With the sound of a bunch of keys, the two mottled red-painted doors of No. 34 Qianliang Hutong were pushed open.
One step, two steps...
As the new owner of this old house, Jiang Shan took the lead in crossing the threshold at the insistence of the previous owner.
"The gates of quadrangle courtyards always open in the southeast corner."
Wang Shixiang's voice followed closely: "There is a reason for this.
According to the five elements of the Bagua, the diagram means smooth sailing and safe entry and exit. Right, Jing Xin?"
"That's right,"
Zhao Jingxin, the brother-in-law of the former owner Chen Mengjia, crossed the threshold side by side with Wang Shixiang.
"This two-entry courtyard faces south, and everything is laid out according to the old rules," the old man slowly introduced:
"The front door is wide and bright, and the two doors have hanging flowers. Seeing the door is like seeing the head of the household. This is what is meant by the saying that the family is well matched."
"Then my door..."
When Jiang Shan heard this, he quickly turned around and looked at it: "What level is it?"
"Didn't I just say it," Huang Yongyu said: "One door is bright and bright, and the other two doors have hanging flowers."
"Xiao Jiang, come on, come on,"
Wang Shixiang waved his hand and called Jiang Shan back: "The gates of the courtyard houses in Old Beiping are very particular. Generally speaking, the gates of the palace are the highest. Of course, the ones in the Forbidden City are another matter."
"You can't say anything else," Huang Yongyu said, "No one can compare with you."
"Except for the palace gate," Wang Shixiang continued, "it's your Guangliang gate, keep an eye on it..."
Jiang Shan followed Wang Shixiang's hand and looked toward the door.
"Golden pillars, outer eaves pillars, sparrows, door hairpins, drum-holding stones..." Wang Shixiang: "To put it bluntly, it is just a room. If we go back a few years, there would be two guards standing under the eaves of a door like yours.
You are the caretaker of the home."
"oh,"
Jiang Shan understood: "Xiaoyu Xiaobai, stand aside and let Third Uncle feel it."
"good."
"Here we go!"
Jiang Xiaoyu and Jiang Xiaobai heard the sound and ran over quickly.
On one side, they were lying on the polished drum stone, smiling so happily.
"Let's break up quickly," Huang Yongyu looked at the two children next to the old threshold: "If the house is not protected for a while, they will be taken away again."
"Let's go," Jiang Shan smiled at the two children: "Uncle San will show you our new home..."
"Come on, as soon as you enter the door, you will face the screen wall of your house."
Today's Wang Shixiang is nothing short of an experienced property salesman: "The room on the right side of the Yizi screen wall is prepared for your teacher.
The row of houses on the left that is connected to the gate is called a reverse house.
After crossing the second door of your house, you will reach the second courtyard of your house..."
At this moment, Jiang Shan especially loved to hear Wang Shixiang's words, 'Your family, your family...'
"Wow, second brother, look!"
"I'm watching."
Jiang He, who followed Jiang Shan, didn't realize until now how exaggerated the house Jiang Shan bought was.
Especially after stepping into the second door, his facial expression obviously lost its calmness: "How many rooms are there in this place? It's too big."
Rivers and mountains stood together, looking in one direction and the other.
"The main house in this row is also called the north house, and it is usually for the elderly in the family," Wang Shixiang pointed east and west and continued to introduce:
"There are three rooms in the east wing and three rooms in the west wing. The wing rooms on both sides of the main room have been converted into toilets..."
As Wang Shixiang continued to introduce, the eyes of the two Jiang brothers gradually changed from surprise to surprise.
The last time they met, they both laughed happily.
"You know, third child," Jiang He said, "When I went home to get the money and said that I wanted to buy a house in the capital, my parents shed tears of excitement."
"Stop talking about them," Jiang Shan said, touching the tarnished pillar, "I'm almost crying right now."
After living two lifetimes, I finally got the Siheyuan.
"Next," Jiang Shan put his arm around his second brother's shoulders and said with a smile, "Just wait and see how I play with it."
"Third uncle,"
Finally, Jiang Xiaoyu realized something: "Will this yard be our home from now on?"
"Yes," Jiang Shan smiled proudly: "How's it going? Do you like it?"
"It's so shabby," Jiang Xiaoyu summed it up in one word: "But I like it so much, especially the flowers in this yard."
"I like these flowers too," Jiang Xiaobai said without stopping after calling in, "and this small pool."
Although this courtyard house in Qianliang Hutong is old, there are no cobwebs or dust collectors in the eaves and corners.
It looked like someone had been taking care of it from time to time.
What is particularly eye-catching is the garden full of flowers and plants.
Orange pomegranates, pink crabapples, and trees full of yellow-green jujube flowers.
"My sister carefully selected the trees in her garden."
Zhao Jingxin, with his hands behind his back, looked at the trees in the yard and said:
"Xishu begonia, Lintong pomegranate, and the two golden jujube trees next to the west wing...it is one scene in spring, and another scene in autumn."
