The next day, Tan Zhenghong and Qiao Duo'er got up early in the morning.
Beam-raising is a big event in any household, so the craftsmen all arrived early on.
The master carpenter had already chosen an auspicious day and prepared the big beam beforehand, which had been resting in the main hall. Tan Zhenghong would offer incense every day.
Today being the actual day, the sacrificial ceremony was much grander.
Qiao Duo'er laid out the sixteen offerings on the table at one go, while Tan Zhenghong inserted and lit the incense candles, then they burnt incense together, and both the family and the craftsmen knelt and bowed in succession.
After the prayer, the carpenter responsible for the big beam chanted the beam-raising song while pouring wine over the big beam.
This Master Jin was a carpenter of renown far and wide, and he was best at making big beams; people from ten villages and eight towns sought him out.
