The spiral hall has eight or nine floors high even the pedestal, and the octagonal cornices of the three layers are paved with a tube. The structure of the hall is different from that of ordinary temples, with four large pillars running through the second floor, and the beams between the columns are connected by beams, hangings, and corner beams to form the backbone of the beams. There are eight eaves pillars outside the first floor hall, the first layer of the beam bears the eight of the second layer of the eaves column, and the second layer of the beam bears the eight of the three layers of the eaves column.

The eight eaves pillars of the lower, middle and upper three layers are not on a façade, and the edges of the three octagonal shapes from large to small are not parallel, and the eight sides of the hall are all used with bucket arches, layer by layer, and rotate to the right, shaped like a spiral.

Its eaves hang, bucket arches, beams and columns are so exquisite that they can hardly be described in words, and you can't see too many doorways when you stand outside. Wu Lao's notes have drawn a total of three pictures, all of which are not ordinary sketches.

In the first picture, the rafters have been removed, leaving only its wooden frame, Wu Lao could not really uncover the spiral hall, this is the structure he painted according to his heart after investigation. The second is a relatively complete picture, but with several sections, it seems to cut several parts of the building, and there is a local enlarged drawing next to it, which intuitively marks the details of the lifting beam and bucket arch.

The third is a exploded view, without a single word, the whole spiral hall is like a machine that has been disassembled, and each "part" is drawn in the corresponding position of the space, so that people can see it at a glance. Seeing this picture, if the spatial visualization ability is very strong, a thought can be tolerated, and even the whole process of the construction of this pavilion during the Ming Wanli period can be suddenly deduced, as if time reappears.

This point shows the rigor and subtlety of Wu Pingdong's study, and You Fang secretly thought to himself, if he unfolded his divine sense and sensed it one by one, would he be able to experience this palace as thoroughly as Wu Lao? After seeing the picture, I realized that my skills were still almost!

For him, this diagram was like a kind of guidance of the heart plate, but to operate the heart plate to such a subtle level, it would be difficult to cultivate only with the guidance of the secret method formula! There are thousands of skills in the world that have been learned, and when they reach the extreme, they all have a realm of supernatural beauty. I am afraid that it is not enough to rely on the teacher to teach, but also rely on the hard work and hard work of the disciples, and on the other hand, we must also have that understanding and opportunity.

The quiet ancient town and the mighty Yangtze River are like nature, implying the wonder of the rotation of yin and yang, and the spiral conch hall is one of the centers of this feng shui bureau that seems to be big and not big, like small and not small, as if it is invisible, just like a fish eye in the yin and yang fish of the Taiji diagram. The earth qi spirit center is faintly swirling, moving with stillness and static pole movement, and this building is also a rare spiral structure, and the magic of the cooperation with the heaven and earth spirit center is amazing.

You Fang suddenly thought of his own sword practice, if he stood as a spiritual hub, it would be this spiral hall, and the sword intent would be the Yangtze River flowing outside the town! …… This spirit is too vast for manpower to do, but it is the artistic conception that he wants to pursue in sword practice, and it is also the way to break through the current bottleneck of sword training.

You Fang stood in front of the spiral hall and watched the picture silently, looking fascinated. Wu Yuchong also came to his side, looked at the drawings in his hand, his eyes were full of admiration, and said with emotion: "Brother You Fang, my grandfather is really good to you, you now understand why I like these albums, right?" ”

You Fang nodded: "I understand it, don't worry, I will imitate it exactly the same, and try to give you the artistic conception of the full volume." ”

They came out of Cuiping District of Yibin City early in the morning, and it was already lunch time after visiting the Spiral Nail Palace, and there was a special flavor restaurant in the town, and a few people walked to the door of the hotel and suddenly heard someone shouting in surprise: "You Fang, why are you here?" ”

Looking back, it turned out to be Zhu Li, a "classmate" of the School of Archaeology, Culture and Museums of Peking University, and Sheng Shilong, an alumnus of the Department of History. You Fang had been in class at Peking University for a long time, and Zhu Li often sat next to him. Later, You Fang said goodbye, Zhu left Sichuan, the girl was soaked by Sheng Shilong, a fellow villager in Sichuan who took a big class together, and the two came out to play during the summer vacation, but they met You Fang in Li Zhuang. (Note: See Chapter 20 of this book, The Grace of Dripping)

You Fang hurriedly greeted and introduced to the others, these two people were also Wu Pingdong's students, so the eight of them got together to find a big table to eat, and the conversation was very lively. At the dinner table, the two also specifically mentioned that You Fang went to Peking University to listen to Wu Pingdong's lectures, and organized their whole class to go to Panjiayuan to visit antique stalls.

