At the junction of Sichuan and Shaanxi in the south of the Qinling Mountains, there is a Lijia Mountain.

Those who are familiar with Li Jiashan know that they have always done things with "urine in the belly button and eyes: an extra share." "Take the construction of the ancestral hall as an example, the people of other ancestral halls all build the ancestral hall in the place where the population is concentrated, but the people of Lijiashan are different, they build the ancestral hall alone on a mountain bag away from the crowd.

It is located in the southernmost part of Lijia Mountain, and is a platform covering an area of nearly ten acres, which is more than ten zhang higher than the surrounding terrain. Standing in the courtyard dam of the ancestral hall, looking north down the mountain, there are "three bays, four beams, and a dam" under the hillside, with a radius of nearly 100 miles, and there are more than 200 households and thousands of people living in the ancestral hall of the Li family.

To the east of the north slope is a flat land with a gentle terrain, and among the clusters of trees, there are hidden stilted buildings with pink walls and black tiles, which is the dustpan dam where the people of Lijiashan are most concentrated. Walking out of the three trots along the dustpan dam to Xiwan, Nanwan and Beiwan, you can reach the boundaries of southeastern Shaanxi, eastern Gansu and northern Sichuan respectively.

Standing in the courtyard of the ancestral hall, you can see the Jinxi Dam under the mountain in the direction of the south, and on a sunny day, you can vaguely see the sparkling waves of the Wulong River and the Jinxi River hidden in the lofty mountains. There are three important passes under the southern slope, which not only protect the safety of the people of Lijiashan, but also the necessary places to enter Jinxiba, Lianghekou and Wulong Town from Lijiashan to the border of Sichuan.

There is a spring in the middle of the ancestral hall courtyard dam, which is cool in winter and cool in summer all year round, and can be drunk by thousands of people. In that year, when Li Zhong, the ancestor of the Li family, led his subordinates to resist the officers and soldiers, he chose to build barracks, training grounds and peripheral fortifications here, and built a gatehouse and a section of battlement walls at each of the three passes, and sent troops to guard the three passes all the year round. It's really condescending, one husband is the pass, and ten thousand people can't be opened! When the officers and soldiers and the enemy came, they could only be discouraged.

After Li Zhong's death, for more than 200 years, the people of Li Jiashan have been sending troops to take turns to garrison the barracks on the mountain bag and the gatehouse of the three passes in front of the mountain. Later, as time passed, the officers and soldiers stopped encircling and suppressing, and the enemy did not dare to come to harass, and the people of Li Jiashan thought that it would be foolproof to hold the three passes, so they converted the barracks on the mountain bag into an ancestral hall.

The home of Li Dequan, the bookkeeper of the ancestral hall, is on the left side of the ancestral hall. His ancestor is Li Zhong's third son, who was born and educated, and followed his father Li Zhong to serve as a military advisor. His descendants inherited his father's business and has been serving as the bookkeeper of the ancestral hall, equivalent to the deputy patriarch of the ancestral hall. Li Dequan's son, Li Chongpin, is now the chief leader of Li Jiashan's soldiers' guards, and his father and son are shrewd and capable, and have won the trust of the current patriarch Li Zaihao and his clansmen.

The year of time shifted to 1912 A.D. It was an unquiet year, the bourgeois revolution that shocked the world took place in the ancient land of China, and with the arrival of this year, the bell of the Republic of China was ringing.

The people of the mountains are unaware of the major changes that have taken place this year, and they are still working for their livelihoods day after day, year after year.

The afternoon of Chinese New Year's Eve this year was a rare good weather, without a trace of wind, not a drop of rain or snow. Li Dequan and his son Li Chongpin were on the hillside outside the ancestral hall, digging the ground and pulling their throats.

The son sang: "On the thirty days of the lunar month, with the yellow calendar in hand, what will the days be like next year?" ”

My father took it and sang: "The first month is the New Year, the artillery is noisy, and the joy is like a fairy." ”

"Before the sting in February, the incense was returned in the temple, and it became sweeter and sweeter every year." The people in the mountains often sing the mountain songs here and there, and at this time, someone under the ancestral hall picks up the sentence and sings along.

Li Dequan heard someone singing to him and his father and son, and he was even more energetic, he took it and sang: "I have found a good day, in March next year, Qingming Valley will rain on the tea mountain." ”

Li Chongpin was not far behind, took over his father's mountain song and sang: "In April, the beginning of summer tastes three new ones, the cherries are ripe and the wheat is yellow, and the apricots are sour and the women's teeth are sour." ”

"Duanyang Festival in May, go down to the river to row a dragon boat, and the girls and boys are busy on a blind date." The sound of the song was getting closer and closer, and Li Dequan looked up at the bottom of the mountain, and it was Li Degui, the second son of the patriarch Li Zaihao, who came over happily.

"Big brother, it's the New Year, what are you two still busy with?" Li Degui is Li Dequan's cousin, and he happened to ask his cousin for help with something, so he asked him with a compliment on his face.

Unexpectedly, Li Dequan's face sank: "Where have you gone crazy with Debao these days?" Don't say hello when you go out? ”

"Big brother, my second brother and I went down to the river dam." Li Degui replied cautiously.

Debao is the eldest son of the patriarch Li Zaihao and Li Degui's eldest brother, but the children of the Li family ancestral hall are sorted according to the elders of the ancestral hall, Li Debao is younger than Li Dequan, and Li Degui can only call his own eldest brother "second brother" outside.

Li Dequan listened to Li Degui's answer, and asked very sternly: "What?" Did you go to Jinxi Dam? ”

"Hmm." Li Degui looked at him beggingly and replied timidly.

"I said you two brothers?" Li Dequan dug the hoe in his hand into the ground fiercely, he dropped the hoe, looked up at Li Degui, and was so angry that he couldn't speak.

"What's the matter? What's the matter? Chinese New Year's Eve, the younger brother is coming, you don't call people into the house to sit, what are you still saying 'people are crazy'? Li Dequan's wife, Li Chen, was playing happily with his two-year-old granddaughter Qiu Nu in the courtyard, but suddenly heard his wife reprimanding people loudly and forcefully, and hurriedly hugged his granddaughter and ran over on tiptoe with a pair of small feet wrapped like browns. She saw that it was his wife who was yelling at Li Degui, and hurriedly protected her.

"Sister-in-law." Li Degui was like seeing a savior, and hurriedly stepped forward to flatteringly hold his niece and granddaughter into his arms.

Li Dequan stared at Li Degui and said hatefully: "You ask him about the good things he did?" ”

"What's up? Degui? You and your second brother, where have you been these days? Li Chen is very virtuous, whether she is to her own son or relatives, she is everywhere to protect her, she heard her wife speak harshly, and hurriedly asked Li Degui with concern.

Li Degui snorted his cheeks and replied carefully: "My second brother and I are digging a gold pit in Jinxi Dam. ”

"Degui! You're all in your forties, why are you so ignorant? No matter how long Li Chen is protecting his shortcomings, he has to blame Li Degui.

It's not that Li Chen doesn't help Li Degui, it's not that Li Dequan sends "people crazy", even Li Degui himself is weak-hearted, which means that he must have done something wrong.

In Lijiashan, whether it is an adult or a child, or a daughter-in-law who marries in from other places or a son-in-law who recruits in the family, as long as they enter the ancestral hall of the Li family and climb into relatives with the people of Li Jiashan, the patriarch of Li Jiashan will tell them about the blood feud of the people of Li Jiashan.