sinovels Chapter 25 The Clown Who Jumps Over the Beams
Chapter 25 The Clown Who Jumps Over the Beams
Just then, Party Secretary Shi Tiezhu arrived in a tractor after hearing the news.
"Second Uncle, you've finally arrived..." Shi Qiang strode forward and briefly explained the current situation.
After briefly understanding the situation, Shi Tiezhu agreed with Zhang Beichuan's opinion: first, send the injured people to the hospital for treatment, and then deal with the follow-up matters.
So everyone quickly put the wounded on the tractor. While Shi Tiezhu was giving instructions, Shi Qiang pulled Wang Guifen aside and whispered something to her.
Zhang Beichuan saw this just as he climbed onto the tractor.
And so, apart from the two daughters who stayed home to look after the house, the rest of Zhang Dequan's family got on the tractor.
Zhang Dezhong and his son, along with Wang Guifen, also boarded the tractor, with Shi Qiang representing the village committee following along.
Along the way, Wang Guifen's gaze towards Zhang Dequan's family changed, her eyes filled with resentment.
When the tractor reached Longmen Town, she made an excuse to get off and let them continue towards the county seat.
Zhang Beichuan glanced at Lan Xiuying, whose eyes were red, and quickly took Cui Cui from his arms, whispering.
"Sister-in-law, I reckon that shameless Wang Guifen has gone to the police station. You should go with her, so she doesn't twist the truth."
Upon hearing that the police had been notified, Lan Xiuying turned pale.
These days, it's common for villagers to fight or for villagers from other villages to fight.
No matter how much fighting there is, no one will alarm the police; it can be handled internally, and whoever is in the wrong will pay the bill.
Once the police are notified, the nature of the whole matter changes. At best, it will result in a fine; at worst, it will lead to detention. Nobody wants to go to jail for no reason.
"She...she's really going to report us to the police? Then Dequan will be..."
"Sister-in-law, don't panic." Zhang Beichuan lowered his voice and spoke quickly, "It's their son who hurt Cuicui, so we're in the right. Besides, Zhang Jianguo injured Third Brother. If they really want to call the police, we're not afraid."
"I understand." Lan Xiuying composed herself, turned to the tractor driver and called out "Wait!" before jumping off the tractor.
Shi Qiang looked at Lan Xiuying, who had also gotten off the car, and then turned around to see Zhang Beichuan staring intently at him. He felt a little regretful.
I underestimated this kid; he reacted so quickly.
About an hour later, the tractor drove into the county hospital, and the group hurriedly got off and headed straight for the emergency room.
The on-duty doctor saw that the group of people were injured, especially a little girl with a bandage wrapped around her head and a pale face, and immediately arranged for treatment.
With Shi Qiang watching over the two adults, Zhang Dequan and Zhang Dezhong, Zhang Beichuan used the excuse of going to the bathroom to turn around and run back to 2026.
With Shi Qiang's encouragement, Zhang Beichuan was somewhat uneasy.
He was completely unaware of the legal system in 1986 and had to go back to the internet to look it up.
After some searching, Zhang Beichuan actually found the current legal system from 1986. After quickly browsing through it, he had a plan in mind.
Back in 1986, only a second or two had passed. Zhang Beichuan, who had just come out of the restroom, looked up and bumped into a familiar figure—Lu Ya.
Lu Ya, carrying a lunchbox, was walking towards them. Their eyes met, and both of them were somewhat surprised.
"What are you doing here?" Lu Ya stopped and looked at Zhang Beichuan, whose brows were furrowed, her expression showing some tension.
Zhang Beichuan forced a smile. Considering Lu Ya's profession, he thought it would be a good opportunity to ask for her advice and briefly explained the conflict that had occurred at home.
"...Cui Cui is still in the emergency room, and my third brother and eldest brother are also dealing with it." He paused, lowering his voice slightly, "Wang Guifen might have reported it to the police. I'm worried that if it really comes to that..."
Lu Ya understood, but did not answer immediately, and pondered for a moment.
"Don't rush. According to what you just said, your third brother acted impulsively, and both sides were injured. The specific nature of the injury depends on the severity of the injury and whether there is a basis for reconciliation between the two parties."
She glanced at the lunchbox in her hand. "Wait a moment, I'm bringing dinner to my mom. She's on duty tonight. The doctor will need a while to treat her, so I'll go ask him about the details later. That way, you'll have a better understanding of the situation."
"Thank you so much." Zhang Beichuan quickly thanked him.
"It's nothing, just a small favor." After saying that, Lu Ya quickly walked towards the stairs next to the toilet and went up to the second floor.
About half an hour later, Lu Ya found Zhang Beichuan.
"I asked around, and your eldest brother and third brother's injuries weren't serious; at most, they were minor injuries."
"But your little girl Cui Cui's condition is more serious. It doesn't meet the criteria of minor injury or serious injury. It should be classified as a minor injury. The specific determination will depend on how the officer handling the case classifies it."
The regulations these days aren't that comprehensive, and the assessment of injuries is done in this way, which seems rather frivolous.
Often, it all depends on the person handling the situation to make a judgment on the spot; Zhang Beichuan has already checked the relevant information.
Lu Ya looked at him, his brows furrowed, and lowered her voice.
"If it's a minor injury, mediation is usually the main approach. Given your family's situation, even if we go through the proper channels, it'll be a 50/50 split, with each party paying their own medical expenses."
"As for your niece, all three are children, under the age of 14. Even if the injuries are determined to be minor, they do not warrant administrative detention or criminal prosecution. Both sets of parents will be required to compensate for medical and nutritional expenses, and will be instructed to strengthen supervision."
