Return To 1977 Chapter 437: Two spans
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After coming out of the Western Small Building, we walked to the West Crossing Courtyard and the East Crossing Courtyard, which are connected by North Road.
The West Cross Courtyard is relatively large and neat. It is the residence of the head of the Hong family and the former residence of Hong Yanwu's grandfather, Hong Xiaoru.
There is a small east courtyard connected to the Moon Gate next to it. It is the small courtyard of Hong Lucheng's compatriot, Hong Fucheng, the eldest son of the Hong family.
The situations in the two courtyards are completely different.
Because it is used as an office area by the street factory, the house in the west courtyard is well protected.
I think of the bird cages hanging on the porch, the Pekingese running around in the yard, and the large pottery tanks with goldfish, although they are all invisible now.
But in front of the main room of the north house, a red pomegranate tree to the west and a white begonia tree to the side are still growing prosperously.
In particular, the window lattice in the north room and the carved stone base in front of the west room, which can be used as a table or a stool, were all well protected, which made Hong Lucheng a little bit overjoyed.
These two things are the essence of this courtyard.
The window lattice in the north house is not the conventional "step by step brocade", "lantern frame" or "turtle pattern". There are many flying little bats carved on it, which are exquisite, gorgeous, lifelike, lively and cute.
It was in the early years of the Republic of China that when the courtyard was being renovated, skilled craftsmen were specially hired to imitate the windows of the "Li Jingxuan" in the back hall of Chu Xiuguan.
The stone base is an old thing from the Yuanmingyuan ruins, and the carvings are equally exquisite.
Hong Xiaoru spent more than a hundred taels of silver to buy it from farmers on the edge of Fuhai in Yuanmingyuan. It is absolutely royal.
When he was young, Hong Lucheng's favorite thing was playing with their crickets on this carved base with Shou Jingfang and Hong Shoucheng.
However, in contrast, Dongkuaoyuan has been in disrepair for a long time.
This place was used as a debris warehouse by the street factory. As broken tables and chairs were almost piled up in one side room, most of the rooms had been empty for a long time and could not be used.
As time goes by, naturally the window lattice is broken and the door is crooked.
The courtyard is already covered with "creepers" and grass half as tall as a man. But several peach trees and a large banana tree originally planted under the wall have withered.
This makes the whole yard look dark, gloomy and strange, as if it is the residence of monsters and monsters.
Not long after everyone stepped in, a colorful flower snake glided through the grass, with an ocher bottom and dark green seals, like a python robe on the stage.
Everyone was shocked at the same time. Wang Yunlin was even more frightened, for fear of hurting the children.
Fortunately, Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan quickly recognized it as the "Red Chain Snake." Its mouth is only poisonous when it eats. Although its appearance is ferocious, its temperament is docile.
Everyone felt relieved now, but it was inconvenient to stay in the courtyard any longer and they all exited the gate.
In fact, it is not just because of fear, but also because there is a mother in the capital who says that "fox, yellow, gray and white willow" (fox, weasel, mouse, hedgehog, longworm) is a household **** and cannot be offended easily. When this happens, you have to avoid it early and don't "crash".
At this time, in order to calm his wife and children, and to ease the negative mood in the Western small building just now, Hong Lucheng told everyone some interesting anecdotes from the two courtyards back then.
Because Xikuoyuan was Hong Xiaoru’s residence, the Hong family used to come here every Spring Festival for a reunion dinner. The customs here are quite interesting.
First of all, on New Year's Eve, the Hong family used sesame straw exclusively.
Sesame belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It has a hollow square stem and makes a sound when stepped on.
Using the homophonic word for "crushing to pieces", it is called "trampling on the old age". There is another meaning of "trampling on the year" and "trampling on evil spirits". Stepping on the evil spirits will ensure safety and no disaster.
Secondly, from the first to the fifth day of the lunar month, if guests come, sugar and a section of cypress branches will be added to the tea.
Eating is also very particular. Eating dumplings is called "receiving ingots". And don't eat all the dumplings on the plate, leave one or two, which is called "pressing the plate", which means the more you eat, the more you will have. Steamed buns are called "Dafa", which means making a fortune.
It was not until the fifth day of the lunar month that the children of the Hong family were allowed to go back to their respective residences to eat alone.
As for the fun things in Dongkua Yard, there are even more.
Because the children's uncle, Hong Fucheng, is a master of sensuality and fun, and makes everyone happy.
When I was young, I loved raising pigeons and fishing. Middle-aged people like Peking Opera, shopping, and even more fun with actors and actresses. Since I was in my early twenties, I have become quite sophisticated in eating, drinking, prostitution and gambling.
Hong Xiaoru actually disliked this son, but after all, he was the eldest son of the Hong family and he had no mother. As long as he didn't make too much trouble, he tolerated him.
