“This beam, this beam, is quite extraordinary, growing on the mountain, today it becomes a beam. Today we raise the beam, joyfully meeting an auspicious day, with prosperity and good fortune, the stars shining high above. The house gains splendor, treasures abound. The elders gain longevity, each year brings jade peaches. The young receive joy, the moon is full and flowers bloom, readers advance in their studies, leaping high over the Dragon Gate, officials gain promotions, rising step by step, farmers reap abundant harvests, granaries filled with grain. May the family business flourish, and wealth flow in forever.”

The carpenters and masons chanted as they pulled the beam tree up to the top of the main pillar and set it in place. Then they lowered the rope, tying up steamed buns, peanuts, candies, and coins, and hoisted them up to the beam. To liven things up, they deliberately called out, “There are so many people down there, don’t throw the axe carelessly!” Then they shouted loudly, “The beam tree is set, wealth and treasure will come. Early every day, good fortune for generations. We invite the masters, please quickly throw the beam-raising buns!” So the carpenters and masons sat on the beam, tossing buns while chanting auspicious words for the beam-raising ceremony...

Henry Foster finally finished speaking, and everyone was still savoring his words. After a while, someone sighed:

“I never thought that to be a good carpenter, you not only have to be skilled, but also know all this!”

“Actually, in the past, apprentices learned from carpenters, and whether they could graduate depended on whether the master would teach them these things. Only after learning all this could you be considered a true graduate.”

Uncle chimed in at the right moment, and Henry Foster nodded in agreement. In ancient times, master craftsmen were very strict; becoming a master was no simple matter.

“Wait! That’s not right, Little Henry, what you said is great, but some of it is different from our local customs. For example, the beam-accompanying ceremony you mentioned doesn’t exist here, and there’s no exorcism ceremony either!” Michael Bolton thought for a moment and noticed some differences.

“Idiot, think about what era it is now. All the houses are made of reinforced concrete—where would you find a beam? Little Henry is talking about old customs!” James Bolton was always dissatisfied with his son, who once dropped out of school behind his back to go out into the world, almost making him sick with anger.

Henry Foster cast a sympathetic glance at his cousin Michael Bolton. Whenever there was a chance, Uncle would mercilessly put him down—everyone was used to it by now.

Michael Bolton blinked at him, signaling Henry Foster to help him out, or else his old man would seize the chance to lecture him for ages.

“Actually, even though houses don’t need beams anymore, these ceremonies still exist, just in a different form. Take the exorcism ceremony, for example: nowadays, the carpenter will catch a rooster and walk it around every corner of the house, placing bamboo sticks at each doorway and corner. As the rooster passes, someone will use the bamboo sticks to strike the walls—this is called driving away evil!”

Henry Foster naturally wouldn’t leave his cousin hanging and explained for him:

“In folk tradition, roosters are believed to dispel evil and summon yang energy. Wherever the rooster goes, evil spirits and filth dare not linger. When they hear the sound of bamboo sticks striking, they hide inside the bamboo. After the carpenter has walked the whole house, people gather all the bamboo sticks, tie them to a pole, and set off firecrackers at the front to clear the way. The person with the bamboo sticks follows, running out—this is called sending away evil!”

“Hmm, all that reading wasn’t for nothing. We can’t lose these traditions passed down from our ancestors!”

Chapter 8: The Funeral Wind Calamity

The charcoal fire was changed several times, and the night grew deeper. Most of the girls couldn’t stay up and went to bed. At this time, Second Uncle and several carpenters also came into the main hall.

At midnight, the auspicious hour for raising the beam arrived. Nowadays, houses no longer have beams and pillars; instead, the carpenter hangs a red silk safety talisman in the center of the main hall ceiling, symbolizing the beam-raising ceremony.

A group of young people gathered around the charcoal fire. After listening to Henry Foster explain the customs, they compared the carpenter’s actions and found that every move had its own meaning.

A brand-new rosewood ladder—every new house must have one for the beam-raising. Before the carpenter ascends, no one else is allowed to step on it, showing the importance of the ceremony.

Henry Foster and Michael Bolton stood to the side, watching the carpenter recite the congratulatory words and prepare to climb the ladder. Henry Foster frowned, thinking to himself, “The beam-raising seeks peace and family prosperity, but this funeral wind calamity brings misfortune and ruin. The two are in conflict—if that red silk safety talisman can be hung up, it’ll be a miracle.”

The carpenter held the safety talisman in one hand and the ladder in the other, climbing step by step. Soon he reached the top of the hall, raised the talisman, and tried to hang it on a steel hook specially left at the top.

Woooo~~~~~

As soon as the talisman was hung, Second Uncle’s happy expression hadn’t even faded when a fierce wind suddenly blew, howling and rattling, making the talisman sway in the air until it finally fell to the ground.

“What... what’s going on?!”

The crowd gasped in shock. The carpenter was stunned for a moment, then quickly tried to smooth things over:

“The wind brings blessings!”

He then went down the ladder, picked up the talisman, bowed to the four directions, and chanted the “Luban’s Beam-Raising Text.” Only then did he climb the ladder again. This time, after hanging the talisman on the hook, he held it in place for a while. Seeing nothing unusual, he let go with both hands.

“Thud!”

As soon as the carpenter let go, the talisman started swaying again, and in full view of everyone, it fell to the ground once more.