In the past, there was a saying in Beijing that could be called a slogan: "A fish tank with a ceiling and a pomegranate tree will make you a fat dog and a fat girl."
This sentence actually talks about the yearning and imagination of the elderly people in Beijing for a happy life.
Just like the contemporary people desire to own a three-bedroom apartment in a school district in a first-tier city, with their parents by their side, the couple raising their eyebrows together, the children lying on their knees, and having no worries about daily necessities of food, rice, oil and salt.
Most people understand what it means, and the situation described is easy to understand.
But at the same time, I can also realize that the first half of this sentence can be summed up as the summer fun of Beijing people, but not many people.
The main reason is that contemporary people no longer know what a ceiling is.
At the same time, an old profession, shed maker, has also gradually disappeared.
At present, the closest thing to this period of history to the common people in Beijing is that the TV series "Four Generations Under One Roof" brought the lion-dancing Master Liu to everyone's attention, reminding the older generation of Beijing residents that there was such a profession in the past.
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Let young people say that under the age of forty, let alone seeing it, they have almost never heard of it.
The so-called "ceiling" is actually a pergola for enjoying the cool in summer. People in the capital call it "ceiling".
It was built with reed mats, fir poles and bamboo poles tied with ropes.
In the past, as soon as Xia Jingtian arrived, the capital city entered the "canopy season", and all the shed shops were busy with the business of erecting pergolas.
The climate in Beijing is relatively accurate.
Generally, according to the weather, it starts from the fifth month of the lunar calendar and lasts until the autumn wind blows during the Hungry Ghost Festival. Sooner or later, it is time to add a small coat, and the ceiling cannot be stored and needs to be demolished.
But the erection of ceilings did not just start in the Republic of China. This industry can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty at least.
In the early years of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the princes, nobles and dignitaries in the capital would erect tall ceilings in their courtyards to avoid the heat and cool down in midsummer in order to block the hot sun.
Later, this method was gradually introduced to the people. In addition to decent businessmen, ordinary people also set up ceilings in their courtyards.
Even for civil and military agencies, large and small, and all government offices, the annual ceiling fees are included in the official official budget.
It can be seen how prosperous this industry was at that time. It was a necessity for people who did not have fans or air conditioners in the past.
Even if I don’t want to brag, by the Republic of China, not only courtyards could be covered with roofs to enjoy the shade, but also high-rise buildings.
For example, the embassy and consulates and banks in Dongjiaomin Lane in the capital are all multi-story Western-style buildings. Especially the scorching sun that shines in the east and west poses a great threat to people. Every year, these foreigners also build buildings.
Even the court, until Puyi left the Forbidden City, relied on this hand to escape the heat.
Why are there no tall trees in the Forbidden City except the Imperial Garden?
If you listen to the tour guide, you will be a fool for the rest of your life.
Those ignorant and ignorant people who tell you that they are afraid of getting mixed up with assassins or that fire prevention is necessary are just pure nonsense and treat tourists as fools.
The real reason is that tents must be built in the summer. This custom was practiced in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and recorded in archives.
The emperor is not stupid. It makes no sense that the common people know how to enjoy it, but the palace does not know.
Therefore, when it comes to the art of building tents, there is no one in the world who is better than the capital city.
The industry of erecting roofs is called "shed shop", and the people who do this kind of work are called shed craftsmen.
You need to climb over eaves and walls, climb up and down, work in the air, and tie long wooden stakes and thick bamboo poles with hemp ropes to form a shelf.
Based on the nature of the work, the people doing this work should generally be considered members of the construction industry.
But it's not exactly the same, because buildings are meant for long-term use, while things like sheds are temporary.
In the past, when you hired someone to build a shed, the shed builder would calculate how much it would cost you per season based on the size of the owner's yard.
Everything was built in a shed, and the owner's money was just rent, and when the time came, they would all tear it down.
Therefore, the price is not expensive, and basically middle-to-upper-class families can afford it.
But now there is no chance. There is no place to rent these things now. They have to buy them all by themselves.
Moreover, it is difficult to find people and the wages are not low, so the expenses must be real.
Although prices and labor are extremely cheap in the mainland of the Republic, building a shed for a small courtyard is expensive. Even buying materials and labor costs 3,000 yuan.
This doesn't count, because this money is only for erecting the ceiling. After it is built, it still has to be dismantled, and after it is dismantled, materials still need to be stored.
No wonder the old man is not happy. To put it bluntly, this is a matter of spending money and asking for trouble.