If someone is secretly inquiring into the details of the You Fang, they are good witnesses, and they inadvertently prove that the identity of the You Fang is completely correct.

The special flavor here is yellow and spicy fish, the scientific name is Huang Yingyu, Anhui is called Ang Ding fish, Jiangsu is called Huangya, Guangdong is called Yellow Bone Fish, and Beijing is called Gayazi. It is more than ten centimeters long, no fine thorns, the meat is delicate and delicious, and you especially love to eat it. Li Zhuang's yellow and spicy tench pot is made with bamboo sunflower in the spicy soup, garnished with a handful of shallots and a few pieces of tender tofu, which tastes great!

On the second day after visiting Li Zhuang, according to the plan, Xue Qinan wanted to go back to his hometown to have a look, and he also had to attend a wedding for the younger generations of the same clan. The itinerary and accommodation have been arranged by the township government a long time ago, and the car is still the Iveco, when they came to the town where the township government is located, the tour party was startled, and saw the inflatable arch at the entrance of the town from a distance, just like the kind of wedding in the big hotel in the city.

The inflatable arch is plastered with a slogan in red and white letters, and a warm welcome is given to Xue Qinan, a member of the Committee, on behalf of UNESCO, to inspect the Nezha World Heritage Project.

When you get closer, you can still hear the sound of drums, and the reception in the township is very grand, although it is a summer vacation, but the honor guard of the town junior high school has also been gathered, and it is a welcome trend. How did the wind blow down? Xue Qinan is a member of the UNESCO Commission, he originally went back to his hometown to see, how did he make an inspection? It's clear that someone is pulling the flag!

Xue Qinan sat in the car and frowned slightly, and told Yang Chengbin, who accompanied her, that she was only returning to her hometown privately this time, and it was impossible to represent UNESCO, so she asked the township government to remove the slogan quickly. Yang Chengbin replied with a wry smile: "I also know this, but if the banner is removed in public, the face of the township leader is not good-looking, you better get off the car first, everyone is waiting." ”

Wu Yuchong shook his head and said: "What's the shame of this, the banner was pulled by themselves, they withdrew it by themselves, my grandmother didn't come on behalf of any organization at all, so when she got off the car, didn't she become a liar?" ”

Yang Chengbin had no choice but to notify the secretary of the township party committee and ask someone to uncover all the words posted on the inflatable arch, and Xue Qinan got out of the car and walked into the town. The scene was a little embarrassing, but it was quickly diluted by the warm atmosphere, and the leaders of the township party committee, government, people's congress, and CPPCC all came forward to greet Xue Qinan, an internationally renowned scholar and industrialist who had returned from the United States.

You Fang later heard that it turned out that people here thought that Xue Qinan had brought a delegation to inspect the Nezha Project in the area, and even You Fang and them became members of the delegation. The township leaders also pretended to be confused, so they received them according to the inspection group, and they did not know how many days they would stay, and they were all arranged in the township government's detention center, and apologized vigorously, and did not mind that the conditions in the countryside were too poor.

In fact, the conditions here are acceptable, for Xue Qinan, as long as the room and bedding are clean, and there is an independent and tidy bathroom, she is really in the old house without a bathroom in the mountainous countryside, I am afraid she is no longer adaptable.

The town is not far from the city, less than an hour's drive, and there was a short welcome party in the morning. The township leaders expressed a warm welcome to Xue Qinan's return to his hometown for "inspection", and introduced the economic development of the township in recent years and the plan to achieve a new round of take-off with the help of the Nezha project. Finally, he expressed the hope that Xue Qinan can return to his hometown to invest, there are many opportunities here, and the people in his hometown are also eagerly looking forward to it.

Xue Qinan, the person present, didn't know any of them, but he was almost a little related to her, and he couldn't say anything in person, so he could only talk very politely with a noncommittal attitude.

And Wu Yuchong kept staring at these people with wide eyes, and his curious eyes swept over everyone's faces one by one, and then swept back one by one.

