Prose Appreciation of the Old House
While talking and laughing, I have entered the age of knowing my destiny. Forgetfulness has become a lesson that must be practiced in life. Looking back on the past, it seems like a fleeting moment, and many of the major events I experienced in the past have become experiences. And one thing that is hard to let go of in my memory is the old house in my hometown.
My hometown, Gaoping City (called Changping in ancient times, where the famous Battle of Changping took place) is located in the hilly area of ??the southern section of the Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi Province, with a longitude of 113 degrees and a latitude of 35 degrees, which belongs to the north temperate zone. The land here has four distinct seasons and is fertile. The rolling hills are covered with green pines and are dotted with dense vegetation and flowers. There are orchards everywhere on the mountainside and mountain slopes. In spring, all kinds of fruit and flowers are colorful, bees and butterflies are dancing among them, the spring breeze is blowing, the flower branches are blooming, and the stamens are blooming, full of spring. It also serves as a thoroughfare for transportation, and the thoroughfares are full of tourists. The hometown that haunts me is in this long and picturesque scroll. I spent the best days of my childhood in the old house, and my youthful dreams were also nurtured in the old house. My hometown is located in Dongzhuang Village, Beishi Town, southeast of Gaoping City. My old house is located in the middle and west of the village. The west end of the village extends from the west mountain to behind the old house. The old house faces west to east. The west tower of the main house is the main house (main body). The main house is flanked by two wing towers in the north and south, and the north and south rooms are two wing rooms (dragon guards). The main house, wing rooms and wing buildings are all two-story brick and wood structures. The heights of the houses are staggered in an orderly manner. The wing rooms are lower than the main house and the wing rooms are lower than the wing rooms. To the east is a hanging flower-style gate. On both sides of the entrance hall are sandstone columns about 4 meters high and 0.3 meters wide. The courtyard walls on both sides are in line with the east gables of the north and south wings. As soon as you enter the gate, the entrance partition is set up two meters away from the gate to avoid the collision between the gate and the main entrance of the main house, ensure the smooth flow of air in the courtyard, and also satisfy the architectural Feng Shui "Qu Ze Qing". The main room, wing rooms, side rooms and hanging flower gates are combined to form a typical traditional three-in-one courtyard. The hall outside the gate is spacious and high-spirited. It can be said that the layout of the courtyard is completely in line with the traditional Chinese culture of filial piety and brotherhood. It appears that the elders and younger ones are orderly, polite and conceding. The courtyard is not big but very exquisite, especially the carved and painted gates, cornices and brackets, and the entrance partitions and patterns are ingenious and exquisite. The old house as a whole exudes a dignified, solemn, harmonious and perfect aura. Although it has been weathered by wind and frost, the heroic appearance of the ancient courtyard and the vaguely identifiable brick and wood carving patterns still tell of its past glory.
The five houses in the old house are home to five families of the same clan, and this has been the case since my grandfather's generation. Many past glories have also disappeared in the long river of history with the changes of the times. Only her architectural lines and exquisite courtyard design are rooted deep in my heart, leaving future generations with infinite reverie and fascination, which often stirs up my heart. Strings of ripples accompany the dreamland forever. There are six people in our family, including my father, mother, brother, sister and one younger sister. My father is a praised and respected teacher with wide hobbies, rigorous and resolute style. He has served as the principal of rural and central schools. He is busy with education work all day long, and we can only get together on weekends and holidays. My father is strict and serious, as if everything in life is part of his work, and he is meticulous and serious. My mother is smart, diligent and kind. Not only farming, but also all the household affairs are taken care of by her. In my eyes, my mother is talkative, well-groomed, neat, and pursues perfection in everything. From our studies to the coordination of family-neighbor relations, we are not afraid of trivial matters. We often use the stories that happened around our elders to positively inspire our growth and establish politeness in our courtyard. In my childhood home, life was hard but fulfilling. No matter how hard or tiring I was outside, returning home was like a drifting boat returning to a quiet and warm harbor; and the scorching red sun was setting in the west, and the birds were dancing and tired. The attachment of returning to the forest. The five neighboring households in the courtyard also live in harmony and enjoy themselves. In 1987, I was admitted to an architecture school in the provincial capital and left my hometown and my old home. At that time, I applied for the major in architectural engineering, mainly because of my attachment to the old home. After more than 20 years of entrepreneurship outside my home, I finally started my own business, but deep down in my heart, I always cared about the old house that was dark, low-key, and shabby. I always wanted the old house to rejuvenate with its former style. Due to all the reasons, finally in the late 1990s, as the pace of reform and opening up accelerated, the single-family living style in rural areas became the mainstream. The other four households in the old house built new houses one after another and moved out of the old house and demolished the south wing and the penthouse. The Sanheyuan is no longer complete. In the Sanheyuan, only my parents still stay alone in their old house. In fact, the old house has become a dilapidated building.
