won't be safe even if I sleep underground.”
The Xingren brothers left resentfully. Uncle Ding said,"You haven't had tea yet. Drink tea before you leave!”
On the way, Wan Ren said,"Uncle Ding is an old fox. He can't bear to see others doing well. Can he stop us from building houses like this?" What a joke!"
"You should say less," Xingren said."From his point of view, he has his reasons.”
Aunt Zhang made tea for her husband and said,"Nephew Gu's offer is very good. Aren't you tempted?”
Uncle Ding said," What's so good about it? Even if his family were to carry loads of silver and pour it on my family's land, I would not give it up. Only his family has the money to build a house. Only his family can show off!"”
Xingren returned home and told his mother the results. Madam Huang said,"I expected this outcome. Alright, if you can't get an official position, then let's think of another way.”
"What else can we do? We can only do it in this open space in front of the door."”
Madam Huang said," This is the worst plan. Tell me, what are the advantages and disadvantages of building a house here?"”
"The advantage is that it is within the walls and can be connected to the old central house. The disadvantage was that when the north wind was against the south wind, the terrain was very low and would be very wet.”
Madam Huang said," It's really like this. The good and bad are equally divided. There's nothing we can do about it." How about this, you go to the houses of the elders tomorrow and invite them to the main hall for a discussion tomorrow night. This homestead was used by the clan. Even if they bought it, they would need their permission.”
The night was silent. After breakfast the next day, Xing Ren began to visit the homes of the elders of the eight major houses.
At night, the family meeting began in the main hall. The Bodhisattva in the shrine sat there quietly, watching every move of his descendants. There was a huge candle on the incense stool, and mosquitoes flew around the hall at night, making buzzing sounds. It was extremely annoying.
Maple Ridge usually sent an elder from each room, four people from the two rooms down the mountain, and three people from the main room of the Weifa House. These four people sat on the west side of the central room. Eight people came from the six houses on the mountain top. Wei Jiao's house was a big house, and three of them came. These eight people sat on the east side of the central house.
Xingren's opening speech said," Tonight, I invited all the elders to discuss the matter of our family's homestead. I'm really annoyed. The weather is hot, and there are many mosquitoes at night. I'm really sorry." Everyone knows that we have many brothers and a large population. It is also the trend to build houses. To build a house, we need a homestead. What our family is optimistic about is the open space in front of Shi An's house. This piece of land is public land. Let's see what price we can sell it to my family. Let's see if everyone will allow my family to build a house there.”
As soon as Xingren finished his opening speech, Mei Zhi rushed to say,""Building a house is a good thing for thousands of years. There's no reason not to allow it.”
As soon as Mei Zhi finished speaking, Coast Harbor coughed a few times. This elder was 66 years old and was the oldest elder tonight. He said slowly,"Plum juice, oh plum juice, are you unlucky? If you don't speak, others will say that you're mute. Don't be disrespectful for your old age.”
Mei Zhi said," Then why did you call me here? Didn't you just ask me to speak? Do you have to make rules about who can speak and who can't? Do I have to listen to you?"”
"It's not that I don't want you to say it, I'm asking you to let the young man speak first."”
Xigui said," According to Uncle Bingang's opinion, we should let the young people speak first. Uncle Rongfa was originally the one who came to our room. Uncle Rongfa had something to do, so he asked me to come." My opinion is that building a house is a good thing. Everyone should take care of it. Whoever has the ability to build a house should provide land for free. Don't be afraid of benefiting others. I don't know how to speak. That's it. Three loads of cow dung and six dustpans.”
Uncle Ding said," If you don't know how to speak, then don't speak. Others won't say you're mute. Young people shouldn't show off. Let the old people speak first."”
"Then your opinion is the opposite of Uncle Bingang's. Who should I listen to?"”
Uncle Ding said,"Just listen to me.”
Xigui said,"Who are you? Are you the emperor?"”
Wei Yun said," Stop bickering. We're here to discuss matters. Mosquitoes bite people to death at night. You guys also bite your mouths. What kind of words are you talking about? In my opinion, there should be a rule in the house field, that is, the person who makes the house has to use the house site of the clan. Should they charge some money? My opinion is to charge a little, but not too expensive.”