Zhang Beichuan had anticipated this result, but he was not entirely satisfied with it.
"Comrade Lu Ya, thank you so much."
"Don't mention it." Lu Ya's tone was gentle. Remembering how pitiful the little girl looked just now, her heart softened. "If there's anything I can help with later, you can come to me anytime."
"Okay, thank you."
Just as Lu Ya had predicted, Lan Xiuying arrived at the county hospital early the next morning and told Zhang Beichuan about the situation.
"The officers from the town's police station told us to settle this privately. If we didn't agree to a private settlement, both of the men who assaulted us would be detained for a week!"
After Lan Xiuying finished speaking, she sighed.
"Thanks to your reminder, otherwise that damned Wang Guifen would have really gone and lied through her teeth! Our family would have suffered a loss for no reason!"
"Sister-in-law, we're family, there's no need for formalities, it's only right."
Zhang Beichuan glanced at Cuicui sleeping on the bed; her little face was pale, and he felt terrible.
If it's settled privately, they can just pay for medical expenses and nutrition costs, and that'll be the end of it.
But is that enough?
Three days later, on August 29, 1986, at the Shihe Village Committee.
Shi Qiang glanced at the Party Secretary, Shi Tiezhu, and felt a little uneasy.
He never expected that Zhang Dequan's matter would be related to his family. He glanced at Shi Lei, who was hiding to the side, and was furious.
Shi Tiezhu cleared his throat when he saw that the three children and their parents had arrived.
First, he cursed at Zhang Dequan and Zhang Dezhong, who had bandages on their heads. Because of what happened a few days ago, the two brothers didn't even look at each other.
"The reason I called you here today is to discuss how to compensate the Dequan family for Cuicui's medical and nutritional expenses."
Shi Qiang immediately said, "Secretary, Dezhong and I have discussed it. The medical expenses are 82 yuan, and we'll split it in half. As for the nutrition expenses, we'll each pay 10 yuan."
He could have avoided paying so much money, since his son didn't actually rob him; it was Zhang Jianjun who did.
However, considering that he had instigated Wang Guifen to report the case, and that this woman was more trouble than she was worth, he was afraid that if the Party Secretary found out, he would be in deep trouble.
Then he discussed it with Zhang Dezhong and they agreed to each contribute half.
Shi Tiezhu looked at Shi Qiang with a different gaze. This kid is usually the stingiest, but this time he was surprisingly generous.
Sitting to the side, Zhang Beichuan looked at Shi Lei, who looked guilty, and found it somewhat amusing. Did he really need that little bit of money?
"I disagree!"
Shi Tiezhu was slightly taken aback and looked at Zhang Beichuan.
"Xiao Chuan, do you think the nutrition allowance is too low?"
"A few dozen yuan is nothing to me. But just paying compensation isn't enough; at the very least, the two children should apologize to Cuicui, right?"
Shi Tiezhu thought about it and realized he should apologize.
"Okay, we apologize...we apologize..." Shi Qiang just wanted to settle things as soon as possible, since it was just an apology from the child.
So the two instigators were glared at by their parents and apologized to Cuicui in front of so many people in the village.
"Cui Cui... I'm sorry..." Shi Lei muttered.
Zhang Jianjun looked at his cousin Cuicui, who had turned her head to the side and didn't even glance at him, and braced himself.
"I'm...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have taken your candy."
"Are you satisfied?" Shi Tiezhu asked.
Zhang Beichuan gave Cuicui a questioning look, and when she nodded, he changed the subject.
"Secretary, shouldn't their parents also apologize to my third brother and sister-in-law? When a child does something wrong, aren't the parents also responsible?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Qiang immediately felt embarrassed.
He had planned to use this incident to teach Zhang Dequan a lesson, but in the end, he had to spend more money and apologize to them in front of so many people. What would the team think of him after that?
"Zhang Beichuan, don't go too far!"
Zhang Dezhong was naturally unwilling. He was the eldest son, and he had been beaten like this by the third son. His wife had also been slapped in front of so many people by Lan Xiuying.
An apology?
Isn't this because Zhang Beichuan doesn't treat him, his elder brother, like a human being? Why does he have to make himself lose face completely?
"Youngest brother, what exactly are you trying to do?!"
Zhang Beichuan rolled his eyes at him. "Brother, we're fathers too. If a son isn't taught, it's the father's fault. Haven't you heard your second son, Jianhong, who's in high school, say that?"
Lan Xiuying and Zhang Dequan felt extremely pleased; their youngest sister had silenced them with just a few words.
Zhang Beichuan glanced at his elder brother Zhang Dezhong, then turned to look at Shi Qiang.
Zhang Dezhong is unwilling to apologize now, but I'm not in a hurry. Anyway, he'll be coming to collect the debt in ten days. When that time comes, he won't be lenient and will demand double the amount back!
But this clown really thinks he's someone important just because he's a captain!
"Captain Shi, you don't have to apologize, that's fine. But I want to ask, what were your intentions in sending Wang Guifen to the police station to file a false accusation?"
Shi Lei is just a child, and it's difficult for an adult to handle him, but he would never spoil Shi Qiang.
Since Shi Qiang is trying to cause trouble by relying on his captaincy, he doesn't mind taking away Shi Qiang's captaincy in front of so many people.
Upon hearing this, Shi Lei's face turned pale instantly.
Shi Tiezhu, who was sitting in the middle of the table, was slightly stunned and looked at Shi Qiang in disbelief.