The image of the upper beam is auspicious, so naturally everything needs to go smoothly, but now... the upper beam is in trouble!

This is the best master carpenter in the Punal Valley and even on the East Coast of North America who is personally installing the beams!

Over the past few decades, Carpenter Qin has built and put up lintels for many Chinese houses on the east coast of North America. Everything seems to be going well. People get rich after moving in, and those who become officials become officials. Their homes are peaceful, their children and grandchildren are prosperous, and everything goes well with their families.

How come it’s my old Chen’s turn to be in trouble...

Fourth Master Chen's wrinkled old face looked uncertain and unsightly, and the crowd of onlookers also began to chatter and gossip, which made the Chen family even more worried.

Installing the beams is just a ceremony. The size of the beams and the dimensions of the slots in the frame have been carefully prepared by the carpenter in advance. It is just a formality for the carpenters to install the beams in front of the homeowner, relatives and friends, and then insert the beams.

It means that the "hardware" part of the house has been built, and only the thatch tiles and doors, windows and furniture will be laid in the later stage.

However, Maplejou and Kiriko had already checked it many times beforehand according to their master's orders. They thought everything was perfect, but how could they have thought that something like this would happen at this moment? The size of the beam and the size of the slot were exactly the same, but they just couldn't get stuck!

"Second, second and third, what happened?" Qin Shaonan, who was standing on another purlin, shouted. As an ink master and an old carpenter, he could naturally hold his breath at this time.

"Master, the beam is not straight..." Tongzi replied to the master with a sad face.

"Second brother, come here and help me hold the altar!" Qin Shaonan shouted to Fengtiao. Fengtiao put down the beam and walked over to help the master hold the altar. Qin Shaonan came over and took a closer look at the beam slot. There was nothing wrong with it.

The carpenter always carried everything with him. Qin Shaonan used a plane to dig on the frame of the house for a while, and then flicked a three-line ink fountain on the beam. After a lot of work, he and Tongzi lifted the beam to the right position, but it still couldn't get stuck.

What's wrong is that the beams, which are perfectly matched in size and slot, just won't fit in!

It's as if there are hands in the dark, grabbing this beam hard to prevent it from getting stuck - not allowing this new house to complete the beam!

Qin Shaonan wiped the sweat from his forehead, put down the beams, stood up on the frame, and carefully looked at the wooden frame of the entire new house.

Half a century has passed since he came to the United States from the land of Bashu in China in 1948. This old Chinese carpenter, one of the leading carpenters in North America, realized that today he encountered an "axe grinder" (also known as "axe grinder").

"Master Qin, what's going on? Is it possible that I can't finish the beam or something? You are the best carpenter in this area, how come you..." Mr. Chen, who spoke loudly under the truss, shouted

Start shouting.

"Grinder!" Qin Shaonan shouted at Fourth Master Chen.

"Touch father and mother?!"

Not only the Chen family, but also Li Ling in the crowd sounded very different.

"Third Senior Brother, you should be proficient in Luban Technique. Haven't you seen that there is something different about the Luban spell that you have blessed?" Li Ling chanted these words in his heart.

There were so many onlookers, and the third senior brother was far away on the roof. At this time, Li Ling could only cheer for the third senior brother secretly. In his opinion, the third senior brother should be able to think of a way to break the evil.

"Fourth Master, someone else helped you find the foundation for your house, so I have nothing to say. I encountered an 'axe grinder' when I was laying the beams for you today!" Qin Shaonan said loudly to Fourth Master Chen on the frame, "

Now ask someone to check if the ancestral graves of more than two generations of your family have collapsed?"

"How is that possible? Our family went to my father's and grandpa's graves this morning to offer incense. Our ancestral graves are in good condition!" Mr. Chen replied. The Punal Valley is located in the mountains of northeastern New York State.

More than a hundred years ago, a Chinese laborer was buried directly in the mountain after his death, so the Chen family has their ancestral tomb here.

After hearing this, Qin Shaonan thought for a while and then asked: "Fourth Master, let me ask again, are there any descendants in your family who are unfilial to you, or even abuse you two elders -"

"Hey, Lao Qin, what did you say?" Mr. Chen's three sons yelled under the truss, "Dad is our most respected and beloved relative, what you said is quite true.