You Fang asked quietly: "Yu Chong, who are you looking for, why do you look at people like this?" ”

Yu Chong replied in a low voice with some disappointment: "I didn't come because I *** looked good." ”

You Fang: "What are you in a hurry, you have to attend the wedding later, I heard that it is the person's granddaughter who married your distant cousin, and you will definitely be able to see you then." ”

How did Xue Qinan appear an old friend? Before the liberation, her father had ordered a family affair for her in her hometown, and the other party was also the son of a local squire, named Li Wucheng, and the two were also childhood sweethearts. But Xue Qinan met Wu Pingdong when he was in middle school after liberation, and later went to Beijing to study at university, so this family affair was invalidated.

Xue Qinan was a famous local beauty when she was young, and those who pursued her could go from Zhaochang Town to Lizhuang, not only in Yibin, but also after arriving in Beijing, she also had many admirers. Or Wu Pingdong's charm is invincible, with the help of a charcoal pen sketch after the rain that year, he seized the opportunity to get close to Xue Qinan, and finally captured his heart.

These are the gossip of the older generation, as for Li Wucheng, who is the childhood sweetheart of Xue Qinan, You Fang is also very curious, Wu Lao once had a "love rival" here, what kind of character does he have?

However, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment, Wu Yuchong's distant cousin Xue Chongyi and Li Wucheng's granddaughter Li Wendi's wedding banquet was held in the town, and the banquet officially opened at 11:18 noon. You Fang saw Li Wucheng and the old man he married in the countryside, who looked like ordinary little old men and little old ladies in the countryside who could no longer be ordinary, standing timidly in front of Xue Qinan, like two yellow-leaved trees growing side by side under the root of the wall.

When Li Wucheng spoke, he had a thick Sichuan accent, two front teeth were missing, and his smile was a little cringe.

When Xue Qinan shook hands with him and spoke, his tone was infinitely emotional, and his expression seemed to be a world away. Looking at Wu Yuchong again, the disappointment was beyond words. You Fang can only sigh, why be curious, there are really few people in the world who have the kind of mind and demeanor of Wu Pingdong.

The wedding was very lively, and the township leaders also attended, Xue Qinan was of course the guest of honor, and was pushed to the stage by the relatives of both sides as witnesses. Of course, you have to give a red envelope when you drink happy wine, You Fang wrapped a very thick one, counting the congratulatory gifts of him and Hua Youxian, Shen Sibao also wrapped a red envelope, and took Xie Xiaoding with him

Wu Yuchong seems to have remembered You Fang's warning last time, and did not coax everyone to fight at the wedding, otherwise once the occasion of so many people broke out, no matter how good You Fang's alcohol was, it would not be able to stop it. When it was almost time to eat, You Fang quietly instructed Hua Youxian to say a few words, and let Hua Youxian sneak out secretly.

After drinking the wine, he returned to the Bracket to rest, turned on the air conditioner and took a nap on a hot day, Hua Youxian came back, slipped into You Fang's room and muttered for a long time. Then You Fang took the elegiac couplet he bought in the ancient town of Fengqikou, and knocked on the door with Hua Youxian and entered Xue Qinan's room. Xue Qinan didn't have a lunch break, he was talking to Wu Yuchong and asking them what was the matter.

You Fang replied: "Two things, you listen to Xiao Xian first." ”

Hua Youxian can really inquire about gossip, and after walking around the town for two hours, he heard a lot of things. The first thing is the inside story, the news, after the wedding, the bride and groom quarreled, and even said that they wanted to divorce. According to the well-informed second sister-in-law Xue and people chatting in the shop, the result of being heard by Hua Youxian was like this

The bride shouted to the groom: "Didn't you say that your aunt and grandmother are famous and rich people in the United States, similar to Bill Gates, who have donated a lot of money in the United Nations, and this time I went back to my hometown to attend the wedding as our witness, and I have my grandfather's friendship, so I can't give 1.8 million yuan, and I even have a house and a car in the city!" "The result?" I gave away a few furnishings at home, and that thing is worth a few dollars, you liar! ”

The groom scolded the bride: "You woman with a long head and a short vision, it is a collection of crafts, maybe it is very valuable." ”

Bride: "Worth it?" How much is it worth? Sell it to whom? ”

The groom said impatiently: "I don't tell you this, my aunt and grandmother came this time, the most important thing is to invest, my father wants to open a specialty store in the scenic area, if my aunt and grandmother can invest, even the approval with money." She is usually in the United States, and the store is not equivalent to our family, so she will go to her aunt and grandmother in the afternoon to talk about it.

