"Compensation?" Li Guifang quickly took over the conversation. "Where's the money? Why don't I see it? Could it be sewn into the waistband of your cotton trousers, Aunt Ji?"
Old Mrs. Ji was so angry that she was shaking, and her cane was pounding on the ground: "You...you..."
The old lady's lips turned purple and she couldn't speak for a long time.
"You what?"
Li Guifang counted on her fingers, taking a step closer with each number. "Oven 2,800, glass 1,200, lost wages..."
She suddenly raised her voice. "Twenty-eight thousand! Don't tell me the police station didn't tell you to pay the ransom. Or do you not know which way the police station door faces?"
Sun Li sucked in a breath of cold air and twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingers: "You are robbing me!" Her voice trembled and her eyes became red again.
"Robbery?" Li Guifang sneered and pointed at the pile of beautifully packaged gift boxes in the corner.
"These gift boxes are to be compensated to the customers who made the reservations. Just the apology alone will cost us 680!"
Old Lady Ji suddenly sat down on the ground, slapping her thighs and howling: "It's so unfair! How can you bully us, an orphan and a widow!"
My sons have all been locked up, and you're killing me during Chinese New Year!
Sun Li agreed, the money was still too much, "But..."
Li Guifang remained unmoved: "But what's the matter? Those guys from your family didn't just smash the shop, they also shouted and beat my employees."
She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice suddenly. "To tell you the truth, if you think it's too expensive now, I'll report it directly to the central government after the New Year. Then, as the public security comrades would say..."
She spoke each word with great emphasis, "You are the evil forces, all of you are just eating peanuts!"
Old Mrs. Ji’s crying stopped abruptly and her face turned pale.
She had indeed been severely warned by the police station, otherwise, based on her past behavior, she would have turned Li Guifang's shop upside down!
It would never be like it is now, where they even restrained themselves from making any noise and only dared to sit on the ground and howl a few times.
Under normal circumstances, the Li family courtyard would have been crowded with neighbors watching the fun, but today no one dared to come over to take a look!
It's better not to say anything about Sun Li. She usually looks quite arrogant, but once the man is caught, he loses his tail! She was so scared that she couldn't even sleep well.
Zhao Cuihua, who had been silent all the time, sighed softly at this time, walked forward to help her mother-in-law sit on the bench, and pulled her sister-in-law's sleeve.
"Oh, Aunt Li,"
She spoke in a pinched voice with a forced smile on her face, but her eyes were very shrewd.
"You're making it sound too serious, aren't you? We're neighbors, we see each other every day, and you're asking for 28,000 right away. Where are we going to find that much money?"
As he spoke, he took out a wrinkled plastic bag from his pocket, which contained homemade fried pumpkin seeds. "Sister Li, would you like to try some?
This year's newly harvested pumpkin seeds are fried with five-spice powder.
Li Guifang glanced at the melon seeds and snorted.
He turned around and pulled out a tin box from under the counter. He opened the lid to reveal a box full of butter-smothered melon seeds: "Have something good. I baked them with butter. They're so fragrant."
They each grabbed a handful of melon seeds and started cracking them. In the room, the only sounds were the cracking of seeds and the spitting of shells.
Old Mrs. Ji sat on the bench, swallowed, and stared at the tin box, but no one paid any attention to her.
Sun Li lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corners of her clothes, wrinkling the fabric.
Old Mrs. Ji couldn't sit still any longer. She slapped the leg of the stool and started to cry again: "My son has a miserable life. It's New Year's Day..."
"Mom!" Zhao Cuihua turned around and shouted, frightening the old lady. "If you make trouble again, the police station will really invite you to have tea, and then our family will really have to reunite in the police station!"
These words worked, and Old Mrs. Ji immediately shut up and only dared to sob softly.
Sun Li stood behind her mother-in-law, twisting the corners of her clothes. Her eyes were swollen like peaches, and she dared not say a word.
Zhao Cuihua turned back and spat out the melon seed shells. "Aunt Li, let's be frank. Twenty-eight thousand is indeed too much. Even if we sell our house, we can't come up with it."
She took a half step closer and lowered her voice, "Besides, I've seen that oven of yours. I bought it secondhand from a dealer last year. The invoice shows the price paid directly by the dealer. You don't need that much, do you?
As for the glass, I heard that the glass shop in the west of the city owned by Lao Liu can get the same size for 20% cheaper.
Li Guifang glared at him and said, "Bullshit! I said 28,000, so it's 28,000!"
Who said you guys can't see each other when you look up, but you can see each other when you look down? When you smashed my shop, why didn't you think about me being your neighbor?
Zhao Cuihua interrupted calmly, "As for the employee you mentioned being beaten, I've inquired about it. He only had a few scrapes on his arm and a nosebleed. He didn't even go to the hospital."
"You guys are hilarious. My employees were beaten, but they didn't go to the hospital. That's because they're in good health. Does that mean you can just beat them up?"
Zhao Cuihua was speechless for a moment, then changed the subject: "It is indeed our fault.
How about this? My husband will be back tomorrow, and he has a ready-made construction team. We'll take care of all the renovations for your store, using the best materials and making sure it's even more impressive than before.
Li Guifang snorted coldly: "That's it?"
"Of course not only that, we'll also pay you another 20,000!"
Zhao Cuihua said this, pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket and slowly unfolding it. "Here's five thousand, for the down payment. The rest..."
She lowered her voice again, "Your son works in a government agency. If this gets out of hand, it won't be good for anyone, especially during this sensitive period, right?"
Li Guifang secretly calculated that this deal was not a loss.
Seeing her hesitation, Zhao Cuihua quickly added: "Besides, you have been running the shop here for so long, and you have been doing business with the neighbors.
Who among the neighbors doesn't know that you are the most reasonable person? If you really push us into a desperate situation, it will be bad for your reputation if it gets out."
Just when Li Guifang was about to give in, there was a sudden noise outside the store.
Two uniformed police officers were walking towards this side.
Public Security Wang glanced around and frowned, "Again? Mrs. Ji, have you ignored everything the police station told you?"
Old Mrs. Ji shrank her neck and muttered softly: "No trouble... just talk..."
Wang Gongan walked into the main hall and said, "Boss Li, we've thoroughly investigated the matter. The Ji brothers were indeed impulsive, but considering that no particularly serious consequences were caused, they are now willing to pay 28,000 yuan in compensation. Do you think we can both compromise?"
If this really goes to court, your store will have to cooperate with the investigation, and the reopening will be even more delayed, which will also delay business, right?
When Li Guifang heard the 28,000 yuan, she immediately agreed. "If you ask me, it would be much better to do this sooner rather than later. I can get it resolved sooner so I can go home and celebrate the New Year with my family! Taking this to the police station would have had a very bad impact..."
However, when the Ji family heard this, they were surprised to find that it was another 28,000 yuan. It seemed that all their apologies and earnest advice for so long were in vain!
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