Fortunately, this son is not just a playboy, and the title of police chief is of some use to the Hong family. And from Hong Fucheng's personal point of view, he is also more suitable for being involved in officialdom.
Although he is incompetent in solving crimes, he is good at communication. And because the family has money, they don't deduct money from their subordinates. They use it to entertain colleagues and superiors very generously, and they are well-liked in all aspects.
Especially because of his authentic Qingyi skills of the Mei School, he is highly appreciated by high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and has friends with whom he can speak in various government agencies. This is the basis for a certain rise to success.
It's just a pity that he is smart but impetuous, talented but not persistent. Therefore, singing depends entirely on the kindness of the voice. If you don't study patiently, you won't be able to do it.
Once when I sang "Visiting Mother in the Palace", I even knocked down the "child". From then on, people gave him the nickname "Radio Red (Hong)", which means you can only listen to it, not watch it.
This also limits his opportunities to show his face before going to the peak, otherwise he might have become the police chief or deputy chief.
But having said that, such a person must have many stories. For example, when he treated his small courtyard, he was very unconventional.
When Ganqing first moved into the new courtyard, Hong Fucheng had just received a large bribe and wanted to arrange it well.
After several inspections, he decided to dig three feet of ground into a pond, build a bridge over the pond, and build a pavilion on the bridge. Create a charming and elegant landscape in your yard.
So the pavilion was demolished and repaired. Repaired and dismantled. After repeating it several times, it was first named "Liuyun", then "Flying Waterfall", then "Huayuan", and finally "Tingyu".
Then the water in the pool also went to war. Hong Fucheng first found someone to carry the load, but as the load continued to leak out, the well at home was almost dry, and it was still not full of water.
He then hired special people to carry the water, like Jingwei filling the sea, carrying water day and night.
Afterwards, because he heard someone say that he saw a strange stone in Yingying Valley, Xiangshan Mountain, west of Beijing, he even spent a lot of money to dig it out from the mountain, transported it home, and placed it by the pool.
Clinker, the stone is boring without the rustic charm, and when placed by the pool, it looks completely stupid with a dead eyebrow.
He then asked a painter to add green patches on it to imitate moss.
The effect is indeed eye-catching. His daughter-in-law, the eldest grandma of the Hong family, made a very pertinent comment, "I spent thousands of dollars and actually got back a thousand-year-old tortoise shell!"
If there are stones and pavilions, there must also be bamboos. He asked someone to spend a lot of money to buy the precious and famous bamboo "gold inlaid with jade" and planted it next to the "bastard shell".
But if the bamboo doesn’t take root, its leaves will turn yellow within a few days.
He had no choice but to move pine saplings and tie them with poles, hoping that they would grow into famous pines like "Wolong", "Fengyan" and "Lotus" in the future.
But he was impatient and couldn't stand the slow growth of the pine seedlings. In the end, he simply pulled them out completely and replaced them with the fast-growing "Rattleleaf poplar".
Now the grandma of the Hong family was so anxious that she cried and begged in front of her parents. He said, "Don't plant mulberries in front, don't plant willows in the back, and don't plant poplar trees in the middle. He has gone to such lengths to fool around. He has to plant such an unlucky thing at home. I will never come to report him." , it’s my fault..."
In this case, Hong Xiaoru really had to intervene.
Finally, as soon as the old man spoke, the pond was filled, the pavilion was demolished, the poplar tree was uprooted, and the "thousand-year-old **** shell" was also pulled away. A moon door was also opened in the west corner to facilitate the restraint and supervision of the eldest son at any time.
But Hong Fucheng spent nearly ten thousand yuan and got nothing, only a clean and flat courtyard and a scolding. When he got angry, he didn't bother to take care of it anymore. He just smashed the pot and smashed it to the ground, completely smoothing the floor of the courtyard.
Unexpectedly, I planted willows unintentionally. This move actually has other advantages in winter.
At that time, you only need to leave a sidewalk of more than one meter along the wall, surround the remaining part with soil and pour water, and when the ice is two to three inches thick, you will have a large artificial ice rink.
People gliding on it have the same effect as the "Ancestral Temple" ice rink.
So the Hong family had their skating addiction here, and they even turned out electric lights to continue skating at night.
If things go on like this, after a few winters, even the grandmother who never leaves the house has learned to skate.
So this Dongkua Courtyard once brought a lot of joy and excitement to the Hong family in winter. It was also called the "Ice Rink Courtyard" in the Hong family's mouth.
After Hong Yanzheng, Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan heard this, they were shocked. Only then did they understand why the foundation of the East Cross Courtyard was suddenly half a foot lower than the West Cross Courtyard.
Thinking about it, this is the reason why some of the soil was removed during large-scale construction projects, digging pits and ponds, and then re-burying it, so we had to dig out other parts of the yard.
And Hong Yanwu felt even more regretful. Why was he not born when the Hong family was so busy!
Hey! I was born at the wrong time!