Chapter 172: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 172: Punishing the Absurdity of the New House (6)
Now, Wang Dali and the others had only been beaten, and after a period of rest, they would bounce back as if nothing had happened. Whenever the villagers saw them, they would remember the disgusting things they had done and remind themselves not to trouble the Mo family.
This was exactly the effect Mo Yan wanted to achieve with her scheme!
In the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day of the sixth month, the day when the main beam of the Mo family's new house was raised. This was the first major celebration for the Mo family since they fled to the capital, and they attached great importance to it.
Before the official raising of the beam, almost half of Liuyang Village's residents had gathered. Not only was there excitement to witness, but after the ceremony, according to tradition, the Mo family would distribute candies, steamed buns, and other treats, which were irresistible temptations for the villagers.
The topping-out ceremony in Da Chu was very grand. Even ordinary families would go through the five procedures of "offering to the beam," "raising the beam," "receiving the beam," "throwing the beam," and "waiting for the craftsmen" to pray for the firmness of the house and a blissful life.
In front of the main hall, the altar had been set up. It was filled with offerings such as incense, pork, fish, chicken, goose, eggs, tofu, and candles.
Before raising the beam, offering to the beam was an indispensable procedure. Mo Qingze personally stepped forward and, together with Master Lu and the others, lifted the main beam, which was covered with red paper, to the front of the altar. Then, Master Lu presided over the offering ceremony. He looked solemn, chanting obscure sacrificial words while offering wine.
After the offering ceremony, the craftsmen tied ropes to the main beam and had several people on the roof pull it up. At this moment, firecrackers sounded, and Master Lu sang the topping-out song on the roof, shouting, "Topping out, good luck!"
After the main beam was firmly in place, Mo Qingze, the head of the family, placed the "Five Grains Colored Bag" sent by well-wishing families in the village, containing red dates, peanuts, rice, wheat, and evergreen leaves, in the center of the beam. Then, he covered the beam with red cloth, symbolizing a bountiful harvest of the five grains.
After the topping-out ceremony, it was time for the "receiving the package" ritual. Master Lu wrapped auspicious fruits and other items in red cloth and, while speaking words of blessing, threw the cloth-wrapped bundles into the basket held by Mo Qingze, symbolizing the reception of treasures and a lifetime of wealth and nobility.
The most lively part of the entire topping-out ceremony was undoubtedly the "throwing the beam" ritual.
Before "throwing the beam" began, the villagers crowded forward because this ritual involved throwing candies, peanuts, steamed buns, copper coins, and other items prepared by the Mo family from the beam, and whoever caught them would keep them.
Seeing so many people coming to grab the items, Mo Yan happily held her siblings' hands. The more people who joined the scramble, the more it meant that wealth would flow into their home.
Although there was no scientific basis, raising the beam was just for good luck and liveliness!
However, seeing the crowd pushing and shoving, with people occasionally being knocked down, Mo Yan frowned and said to Mo Qingze, who had a flushed face beside her, "Dad, let's postpone the 'throwing the beam' for now. Let's separate these people by gender and age first. It's not good if someone gets injured in the crowd."
There were simply too many people, and there were still many more pushing forward. Adults might be fine, but children were easily knocked down. If any accidents happened on such a joyous day, it would be very unlucky.
Mo Qingze understood Mo Yan's concerns and quickly shouted to the people at the front, "Don't push, everyone, don't push!"
Then, he asked Lin Yong and others standing nearby to help separate the villagers by gender and age.
Knowing the Mo family's concerns, and seeing how crowded it was, the villagers cooperated and went to their designated areas.
The children were surrounded by other children, so when it came time to grab things, it was a fair competition. They were extremely happy, feeling that the Mo family was really kind to take care of them!
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