Uncle Ding was a generation younger than Wei Yun. Although he was older than Wei Yun, Wei Yun could only swallow her anger when she lectured him. Wei Yun's suggestion was supported by many people. Everyone thought that this suggestion was very fair and beneficial to the use of the clan's land. In the end, it was decided that the homestead that Xingren wanted to use should be paid 50 silver dollars, and this was a unanimous opinion.
When they got home, Xing Ren told his mother the results. Madam Huang said,""Fifty silver dollars is neither too much nor too little. How many times do you brothers have to go to the antler wharf to do the trafficking business to earn it?”
"Fifty silver dollars can really do something. You can even buy 400 catties of pork."”
Madam Huang said," 400 catties of pork is the amount of meat our family eats in a year. It's heartbreaking, but there are national laws and clan rules. We still have to abide by the rules in the house.”
Xingren asked his mother if she had any other instructions. Madam Huang said that she would invite the Feng Shui master from Quzi Street to take a look at this homestead tomorrow. This way, she would have a foundation in her heart.
"Why don't you ask Mr. Zhihong to come and take a look? He's an old hand," said Xingren.”
Madam Huang said,"The Feng Shui master at Qu Zi Street is very effective. He's very famous."”
The next morning, Zhantui Wanren went to Qu Zi Street and brought the Feng Shui master home for breakfast.
Madam Huang said," Sir, you're an expert. This house that our family made should be considered a good house. Please test it for us and see what's at stake."”
The Feng Shui master said,"What kind of expert am I? It's all because everyone loves me. I'm just making a living."”
Xingren said,"Sir is too modest, sir is too modest.”
The Feng Shui master smiled and got up. Xing Ren brought him to the homecoming site. The feng shui master walked vertically and horizontally on the homestead. Then, he took the compass and measured here and there, muttering silently. "Sir, how about this homestead?"”
The Feng Shui master said," The house that is going to be built is a Kun house. The Kun is the mother, which is very suitable for your family. In a sense, this house was built by your old mother.”
Xing Ren said,"What kind of house is called a Kun house? We don't know Feng Shui at all."”
The Feng Shui master said,"The house in the southwest is called the Kun house. Its door opens to the northeast."”
"Yes, the gate of our house can only open to the northeast, but it can't open to the south.”
The Feng Shui master said," People think of ways. As long as you think about it, there will be a way. If you want to open the door to the south, I have a way to teach you.”
Xingren said,"Please tell me, sir. I would like to hear the details."”
The Feng Shui master said," I've seen the sketch of your house. In the sketch, there is a kitchen protruding out from the front of the main house. It is also twenty feet deep. You used a wall to connect the two kitchen to surround a sunbathing pool. The south end of the wall protruded three feet, and a door to the south could be opened. Therefore, this house became the Kan residence.”
Xingren said,"Please tell me, sir, is the house we are going to build on this homecoming site a good house?"”
The Feng Shui master said,"Whether it is a good house or not depends on the house and fate." Otaku referred to the Eight Trigrams attribute of the house itself, and Life referred to the trigram of the family members. The aura, magnetic field, and human field were all inspected at the same time. If any one of the aura and magnetic field worked together with the human field, it would be a lucky house.”
"Please be more specific, sir," Xingren said.”
The Feng Shui master said," To be specific, this house of yours is neither an auspicious house nor an ominous house. It is a house where good and bad balance each other. It can be lived in.”
When Xingren heard this, he was a little unhappy.
The Feng Shui master said,"Although this homestead isn't the best homestead, it's still habitable." Besides, whether a house is a good house or not depends on who lives in it. In my opinion, your Three Yuan Life hexagram is very good, and your second brother's Three Yuan Life hexagram is also very good. The two of you are very suitable to live in this house.”
When Xingren heard this, his expression turned from dark to bright.
The feng shui master said,"There is another way. After your new house is ready, buy a pair of stone lions and place them on both sides of the door." The stone lion was an auspicious beast, a tool for dispelling evil spirits. It could dispel many kinds of evil spirits and strengthen the yang qi of the owner of the house. In this case, this residence would be even more livable.”
