Chapter 579: He'll Definitely Be Back Soon

For Zhou Mouren, it was another night exhausting enough to kill an ox.

Regardless, that was how things were; after waking up, Zhou Cainiao was remarkably radiant, while he, Zhou Yi, had even darker circles under his eyes.

Zhou Yi had already stopped thinking about the old shepherd he met yesterday; he had left his contact information, so compensation was negotiable, but if they opened their mouths asking for that much money while maintaining that attitude, then forget it!

At this moment, he, Zhou Yi, could truly say this wasn't about the money; if it had really been a poor old man whose sheep he had hit and killed, he would have paid the ten thousand yuan without issue.

But to have sheep hit and killed three times in one month, and to keep grazing them there despite the police's advice, that was beyond reason.

However, to call it Extortion, it really didn't reach that level.

With a sigh, Zhou Yi said, "Xinran, where should we go look around today? We've already seen Yueya Lake."

"I remember there's another place in Luzhou that's quite nice, how about we..."

Before he could finish, his phone rang; he picked it up and saw it was an unknown number.

Zhou Yi answered casually: "Hello, yes, it's me, who is this? Qin Boguang, oh, the son of that old gentleman from yesterday? Are you calling to talk about the compensation?"

A male voice came over the phone: "It is about the compensation. How about this, let's meet and talk, is that okay? After all, you surely don't want to invite trouble, right?"

Meet and talk? Zhou Yi hesitated a bit; he was out on his honeymoon...

As it turned out, Zhou Xinran, who had been listening from the side, immediately became interested and said: "Alright Zhou Yi, let's go meet. That scenic spot or whatever is just so-so, it's not as interesting as this."

Fine, this must be what they call a supportive wife.

Zhou Yi agreed, and the two arranged to meet at the town's Police Station in an hour.

An hour later, in the courtyard of the Dongchuan Town Police Station, Zhou Yi parked the car.

He walked into the Police Station with Zhou Xinran, and Lao Wen had already spotted him, waving and saying: "Over here."

"Young man, you've come to resolve the issue today, don't be so impulsive, let's all talk properly."

Lao Wen said this while leading the way.

"That old Qin's son is a reporter for the Luzhou City Daily; he reports on a lot of things in his daily work, and he's said to have some fame."

So he was a reporter, Zhou Yi nodded upon hearing this, but Zhou Xinran beside him had already noticed that this guy's eyes were starting to light up.

Zhou Yi was naturally a bit excited; ever since he got the system, the people he sent in the most were Keyboard Warriors from the internet, but likewise, he had sent in quite a few reporters too.

There were even some streaming media reporters among them, but honestly, he hadn't dealt with many of these formal reporters.

In Jingzhou, the ones he dealt with were old acquaintances; sometimes they would just come to the Company when they needed an interview.

Just like that, they entered the office and Zhou Yi saw that the old man he had met yesterday, along with a man around thirty years old, were already sitting inside.

Seeing Zhou Yi and Zhou Xinran enter, Qin Laotou couldn't help but say: "Thought you weren't coming, hit the sheep and ran, didn't you? Let me tell you..."

Before he could finish, Qin Boguang beside him quickly stopped him: "Alright Dad, stop talking for now. Since they were able to come, they must want to resolve the problem; saying these things is useless."

Upon hearing this, Qin Laotou could only shut his mouth and sit to the side, sulking.

Some people are just like that; if you really asked how bad they were, it wouldn't actually be that much.

But that mouth of theirs could never spare anyone; regardless of the time, they always had to speak, and as they kept talking, they would end up offending people.

Zhou Yi sat down with Zhou Xinran; he naturally felt uncomfortable with Qin Laotou's words, but since the son was very polite, it didn't matter.

"Alright, both sides are here now. This is a small matter to begin with, just discuss how to resolve it properly," Lao Wen said.

By rights, this was a traffic accident and should have been mediated by the traffic police, but it was a bit special, so it was mediated directly here.

"Mr. Zhou, right? Your name sounds quite familiar," Qin Boguang looked at Zhou Yi and said: "It's true that my dad grazing sheep on the road is a bit wrong, but you were driving way too fast yesterday!"

"Other than that, there's actually nothing else, except for one point: Mr. Zhou, you hit my dad's sheep yesterday and then just left. The old man doesn't understand these things; he thought he couldn't find you, and he went back and cried all night."

Zhou Yi didn't speak, just looked at this person, waiting to see what he would say.

Qin Boguang continued: "So brother, look, the car you drive isn't cheap, this little bit of compensation should be easy for you to take out."

"I've discussed it with my dad, how about this: let's settle the compensation at the price the police officer told you yesterday, nine thousand yuan, how about that?"

After finishing, seeing that Zhou Yi was still silent, he added: "This should be fine, right? And you already agreed to it yesterday."

Zhou Yi finally spoke: "What about the sheep? What happens to the sheep?"

This man spoke very politely, as if he really wanted to resolve the problem, but he hadn't even mentioned the core issue: the sheep.

