Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 630 - 240 Qing Lan’s God-Level Performance_3

The elderly were punished, and her losses were compensated. But based on her previous experiences, she knew the elderly would seek revenge after being fined. She still could not operate her pumpkin patch normally.

"Sorry, we will not reconcile." Qing Lan’s voice suddenly rose, firm and resolute. "Their actions constitute suspected criminal offenses, and they must receive the punishment they deserve!"

She took a step forward, holding Hu Wenning’s arm, her expression very serious.

As a loyal fan of Qin Mu, she had been greatly influenced and increasingly favored his approach to handling matters. She believed that after being bullied and violated, remaining silent and seeking a middle ground was never the best solution. Take this situation, for instance. If she chose to settle and let off the pumpkin sellers, it might seem like the problem was solved. But these petty old folks would surely find various ways to retaliate against her best friend, making it impossible to continue running the pumpkin patch. Therefore, since the problem was so troublesome and seemingly unsolvable, she decided it was best to get rid of the troublemakers completely. Only if the elderly and these pumpkin sellers were all dealt with... would the pumpkin patch finally be peaceful.

"Miss Hu, what is your opinion?" Zhou Yuantu frowned, ignoring Qing Lan and turning directly to the party involved.

Hu Wenning bit her lower lip and glanced at Qing Lan. She was just about to answer when a chorus of disgruntled voices erupted.

"Fines? Compensation? Why should we pay?"

"It’s just a few pumpkins, and you want to fine us? We hardly have any money all year; we can’t afford to pay!"

"She’s a big boss; surely she isn’t short of such a small amount of money?"

"Ouch, ouch, my heart is starting to hurt..."

"..."

Then, a highly dramatic scene unfolded.

Zhao Dezhu and the other elders, as if by prior agreement, started feigning various "ailaments," continuously groaning in pain. Some even produced crutches and lay down on the ground. The scene was quite a spectacle.

Hearing that they would have to pay fines and compensation, they simply resorted to acting shamelessly, hoping to evade the penalties.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuantu’s expression grew even uglier. The situation before him... was becoming increasingly complicated. These old people lying at the entrance of the police station, continuously groaning... If something genuinely happened to them, he feared he would have to bear the responsibility.

"Zhou Suo, apologies, but we also refuse to settle," Hu Wenning stated, taking a deep breath, her voice firm. "They stole the pumpkins first and then sold them. Both actions are suspected crimes and must be punished by law to uphold its sanctity!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuantu felt even more disheartened. This was undoubtedly making matters worse. The victim was unwilling to reconcile and insisted on pressing charges. And the elderly... they claimed to have no money at all, refusing to pay any fine or compensation. They even lay down right in front of him.

He now faced two options. One was to detain all one hundred or so elderly people on the spot. The second was to release them and disperse the crowd. However, neither path was easy. Detaining an entire village of elderly people would certainly cause a massive stir. They were all in their seventies or eighties. If anything happened to them during detention, he would have to bear the corresponding responsibility. As for the second option, releasing them was even less feasible; it wouldn’t hold up procedurally. With Hu Wenning, the victim, refusing to show leniency, releasing them would be an illegal and irregular act. Moreover, this Hu Wenning, a veritable thorn in his side, clearly had a strong grasp of the law. If she decided to file a complaint about this incident... he might not even be able to keep his position. In other words, the current situation had him backed into a corner, roasting over an open flame.

Just as he was struggling with this dilemma, Qing Lan stepped forward again and addressed him, "Zhou Suo, these elderly individuals have gathered in front of the police station. Despite repeated attempts to persuade them to leave, they refuse. This clearly violates multiple criminal laws."

Zhou Yuantu was taken aback and looked at Qing Lan with renewed attention.

"Firstly," Qing Lan began, pointing at the group of elders lying on the ground while sneakily glancing at her phone, "they have assembled a crowd to cause a disturbance, disrupting the order at the entrance of the police station and affecting the normal work of the police officers. By doing so, they have committed the crime of provoking trouble under Article 293 of the Criminal Law."

She continued, "The crime of provoking trouble refers to actions in public places such as willfully causing trouble, instigating disturbances, assaulting or harming innocent individuals, engaging in wanton provocation, acting tyrannically, and disrupting public order. Their actions clearly fall under provoking trouble. Active participants should be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of no more than five years or criminal detention."

As soon as these words fell, the bodies of Zhao Dezhu and the other elders on the ground trembled; they even forgot to groan.

"Secondly," Qing Lan went on, "they are storming a state institution. Having refused to disperse despite repeated warnings, they have committed the crime of assembling a crowd to attack a state institution under Article 290 of the Criminal Law. The crime of assembling a crowd to attack a state institution refers to participating in activities that involve forcibly intruding into a state institution, disrupting its normal working order, and causing serious losses. However, this crime requires serious consequences to have occurred; merely attacking out of dissatisfaction or anger does not constitute this crime. Fortunately, there hasn’t been any serious conflict or major consequences yet."

At this point, Qing Lan turned and specifically eyed Zhao Dezhu, who had been the most agitated. She said slowly, "If serious consequences were to occur, the principal instigators would face a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years. Other active participants could face a fixed-term imprisonment of up to three years, criminal detention, public surveillance, or deprivation of political rights."

On the ground, Zhao Dezhu involuntarily swallowed.