Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 619 - 237: Pumpkin Patch, Old Man Stealing Pumpkins!_4

Age has nothing to do with those wicked elders. They were not good people to begin with. As they grew old, they started to behave recklessly, taking advantage of their age. For them, they didn’t have many years left to live anyway, so they might as well indulge themselves. After all, the law is extremely lenient towards them.

Take this matter, for instance. Police had caught them several times. If they were younger, this would have led to prompt criminal detention and preparation for prosecution. But these elders were simply given a talking-to by the police and then escorted home.

In the past, old people often staged accidents on the roads. The bottom line is simply that even if they were discovered staging accidents, there were no serious consequences.

On the phone, Hu Wenning choked out, "Qing Lan, I really don’t know what to do... If they, if they pressure me again... I, I..." She wanted to utter some harsh words, but she didn’t know how to deal with these shameless elders. If she really resorted to other methods, she feared the cost would go beyond just the pumpkins.

"Wenning, don’t be impulsive! Don’t do anything foolish," Qing Lan urged anxiously. "I know a friend who is quite knowledgeable about the law. I’ll ask him; he’s sure to have a solution..."

But before she could finish, Hu Wenning interrupted her. "It’s no use; I’ve asked lawyers. They all suggested I go and explain the situation to them to try and settle it. I did go to them, but they looked at me as if I were their enemy..."

Her tone was full of complex emotions as she recounted this. The victim herself went to the thieves to seek a settlement, only to be treated as an enemy. Perhaps in the eyes of these elders, she was expected to grow pumpkins for free and distribute them door-to-door.

"Moreover, it’s the elders from an entire village. They all showed up when they heard about it," Hu Wenning said, her voice thick with frustration and helplessness. "The law doesn’t punish the masses, and elders are already ill-suited for various criminal charges, let alone so many people..."

With the twin shields of old age and the principle that "the law does not blame the public," these elders were not at all afraid of her.

Her pumpkin field was near Zhaojia Village. The elders of Zhaojia Village were initially estimated to number over three hundred.

In rural areas these days, it’s mostly the elderly who are left behind. News spread like wildfire, from one to ten, then from ten to a hundred. Everyone came to know that the pumpkins in her field were free for the taking, and more and more people came. After all, the police had been called, and there were no consequences whatsoever. They all felt they could take as they pleased.

"I’m so scared now I don’t even dare to sleep. I just keep watch over the pumpkin field, but they still come right in front of me, with scissors and carts all ready..."

Listening to her friend’s words, Qing Lan felt her blood pressure rise. An entire village! These elders really believe no one can control them!

"Don’t worry. My friend... he just got an entire village of people locked up!" Qing Lan said, taking a deep breath and continuing to console Hu Wenning.

Once Hu Wenning’s emotions settled, Qing Lan silently took out her phone. She detailed the whole story—the causes and consequences—and sent it to Qin Mu, seeking a solution.

「Jin City.」

「Mountain and Water Garden District.」

Qin Mu was lying in bed. Having just posted a video, he was getting ready to rest when he suddenly received a message from Qing Lan. It was a long text, over a thousand words, detailing the outrageous situation her friend was facing.

Qin Mu furrowed his brows, his heartbeat quickening. Elders... stealing pumpkins?

Again and again. They even formed groups to steal! Qing Lan’s friend had no solutions whatsoever. The police had been called and the individuals admonished, but these elders kept coming back! 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"With this situation... grassroots police really don’t dare do much to the elders," he murmured after reading Qing Lan’s message for help. Firstly, the value of the pumpkins isn’t high; they aren’t considered expensive items. Secondly, the elders are simply too old and not suitable for administrative detention. Furthermore, if an elder were to have any medical issue or incident at the police station, the police would bear immense responsibility! Therefore, their approach of giving them a simple warning and sending them home isn’t entirely unreasonable. But such handling... undoubtedly fuels the arrogant insolence of these elders!