Now that we’ve talked about summer’s fresh products, it’s time to talk about summer’s accommodation.
People who lived in large courtyards in the past may remember the heat of summer in the old days. Especially after a few days, the heat was so sweltering day and night that it was really hot and suffocating. 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 the capital, "There is no gentleman in the hot summer." This means that a gentleman who is the most particular about well-dressed people can go bare-backed in the middle of summer without being ridiculed.
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 naked and run around the streets with their treasures in front of them, euphemistically called "little teapots."
Even the elderly women, because they feel they have come a long way, don't care about anything anymore, and do not let themselves become "big ladies".
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, and their elders are extremely respected relatives and friends.
Some of the old women who dare to challenge the extremes of the world are still so exposed in public places. To put it nicely, they are called "Luoluo generous", but to put it worst, they are too careless. The appearance of their clothes is definitely different in the eyes of their neighbors.
It is a huge mental burden and can cause nightmares.
It must be said that in this day and age, the vast majority of people in the capital really have no good way to beat the heat. Other than going shirtless, shaking cattail fans, or splashing cold water on the ground.
Men can still take a shower under the tap water pipe. But boys are more comfortable. Before going to bed and after dinner, the mother will take the basin and fill it with cold water, and let the child put his hands in the basin on the ground to "flush the child's spine."
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What’s more, it’s time to enjoy the cool air in the evening and sleep on the street.
This last option was impossible, because the house was as stuffy as a steamer, and it was impossible to get in at midnight. There was still a cool breeze on the street, so I could sleep on a mat spread out.
So I looked around and saw people lying horizontally and vertically, lying on their backs with their eyes closed and their mouths open. Fortunately, there was still that symphonic snoring sound, otherwise it would be really terrifying.
It can be seen from this that in the eyes of the general public, 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 more clothes, even if you are at home with the stove under the quilt. But there is nothing you can do if it is hot. You can't just peel off a layer of skin?
Therefore, some people often sigh to comfort themselves, "It's uncomfortable to be uncomfortable, but this is also the fairest life!"
The implication is that those who are officials and those with money are also helpless in this kind of weather. They can only rely on endurance and survive, 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 least if people have more rooms, the space they have is different.
Is it the same to cram three or five people into a small house as to live in a private house by yourself? Is it the same to chat under the big locust tree on the street and to enjoy the coolness under the flower and fruit trees in your own small yard?
Let alone a wealthy mansion like the Hong family's in the old days, with verandahs, a pergola, and its own garden. It's even more incomparable, it's a world of difference.
How big is the difference in actual life?
In fact, let alone 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 private courtyard in "Qifenglou Hutong", and we will understand what is going on.
If we go by the old rules of the capital, after Guyu, people who have their own homes will have to prepare for summer.
First, we need to 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", "mint", "flowers" on both sides of the road in the courtyard.
All kinds of flowers and plants, such as cow flowers and cow flowers, should also be relocated to the yard such as lotus jars that were moved to the corner of the yard after winter.
Hong Yanwu and "Tang Xin'er" also followed this point.
Since "Tang Xin'er" likes white color, they transplanted large areas of "hosta" in the shady area beside the wall, and planted some "mint grass", "grass jasmine" and "impatiens" in the sunny area.
I also set up a shelf in the yard and planted loofahs.
At this time, it was roughly half a month after Grain Rain, so in terms of time, it didn't matter. Not to mention, by July, these flowers and plants were growing really well, thriving, and full of life.
It's just that there is no big lotus tank. "Sister Agou" is from Shanghai and Hainan, so she doesn't have the preference of Beijing people to raise goldfish. She is also a woman, so 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 was a saying in Ma Ling'er in the capital city in the old days, "A severe drought can only happen on May 13th." This is because that day was the day when Guan Yunchang crossed the river to meet with Wu for the "Single Sword Meeting", and there would often be "sharpening rain".
Although the "Single Sword Society" has nothing to do with the north, unexpected heavy rains do often occur in the capital after the Dragon Boat Festival.
Rong Jianchen, a single-string actor in the old days, often sang a "cha song" called "Returning to the Boat after Storm". There are several lines in it that say, "Wind and thunder arose in the northwest sky, and all of a sudden dark clouds rolled in... The heavy rain was like a spring."
This describes the rainy scene in Beijing during the dog days. The characteristic is that just a cloud can cause rain, which not only comes quickly but also comes violently. It is indeed 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 the 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 had 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 "reunited 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 with pomegranate tree on the ceiling, fat dog and fat girl sir." This first half of the sentence refers to the summer scene in Beijing.
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 starts to be erected in May and is dismantled after the "Hungry Ghost Festival".
Those engaged in this industry are called "shed craftsmen", and their history can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty.
The pergola builders in the capital are unique in building pergolas. Unlike in the south, where they need to break ground and dig holes to build pergolas, they erect fir poles on flat ground, and they are set up safely and are not afraid of hurricanes. There are drawstrings on the top mats that can be rolled up at will.
In addition, because this method was introduced from the official family to the people, even the palace and royal palaces at that time 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.
At this point, I have to mention that in the early years, the 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 the erection of ceilings in the summer.
Therefore, 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 imitate this point, not because no one knew how to do it. The "shelf builder" Mr. Shan hired was the original "shed builder".
The main reason is because there is no space. The courtyard of "Tangxin'er" is small, and it only has one east wing, so it is really inconvenient to build a ceiling.
In addition, times have changed, and the ceiling material is prone to fire. In Hong Yanwu's view, it is a serious safety hazard.
But what people didn't expect was that Mr. Shan's craftsman was indeed a well-informed master, and he actually came up with a 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 "yu hanging tent", which could not only provide shade from the sun but also shelter from 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. They can be stretched at will to control the temperature.
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 all lowered, the room will not be completely dark.
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He quickly applied it to Guanyin Yuan to relieve the worries of his elder brother, sister-in-law and younger sister.
Not to mention Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin were amazed when they saw it, they all said it was clever. The three neighbors also followed suit.
Hey, a clever trick that has benefited everyone.
Fourth, after the house is sorted, it is still necessary 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 has purchased gas stoves, electric fans, refrigerators, and washing machines for his own home and "Tangxin'er" here.
Don’t underestimate these things that people today take for granted.
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 makes 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’s the dog days of summer and there’s no wind at night, and the cattail leaf fan can break people’s hands, then compare it with the feeling of having an electric fan and a refrigerator. It’s like long live the inventor of these appliances.
It’s time to kowtow.
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, installing ceramic tiles and a shower head. He also connected a rubber pipe 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 pleasant bath.
What is folk wisdom? This is it!
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