Return To 1977 Chapter 494: Folk wisdom
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After talking about the fresh products in summer, it’s time to talk about living in summer.
People who lived in large courtyards in the past may remember the heat of summer in the old days. Especially after a few volts, it was so sweltering day and night that it was breathless. It was really a fire from the sky, a steamer on the ground, no place to hide, no place to hide.
At that time, there was a saying in Beijing that "there is no gentleman in the hot summer." It means that the most well-dressed gentleman can go bare-backed in the middle of summer without being laughed at.
As for rough people who are not among the "gentlemen", not only men become "big men" by being shirtless, but boys as young as five or six can be completely naked and run naked through the streets with their treasures on, euphemistically called "little teapots" ".
Even elderly women, because they feel that they have come a long way, don't care about anything anymore, and they become "big ladies" without any hesitation.
But there is one thing. This is only limited to old ladies over sixty years old, and they can only stay indoors. They must also avoid men of the same age, elders, and highly respected relatives and friends.
Some old women who dare to challenge the extremes of the world are still exposed in public places. To put it nicely, it’s called “luoluofang”, but to put it unpleasantly, it’s too disrespectful. In the eyes of neighbors, that whole body is definitely a huge mental burden and can cause nightmares.
In this day and age, the vast majority of people in the capital really have no good way to beat the heat. In addition to being shirtless, I would shake a cattail leaf fan or splash cold water on the ground.
Men can still take a shower under the tap water pipe. On the other hand, boys are more comfortable. Before going to bed and after dinner, the mother will take a basin and fill it with cold water, and let the child put his hands in the basin on the ground to "cleanse the child's spine."
What’s more, it’s time to enjoy the cool air in the evening and sleep on the streets.
The last solution was impossible, because the room was as hot as a steamer, and it was impossible to get in even at midnight. There is still a cool breeze on the street, so you can sleep on a mat spread out.
So I looked around and saw people lying horizontally and vertically, with their eyes closed and their mouths open. Fortunately, there was still the symphonic snoring, otherwise it would be really terrifying.
It can be seen from this that in the eyes of the broad masses of the people, the high temperature in this summer is completely unimaginable and is an unavoidable ordeal.
Think about it, no matter how cold it is in winter, you can still put on extra clothes, even if you are at home with the stove under the quilt. But there's nothing you can do about it if it's hot. You can't just peel off a layer of skin?
So some people often sigh to comfort themselves, "It's uncomfortable to feel uncomfortable, but this is also the fairest life!"
The implication is that officials and wealthy people are also helpless in this kind of weather. You can only rely on endurance and get through it, and suffer the same fate as the poor.
But to be honest, this is pure Ah Q’s spirit. It may be because poor people have difficulty imagining a truly prosperous life, which is why they come to this self-righteous and absolute conclusion.
In fact, facing the same heat, it is really different. At the very least, if a house has many rooms, each person will have different space.
Is it possible to cram three or five people into a small house the same as living by yourself in a detached house? Is chatting under the big locust tree on the street the same as enjoying the cool under the flower and fruit trees in your own yard?
Not to mention a wealthy mansion like the Hong family's in the old days, with a verandah, a pergola, and its own garden. It's even more incomparable, a world of difference.
How big is the difference in actual life?
In fact, let’s not talk about other things. We only need to take Hong Yanwu and “Tang Xin’er” as an example, and just take a look at their small courtyard in “Qifenglou Alley” to understand what’s going on. .
If we talk about the old Ling'er in the old capital. After Guyu, families with their own homes will have to prepare for summer.
First, start by arranging the flowers and trees in the courtyard.
People who live in single courtyards should move potted flowers and trees for the winter from indoors to the garden, and plant "grass jasmine", "cockscomb", "impatiens" and "mint" on both sides of the road in the courtyard. , "morning glories" and other flowers and plants, and also move the lotus jars that were moved to the corner of the yard after winter to the yard again.
Hong Yanwu and "Tang Xin'er" also followed suit.
Since "Tang Xin'er" likes white color, they transplanted large areas of "Hossa" in the shade beside the wall, and also transplanted some "Mint Grass", "Grass Jasmine" and "Impati" in the sunny area. flower". I also set up a shelf in the yard and planted loofahs.
At this time, it is roughly half a month after Grain Rain, so in terms of time, it doesn’t matter. Not to mention, by July, these flowers and plants are growing really well, thriving and full of life.
But there is no big lotus tank. "Sister Agou" is from Shanghai and does not have the preference of people in the capital to keep goldfish. It's a woman again, this big guy can't afford to mess with her.
Secondly, after the 13th day of the fifth lunar month, the house needs to be tidied up.
There is a saying in the old capital's mother's ear, "A severe drought will not last until the 13th day of the fifth lunar month." This is because that day was the day when Guan Yunchang crossed the river to meet Wu for a "single sword meeting", and it often rained "sharpening swords".
Although the "Single Sword Society" has no real connection with the north, after the Dragon Boat Festival, there are often unexpected heavy rains in the capital.
In the old days, Rong Jianchen, a single-stringed actor, often sang a "cha song" called "Returning to the Boat after Storm". There are several lines in it, "Wind and thunder arose in the northwest sky, and all of a sudden dark clouds rolled in... It rained heavily. spring".