After sending off the Feng Shui master, Xingren told his mother the entire process of the Xiang residence. Madam Huang said," Since that's the case, what are we waiting for? Let's finish this house this year. I want to see this house standing in front of the old central house in my lifetime. When I come to the netherworld, I can also explain to your master."”
"Let's talk about it after the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is coming soon anyway."”
Madam Huang said,"Boss, tell me, what kind of name should we give this new house?"”
Xing Ren said,"The house we live in is called Shi An Tang Wu. It was built when Shi An Gong was alive. According to this name, the new house could be called the new central house.”
Madam Huang said," We can call it the new central room, but it's too vulgar. Let's call it the Refining Hall. This is also to commemorate your master."”
Xingren said,"Good, good, good. Let's call it Refinement Hall, let's call it Refinement Hall."”
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the construction of the Refinement Hall officially began.
The carpenters were led by Pinzheng. There were ten of them, and they lined up in a row in the four halls of the Golden Palace. They worked on the door frames and windows, carved flowers, made wooden horses, sawed the floor boards and rafters, and arranged purlins. They were very busy.
The masons were led by Fuqing and there were more than ten people. They drew a line on the homestead, leveled the water, dug the foundation, and cleared the debris on the ground.
The Refinement Hall on the blueprint was a three-door central room. There was a courtyard in the central room, and there were two rows of houses on both sides of the central room. Each row had three rooms. The length of the central room was the length of the houses. There was a kitchen in front of the main house, and beside the kitchen was a toilet and a utility room.
One day, after lunch, dozens of workers sat under the trees in the Forbidden Garden to rest and chat. Someone asked Xing Ren,"Did you buy so many trees from Pingjiang Cave?”
Xingren said," That's right. If we don't buy it from Pingjiang Cave, where can we buy it? Our place doesn't produce such a big tree. Besides, it's not just one or two. We have hundreds of them!"”
The man asked,"How did so many trees come in? The journey is so long."”
Xing Ren said,"Buy trees in Pingjiang Cave, then hire people to carry the trees to the side of Miluo River. Then tie them up and go down the river into Dongting Lake, then turn into Baini Lake, go up to Xiushui River, and then hire people to carry them home."”
The person who asked said," It's not simple, not simple. This process is a process of suffering.”
Xingren said," Who says so? Every year when the autumn harvest is over, I carry my luggage into the cave. I have to stay there for a few months. After buying a tree, you still have to guard it. You have to wait until the spring water of the second year before you can put it down. It took me five years to buy all the wood for this house.”
The person who asked said," Did you also meet some bad people? Did you also meet bandits? Did anyone rob you? For a rich man like you, others are jealous!”
Fuqing interrupted at this time. He said,"You brat, you haven't entered a cave before, right? You're just a child.”
Someone at the side said,"Yue Xingyazi only wore crotch pants last year. You can't blame him for asking the details."”
Everyone laughed together. The person who asked the question, Yue Xingyazi, also laughed with his legs crossed. He laughed so hard that his crotch trembled. Someone saw him and said,"Yuexing Yazi is here."
Xingren said," The people in Pingjiang Cave are very simple and honest. I've never met any bad people, nor have I met any bandits. However, I've met Barbarian before, and we even exchanged blows.”
" What's going on?" Pinzheng asked." It must be very interesting. Tell me."”
"One day, I was hiring people to carry trees in Hongqiao," Xingren said."It took four people to carry a twenty-foot-long big fir-tree. At this moment, a monk came down from Mufu Mountain. He had a bald head and was dressed in yellow Han clothes. He wore a pair of straw sandals and a pair of leggings. He held a Green Dragon Crescent Blade like Guan Yunzhang's. He came to our transportation road and stood with his hands on his hips. He pointed his knife to the ground and the edge of his knife to the sky, blocking our way.”
" This monk is interesting," Yue Xingyazi said." Is he going to rob us?"”
"Yuexingyazi, don't interrupt. Listen to your brother Xingren."”
