Chapter 154 Pay Up or Go to Jail, Choose One

Chapter 154: Pay Up or Go to Jail, Your Choice

The village chief sighed, "Ah... this boy is Chaomi's son. If it were an outsider, reporting to the police would be fine, but for a fellow villager to have him locked up for eight or ten years doesn't sit right."

He paused, shook his head, and spoke earnestly, "Calling the cops isn't the best move. If the son goes to jail, the father remains in the village. We'll see each other often, and if he holds a grudge, it'll be a pain."

Jiang Yingxue said, "Trouble doesn't scare me. Some people pick on the weak but cower before the strong. If I can send the son in, and the father doesn't behave, I can send him in too."

"Village Chief, this time, out of respect for you, I won't report it. But if I encounter a thief next time, I'm calling the cops, no questions asked."

The village chief replied, "Alright, then."

Soon, Jiang Xingpeng's parents arrived.

"Village Chief, Secretary, I'm so sorry. My son is ignorant and has caused you trouble. I'll discipline him properly when we get back." Jiang Chaomi, feeling ashamed, gave his son a kick the moment he walked in.

"Chaomi, you really need to teach your son a lesson. Do you know how much what he stole today is worth?" The village chief held up two fingers.

"2,000?" Jiang Chaomi kicked his son again. Stealing for just 2,000 yuan—what a disgrace.

"Dad," Jiang Xingpeng yelped in pain, then pleaded with the village chief, "Village Chief, please don't tell my parents."

Ignoring his plea, the village chief said to Jiang Chaomi and his wife, "200,000."

"What? 200,000!" The couple were stunned.

Hua Gumei pointed angrily at Jiang Xingpeng, whose face had turned ashen, utterly disappointed. "Have you lost your mind? For Zhang Xiaomei, you actually became a thief, and stole so much at once! If not for the kindness of the Village Chief and Secretary, you'd be behind bars. Forget about getting married—you're going to be the death of your father and me!"

Jiang Xingpeng yelled, his voice cracking, "It's all your fault! If you had just given me the bride price promptly, would I have thought of stealing and selling things? It's all on you!"

Hua Gumei felt her heart sink. "You steal money, and you blame us for not giving you the bride price?"

Jiang Yingxue paid no mind to their family squabble and asked Jiang Xingpeng, "Did you steal the fertilizer from Chenpi's family and Uncle Niu's family?"

Jiang Xingpeng hung his head in silence, his expression and actions betraying him.

Jiang Chaomi smacked him on the head angrily. "Answer the question! Speak up!"

"I took it," Jiang Xingpeng said without a hint of guilt. "They left it right outside. I thought it was trash, so I took it!"

"Hah, how much did you sell it for?" Jiang Yingxue moved her hand slightly, sending a wisp of spiritual energy into his mind, compelling him to tell the truth.

"Not much, just 20,000—10,000 per bag." A moment later, Jiang Xingpeng realized he had let it slip. He looked around in horror at everyone's shocked expressions.

Incredibly, fertilizer sold in the store for 1,000 yuan per bag, and he sold it for 10,000 yuan per bag. A real talent, wasted on crime.

Considering it was his first offense and he was a fellow villager, Jiang Yingxue said, "Fine. Compensate Chenpi's family and Uncle Niu's family 20,000 yuan each, and this matter will be over."

Jiang Xingpeng angrily retorted, "Why should I? I only sold it for 20,000 total. Why should I pay 20,000 to each family?"

Jiang Yingxue said coldly, "Because you're a thief, caught red-handed."

"This is extortion! I won't pay! Go ahead and call the police if you dare!" Seeing his parents present, Jiang Xingpeng got bold. He thought the village chief and secretary would let him go out of respect for his parents. As for Jiang Yingxue and Ji Fu, two girls, he didn't take them seriously at all.

Jiang Yingxue looked at the village chief. "Village Chief, I didn't want to report this, but listen to him. He's practically begging us to call the cops." She had promised not to report it, but a scare was still possible.

The village chief looked at him with resignation. "Do what you have to do." Chaomi's son was caught stealing on the spot and still acted so arrogant. He needed to be taught a lesson.

Jiang Yingxue said, "Alright then. Pay up, or I'll report you and you go to jail. Choose one."

"I'll give you five minutes to decide. When time's up, you can tell your grievances to the police."

20,000 yuan for each family meant 40,000 yuan total. Hua Gumei thought the amount was too high. "Isn't 40,000 a bit much?"

"Not at all. I think it's fair, right, Village Chief, Secretary?"

The secretary nodded. "Although we sell that fertilizer for 1,000 yuan per bag, he sold it for 10,000 yuan per bag and made 20,000 yuan. This just requires him to return the money he made and compensate an additional 20,000 yuan. Compared to jail time, 20,000 yuan isn't much."

The village chief added, "He sold it for ten times the price. Moreover, Chenpi's and Uncle Niu's families are already struggling financially. If Xingpeng stole their fertilizer, they couldn't afford to buy more, which would affect their harvest and income."

"Making Xingpeng pay double compensation isn't excessive. Consider it a lesson for him."

Jiang Chaomi smoked in silence. Hua Gumei said, "Village Chief, Secretary, could we just have my son return the 20,000 yuan he made and let the rest go? He made a mistake in a moment of foolishness. I'll discipline him properly when we get back, make sure he learns his lesson, and he'll never do it again."

At that moment, Jiang Xingpeng threw the burlap sack to the ground and stomped on it several times. "I won't pay! I just won't! Who are you, a little girl, to tell me to pay? What does my stealing have to do with you?"

Including his own family's seeds and fertilizer, he had sold a total of 35,000 yuan. That money was already in his pocket, and he didn't want to give up a single cent.

He lunged forward, swinging a fist toward Jiang Yingxue's face, but when he was half a meter away, Ji Fu kicked him flying.

"Thud—" He fell heavily to the ground, grimacing in pain.

"Son!" Hua Gumei and her husband hurried over, worried about his condition.

Jiang Chaomi, heart aching for his son, scolded Ji Fu. "What are you doing, girl!"

Ji Fu said expressionlessly, "He deserved it!"

Then, the village chief said, "This store doesn't belong just to Zhiqiang and me; Yingxue is also an owner. Xingpeng, you should be grateful Yingxue didn't call the police immediately when you stole from her store. And you tried to hit her? That's unacceptable."

After helping her son up, Hua Gumei looked at Jiang Yingxue. "Yingxue, could we make it just 20,000 yuan?"

Jiang Yingxue refused. "No, it must be 40,000. I can overlook him stealing from the fertilizer store, but he must pay these 40,000."

Jiang Chaomi put out his cigarette. "Uncle Xianzheng's family, we're all from the same village. Don't push your advantage too far."

Jiang Yingxue glanced at the clock on the wall. "Think it's too much? That's not my concern. You have one minute left to decide."