Bride: "I heard that there are a lot of people who talk to your aunt and grandmother, you must negotiate, otherwise you will look good!" ”

The bride and groom had just broken up when the banquet had just dispersed, and some relatives and friends who had helped had not yet left, and they were arguing in the small private room next to them, and many people heard it through the door. The second sister-in-law Xue in the town turned around and talked to someone about it in her own shop, and what she said was that her eyebrows were flying, and Hua Youxian heard it.

After telling this gossip, You Fang opened the coupling and put it on the coffee table, and asked Xue Qinan: "Sir, look at what this is." ”

Xue Qinan immediately stood up and changed color: "This, this, how can this be in your hands?" ”

You Fang recounted how he occasionally saw this elegiac couplet when he was shopping in Ciqikou, and finally said: "I heard Wu Lao mention, you are Xue Huan's great-granddaughter, this is a relic in your great-grandmother's tomb, I touched it, I should buy it and give it to you." ”

Xue Henan sighed, stared at him for a long time before saying: "You Fang, you didn't give it to me until here and now, Lao Wu once said that you are young but good at using art, and his evaluation of you is really true!" ”

You Fang lowered his head and said apologetically: "I don't want you to be unhappy when you arrive in Yibin, so I didn't take it out until now." I don't have any other intentions, and I don't want to target anyone, I just think you should understand the situation, and after all, I am a student of Wu Lao, and I know what he hates most in his life. ”

Xue Qinan asked Hua Youxian again: "You went out at noon, and you also inquired about the specific process of the theft of Mrs. Jin's tomb back then?" ”

Hua Youxian replied honestly: "That was in the early eighties, and I don't know very well, but I probably heard about the situation." At that time, it couldn't be regarded as stealing, it was openly dug in broad daylight, there were a bunch of people, all of them were descendants of your Xue family, I heard that there was a string of pearls, which was torn off and fell to the ground, and everyone carried it to pick it up, not to mention other things......"

After saying these two things, You Fang took Hua Youxian out and didn't bother the two grandparents anymore. Xue Qinan sat there silently, only listening to Wu Yuchong say hatefully: "Grandma, some people are not worthy of your kindness to them. Someone once told me that good things will only be wasted in the hands of some people and they don't know how to cherish them, so it is better to play a greater role in their own hands. …… There are many things that my grandfather is not used to, but I think that *** is the right choice. ”

Xue Qinan waved his hand weakly: "You can also go out, don't you want to go around in your hometown, and find a tour party to accompany you." ”

As Hua Youxian said, in the afternoon of the same day, a group of relatives came to the guest house to find Xue Qinan and discuss with her about the establishment of the clan ancestral hall and the cultivation of the genealogy, all of which needed money. On the other hand, each family said their own plans, including the groom who wanted to open a specialty shop in the scenic area, and the township leader who wanted to lead the villagers to invest and get rich.

And the father's generation of these people, such as the groom's father, almost all participated in the theft of Mrs. Jin's tomb that year, although Hua Youxian did not inquire clearly, but he could ask who he could ask, it was a public matter in broad daylight.

Xue Qinan lowered his head and listened, and only after everyone finished speaking did he raise his head and said: "There is an old Chinese saying, the girl who marries out spills the water, I am already a member of the family, don't look for me as a woman and a Taoist family when I cultivate the score and establish an ancestral hall." ”

The internationally renowned scholar who returned from the United States said such an old-fashioned sentence, and everyone was shocked. Xue Qinan then changed his words and said: "But after all, I am a descendant of the Xue family, and I still have one wish today, which is to worship my ancestors, go to the ancestors' graves to make a salute and pay tribute to the pillar incense." …… Guys, do any of you still know this? ”

Xue Qinan sat there, unfolding an old elegy written on silk in his hand. The expressions of many people on the scene immediately changed, and several people said to the other person present at the same time: "Old Seven, you took it away back then, didn't you say that it was unlucky, and it has been burned?" ”

As soon as the words came out, he realized that something was wrong, but it was too late to stop talking. And Xue Qinan did not have an angry face on his face, and said very calmly: "This thing should have been burned for sacrifice, although it is more than a hundred years late, it can still be made up, I will burn it in front of Mrs. Jin's tomb today, if any of you want to go, go with me." ”