And when he and Zhou Xinran left yesterday, they hadn't taken it with them, so the sheep must have been taken back by the other party.

If he didn't mention it, he would essentially be paying nine thousand yuan for nothing.

And yesterday, when he and Zhou Xinran went to the farmhouse restaurant, they had happened to ask around; if you sold a sheep whole in this area, it might be two thousand yuan, or even less than two thousand.

Qin Boguang, who was in front of him, was stunned for a moment, then looked confused: "Brother, do you really need this sheep? Look at you, driving a nice car and staying in a big hotel, you're not short of this bit of money, are you?"

Calling him "brother" every other sentence, but for some reason, Zhou Yi felt that the words of this Reporter Qin made him feel even worse than those who just started throwing tantrums.

"Mr. Qin, is it? Whether I'm short of money or not is my business, but right now, why shouldn't I be able to take this sheep?"

Qin Boguang made a helpless expression: "There has never been such a rule before. This kind of thing happens often on this road, hitting cows, hitting sheep."

"But I've never heard of anyone being allowed to take the carcass away after hitting it."

"And brother, this sheep isn't worth much money, why bother, right? My dad works hard grazing sheep every day, it's not easy, he's just earning some hard-earned money."

That was what he said, but in reality, that dead sheep had been slaughtered and butchered as soon as it was brought back yesterday, and the whole family had eaten stewed mutton that night.

Zhou Yi smiled upon hearing this; he had deliberately practiced some of the negotiation techniques Lawyer Fang had taught him while speaking today.

It was to make the other party say those words themselves.

"Mr. Qin, look, you said yourself that this sheep isn't worth much money, so good, let's sort this out: how much is a sheep actually worth around here?"

"Even if you sold that dead sheep at a thirty percent discount, it would still be worth something, right? How can the compensation be calculated at nine thousand yuan?"

See, you said it yourself: a sheep isn't worth much. Yet, I hit one sheep, and you insist on asking for nine thousand yuan in compensation, not to mention not letting me take the sheep.

Qin Boguang was suddenly stunned; it seemed he had talked himself into a corner.

"This... this isn't how you put it, this sheep..."

"Is this sheep different? Can it keep giving birth to lambs in the future? Or does this sheep contain your father's hard work and feelings, acting as your father's spiritual solace, so the price has to be increased?"

"Well then, it's the same sheep; if it's sold to a slaughterhouse, it has no 'hard work' in it, but if it's hit by me, it suddenly has 'hard work' in it, right?"

The principle that one should fear digging too deep into anything is true; Zhou Yi's thinking was very simple: when I wanted to talk to you properly, you were unwilling, and instead, you kept spouting nonsense about the law to me.

Well, now that's fine, let's talk about the law; although he didn't know which article of the Civil Code stipulated it, this kind of compensation, which was several times the original price, was simply unreasonable.

Qin Boguang was unable to refute this, and suddenly became embarrassed and angry.

"How are you talking? If you don't want to pay, just say so clearly, why bother? You look like you're dressed well, why are you so stingy?"

Of course, he couldn't say how much a sheep sold for here, because if he said it, he would have to explain why a sheep sold for that little, yet the compensation could be demanded for so much.

"How am I talking? I'm talking just like this. Am I being stingy, or are you the ones opening your mouths like lions? Just because I have money, I can't be particular about these things, is that it?"

"If you are not satisfied, then I suggest taking the legal route to resolve the problem!"

Qin Boguang said with a flushed face: "So your meaning is that there's no way to talk, right? Fine, then that's it, you just wait!"

After finishing, Qin Boguang turned around and looked at Qin Laotou, saying: "Let's go, Dad, there's nothing to talk about with a person like this."

Zhou Yi was slightly stunned upon hearing this, but he soon laughed; he had participated in so many instances of Mediation, and this was the first time the other party had directly stood up and walked away.

However, this was also normal; if the other party really filed a Lawsuit, then he would be the Defendant.

Seeing that they had already left, there was no point in him staying either, so he got up and left the office with Zhou Xinran, and then he saw Lao Wen outside.

Lao Wen asked with a puzzled look: "Young man, what's going on? Did the talks break down again?"

"Yes, they broke down. Comrade, I really have no choice; they act as if they have me cornered. Nine thousand yuan, and I requested that they give me the sheep, but they wouldn't agree to anything."

Lao Wen shook his head, wanting to say something to warn this young man, but due to his own status, he didn't say it.

Zhou Yi naturally didn't care; what can a reporter do? They can only expose things and then use public opinion to apply pressure.

But Zhou Yi should be considered the least afraid of public opinion; besides, if the matter were really blown up, it would be quite good to provide some legal education to everyone.

At the very least, let everyone know that in this kind of situation, the amount of compensation should not be calculated based on the retail price!

Of course, we exclude those cases where people are driven to the train station by fellow villagers; we are talking about this kind of relatively normal situation.

When a sheep or cow is hit and killed, many people are accustomed to using the retail price to calculate the compensation amount, but this compensation amount must have the residual value deducted.

For example, in this case, it is the price of the dead sheep.

