Chapter 53 Just You Wait and See!

"Captain Xu!" Accountant Yang's wife hurriedly hid behind Captain Xu, her voice trembling. "Look at this, he's threatening us! This kind of person is too dangerous. Our child is lying in the hospital, and he's still acting like this..."

Captain Xu frowned, his tone severe: "Comrade Li Xiangyang, I will say this again: watch your attitude. We are all reasonable people, let's talk things out properly."

Li Xiangyang took a deep breath, barely suppressing the anger burning in his chest: "Then tell me, how should this be resolved?"

"I'll tell you how to resolve it!" Accountant Yang suddenly grew bold and pointed right at Li Xiangyang's nose. "My son has already spent more than twenty yuan at the hospital, and he'll need further hospitalization. You must pay for all of it! In addition..."

"In addition to what?" Li Xiangyang looked at him coldly.

"In addition, you have to pay for emotional distress! Do you know how much suffering my son has endured?" Accountant Yang's wife began to clamor as well. "Fifty yuan! Not a single cent less!"

Mother Li listened from the side with a pounding heart. Fifty yuan—that was an astronomical figure. Even though Li Xiangyang had recently earned some money from hunting, such a huge sum wasn't something he could just pull out on a whim.

"Heh." Li Xiangyang sneered. "Captain Xu, I'd like to ask, according to the regulations, how should both parties be sentenced?"

Captain Xu pondered for a moment: "According to current regulations, maliciously attacking someone with a weapon is a serious offense that endangers social order and citizens' personal safety. It should be punished with three to seven years of reform through labor. The victim's act of justifiable self-defense is beyond reproach."

At this point, Captain Xu glanced at the pale faces of Accountant Yang and his wife, then changed his tone: "However, if we can obtain a letter of understanding from Comrade Li Xiangyang, and considering that your son is a first-time offender and still young, the sentence can be treated leniently and reduced to one to three years..."

"A letter of understanding?" Li Xiangyang directly interrupted Captain Xu. "In your dreams! It was his son who wielded the knife and committed assault. Why on earth should I write a letter of understanding?"

"You..." Accountant Yang turned livid with rage.

"If you ask me," Li Xiangyang said, his gaze as sharp as a blade, "you should be glad your son is still alive. If I hadn't saved him, he would have been stone cold by now..."

"You!" Accountant Yang and his wife changed expressions simultaneously.

Indeed, had it not been for Li Xiangyang's emergency life-saving measures, their son would likely have lost his life.

They knew this fact clearly in their hearts, but at this moment, they could not bring themselves to say it.

Captain Xu looked at the expressions on both sides, knowing that continuing the discussion would only breed more conflict. He said to Accountant Yang and his wife, "Why don't you two go back first. The Public Security Bureau will continue to follow up on this matter, and we will give both parties a proper account of how it will be handled."

Accountant Yang wanted to say something more, but under a glare from Captain Xu, he had no choice but to leave dejectedly with his wife.

After they left, Captain Xu turned to Li Xiangyang: "Comrade Li Xiangyang, I know you have reason on your side. But this matter still needs to be resolved properly, lest in the future..."

"Captain Xu," Li Xiangyang interrupted, "rest assured, I will not shirk the responsibility that is rightfully mine. But as for writing a letter of understanding, that is utterly impossible. As for the medical expenses, I originally intended to pay them, but as you saw their attitude, they won't get a single cent."

Seeing the resolute look in Li Xiangyang's eyes, Captain Xu knew the matter could not be settled anytime soon, so he had no choice but to take his leave first.

After everyone had left, Mother Li took Li Xiangyang's hand and said with deep worry, "My son, what are we going to do? That Yang family looks like they have quite some backing..."

"Mother, don't worry." Li Xiangyang gently patted his mother's hand. "We are the ones in the right. Besides..."

He pulled a thick stack of money from his chest pocket: "Look, this is what I earned today selling pelts and meat. More than forty yuan—more than enough for their medical expenses."

"Then shouldn't we just pay their medical bills..."

