Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 629 - 240 Qing Lan’s God-Level Performance_2

"Bullshit! It’s just a few melons. I’ve stolen vegetables from other villages before and sold them too. Nothing ever went wrong all those times! Why does it become a crime when it’s them?"

"How much are a few pumpkins worth? A few thousand at most! They sell some pumpkins, and it becomes a crime?"

"If they’ve committed a crime, then what about us who moved the pumpkins? Aren’t we criminals too? Why don’t you arrest us?"

"So Miss Hu is here too. Did you two collude to bully us, taking advantage of Zhaojia Village being full of old men?"

The elders were extremely agitated, their saliva flying as they spoke. Some noticed Hu Wenning and Qing Lan at the door and began to angrily berate them as well. They completely ignored the police officers’ explanations, even believing that Hu Wenning was in cahoots with the police station to specifically target their Zhaojia Village, which now consisted mainly of old men.

"I’m telling you! Our Zhaojia Village might be full of the old and weak, but we’re not to be trifled with!"

"Go ask around! See how fierce the spirit of our Zhaojia Village ancestors was generations ago!"

"Today, you will release our people, whether you like it or not!"

"It’s just a few melons! Don’t try to fool us with jargon we don’t understand!"

As they spoke, Zhao Dezhu led the crowd of agitated elders forward, pushing continuously. This scene startled the surrounding police officers, who feared it might escalate into a major incident.

"Wait!"

At that moment, seeing the situation growing dangerous, Police Chief Zhou Yuantu quickly stepped forward to dissuade them. "Folks, please don’t be impulsive! We live in a society governed by law. Storming a government office like this is very dangerous. Please, don’t be rash." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

When he intervened, many of the elders halted. Clearly, as villagers themselves, many of them recognized him.

"How about this?" Zhou Yuantu said, seizing the opportunity. "Since both parties are here today, let’s discuss a solution."

From the crowd, Zhao Dezhu snorted coldly. "A solution? Just release our people today, and that’ll be the end of it."

This was their primary goal. Zhaojia Village was small, with only a few hundred residents. Apart from these elders, the rest were the young and able-bodied men who had been detained, along with many left-behind children. Moreover, these detained men were their relatives, their younger generation. They couldn’t just stand by and watch them get arrested.

But upon hearing this, Zhou Yuantu’s expression tightened slightly. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Lin and the others have already explained it to you. Selling those melons in town constitutes the crime of selling stolen goods. We don’t have the authority to release them."

The evidence was irrefutable. They were already preparing to submit the case files to the procuratorate and proceed with prosecution according to the law; releasing them was out of the question. Furthermore, that troublemaker Hu Wenning was watching him, and both the inspection and supervisory offices were monitoring the case. He had to handle it impartially and properly.

"You arrested them, and now you say you don’t have the authority to release them?" Zhao Dezhu scoffed. "You government types always like to give us the runaround. Do you really think we’re that easy to fool?"

He didn’t believe Zhou Yuantu’s explanation at all. The dense crowd of elders behind him also erupted in a torrent of curses, venting their dissatisfaction and doubt. Agitated, they even surged forward a few more steps, putting all the police officers on high alert.

Cold sweat beaded on Zhou Yuantu’s forehead as he hurriedly tried to stop them. "Everyone, please, stay calm! If you advance any further, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!"

Storming a government institution, especially a police station, was already a criminal offense. If they took any more drastic actions, these old men would be in serious trouble. But few of them understood the law; they were completely unaware of the consequences of their actions. Ignorance bred fearlessness.

He, too, couldn’t afford to bear the responsibility for such an incident. If something like this happened in his jurisdiction, regardless of the cause, he would be held accountable for dereliction of duty. Moreover, if any of the elders were injured during a confrontation, he would be the one to take the blame. Therefore, he persistently tried to dissuade the elders, hoping they would retreat so that everything else could be discussed.

"How about this? Let’s discuss a solution," he said after taking a deep breath. In a serious tone, he continued, "The root of this issue is that you stole someone’s melons, thereby infringing upon their property rights. We have decided to impose an administrative fine on you and require you to compensate Miss Hu for the stolen melons at their original price."

With that, he turned to Hu Wenning and asked, "Miss Hu, these elders are advanced in age and can be muddle-headed at times. With this solution... can we reach a reconciliation?"

The elders were causing a scene primarily because Hu Wenning had reported the melon sellers, leading to their arrest. The crime of selling stolen goods was constituted mainly by the infringement of another’s property rights. If Hu Wenning felt her rights hadn’t been violated and was willing to reach an understanding, then it wouldn’t constitute a crime. Releasing the detainees would then be reasonable, logical, and legal. So, he proposed this reconciliation plan. This way, after releasing the men, the elders would have no reason to continue causing trouble, and the matter could be resolved amicably.

Hu Wenning hesitated. Hearing Zhou Yuantu’s proposal, she couldn’t help but glance at Qing Lan beside her. Actually, this solution is very good.