Not to mention, in order to follow Jiang Nianyun's ideas, we have to build a wedding tent, repair a theater, and do all the big things as in the past.
Then I don’t know how much it will cost, there is no way to calculate it.
In fact, when Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko returned to Ma's Garden in a car, they got out of the car and walked into the yard.
Ning Weimin understood why Luo Guangliang advised him to consider moving to a different place on the way and not bring the car in.
For no other reason than because the stalls spread out in the courtyard were too big and too messy, and there was no room for them.
I don’t know since when, the entrance to the courtyard changed its appearance. Countless things covered with raincloths fell into the empty space upon entering the courtyard.
And from the exposed parts, you can see that they are all bamboo poles, fir poles, ropes and other things.
Not to mention, there was no parking space in the original motor house, because when Ning Weimin walked over, he found that tables, chairs and benches were placed in piles and stacked together. There were several Eight Immortals tables of various colors.
Ten, and countless chairs and benches.
And he could see clearly that these were not the red sandalwood furniture he had bought in the past, nor were they the ones the old man had refunded, they must have been newly purchased.
Not to mention this, it was also a coincidence. As I walked forward, I found two tricycles parked there, with cardboard boxes tied up with ropes and stacked high.
Two shirtless rickshaw pullers were unloading their goods and carrying things into the house one by one. They were covered in sweat and had oil on their foreheads.
Just by looking at them, you can tell that each of these boxes is not light and simple.
By coincidence, the person holding the keychain to open the door for them and watching them work was none other than Zhang Shihui.
They were happy to see Ning Weimin and his group pushing eight trolley suitcases, and they quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"Wei Min, I said you're back. I've been waiting impatiently to drink your wedding wine. If you don't come back, how can we sing in this big drama without the main character? Oh, look at this posture, it's quite possible.
I'm afraid you two have emptied all the shops in Paris, right?"
"Hey, Miss Matsumoto, it's been a hard journey. You are becoming more and more like an international superstar. Forgive me for being a relative, but we should be considered our own family now, right? Can I call you younger brother and sister?"
"Ah? What are you asking about these things? You don't even need to ask. We have to prepare everything, right? We can't just have tables, chairs, and benches, but we also need cups, plates, and dishes. What? Too many?
It’s not much, these are just half of the goods. They still have to send them one more time.”
"Hey, I have to tell you about this. There are three hundred sets in total. They are all good things. The antique porcelain from the Beijing Arts and Crafts Factory was made specially for you by Master Liu Yongqing. I heard that it was modeled on the wedding ceremony of some emperor.
The porcelain is better than the one we use now in Tan Palace. Anyway, it is definitely decent enough and worthy of your status. The old firewood from the factory is also very interesting. For your sake, he gave it to us half for sale and half for free.
30% off. That’s about fifty or sixty thousand yuan.”
"Hard work? Ouch, that's not what it should be. I said, don't be polite. Shouldn't I help you with your marriage? Don't be an outsider. To tell you the truth, even our family members are here today.
Yes, she is busy inside. After finishing her busy work today, we will take care of you together..."
If this boy is really different now, he really deserves to be the leader of the altar palace.
In the past, I was so excited that I could make two thousand yuan by reselling two TVs and couldn't sleep all night. Now I don't take it seriously when I mention fifty or sixty thousand yuan, and my tone is so relaxed.
However, when his words were heard by the two cartmen carrying the goods, they were inevitably eye-catching and shocking.
Especially when he spoke this time, he brought out the old shaking of his head in excitement, which made Ning Weimin frown.
A bit too noisy.
I don't know why, but it reminds me of the old movies of the past, where the rich and unkind landlord inspects his territory and is flattered by his thugs.
When this pair got together, Ning Weimin naturally felt extremely uncomfortable and awkwardly tight.
So he coughed quickly, broke the "Mu Renzhi"'s beard, and told him to get some tea for the two coachmen, and give each of them two boxes of cigarettes.
Without waiting for the two rickshaw drivers, who were holding heavy objects in their hands, to say thanks with dry lips, they left and continued inside.
To be honest, Ning Weimin really couldn't be happy at this time. Instead, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
The situation in front of him was a bit too big, and it was completely different from the scene in his memory when his aunt's eldest son got a wife and hired a few chefs to serve as a living table for the children.
He originally thought that it would be convenient for him to find a cook, and for the wedding, he would just use the old man's garden to set up a few tables, invite all his acquaintances and friends, and everyone could close the door and have an unfettered lively atmosphere.