Either you deduct the residual value, or you give the dead sheep to them; strictly speaking, according to the law, that is how it is.

"Since that's the case, young man, I won't say anything more; you all be careful." After Lao Wen finished speaking, he prepared to get back to work, only to find that Zhou Yi was still standing there and hadn't left.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

Zhou Yi laughed and said: "If that reporter is smart, he should be back in a while, and then he will definitely want to mediate with me, so I'll wait for ten minutes."

After all, this is Luzhou; when I came to Luzhou to help Pusa Xiong with Legal Aid back then, I also made a huge scene.

Lao Wen was even more confused; this young man is a bit arrogant!

"Alright then, you sit here for a while, don't run around; that side is the case-handling area, don't go over there. If you can't wait for anyone, just leave."

"Come, have some water."

Lao Wen poured a cup of water for Zhou Yi and went to sit on the side to drink his own; he had been arguing with people in the case-handling area for a long time, and his mouth was bone-dry.

It's just that the water was a bit hot.

Of course, he felt that Zhou Yi was talking nonsense; with the other party's attitude, plus that status, how could they possibly come back and beg you for Mediation?

Meanwhile, Qin Boguang was driving his old father home while starting to make a phone call.

"Yes, brother, help me check on someone named Zhou Yi. I always feel like this name sounds so familiar, but I just forgot where I heard it."

"He hit my dad's sheep, and now he won't pay the compensation. Yes, you check it out; if there's nothing wrong, I'm going to expose this matter."

Beside him, Qin Laotou also said indignantly: "There really are all kinds of people these days!"

Still the same saying, there are good people and trash in every industry, and reporters are no exception.

Those awesome top-tier reporters, in order to expose things, can pretend to be fools to go undercover in illegal brick kilns and expose gutter oil!

But, the trash in this industry, their methods of extortion and blackmail are sometimes even more devious than some public officials.

This is still because there haven't been as many issues in the last two years; a few years ago, there was often news of some reporter or other being locked up.

Why were they locked up? Extortion, of course. If you give money, I'll delete your negative news; if you don't give money, I'll expose you!

After sending over Zhou Yi's information, it wasn't long before a colleague on the other end called back.

"Big brother, what did you just say you wanted to do? You want to expose him? Do you know who he is?" In the phone, the colleague's voice was incredibly loud.

Qin Boguang heard this and said: "Don't shout, what's wrong? Is he that tough? You mean we can't expose him? Is there pressure?"

Of course, reporters can't expose everything; pressure mostly comes from above.

"This isn't a question of pressure or not, do you know? He is Zhou Yi, didn't you remember? That A Yi from the internet! Last time he launched a large-scale Lawsuit here in our Luzhou, thousands of people were caught across the whole network, and many reporters even ended up inside!"

The colleague was about to go crazy; having pressure is just a small matter, this involves the issue of going inside to start Treading the Sewing Machine!

You, Qin Boguang, want to go crazy, but I still want to stay outside properly.

What? Qin Boguang was stunned when he heard this: "You mean, that young man is A Yi? This, how could it be such a coincidence? Isn't he in Jingzhou? Why did he run to Luzhou again?"

"Could it be a mistake?"

The colleague said directly: "It can't be wrong. Besides, what rich person would waste time talking to you over a sheep worth a thousand-something yuan? Haven't you realized it yet?"

Qin Boguang thought about it carefully, and it really was true; the other party's manner seemed to be exactly that of someone being serious.

"Alright brother, thank you so much, I'll treat you to a meal later!"

After hanging up the phone, he immediately started making a U-turn.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Didn't you say you were going to expose him?" Qin Laotou asked anxiously when he saw his son's behavior.

Ever since his son became a reporter, many people had been flattering him, which made him feel that his son could do whatever he wanted.

As a result, he was actually going back this time?

"Dad, stop talking, okay? I'll do the talking later. How could I dare to expose him? That guy is like a dog; once he bites someone, he insists on sending them inside. Dad, you don't want to see me go to jail, do you?"

Hearing his son say this, Qin Laotou shut his mouth again, but he was even more confused in his heart; such a young man, he didn't look like a bad person, how could he be involved in going to jail!

At the Police Station, Lao Wen took another sip of water; it was still a bit hot, and when he looked up, he saw Qin Boguang bringing Qin Laotou inside.

"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Zhou, it was my fault just now. This compensation amount is indeed a bit too high. How about this, a sheep is only worth around a thousand yuan, so you just pay a thousand yuan, how about that?"

What the heck? Lao Wen looked at the water that was still scalding in front of him. What happened? Why did things change so drastically all of a sudden!

Did they really come back begging for Mediation?

My body temperature went down and then back up; the fever has me muddled, or perhaps I'm just a shameful one-update beast. Thanks to another newcomer brother, Wenchidage, Feimaowuyu, and Yuepangfen, thank you brothers for the tips, thank you. Also, I looked up the price of a whole sheep on JD. com; most are around 1,500 to 1,600, or 1,700 to 1,800 yuan...

(End of this chapter)