Li Zaihao listened to their nagging, and his eyes couldn't help but turn a little red.

He blinked, but didn't let the tears flow.

Li Dequan understood Li Zaihao's thoughts, watched his actions, and knew his intentions. He also quickly stood up and asked respectfully, "Daddy, what do I need to do?"

"You know what I mean, but there's not much to do." Li Zaihao looked at his nephew with satisfaction, replied with a smile, and pointed to his son and grandson and said to him: "You just send their two grandfathers to the ancestral hall, you can also go home casually, and quickly eat the 'Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with the family." We will inform everyone to go to the ancestral hall this evening to discuss matters, and strive to go down the mountain overnight and carry the gold sand they dug up the mountain. ”

Just now, Li Dequan looked at his father's urgency, in fact, he didn't agree with his father's approach, he wanted to persuade his father a few words, but in the end he still snorted his cheeks and didn't say anything. At this time, he heard that his father had clearly stated his idea, and he could no longer hold his mouth steady. Li Dequan is the kind of person who has both opinions and understands the rules, and he will never disagree with the patriarch because of different opinions.

Li Dequan hurriedly replied to Li Zaihao: "Father, since I have to discuss matters, I will immediately go to 'shout'." ”

"Shouting" is a habit of the mountain people. The road in the mountains is rugged, and it seems that a family lives very closely, but it is a hill climb, from one house to another, but it is impossible to walk for a while. However, in many cases, it is not necessary to go directly to the other party's house, or there is an urgent matter that needs the other party to come here, and there is no need to go all the way to other people's homes to call someone over. So, they adopted the method of 'shouting' to inform each other.

The method of "shouting" is generally to stand on a mountain beam, tear your throat open, and start with a loud "Oh ho! Oh ho hey! The ground roared a few times, and when the other party heard the voice of the "shouting" person, it was also "Oh ho! Oh ho hey! After two responses, the "shouter" calls out the name or honorific title of the respondent, or gives him a brief account of what needs to be told to him, or asks him to tell others in this way.

"You don't have to worry about the 'shouting' thing," Li Zaihao listened, pointed to his two daughters-in-law with a smile, and said to him: "Just let them go!" You better send the two masters to leave quickly! ”

Li Zaihao watched in a daze as Li Dequan accompanied the two grandfathers out of the courtyard dam and walked up the mountain. He blinked, but didn't let the tears flow. He calmed down, pondered for a moment, then turned back to his wife and two daughters-in-law who were standing behind him and said, "Go and lend me your 'private money,' and I will repay you twice as much in a few days." ”

The wife of the second son, Li Degui, frowned when she heard her father-in-law's words, and said, "Dad wants to use the money, and we just take it out." Family, what are you talking about 'borrowing'? 'Yet' huh? ”

Li Zaihao knew that the second daughter-in-law's mother's family was more solid, and he didn't pay attention to a few private money on weekdays, but he knew that the eldest daughter-in-law's mother's family was having a hard time, and there was not much private money in his hand. Originally, with Li Zaihao's prestige at home, it was not difficult to borrow a few private money from his second daughter-in-law. But as his father-in-law, he is the most taboo about being unfair, he knows that the two daughters-in-law have different family backgrounds, but he still borrows money from them at the same time.

He listened to the words of his second daughter-in-law, and said with a smile: "Borrowing is borrowing!" Which family's daughter-in-law doesn't save a few 'private money'. Your mother's 'private money', I have always borrowed and must repay! ”

When my wife heard this, she smiled next to her and joked to Lee Jae-ho: "Which one told you to pay it back?" I'm sorry you borrowed it yourself! ”

The two daughters-in-law pursed their lips and laughed when they heard their father-in-law and in-laws arguing.

Li Hushi and his two daughters-in-law are very wise, and they saw Li Zaihao driving his son and grandson down the mountain to carry gold sand in the Chinese New Year's Eve, although they did not know his intentions, but they also estimated that he had something important.

At this time, they heard Li Zaihao open his mouth to borrow money from them, and guessed that he was going to do something big. They hurriedly returned to the house, and each took out all the "private money" they had accumulated over the years. They hurriedly returned to the house, and each took out all the "private money" they had accumulated over the years.

The wife of the eldest son, Li Debao, brought ten silver dollars and more than a dozen strings of copper coins. The wife of the second son, Li Degui, simply took out thirty silver dollars. Li Hu also gave everything he had and took out twenty silver dollars. Li Zaihao calculated that their money, plus the money in his hand, should have no problem getting enough for a hundred silver dollars.

Li Zaihao accepted the money and said to his two daughters-in-law: "You go to the mountain beam to 'shout' and call all the men who live in the neighborhood." ”

Lee Jae-ho's two daughters-in-law listened to their father-in-law's instructions and ran to the mountain beam behind them together. Less than half an hour after they finished shouting, several men who heard the "shouting" ran over in a hurry.

When Li Zaihao saw them, he neither said kind words to them nor told them the reason, but just told them to go and "shout" again, and informed all the men in Li Jiashan who could go down the mountain to carry things to gather in the ancestral hall tonight.

After Li Zaihao sent them away, he instructed his two daughters-in-law to hurry up and make a fire to make "kang" (meaning branding) to make grain noodles, and he also specially told them to add some "gray noodles" to the grain noodles. The people of Lijiashan are accustomed to calling wheat flour "gray noodles", and when making baogu baba, add some "gray noodles" to the baogu noodles, which should be particularly moist and refreshing.

Li Zaihao saw that his two daughters-in-law were busy with Zhang Luo, and asked his wife to quickly take out all the ready-made "grain dregs" at home, and then wrap a large tray of pickles in banana leaves, put them on a clip back, and carry them to the ancestral hall with him, planning to boil a pot of "rice dregs porridge" for everyone while waiting for those men. Li Zaihao is a patriarch who knows how to feel heartache, and the men of Li Jiashan will follow him down the mountain tonight to carry the gold sand, and he can't let everyone go hungry. On the night of the thirtieth night of the Chinese New Year's Eve, no matter what, we must let everyone eat and drink enough, so as to be worthy of everyone.

At the end of the afternoon, the sun had not yet set, Li Zaihao arranged the things to be done by the family, he and his wife went out to meet the warm sunshine and walked on the road to the ancestral hall, and saw that the entire Li Jiashan was lively. Bursts of "shouting" and responses, accompanied by the crowing of chickens, barking dogs, the shouts of adults, and the noise of little babies, echoed one after another in the sky above Lijiashan.

Although Li Zaihao is not a rich family in Lijiashan, he is not a poor person. Because of his high seniority, boldness, and love to help, he is deeply respected by everyone and is promoted as the patriarch. When the people in the clan heard the "shouting" today, they heard that he summoned the men of every family to gather at the ancestral hall, and did not ask what the reason was, and no matter that today was Chinese New Year's Eve, one by one, without saying a word, they put on their backs "clamping their backs," draped on "back cushions," and carried "pestles," and walked in the direction of the ancestral hall.