It is already very comfortable to have this place in summer without being disturbed by others, and there is no need to make any additional preparations.
Who knew that was not the case at all.
Looking at this situation and this extravagant expense, even if the palace held weddings in the past, this would be it, right?
How much will it cost just for these building materials, tables, chairs, benches and tableware?
He knows best how much money the old man has in his hands.
When he left, the arrangement he made for the old man's life was nothing more than asking him to give him the salary Pierre Cardin gave him.
More than 5,000 yuan per month, 3,000 yuan in foreign exchange coupons, and double salary at the end of the year, which only amounts to 80,000 to 90,000 yuan per year.
However, these expenses now should have exceeded the old man's financial ability. I'm afraid it will cost him all his money. What on earth did the old man think?
Moreover, this Zhang Shihui doesn't know how to talk, and he can't even talk nonsense in front of outsiders.
If those words just now were spread outside by these two coachmen, they might be very evil. They are just looking for trouble.
Just as they were thinking this, the group of them came to a fork in the road.
Ning Weimin lowered his head in deep thought and was about to run towards the small courtyard.
As a result, countless shouts came from the distance, "Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!". They tilted their heads and he was startled.
Because from a distance, I could vaguely see a lot of people busy on the other side of the rockery. It seemed that there were multiple large archways with a height of more than ten meters.
According to Ning Weimin's visual inspection, it seems to be much more complicated than the temple fair held in Temple of Heaven Park.
After being stunned for a moment, Ning Weimin couldn't help but lead the others and walked over in search of the sound.
Soon, when he saw it clearly, he couldn't help but shout "Ouch!"
Not only was his Japanese wife unable to help but cover her mouth with her hands, she shouted out in shock, "Skuoyi!"
Even Luo Guangliang and Xiao Tao, who originally knew the situation here, were also excited.
"Fuck!" they both blurted out at the same time.
Not for anything else, just because what they just saw was not an archway at all.
To be precise, it is a flower wall outside the shelf of a building that serves as a facade.
There are dozens of people gathered here, and they are actually rising from the building!
And it covers a very large area, so big that Ning Weimin couldn't believe it.
You know, this can be said to be the largest open space in the middle of the garden. In winter, it is the place where water can be poured and an ice rink can be set up.
There is a billiard room on the rockery to the north, a three-volume hall to the southwest, and a Xiyin Hall to the southeast.
The space in between was at least several hundred square meters, and it was all used by these people, building a large shelf building on the ground.
Not to mention that, look at the fir pennies stand that has been set up over there in the billiard room.
I know their plan, which seems to be to connect the original buildings in three directions with this wooden frame building.
Can you imagine how big this project will be?
So how much will it cost?
That is to say, China is too poor these days, and people and things are worthless.
Otherwise, this kind of movement has already caught up with the royal families of small European countries, and I am afraid it is no longer a pomp that the so-called old money can display.
What's even more amazing than this building is the people who work on it.
Ning Weimin saw that they used large fir poles to install pillars and bamboo poles to tie up the frames.
But the construction tools are only ropes and "threading needles".
The ropes are used for binding, and the "threading needles" are used for sewing reed mats.
Absolutely no need for axes, saws, or big iron hoes.
And it’s different from the south where you have to dig a hole and bury the fir pole first.
The shed builders in the capital never dig holes or bury poles when building sheds.
They erected the bracket directly on the ground, and it was very strong and of excellent quality.
No matter how heavy the wind or rain is, the pole brackets will not move at all.
And this was the craftsmanship and attention to detail of the shed shops in the capital at that time that were the best in the world.
Needless to say, it is all based on formal apprenticeship, master-disciple inheritance, and the ability to specialize in this line of work is passed down from generation to generation.
Even people who don't understand can tell with just a few glances that even a monk who has become a monk on the way can't do such a job.
What a great shed maker. No matter how old they are, some may be in their 60s or 50s. Many of them are old masters.
But it is really as light as a swallow and as strong as an ape.
Whether they are building a building on a shelf or building a shed on the eaves, they are all so light and flexible.
I would never trample the tiles on other people's houses to pieces.
Especially when building a scaffolding, even though there is only a cedar pole across the middle of the distance of several meters, those people are like walking on a tightrope.
Walking from one end to the other is like walking on flat ground.
Just rely on this skill and it won’t take a moment, okay?
Zhao Ning Weimin thought that he was qualified enough to join the acrobatic troupe.
So finally he couldn't hold it any longer, and he called Mom for the first time, and he called it to the gentlemen.