"Brother Meng's house," Wang Shixiang said with emotion, "is much better preserved than mine."
"Okay," Huang Yongyu comforted, "Never mind this, now you finally have a place to put your treasures."
"That's true." Wang Shixiang also laughed when he thought of this: "It's still a very good place."
At this moment, Jiang Shan had already seen the former owner's study.
A table, two chairs and three bookcases, in Jiangshan's eyes, felt a bit like visiting a memorial hall.
"Let me see what kind of Ming Dynasty furniture they are,"
Yu Sigui, who always followed Jiang Shan, reached out and lifted the cover on the furniture: "Hey, it's really a good thing."
"Really?" Jiang Shan got together with her: "Let me take a look."
Before the two of them could look at it for a while, they heard Jiang He shouting from outside: "Lao San, look at this quickly."
Jiang Xiaoyu touched the moon door at the end of the corridor: "Third uncle, come to me quickly."
"Third uncle," Jiang Xiaobai ran the most cheerfully: "I found the pigeon nest that Grandpa Wang said."
A group of people were chatting and laughing, wandering around the yard.
The originally old and faded courtyard house has become more alive since the arrival of this group of people.
Seeing that the new owner liked it so much, Zhao Jingxin, who was standing in the yard, nodded with peace of mind: "It's good if they like it, otherwise, my sister won't be able to feel at ease with the money she received."
"Don't worry," Huang Yongyu said for Jiang Shan: "My little friend will definitely make this house better."
Wang Shixiang: "I advise your sister to be more open-minded, eat when she needs to eat, and play when she needs to play."
"She really wants to go out for fun," fearing that the other party might not understand, Zhao Jingxin emphasized again: "It's like going abroad for fun, but I guess I won't be able to do that."
Wang Shixiang: "Why can't we play?"
Zhao Jingxin: "The procedure is difficult."
When Wang Shixiang heard this, he immediately showed an expression of no need to worry: "What do I think it is?"
"Here,"
Huang Yongyu pointed in the direction of Jiangshan: "You can get this done by asking him."
"Who?" Zhao Jingxin: "That young man?"
"Yes," Wang Shixiang said, "That young man is now the celebrity of the National Tourism Director."
Huang Yongyu: "Otherwise, the procedures for your house would have to wait until the Year of the Monkey and the Horse."
"oh,"
Zhao Jingxin, who flew a plane to revolt back then, now looked at the young man in front of him again: "If you put it this way, this house has really found the right owner."
…
The lanterns are on at the beginning, and the music of the piano is lingering.
In a small courtyard in Fangjiayuan Hutong, the original appearance has long been lost.
Sitting in the hall, Jiang Shan and Huang Yongyu were enjoying the old times, absorbing the new, and breathing in the clouds and mist.
"Um,"
The third uncle listened with satisfaction to the twists and turns of the piano practice in the back room: "Xiaoyu has made great progress in the past two days!"
"You call this progress?" Huang Yongyu was already ready to take action: "I guess the people in this entire courtyard are looking forward to your early departure from Beijing."
"Come on," Jiang Shan, who was about to return tomorrow, said with a smile, "You obviously don't want to leave us."
"Xiao Yu'er is still very talented in learning guqin. Otherwise, no matter how strong our relationship is, my wife will never teach in person,"
Wang Shixiang, holding a wooden box, walked out of the back room: "Xiao Jiang, I have a gift for you."
"Give it to me?"
Jiang Shan and Huang Yongyu looked at the small red sandalwood box on the table.
"March 21,"
Wang Shixiang pressed his hands on the small wooden box: "This is the only date engraved on the tombstone of Li Jie, the architect of the Northern Song Dynasty.
This date is also the day when Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin got married..."
Jiang Shan and Huang Yongyu exchanged glances, but neither of them understood what Wang Shixiang wanted to say.
"Many years ago, Mr. Zhu Qiling copied two unique copies that originally belonged to our country from Japan.
One is "Painting and Decoration Records" which I was commissioned to write and annotate, and the other is Li Jie's "Building Methods".
Before meeting me, Mr. Zhu had already handed "Building French Style" into Liang Sicheng's hands.
In order to decipher this obscure and difficult book "Construction Method" one by one, which is comparable to the heavenly book,
Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin, and their colleagues in the construction industry visited more than half of the provinces and cities in the country in ten years.
Surveying and mapping, more than 2,000 ancient buildings of the Tang, Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties were photographed.
By the time they moved to Lizhuang, the astonishing amount of collected data was enough for the Construction Society to be able to compile the annotations of "Construction Methods"."
Speaking of this, Wang Shixiang slowly opened the small wooden box: "How lucky am I to have a glimpse of this abyss in my life?"
Back then, I was less than 30 years old when I first joined the Construction Company, although I only studied with Mr. Liang for a while.