Xing Ren said," At this moment, I walked up to him and asked him where he came from, where he wanted to go, and why he was blocking our way. Could it be that one of us offended him? The monk said," I floated down from Mufu Mountain and traveled the earth. I have nowhere to go. I am going to wherever I go. None of you provoked me. I am the one who provoked you. I want to fight with you and see who wins."”
"I saw that this monk was big and burly. He had a fierce face and was full of killing intent. I felt that he was not a good person. Looking at the weapon in his hand, I guessed that he was a martial arts practitioner. I told you, we're workers, not here to fight. We have important things to do.”
"That monk said,'No, no, I have to fight today. My hands are itchy. I haven't fought in a long time. I came down the mountain because I was depressed. If you don't fight with me, I won't let you do anything. I saw that I had no choice but to follow him and ask him how to fight. The monk said,"We don't use weapons, we're all barehanded. Either you all attack together, or you all take turns."”
"I say, what kind of bet is it? What if we lose, what if we win? The monk said," Of course, there's a bet. If I lose, I'll help you carry the tree to the riverside. I guarantee that I'll carry five trees." If you lose, crawl under my crotch. If one person loses, crawl alone. If everyone loses, crawl together.”
"At this time, I can only go on stage myself. The employees are all from Pingjiang, so I can't let them go onstage. I said to the monk, let's try it? We saw the monk throw away his knife, and the two of us stood up. We bowed to each other and crossed our hands. We fell on the road. That barbarian monk was really strong. He held my arms and tried to lift me up and throw me to the ground many times. One time, I actually let go and flew away. I flipped in the air and kicked his knee. The monk fell to his knees with a thud.”
"That monk is also a man of his word. He stopped pestering us and chuckled. He ran away with a tree on his shoulder. We stared at him with wide eyes as he ran along the road. He fulfilled his promise and said,'Alright, I'm relaxed now. I'm leaving!'”
Yue Xing said,"How could such a strong monk be defeated by Big Brother Xingren?"”
Pin Zheng said," You don't understand this, do you? This is called borrowing strength to fight strength. A monk's strength is just brute force. The pit in his knee is a person's soft spot. Your Brother Xingren will only hit his soft spot."”
In the afternoon, Yue Xing was still immersed in the story from the afternoon and was still discussing this matter with Fuqing.
Fuqing said," Actually, there's nothing strange about this. Your Big Brother Xingren and the others were originally Hercules. They have many stories."”
"Then tell me more," Yue Xing said."I like to hear stories about Hercules."”
Fuqing said," One year, Xingren's three younger brothers went to Zhou Shier's house to buy firewood. They went into Father Zhang's house and asked if there was any firewood to buy. Father Zhang looked at them and said,"Yes, there is. I have August white grass firewood on the first floor in this central room. I wonder if you can carry it?"”
"Xingren's second brother Wanren said, what do you mean by carrying it? The three of us each have a firewood load and a pair of ropes, so naturally we have to carry three loads back. Father Zhang said,"I have a floor of firewood here. If the three of you go back one load at a time, I won't take your money. How about it?" If you can't return a load, you'll have to pay me double the silver.”
"Li Ren looked at the firewood upstairs and replied,'No problem, no problem. You have to keep your word! Father Zhang said that men spoke thirty-six teeth. After saying that, Cheng Ren went upstairs to throw the firewood. Wan Ren piled the firewood on the ground, and Li Ren tied the firewood on the grain load.”
"Father Zhang thought, I can be considered a strong person. I picked ten loads of firewood from this floor. Even if the three of you can carry one load each, you can't just tie them up with three sets of rope, right? Father Zhang was really mistaken. This Quinoa seed really had a unique skill in tying firewood with a rope. Other people tied firewood in the middle of a bundle of firewood, but he tied two bundles of firewood. After tying them tightly, no matter what, other people's fingers couldn't dig into the rope.”
"Just like that, Liren and his brothers forcefully tied up the firewood on Father Zhang's first floor into three loads and carried them back to the kiln. Father Zhang sent them on their way without saying anything.”
Yue Xing said,"Where can we find such a good thing? You've brought back the white firewood and you still don't pay."”
Fuqing said,"Later, Xingren still went to pay for the firewood." Father Zhang refused to accept it, saying that this was a bet and he could not go back on his word. Xingren said,"You worked so hard for so many days to get this firewood. How can you not charge me?"”
