Looking through your example, it seems like it might be easier for you to start with something that you can easily learn from. So, instead of fixing what you already have, have a look at this:
git clone --single-branch -b hugo-forum-topic-43054 https://github.com/jmooring/hugo-testing hugo-forum-topic-43054
cd hugo-forum-topic-43054
hugo server
This is a very basic skeleton.