But it allowed me to see the top ancient architectural art.
After Japan announced its surrender in 1945, I said goodbye to Lizhuang in advance for the purpose of recovering cultural relics after the war.
Among the accompanying luggage, the most precious items are these 86 hand-drawn drawings of the construction company.
Xiao Jiang, today I will give them all to you for safekeeping.
I hope you can see some of them in the design of your courtyard house."
At this moment, the rosewood box on the table had been completely opened.
A stack of yellowed papers placed in the box caught Jiangshan's attention instantly.
Seeing Jiang Shan motionless, Huang Yongyu raised his arm and gave him a look: "Why are you standing there? What a rare opportunity, why don't you take it out and take a look."
Excited heart, trembling hands.
Jiang Shan's overall performance clearly explains his psychological activities.
"How lucky am I to be able to peer into this abyss in my life?" He borrowed a sentence from Wang Shixiang: "Uncle Shixiang, you are really my uncle!"
Hearing this, Wang Shixiang and Huang Yongyu laughed together.
At this meeting, Jiang Shan had already taken out all the manuscripts and held them in his hands.
"There are not only hand-drawn drawings by Liang Sicheng," Wang Shixiang pointed to the drawings and said, "there are also manuscripts by Lin Huiyin..."
Jiangshan was carefully read one by one.
The main hall of Foguang Temple in Wutai Mountain, the three main halls of Guangji Temple, the moon beams, Yuanyang Gong...
Although the drawings have turned yellow, the essence is still clearly visible.
"I have to go back and study it carefully."
It seems like you can’t get enough of the treasures of the country.
For him, getting this thing is more satisfying than getting a courtyard house.
"Pretend it and take it back to take a look at it slowly."
Wang Shixiang pushed the rosewood box to Jiang Shan: "In addition, my wife also has something to give to Xiaoyu..."
Before Wang Shixiang finished speaking, she heard Jiang Xiaoyu's voice in the back room: "Grandma, I can't have this piano, otherwise my third uncle will punish me."
"How dare he," Yuan Quanyou's voice sounded in the back room: "This is a gift from grandma to you, not to your third uncle. Does he care about it?"
Jiang Shan, who had no control, was sitting in the main room waving his hands vigorously: "This is really impossible. I have stayed with you for so long with my family and I, how can I still pack up my things and walk away together?"
"It's just a piano," Wang Shixiang waved his hand and said, "I followed you all over the world and ate for a while."
"How can it compare!"
"Just take it if it's given to you," Huang Yongyu said in a low voice, "This guy inside is not easy to tolerate."
"oh?"
"Your aunt's grandmother's only hobby at that time was to go out with a gun every day to fight injustices for women," Huang Yongyu said, "Later on, all the girls raised in her family had the same temperament."
"Yeah?"
"My wife is indeed a wonderful person," Wang Shixiang said with a smile, "and she is indeed very stubborn."
"Third uncle,"
At this time, Jiang Xiaoyu came out holding a guqin: "Grandma Yuan said this was a meeting gift she gave me."
Jiang Shan quickly stood up in response.
Without looking at Guqin, he bowed to Yuan Quanyou first: "Thank you Aunt Yuan for your love for our little fish."
"Xiao Jiang," Yuan Quanyou stroked Xiao Yu's head and said with a smile:
"I like this child Xiaoyu very much. If you can really move to Yanjing in the future, I will definitely ask her to play the piano.
But for now... let this piano accompany her for me."
Yuan Quanyou, who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, was known as one of the four prodigal daughters of the Republic of China.
The "prodigal" here actually refers to buying a piano.
As long as she takes a fancy to the guqin, she will not hesitate to sell all the valuables.
Once, she and Wang Shixiang spent all their wealth in order to obtain a piece of "The Great Sage's Notes" from the Tang Dynasty.
Later, it was this "Monkey King's Legacy" that sold for 1.5 billion at Guardian's spring auction.
It has to be said that the vision of Wang Shixiang and his wife is not comparable to ordinary people.
Just like the piano they gave to Jiang Xiaoyu, even if he sat in the soft sleeper compartment of the return train.
The three people who were watching together didn't see any clues.
"Okay," Jiang He carefully put away the guqin: "We don't understand it anyway, so don't waste your time."
"Indeed," Jiang Shan leaned back on the bed and read Liang Sicheng's manuscript: "It's better to study your own business."
"Jiangshan," Yu Sigui suddenly remembered something: "When we go to New York this time, will we take your two uncles from Yanjing with us?"
"..."
Jiang Shan only thought for a few seconds before giving the answer: "Bring it, of course you have to bring it. I believe they also want to see the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art."
What's more, this time the Cultural Affairs Bureau also gave me a special task.
Jiang He: "What about me?"
"It goes without saying," Jiang Shan said, "Even if it's at our own expense, we can't miss anyone."