Passed!"

"Master Qin, don't worry about this. My children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are all very filial to me. It's nothing like what you said." Fourth Master Chen also replied.

Qin Shaonan immediately asked again: "Then, think about it again, has your family ever bullied fortune tellers or beggars? Fourth Master, these questions I asked are related to whether Liang Shun will go well or not, and I will build a house.

When lifting beams, pay attention to these things!

"Fourth Master, you know me. I, Lao Qin, have been in the United States for fifty years. Over the years, many Chinese fellow villagers on the east coast have built houses. I have been in charge of ink and beam construction, and nothing has ever happened to me. After the new house is built,

They live here with prosperous families and people, and live and work in peace and contentment, but today they are really in a tight situation!"

After hearing this, Fourth Master Chen and his family immediately thought about it and shook their heads. His family has a great business and has always been keen on charity. They have never bullied any fortune tellers or even some beggars.

Seeing that they denied it, Qin Shaonan made a plan in his mind and thought of the house foundation again, but he couldn't say it out loud. After all, he didn't find the house foundation by himself.

The frame of the house has been erected and it is time for the beams to be installed. If you tell someone that the foundation of the house is not good and you need to replace it, isn't this a curse that will bring bad luck to them for eight lifetimes?

Qin Shaonan's so-called "axe grinding sprite" is a "bad omen" that carpenters in Bashu, China, encounter when building houses.

The sprite is a kind of ghost in the legend, which often appears in pairs. The sprite that appears near folk houses is said to be domestic ghosts and wild ghosts.

In the old days, when a carpenter built a house for a family, the well-behaved carpenter would split the wood three times with an ax on the south-facing sunny side of the house foundation and the north-facing shaded side of the house foundation to produce wood chips, which are the so-called "chips", homophonic in Chinese.

"Warning off evil".

Just because the carpenter's ax is a tool to ward off evil spirits, if the "chopping" goes smoothly, the domestic ghosts and wild ghosts wandering near the foundation of the house will escape, and the new house built by the carpenter will bring blessings and good luck to the homeowner.

, only when people live there will everything go smoothly and the population will be prosperous.

There are also times when a carpenter's "chopping of chips" does not go smoothly. For example, if the ax cannot chop the wood and no wood chips are produced, the "chip" will not be successful. At this time, if the carpenter is a skilled carpenter, he will insist on continuing to chop the wood.

Use your own abilities and integrity to fight against the evil spirits, and finally drive away these ghosts and monsters;

But if the carpenter is not good enough and cannot hold on any longer, he will go to find an ax grinding stone to grind the axe. If the carpenter grinds the axe, it is an unlucky sign, and it is the so-called "axe grinding sprite".

It is said that the ghost ghost possessed the carpenter at this time, but it was actually the ghost sprite grinding the axe. This indicates that the ghost ghost near the house foundation does not allow the homeowner to build a new house. If the homeowner insists on building a house, the beams on the new house will not be straight, or the beams on the new house will be improperly built.

If the descendants live there, everything will go wrong or they will get sick or suffer disaster.

"Chopping" is a rule that some carpenters in the old days were strict with and had many rules. However, the unlucky sign of "sharpening axes" does not only appear when carpenters are chopping. Sometimes the chopping goes smoothly, but in the later stages of construction, There will also be "axe grinding" during the process.

For example, when digging the earth for a house foundation, a cave collapses, or the beams are not installed smoothly, or the roof trusses collapse and other accidents, "axe grinding" has gradually become a synonym for carpenters who have trouble building a new house, and it does not specifically refer to superstitions such as evil spirits blocking the way.

That's why Qin Shaonan asked Mr. Chen's family whether their ancestral tombs had collapsed. In the eyes of old carpenters, if a family's ancestral tombs collapsed (for example, washed away by floods or mudslides), "axe grinding" would also occur. What is the beam on the new house? If the beam is definitely not upright, the employer needs to repair the ancestral tomb immediately so that the beam can be mounted smoothly - this is the saying in the carpentry industry that "the Yin house is peaceful and the Yang house is smooth".