Every year when I go back to my hometown to celebrate Chinese New Year, I still have to squeeze in with my parents. Especially after I have a wife and children, I feel even more nervous about housing, which also accelerates my sense of urgency. In 2014, I made up my mind to renovate my neighbor's house in the old house. Coincidentally, before the renovation of the old house, my father received a hint from the family god in a dream and received the word "Quan Yuan Wang" as a gift. When the old house was completed, the craftsmen were asked to carve "Quan Yuan Wang" on the lintel of the main door, so that the old house would truly have a soul and become full of vitality.
During the renovation of the old house, all the original dimensions and architectural styles were maintained, and photos were taken of the original pattern and regulations, striving to be loyal to the originality. Unexpectedly, after it was completed, the dullness accumulated yesterday was erased and polished. What are the gazes of passers-by today? The visual effect of the restored old house exceeded my expectations. Pedestrians passing by stopped to look at it. The cultural relics departments of Gaoping City, Jincheng City, and Taiyuan City made special visits. From time to time, ancient book lovers from Henan also visited. Among the viewers, those who study Feng Shui, ancient architecture, and collect patterns often come unexpectedly. They all use their professional vision to find unique academic highlights in the old house. The most interesting thing is the comment made by a Feng Shui researcher from the Zhouyi Association: "The gate facing east is Dui Zhai." The countryside is also called the West Courtyard. It is backed by the Mingxi River in front of the Western Mountains. Sitting west to east, sitting Xin to Yi, collecting the Yang water from left to right, that is, the prosperous and prosperous direction of the Mingxi River in front of the house. The momentum is grand and the layout is extraordinary. A Taishan stone is embedded in the back wall of the main room to receive the pulse energy. Home. People born in Dui Zhai are persistent, resolute, courageous, have the character to take on responsibilities, and have the characteristics of reform and development. Politicians, lawyers, etc., did not hesitate to write and express their beautiful words; while experts on ancient architecture commented on the architectural style of the mid-Qing Dynasty, but it is magnificent and ingenious in structure, giving the whole a solemn and harmonious beauty.
Having worked outside the home for more than thirty years, the four siblings have started their own families and are living a prosperous life. My parents, who have worked hard all their lives, are already very old. Because they are not used to living in high-rise buildings and cannot bear to part with the warm and comfortable pastoral atmosphere, they still insist on living in their hometown and watching over the old house. They lived their indifferent, leisurely and quiet life in the old house, enjoying the change of time and the cycle of the sun and the moon brought by nature, and enjoying the blessings and greetings from their children and neighbors on WeChat on their mobile phones, or through the square-inch videos on their mobile phones. Looking out the window or traveling around the world; and the century-old house also glows with its past style, like a wise man witnessing the changes of the times and the passage of time, he can't help but feel infinite emotions in his heart. It is the old house that made me do a meaningful thing in my life as a child; it is the old house that reminds me not to forget the way home no matter how far I go; it is the old house spirit that inspires me to serve my country with loyalty. Feelings should always be kept in mind. Do not forget the original intention, keep the mission in mind, forge ahead, and use your lifelong efforts to achieve the highest state of life practice. Quan Yuanwang. I am lucky enough to be associated with the old house in this life. The old house makes my life worthwhile?