Yue Xing said,"It's said that Brother Xingren and his brothers are strong. How many catties of things can each of them carry?"”
Fuqing said," I don't know. Maybe it's 300 catties, maybe 400 catties. In short, one person is worth two."”
When the refining hall was built, Meibin did not go to school. Xingren ordered him to practice calligraphy at home. Meibin's calligraphy was already very good, but Xingren was not satisfied. He said to Mei Bin,"Little brother, do you know why I want you to write well?" The Refining Hall has been built. My family will hang a big board on the wall of the central room. There should be words on the board to write the meaning of this event. You will write these words.”
Meibin said,"Mr. Zhihong's calligraphy is famous within a hundred miles. Why not ask him to write it?"”
Xingren said,"This is our family's business. It's more meaningful for you to write it. Don't say it."”
Mei Bin practiced writing day and night, using light ink to write on the bluestone slab, wiping it off when it was full, and then writing again. As long as it was a little slack, or some words were not written very well, Xingren would knock Mei Bin's Ding Gongpo when he saw it, often hitting Mei Bin's head until it was a pagoda.
The refining hall was about to be built. Xingren went to ask Mei Bin what to write. Mei Bin said,"I've already thought of a draft. I'll need big brother to look at it before making a decision.”
"Alright then, tell me about it. I can also take a look at how your books are doing."”
Mei Bin said,"On the top left corner of the board, there are six words written in small characters: 'Celebration of the completion of the Refining Hall.' In the middle, there are four big characters: 'Fu Mian Yuan Zu'. In the lower right corner, there is a small inscription of the date. On both sides of the board, there is a couplet written in Chinese characters. The couplet is: ' Li Pavilion adds splendor to the world, forever celebrating the re-election of the Ze Mo Manor, adding splendor to the family.'”
After Xingren heard this, he silently chanted "Fu Mian Yuan Seat, Fu Mian Yuan Seat" and then said,"Does this mean that this blessing is inherited by the mother and passed down?‘Was the word 'mandarin duck seat' a metaphor for his mother?”
Mei Bin said," You can understand it this way. Our ninth ancestor, Duke An, created wealth, but our father was a handsome and unrestrained person. He stayed away from wealth all his life. This blessing was naturally done by our mother. She inherited it and spread it.‘It could represent his parents, or it could only represent his mother.”
"What do the Li Pavilion and Mo Manor in this couplet refer to?"”
Mei Bin said," These are two allusions from our " Liu's genealogy." Simply put, these two names refer to places where people study. We Chinese people pay attention to farming and reading. Farming people not only know how to farm, but also know how to read. The meaning of the entire couplet was to strengthen the four words 'Fu Mian Yun Zao'.”
"I can't believe everything you say," Xingren said."How about this, tomorrow you go and ask Mr. Zhihong to come and see what he has to say. If he says it's good, then I'll accept it."”
The next day, Meibin brought Mr. Zhihong home. He took out his draft and showed it to Mr. Zhihong. Xingren asked him what it was and if he could use it.
Mr. Zhihong didn't answer immediately. He looked at it repeatedly and said to Xingren,""Good! It was really good. It couldn't be any better. Of course, it could be used.”
Xingren said,"What kind of good method is it? You should give me some advice. I'm a rough person, and my heart won't be clear if I don't give you some advice."”
Mr. Zhihong didn't answer him directly. Instead, he said to Meibin,""You made up the term 'mandarin duck seat' yourself, didn't you?”
Mei Bin blushed and said,"It was indeed made by Foolish Life himself. It's not a classic."”
Mr. Zhihong said," This is a good word. Remember, every word is man-made. Others can make words, and you can make words. Once everyone agrees, it will become popular. Besides, there was no better word to replace the meaning of the word 'you'.”
