Chapter 101: Teach them a lesson: poverty brings sorrow

Xiao Li nodded and asked Zhang Baiyan to make the call.

Zhang Baiyan was quite generous and turned on the speakerphone directly so that everyone could hear it.

As soon as the call was connected, Zhang's mother's voice came over, "Son, how are you handling it? Are you coming back?"

"Not yet, Mom. We are now discussing compensation with Xu Zhiqiang's parents. After all, the pendulum clock is your dowry, so I wanted to ask you what you mean." Zhang Baiyan said calmly.

The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds, and Zhang's mother gritted her teeth and said, "Ask them to compensate me with an identical one! That's the memory your grandparents gave me, it must not be ruined!"

Xiao Li was anxious and quickly picked up the phone. He explained the situation in a gentle voice. He also said that the Xu family could not afford to compensate for an identical one, but the case had to be closed as soon as possible.

Zhang's mother was just too angry, not unreasonable. Now that the police spoke to her like this, she would not embarrass the police. However, she was not happy to let the Xu family go.

Zhang Wanwan pondered at the side and said, "Mom, I remember my brother and I went to the antique street and saw similar pendulum clocks there selling for three or four thousand. Why don't we just ask the Xu family to compensate us according to the price? If they think we are blackmailing them, they can ask professionals to appraise it. Isn't that okay?"

"Yes, yes, yes, let's do as you say!" Zhang's mother said with relief.

The three people on the other end of the phone heard it all. Xiao Li thought that they were indeed a family and had similar ideas. However, he also knew that the Zhang family had given in. After hanging up the phone, he discussed it with Zhang's father again before going next door. Sure enough, after a while, Wang Chunhua's sharp voice rang out again.

Then Xiao Li roared, "If you don't want to pay the two thousand, we won't close the case today. We'll pay after professionals have appraised it. By then, it's whatever they say. You won't even have a chance to bargain! We've just gotten a preliminary understanding. That kind of old item can be sold for three or four thousand now. You can decide for yourself. I'll mediate for you this time. If you can't agree, we'll follow the procedure!"

Wang Chunhua was completely panicked now, and she looked at Xu's father crying, "Dad, what do you think we should do? Do you really want to give me 2,000? Where can we get 2,000 yuan?"

Father Xu's face was terribly gloomy, and without saying a word, he slapped Wang Chunhua in the face, "You've taught me a good son! He got into trouble on his own and he has to figure out how to deal with it. There's no money for him! He can be locked up for a few more years, so he can learn his lesson!"

Father Xu just left with a cold face, which made everyone feel disheartened. It is said that even a tiger will not eat its own cubs. Even if Xu Zhiqiang was no longer a good-for-nothing, Father Zhang should not have made him stay in jail for a few more years just to save two thousand dollars.

Wang Chunhua was also stunned. She didn't expect her man to be so ruthless. She sat on the ground in a daze, with tears and snot hanging down her face.

Xiao Li frowned and said, "So you are not going to pay the money and let Xu Zhiqiang spend more years in prison?"

Wang Chunhua looked up in a daze and suddenly burst into tears, "If he doesn't want to pay, I will pay. Don't let my son go to jail. I'm going to borrow money now, go borrow money."

Seeing her like this, Xiao Li felt pity for her. It can only be said that there must be something hateful about a pitiful person.

Because it would take some time for Wang Chunhua to borrow the money, Zhang's father and Zhang Baiyan simply left the police station and went to a nearby shopping mall. Although everything for the new home had been purchased, some small items had not yet been bought, so they might as well take the opportunity to go shopping.

The police station in the jurisdiction is also in the city center. You can see the bustling streets as soon as you go out. Most of the shops on both sides are snack bars. You have to walk another five or six hundred meters to get to the shopping mall.

The two of them came on a motorcycle. Once the car started, they arrived at their destination in less than five minutes.

Because it was not the end of the working day, the mall seemed a bit deserted at this time, so the two of them went straight into the supermarket and pushed the shopping cart around the two rows of kitchen utensils for a long time. Although these things were relatively expensive in the supermarket, there was no need to worry about the quality. Zhang's father felt that they could save money on other things, but the things that would touch the food must be of good quality.

The father and son walked around for a while until Xiao Li from the police station called to say that Wang Chunhua had paid the full amount, then they paid the bill and left.

The two entered the police station again, but this time they did not see Wang Chunhua, nor did they hear her shrill screams.

After getting the document signed by Zhang's father, Xiao Li smiled with relief. During the chat, Zhang's father learned that Wang Chunhua had borrowed the money from several relatives when she went back to her mother's home, and her husband was completely unreliable. It was said that Wang Chunhua was a little distraught when she left, but kept begging the police not to sentence Xu Zhiqiang too heavily.

Zhang's father didn't say anything. He just signed and took Zhang Baiyan home.

When the two men came in carrying a bunch of things, they did not see Zhang's mother and Zhang Wanwan. They just packed up and went out again.

Over at Century Square, Zhang Wanwan and her mother were so busy that they kept their feet on the ground. Even though their clothes were soaked with sweat, they still kept their heads down and worked hard, not daring to stop at all.

Zhang's father quickly took over Zhang Wanwan's work, and Zhang Baiyan went to help Zhang's mother.

Zhang's mother asked pleasantly, "Is the matter settled? How is it going?"

Father Zhang told the mother and daughter what happened at the police station.

Zhang's mother was speechless. She looked at Zhang Wanwan and asked, "So you took the two thousand yuan and signed it in the end? Then do we not have to go to the police station anymore and can we clean up the old house?"

Father Zhang nodded slightly and sighed, "I think we should ask someone to clean up the house. You should not go there again, so as to avoid another dispute with the Xu family. After the house is cleaned up, we can ask a painter to repaint the walls and replace the lights inside, and then put it up for sale."

Before, Zhang's father thought that since it was an old house, it was also possible to rent it out. But now that this kind of thing has happened, he feels that it would be more reassuring to sell the old house. After all, the rent is only a few hundred yuan a month, at most a thousand yuan, and there is no need to make himself uncomfortable every now and then for such a small amount of money.

Mother Zhang didn't say anything, but her silence already made her attitude clear.

Zhang Wanwan echoed, "It's actually a good idea to sell it. I heard from my classmates that housing prices are rising rapidly outside and will soon spread across the country. Prices here will also rise. If possible, we can buy another house this year and treat it as an investment."

"Okay, I know what you mean. I didn't say I disagree. If you want to do it, I'll call those co-workers tonight and give the key to the old house to Director Chen, asking her to help look after it. Also, since we're going to do it, let's change the door of the house. Although it will cost more money, it doesn't matter. We'll include this money when we sell the house." Mother Zhang muttered to herself as she packed her milk tea.

Father Zhang and Zhang Wanwan looked at each other and laughed.

(End of this chapter)