has almost become the pro-authority of the Li family, and the relationship with the surname is no different.

Whether the Li family ancestral hall usually notifies the Li family to go to the ancestral hall to discuss matters, or the ancestral hall needs someone to help with labor, these people with foreign surnames are just like back then, treating the affairs of the Li family as their own affairs, and they will come when they shout, and they have never separated each other. Today, when Lee Jae-ho saw them, he didn't particularly come forward to greet them politely and greet them one by one. He just nodded to a few older people with foreign surnames according to his usual practice, which was considered a courtesy.

Li Zaihao looked at everyone, and after all, all the people who lived nearby had arrived, and there were more than a dozen people living far away, so there was no need to wait. Because he had already made arrangements in advance, so that they did not have to take a detour to gather at the ancestral hall, and asked the people who "shouted" to inform them to rush directly to Jinxiba from a few passes under the mountain, and find Li Debao and they to join them.

Li Zaihao took Li Dequan and Li Chongpin to the steps under the eaves of the ancestral hall, Li Zaihao coughed lightly, and the people in the courtyard suddenly quieted down

The torches crackled and burned in the wind, illuminating the courtyard of the ancestral hall brightly, Li Dequan stared at everyone for a moment with a stern expression, and said aloud: "Fellow villagers, today is the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's Eve, and there is nothing to entertain when I invite you here, so I'm sorry!" ”

Everyone stood in the courtyard in front of the ancestral hall, or smoked dry tobacco, or nibbled on bread and cereal, or drank porridge, or chewed pickles, and quietly listened to Li Zaihao's words.

Suddenly, a man shouted, "What's this?" It's not about doing things for outsiders. ”

Then many people shouted: "It's good to have porridge to drink and eat grain, I heard that the people of Jinxiba have to stand at the door of Xie's house for a long time in order to receive a charity of rice dumplings!" ”

"In the past few years, we have food, clothing, and a peaceful life, all thanks to the ability of the patriarch! What are we not satisfied with? ”

"Patriarch, if you have any orders, just say that we can do it, and never say a 'no'!"

It was getting darker, and the north wind blew out the sparks on the smoke pots in the men's mouths.

Seeing that everyone had no objections, Li Zaihao waved his hand, raised his voice, and continued: "Don't hide it from everyone, my two sons and my eldest grandson carried me to the bottom of the mountain, dug a gold pit on the Xie family's territory, and earned New Year's money. It stands to reason that I should have taken them to the ancestral hall to be punished by everyone. But my eldest son and my eldest grandson did not come back to the mountain, and though my second son returned, I went down the mountain with him and his son. Why is that? It's because they dug two 'ebony' in the golden pit at the bottom of the mountain, and wanted to use them to honor me and my mother, make a 'longevity' for each of us, and make a set of wedding furniture for each of my two grandchildren. If this is the case alone, I will not spare them, nor will I let the second child and his grandfather go down the mountain again, let alone inform you to come here to be cold and hungry and drink the northwest wind. Why should I do this? It's because I found two 'melon seed gold' on the brown socks that my second child wore back on his feet, and there were also a lot of 'gold feifei' on the straw sandals he was wearing. Think about it, how many miles did he have to walk back from Jinxiba to the mountain? He still has to step on the small ditch of 'twenty-one feet are not dry', and there is still so much sand gold on his socks and shoes. I figured that the pit they dug must be 'red'. ”

When the clansmen heard the patriarch suddenly say "Jinkeng is red", they couldn't figure out what the patriarch meant. It is inevitable that they will talk quietly.

Li Zaihao waved his hand, signaled everyone to stop talking, and continued: "According to the rules handed down by our ancestors, our people in Li Jiashan should not go to earn the Xie family's money if they die of poverty and starvation. However, in the past few years, there have been many disasters and disasters, and there are many people on our mountain who have quietly gone down the mountain to dig gold pits for the Xie family. In the past, I always opened one eye and closed one eye. Today, it was my Lee Jae-ho's son who committed this article, and I can't help but keep silent. I have brought you here because I have two ideas that need to be discussed with you. ”

The north wind was blowing tighter and tighter, and the stars in the sky were blinking mischievously at the people standing in the wind. Lee Jae-ho paused when he talked about the important points, he looked at everyone and listened very carefully, so he continued to talk.

"One of my thoughts was how to punish me and my two sons and one grandson. Because the three of them went down the mountain to dig a gold pit for the Xie family privately, I put them down privately. I should be guilty of the same sin as them. Let's talk about how we should be punished. Since we have violated the clan rules, no matter how severe the punishment is, I have no complaints. This is the first thing you would like to discuss with you. ”

Speaking of this, Lee Jae-ho stopped again, he wanted to hear everyone's reaction. I only heard everyone talking in the wind, but I didn't see anyone standing up and taking the lead in saying a word. Indeed, breaking the rules of the clan is a big deal, and even the patriarch cannot be pardoned if he commits it. However, since the old patriarch is saying this today, and he is calling everyone to come to the ancestral hall with a "clip back", there is always his plan, right? I just don't know what kind of medicine he sells in his gourd. In addition, the old patriarch is highly respected and fair, and he has not seen him and his family commit anything that violates the clan rules on weekdays, but they know that he is wrong, and it is difficult for everyone to say it at this time. Only whispering below,

There was an older clansman, who couldn't say why everyone was talking about it, so he yelled a little impatiently: "Don't make trouble, listen to the patriarch say the second one!" ”

When Li Zaihao heard this, he saw that everyone was silent, coughed again, cleared his throat, and continued what he had just said: "The second thing I invite everyone to discuss is to ask everyone to put aside the matter of punishing my family for the time being. I intend to ask you to go down the mountain tonight and carry the gold sand from the gold pit that my son and his son dug to the weir pond at the bottom of the south slope, and then we will dig out the sand gold after the New Year. ”

The mountain wind was blowing, and the trees near and far made the sound of waves. The men of Li Jiashan stood in the courtyard of the ancestral hall, forgetting that this was a cold day for the ninth day, and they all stretched their necks and quietly listened to the old patriarch continue.