The young man looked nervous and replied, "This man is asking for directions... Uncle, we've gotten ourselves into big trouble this time!"

"Let's talk this out... Why are you panicking?"

“This guy is a lawyer… He said that by detaining the hotel staff, we committed the crime of illegal detention. I checked online, and he wasn’t lying… If we get caught, we could be sentenced to several years in prison.”

Upon hearing this, the second uncle slapped the young man without saying a word, cursing, "How can you be so loose-lipped... You can't tell outsiders about this... Huh?"

The young man muttered under his breath, but dared not talk back. It seemed that he was used to being timid in front of his second uncle... I felt inexplicably sad. This was probably the sorrow and helplessness that a child without parents would feel. At this moment, he not only lost his parents, but also his dignity. At his age, he should have been full of vigor!

I held back, took another cigarette from the pack, handed it to the second uncle, and said with a smile, "Uncle, it's a good thing that the kid understands the law and has legal awareness... You really did something wrong... It's normal for you to have a dispute with the hotel. Even if you resorted to violence, as long as you didn't injure anyone, it could be resolved through mediation... But detaining someone like this is a criminal offense and will result in imprisonment!"

“I’m a roughneck, don’t talk to me about the law… I’ve spent my whole life tending to these three acres of land. If anyone takes my land and doesn’t pay me, I won’t let them get away with it.”

I patiently advised, "Uncle, you can't think like that. If you do it this way, not only will you not get the money, but you'll also lose people... That would be a real losing proposition!"

The young man finally chimed in, saying, "Second Uncle, I'm really scared. I don't want to go to jail... Let's release him. With this older brother as a witness, everything should be fine."

After the young man finished speaking, he looked at his second uncle with pleading eyes, but his second uncle remained unmoved. He replied, "Don't talk to me. Even if it means going to jail, I can't let this person go..." Then, he turned cold and said to me, "Seeing how concerned you are, are you someone sent by the hotel?... I'm illiterate. If you meddle, I'll lock you up too... Let me tell you, I'm not as easily fooled as my nephew!"

I was startled, and then a sense of powerlessness washed over me. Although I knew that people in some places were indeed ignorant and backward, I had never seen anyone so numb.

Before I could even speak, the second uncle said to the young man, "This kid is probably someone sent by the hotel. You should call the village right away and have them bring some people over to take care of him too."

The young man looked at me, completely at a loss. The second uncle cursed and took out his phone from his pocket again...

I was both anxious and furious. I snatched the phone from his hand and said, "To be honest, I'm not from the hotel, but my girlfriend is being held inside... While I still have some patience, let me tell you something... I can personally compensate you for the loss of your few acres of land... And I've heard from friends at the hotel that your compensation money has been withheld by your village committee. This has nothing to do with the hotel at all... If you really make a big fuss about this, no one can save you... But you still have a chance to turn back; I can guarantee that as long as you release my girlfriend, you won't suffer any losses... If you don't listen, I won't be a man unless I sue you and send you to jail!"