"Mother, we cannot give it to them!" Li Xiangyang grasped his mother's hand, his expression serious. "This isn't about the money."

Mother Li looked at her son in bewilderment.

"Think about it, their child was the one who pulled a knife and stabbed someone first; that is a huge mistake. Now, instead of admitting fault, they turn things around and try to extort me." Li Xiangyang patiently explained, "If we give them money now, it's equivalent to condoning their malicious behavior. Next time, they'll dare to do it again."

"But..." Mother Li was still somewhat worried.

"Mother, do you remember how you educated me when I was a child? When you make a mistake, you must own up to it." Li Xiangyang looked into his mother's eyes.

Mother Li sighed: "I just feel that after all, it's a human life, and I'm afraid their family will come looking for trouble..."

"They won't." Li Xiangyang smiled. "Their son committed a crime, and right now they can only beg us to write that letter of understanding. Besides..." He patted his chest. "With your son here, who would dare bully you and Xiaohua?"

Hearing this, Mother Li's eyes grew red.

She had seen all the changes in her son over these past few days.

"Alright, I'll listen to you." Mother Li wiped the corner of her eye. "Mother believes you."

Li Xiangyang nodded: "Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. We'll handle this as it should be handled, and we certainly won't get the short end of the stick."

Before his voice had even faded, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard once more.

"Is Li Xiangyang home?" A booming voice called out.

Before Li Xiangyang could reply, Production Team Leader Zhang Dashan strode directly into the courtyard.

Behind him followed an unfamiliar middle-aged woman, though Zhang Dashan showed no intention of introducing her.

Li Xiangyang's heart sank.

The Yang family really did have solid connections.

In this era, a village production team leader—someone who could assign farm work and work points, and influence the distribution of grain—was truly a heavyweight figure in the village.

With these two suddenly showing up at his doorstep, their intentions were self-evident.

"Team Leader Zhang." Li Xiangyang greeted him, neither servile nor overbearing.

Zhang Dashan glanced around the main room and sat down in a chair before speaking: "Xiangyang, I heard you got into a bit of a dispute with Accountant Yang's family from Yangjiacun?"

His tone was unkind, clearly here to call him to account.

"It's not a dispute," Li Xiangyang said calmly. "It's their son who committed assault with a deadly weapon."

"Young people, you know," Zhang Dashan waved his hand impatiently, "who hasn't had moments of impulse? Look, write a letter of understanding, pay whatever compensation is due, and settle the matter peacefully."

This wasn't a discussion at all; it was clearly an order.

Li Xiangyang sneered inwardly: "Team Leader Zhang, this isn't a private grievance; it's a case that the Public Security Bureau is handling."

"What?" Zhang Dashan's face darkened. "Are you refusing to give me this face?" He stared coldly at Li Xiangyang. "You haven't thought about living in the village, your work points, your grain rations..."

The implication of the threat couldn't have been clearer.

Mother Li turned pale as she listened from the side.

In this day and age, work points were the very foundation of survival.

"Team Leader Zhang," Li Xiangyang refused to yield an inch. Instead, he took a step forward, blocking his mother, "I advise you best not to meddle in this matter. Work points and grain rations—do as you please, give them or don't! If you don't, let's see if you dare!"

"Fine! You've got guts! We'll see about this!" Zhang Dashan stood up angrily.

Just as Li Xiangyang was about to speak, the middle-aged woman suddenly chimed in with a sinister tone: "Li Xiangyang, we've also asked around about you. Relying on the fact that you know how to hunt, you think work points and grain don't matter to you, right?"

She let out a cold laugh: "Then I can tell you, it's not just the village work points and grain, even your hunter's license—hmph." Her gaze turned vicious. "If you don't believe me, just wait and see!"

This threat hit squarely where it hurt.

Without a hunter's license, he couldn't use a hunting rifle, and the dangers of encountering fierce beasts up in the mountains could well be imagined.

Li Xiangyang narrowed his eyes, his hands involuntarily clenching into fists.

"Let's go!" Zhang Dashan flicked his sleeve and left, taking the middle-aged woman with him.