Mr. Zhihong then said to Xingren,"In your family tree, there is an allusion to Liu Xiang. It is said that one night, an old man dressed in yellow suddenly knocked on the door with a green cane in his hand. He blew on the cane and lit it up with the light of the cane. He taught the text of the Five Elements Hongfan." Liu Xiang asked the old man's name, and the old man said,'I am the spirit of Taiyi, the son of the Heavenly Emperor, who has sent me to preach to you.'He also gave Liu Xiang the bamboo archive and the book of astronomical maps. It was precisely because of this divine gift that Liu Xiang could become a master of the classics. Liu Xiang's descendants used Tianlu, Lizhao, and Lizhao as their names and called themselves the Liu family of Lizhao to commemorate Liu Xiang's outstanding ancestor. Your clan also has an ancestor called Liu Shi. Liu Shi married Chen, and Chen is also an extremely outstanding and virtuous mother. According to the records, after Liu Shi passed away, the Chen family gathered their five sons and said to them,'Your father was an honest and upright official. He didn't leave any gold or silver wealth for you. All he left behind were thousands of books. This is called the Mo Manor. I hope that all of you can study in peace in the Mo Manor. In the future, you will be able to inherit and carry forward the cause of your ancestors.'Her sons all followed their mother's teachings and studied hard. Later on, they all took the imperial examination and became Lang Guan.”
Xingren said," Ah, no wonder, no wonder. My little brother said that this Li Pavilion and Mo Village refer to places where people study. After Mister's explanation, I understand a lot.”
Mr. Zhihong said," The book in the rain is well read. Among my students, he should be the first. Look at how well he uses the words " reunite " and " instruct " in this couplet. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to use them like this.”
Xingren said,"Please say some shortcomings. If there are any areas that need to be changed, please change them."”
Mr. Zhihong said,"Add one more word, subtract one less word, and correct one wrong word. Record it exactly as it is!”
Xingren had already bought the wood of the fragrant nan. Master Pinzheng carefully made this plaque as if he was feeding his own child. After the plaque was made, it was about ten feet long, four feet and five inches wide, and one and a half inches thick. Although the horizontal board was inlaid with wood planks made of fragrant cedar, you couldn't find any cracks. It was naturally blended into one, and you couldn't see any flaws.
Three months later, the Refinement Hall was completed. The refinement hall was built magnificently. The three-way hall was about twenty feet wide, the upper hall was thirty feet deep, the middle hall was twenty feet deep, and the lower hall was twenty-four feet deep. The ridge of the hall was thirty feet high from the ground. The upper and middle halls were hollow, and the purlins on the roof were intricate. On one hand, they stabilized the structure of the house, and on the other hand, they looked beautiful. The lower hall was paved with floors. The feet of the building were sawed into a square shape. The width and thickness of the Chinese cedar floor were the same. Two huge pillars stood upright by the courtyard. Two square beams were placed on the front wall and the pillars to lift the weight of the feet of the building.
There was a wooden wall between the lower hall and the middle hall, and there was a door on each side that connected the upper and lower halls. This wooden wall was divided into two parts. The part below was a shadow door made of cedar wood. It was square and each piece was fixed with wooden strips. The cedar wood was sawn extremely thin, which fully showed the craftsmanship of the craftsman. This part of the building was made up of carved doors that were connected together. The light from the sky above the courtyard could illuminate the interior of the building through the hollowed-out carvings. It was very ingenious.
The most noteworthy feature of the Refining Hall was various carvings. There were five doors on each side of the central room leading to rooms. There was a window above the door frame, which was carved with many carvings. There was a huge window on one side of the wall between the central room and the central room. These two windows were the two eyes of the Refining Hall. Every inch of wood was carved with carvings. The carvings were mainly of flowers, birds, fish, and insects, and there were also phoenixes. Occasionally, one could also see the wheelbarrow's handle.
The Refining Hall also built a shrine on the drum shed. The walls of the drum shed were made of cedar wood and made into lacquer. The Bodhisattvas on the shrine were exactly the same as the Bodhisattvas on the shrine in Shi Antang's room. They were also Shi Angong, General Yang Si, and the Earth Bodhisattva.
On the day of hanging the signboard, Madam Huang held a small banquet. She invited the craftsmen and workers who worked here, the elders of the eight houses, and some important relatives.
The signboard inscribed with the incense was painted in red and gilded with gold. It hung majestically on the altar of the Refining Hall, looking down on everything.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。