Sophie stepped forward at the right time and gave the other party a step up, "Clan leader, Zhao Dong has a short temper. You must not be like him."
After refilling the patriarch's teacup with water, she obediently returned behind Zhao Dong, held Zhao Dong's shoulders with both hands, pressed them gently, and said at the same time, "Speak well, the patriarch also cares about Jiaqi. Could it be that he cares about Jiaqi?"
Can you still talk to outsiders?"
Zhao Dong raised his hand in cooperation and said: "Clan leader, please drink tea. What I say is not serious, so don't mind."
The patriarch smiled bitterly and picked up the teacup. As expected of a couple, they even cooperated so well. It's a pity that they have to stand on opposite sides now!
He calmed down and then said, "Xiaodong, what are you going to do about this matter? I want to hear your thoughts!"
Zhao Dong did not accept the move, "Chief, I have no experience in dealing with this kind of thing. What do you think?"
The patriarch could only speak first, "That Xiang Zhidong is from Linzhen. I know his parents, they are honest and good-natured farmers."
"To tell you the truth, the old couple came to see me this morning. They only have one son in the family, and they are more anxious than anyone else when something like this happens."
"We are all fellow villagers, and I couldn't just ignore them, so I agreed."
Zhao Dong was not surprised, "Oh? It turns out that the clan leader is really here to be a lobbyist."
After all, this is a backing town, and the clan leader gradually regained the initiative, "Xiaodong, don't get me wrong, my aunt is from the Zhao family, and Jiaqi is not an outsider. It is most appropriate for me, the clan leader, to come forward in this matter!"
"If you don't plan to reconcile this matter, what else do you want to do?"
"I know your temper. I don't want to rub sand in my eyes. I want to seek justice for Jiaqi!"
"To be honest, I was very angry when I found out something happened to Jiaqi!"
"But have you ever thought about the impact this will have on Jiaqi once word spreads?"
Zhao Dong sneered, "What impact can it have?"
The patriarch raised his head, "No matter what the truth of the matter is, Jiaqi fell from the hotel. This matter can be said or not!"
"It's really going to make a big fuss. How will Jiaqi meet people in the future? How will she face her parents and fellow villagers? How will she face her teachers and classmates?"
"The college entrance examination is coming soon, how do you want her to prepare for the exam with peace of mind?"
Zhao Dong asked back, "What do you mean, just let this matter go?"
Seeing that Zhao Dong was willing to talk, the patriarch was relieved, "Forget it? Forget it, it's definitely not possible. If there is no explanation for this matter, I won't let it go!"
As he spoke, he changed the subject, "But I think we don't need to make this matter a big deal. At least we shouldn't make it known to everyone!"
Zhao Dong gradually lost his patience and said, "Chief, if you have anything to say, just say it!"
The patriarch went around in circles for a long time before getting straight to the point, "You also know that Zhiqiang has connections in the town. If you are willing, I can ask him to come forward and make peace."
"This matter will be handled through private reconciliation between the two parties!"
"Whether this incident has anything to do with Xiang Zhidong or not, since the person has been admitted to the hospital, I think it is also a lesson to him!"
"Xiaodong, even if the truth about this matter is found out, what can you do to people?"
"The worst case scenario is locking him up for a few years or paying some compensation."
"Justice has been obtained, but what has been lost? It's Jiaqi's reputation. How can she get married in the future if you ask her to?"
In fact, this matter is so difficult mainly because it involves Zhao Dong.
Seeing that Zhao Dong was silent and showed signs of loosening up, the patriarch struck a chord while the iron was hot: "Xiaodong, we are adults and can grudge as we please, but Jiaqi is just a child. You have to think carefully about which is more important!"
Zhao Dong lit a cigarette and said, "Oh, how do you plan to compensate the Xiang family?"
The patriarch made a condition, "Fifty thousand, not counting Jiaqi's follow-up treatment. At the same time, Zhiqiang can also help and arrange for Jiaqi to transfer to another school."
"He can arrange the best high schools in the county, including key ones in the city!"
Zhao Dong mocked: "Huang Zhiqiang is quite enthusiastic."
The patriarch's expression remained unchanged and he said: "Zhiqiang is also my son-in-law now. If I ask, how can he not do this with all his heart?"
"Xiaodong, what's your attitude?"
"If you can't make the decision, then I'll go talk to my aunt."
Zhao Dong waved his hand, "No, my aunt has given me full authority to handle Jiaqi's matter!"
The patriarch was a little worried, "Xiaodong, what do you think about it?"
"There are no outsiders here. Please give me a statement. If you feel that the compensation is insufficient, I will tell the Xiang family!"
"Also, if you have any other requests, you can feel free to ask for them!"
"Jiaqi is not an outsider. Our town, including the Zhao family, will not ignore it!"
Zhao Dong took out his cigarette, lit it and threw the cigarette case on the table, "Chief, it's not me, Zhao Dong, who won't give you face."
"Five hundred thousand, I really don't take it seriously!"
Seeing that the patriarch was about to open his mouth, he waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, it's not a matter of more money or less. If this is really what Xiang Zhidong did, he deserves what he deserves, and I'm not willing to ignore him."
"But do you know what happened to Jiaqi?"
"She was forced to jump by a group of hooligans in the hotel!"
"Jia Qi has never caused trouble. For such a well-behaved child, don't you want to know how she was targeted by a gangster?"
The clan leader felt a little guilty, "Why...were you targeted?"
Zhao Dong stared into his eyes, "Half a month ago, Jiaqi wrote a report letter to the province. It was because of this letter that she was targeted!"
"Xiang Zhidong? He is just a little guy at best!"
"As far as I know, this matter has nothing to do with Li Zhihao."
"Li Zhihao is not unfamiliar to you, clan leader, right? He is from our town and is also one of the vice presidents of the mining company!"
"Moreover, I heard that he has a good relationship with Huang Zhiqiang, and he often eats and drinks with Zhang Li."
"It's so good. Why do you think Jiaqi got involved in this matter?"
The patriarch finally couldn't sit still. In fact, Xue Jiaqi's matter was just a layer of window paper!
Since the meeting, he has been trying his best to avoid getting the conversation involved with the mining company!
Trying to solve all problems at once through Jiaqi!
The result was unexpected, Zhao Dong pierced the window paper without any politeness!
This directly pushed the whole thing to an irreversible situation and pushed him to the edge of the cliff!
Without the conversation this morning, the clan leader would not have been willing to break up with Zhao Dong!
But now the legal person of the mining company is Zhao Dashan. Once Zhao Dong causes trouble, he will pull out the carrot and bring out the mud, and will be implicated in the dirty things Huang Zhiqiang did.
If nothing else, he, Zhao Dashan, was the first to suffer!
Now that the words have been revealed, the clan leader is too lazy to act. His previous gentleness has gradually disappeared, and his tone has become more serious, "Zhao Dong, what do you want?"
Zhao Dong raised the corners of his mouth, "I just pushed out a little guy just to end this matter. Is it really because I, Zhao Dong, am a fool?"
The clan leader suppressed his anger, "Then what further step did you find?"
Zhao Dong said eloquently, "Every injustice has its owner, and every debt has its owner. Naturally, everyone must be reckoned with!"
The patriarch's heart trembled, and he slammed the table, "Zhao Dong, how dare you!"