In the old days, it was said that if the homeowner bullied the fortune teller, beggars, or abused the elderly, the construction of the new house would not go smoothly, and the "axe grinder" would jump out and cause trouble.

But the most taboo thing about building a new house is not choosing the right foundation. For example, choosing a land line for a yin house, or some land with unfavorable feng shui for a yang house. This kind of "axe grinding" is the most difficult to deal with, and it is said that it will definitely lead to the building of a new house. The beams on the house are not straight.

The only solution is for the employer to change the foundation of the house - this will test the skill of the Feng Shui master. If a half-full Feng Shui master chooses such a house foundation for a family so that the upper beams are not straight, then it will only You can blame the landlord for taking advantage of him.

But at the moment, Qin Shaonan did not find the foundation of Fourth Master Chen's family's house, so it was hard for Qin Shaonan to say anything about the foundation. In his opinion, since Mr. Feng Shui found it himself, there would be no serious problem.

In some places in Sichuan and Chongqing, "axe grinding sprite" is also called "mofu sprite". Mofu is Mozi, who lived in the same era as Lu Ban, the founder of the carpenter, and was an outstanding figure among hundreds of scholars. It is said that he is Lu Ban's number one enemy. Since he is the great enemy of the ancestor, he will naturally block the construction of the ancestor or his disciples.

When some carpenters encounter some unsatisfactory events that they cannot see clearly, think clearly, or understand (i.e., very mysterious and unpredictable emergencies) during construction, they often think that Master Mo is causing trouble and that the enemy of the ancestor is here. When ghosts are causing trouble, they will perform a ritual to ask gods to send away the ghosts and send away the so-called "mofu monsters".

If what Fourth Master Chen said is true, their ancestral graves are intact, and his family has never abused the elderly, bullied fortune tellers, or beggars, of course, they must also ensure that the feng shui of the house foundation is fine. Then, there should be no There will be "axe grinding monsters" causing trouble, so naturally everything will go smoothly and all good luck will be prepared when the new house is built.

But the problem is that Shang Liang Xun is not in the right position right now!

Fengjo and Tongzi squatted next to the master. Seeing that the master seemed to be helpless, they couldn't help but become even more anxious. If the carpenter didn't load the beam correctly, wouldn't it be his own sign that was smashed? If this affects the business of Lihua Wood Factory, it will be even worse. It's no longer worth it.

After eliminating the "axe grinding monsters" one by one, Qin Shaonan looked at the crowd of onlookers, and then carefully looked at the frame of the house. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pulled out the ax from his waist and asked Tongzi to hand him a wooden wedge.

"Bang bang bang!" Qin Shaonan split the wooden wedge, and sawdust flew away. A strange thing happened, a piece of sawdust actually hovered on the beam, floating around like a feather!

The people watching under the house frame did not seem to notice the strange phenomenon caused by a small piece of sawdust. But in Li Ling's field of vision, in the Luban spell of the house frame, there was a scarlet airflow on the layer of Hongmeng Qi,

He is holding that piece of wood, just like water carrying leaves, drifting anything at will!

Qin Shaonan seemed to suddenly realize it, and immediately shouted to Fourth Master Chen: "Fourth Master, I told you in advance that pregnant women are not allowed to come and watch when I am going to the beam. Have you implemented this? Keep your eyes sharp and see.

Look among the relatives and friends who came to watch and congratulate, are there any women who are pregnant with a baby?"

"That's right! Third Brother, you finally found the root cause!" Li Ling clapped his hands in the crowd, "The aura is pregnant women! Among the people watching here, there must be pregnant women..."

In the old days, ordinary carpenters did not pay too much attention to many rules when building beams for others' houses. But for carpenters who knew Luban Shu, they had to strictly abide by some rules and pay attention to many taboos.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, it will destroy the Luban Dharma he has established on the wooden frame of the new house. These conflicts will not only make it difficult for the new house to be built smoothly, but will also cause conflicts for the homeowner who moves in, making everything difficult for him.

To be smooth, to suffer disaster.

For example, when he was building a house and raising beams, pregnant women were absolutely not allowed to come and watch.

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Chapter completed!