This describes the rainy scene of the dog days in Beijing. The characteristic is that just a cloud can cause rain, which not only comes quickly, but also comes fiercely. Really vivid.
Therefore, after the Beginning of Summer, when the weather is good, many families have to make annual repairs to their houses, plastering the roof, painting with gray water, laying linoleum, and repairing leaks in wall joints and eaves.
These tasks are not difficult, but they are very trivial. The small courtyard in "Qifenglou Hutong" is a private house, and the public will not take care of any problems. Hong Yanwu could only ask Mr. Shan to send two small workers to do these things.
Although it caused a lot of trouble, this matter still needs to be discussed.
Don't forget, the relationship between Hong Yanwu and "Tang Xin'er" was able to develop by leaps and bounds thanks to a heavy rain in the summer in Beijing. They can be regarded as "returning to their hearts after the storm".
So who can get tired of such weather, they can’t blame them.
Thirdly, Xiaoman still needs to build a ceiling before and after.
There is a saying in old Beijing that can be called a slogan, which is called "Fish tank on the ceiling with pomegranate trees, sir, fat dog, fat girl." This first half of the sentence refers to the summer scene in the capital.
The so-called "ceiling" is a temporary summer shelter built in front of the house in the courtyard with a bamboo pole as a frame and a reed mat as a roof. It was erected in May and dismantled after the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Those who engage in this industry are called "shed craftsmen", and their history can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty.
The shed builders in the capital are unique in building pergolas. Unlike in the south where building a shed requires digging a hole, they erect fir poles on flat ground, and the erection is safe and not afraid of hurricanes. The top mat also has drawstrings that can be rolled up or down at will.
In addition, because this method was introduced from the official family to the people, even the palace and royal palaces had to build pergolas to escape the heat.
It's like the scene in the TV series where the inner courtyard of the palace is still exposed to the sun in the scorching summer. In the past, the emperor would have been covered in prickly heat and the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs would have died.
Having mentioned this, I have to mention that in the early years, courtyards in Beijing and Tianjin were covered with square bricks and no big trees were planted (except for those entering the halls and courtyards of residences), not for other reasons, but to facilitate summer weather. Build a canopy.
So this is one of the reasons why most courtyards in the Forbidden City do not have big trees. However, there are many reasons listed on the Internet but this is not mentioned. It is probably because there are too few people who understand the way of life in the past.
However, Hong Yanwu and "Tang Xin'er" did not copy it, not because no one knew how to do it. The "scaffolder" Mr. Shan hired was the original "scaffolder".
The main reason is still because there is no space. The courtyard of "Tangxin'er" is small, and there is only one east wing. It is really inconvenient to build a ceiling.
In addition, times have changed. The ceiling material is prone to fire. In Hong Yanwu's view, it is a big safety hazard.
What people didn’t expect was that Mr. Shan’s craftsman was indeed a well-informed master, and he actually came up with another brilliant idea.
He said that in the past, even if ordinary people could not afford to build a ceiling on the property boundary, they would build a small shed or tent under the eaves of the windows of the east and west wings of their home, called a "rain hanging tent", which could not only shade the sun, but also provide shelter from the sun. rain.
Based on his experience, there is actually a better way near Taiyuan, Shanxi. That is to add hooks directly under the east and west eaves, and then hang the mats. It can be stretched at will and plays a role in temperature control.
Not to mention, Hong Yanwu tried this method and it was absolutely amazing. It is economical, convenient, cool, and has good ventilation. Since there is a certain distance between the eaves and the windows, even if the curtains are fully lowered, the room will not be completely dark.
He quickly used it in Guanyin Yuan to relieve the worries of his elder brother, sister-in-law and younger sister.
Now, let alone Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin, they both said it was clever. The three neighbors also followed suit.
Hey, what a clever trick, everyone has benefited.
Fourthly, after the house is sorted, we still need to buy a variety of summer daily necessities.
Things are different, but the quality of life is still different.
Yes, ordinary people have no place to buy air conditioners these days. But at least Hong Yanwu had everything provided for his home and "Tangxiner" including gas stove, electric fan, refrigerator, and washing machine.
Don’t underestimate these things that people take for granted today.
Anyone who has experienced the pain of moving a stove around, being stuffy behind, dry and hot in front, and enduring the smoke will know the beauty of a gas stove.
If anyone has ever experienced using a washboard to wash clothes, and it can make you sweat even when you are sitting in the shade, and your hands are red and itchy, you may want to use a washing machine instead.
If it is the dog days of summer and there is no wind at night, shaking a cattail leaf fan can break a person's hand. Compare it to the feeling of having an electric fan or a refrigerator. It makes people shout long live and kowtow to the inventor of these appliances.
What's more, the biggest advantage of "Tang Xin'er's" courtyard is that it has its own toilet, so there is no need to go to the official latrine outside to endure the stench and filth.
Hong Yanwu also made some simple modifications, including tiles and shower heads. And connect a rubber pipe with a wrench switch from the water pipe under the shower head.
In this way, you only need to insert this tube into the thermos and rely on the natural suction of the water flow to take a hot bath. Even in winter, four thermoses can definitely make one person take a good bath.
What is folk wisdom? This is!