Chapter 352: Mediation (Part 1)
Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Mediation (Part 1)
But clearly, things rarely go as planned.
In the office of the head of the Economics Department, a woman in her fifties was slapping her thighs and wailing, "You people are outrageous! You’re just using the fact that you’re from Beijing to bully us outsiders! Wasn’t it just a small argument? Aren’t they just minor injuries? We country folks get bumps and bruises all the time! How are you city people so delicate, making a huge fuss over a few small wounds? And now you want us to pay over three thousand yuan? Why don’t you just rob us instead?"
Li Huan stared, dumbfounded, at the woman throwing a tantrum. She had always thought Song Yufang was from the city, too. After all, the clothes she usually wore weren’t cheap, and she was a big spender, acting as if money was no object. Even on the day she helped pay the medical bills, she hadn’t seemed the least bit troubled.
But she had clearly heard Su Qing say that the villagers back home toiled in the fields from dawn till dusk, their entire year’s harvest determining their food supply. It was considered a great year if they ended up with twenty or thirty yuan by the year’s end.
’This... doesn’t match Song Yufang’s usual behavior at all!’
What Li Huan didn’t know was that although the Song Family was from the countryside, Song Yufang was the youngest daughter, born when her parents were older, and the only girl of her generation. As a result, the entire family doted on her, spoiling her into the person she was today—prone to throwing tantrums and fits over the slightest inconvenience. Moreover, with small businesses now being allowed, the enterprising Song Family had opened a snack stall near the county school, earning a good deal of money. Naturally, the quality of her food and clothing had risen accordingly.
Hearing Mrs. Song’s words, Shang Yuqi was furious. "What do you mean, ’minor injuries’? Are your eyes just for decoration? Can’t you see the huge scars on my daughter’s neck and face? And this is after they’ve healed a lot! The doctor said they might leave permanent scars. You call that a minor injury? Let’s see how you’d feel if your precious daughter got ’minor injuries’ like these."
The moment Mrs. Song heard Shang Yuqi talk about her precious daughter like that, she flew off the handle, jumping to her feet and cursing, "Bah! What nonsense are you spouting? Say that again and see if I don’t tear your mouth off!"
As she spoke, Mrs. Song started to lunge at Shang Yuqi.
The people called to the director’s office for mediation today were Su Qing, Li Huan, Ye Qingqing, and Song Yufang, along with Li Huan’s and Song Yufang’s parents. Ye Qingqing’s family wasn’t well-off, and her injuries weren’t serious, so she hadn’t asked the school to notify her parents. Also present in the office were Director He and the counselor, Teacher Sun.
As Shang Yuqi and Mrs. Song argued and Mrs. Song was about to get physical, Li Fenghuo was just about to step in and stop her when Su Qing took a step forward, shielding Shang Yuqi behind her. She stared coldly at Mrs. Song. "Whose mouth did you say you were going to tear off?"
Su Qing’s gaze was so cold it made Mrs. Song pause involuntarily. She said, somewhat unnaturally, "It’s none of your business."
"Everyone, calm down. Calm down," Director He said hastily. He hadn’t expected the parents to nearly come to blows the moment they met. "The main priority right now is to resolve this issue."
Song Yufang hid behind her father, sobbing. "I didn’t mean to do it! You were the ones arguing with me! I just threw the water in a moment of panic. I regretted it right after I did it! I even took the initiative to pay the medical fees. How can you have the nerve to demand so much money?"
Su Qing said coldly, "Song Yufang, stop trying to downplay your role. If you hadn’t started trouble that night, would anyone have bothered with you? You say it wasn’t intentional? Does that mean it was deliberate? Otherwise, how did that cup of boiling water just so happen to splash so accurately onto my cousin’s face? Besides, I don’t care if it was intentional or not. The fact is, my cousin has been disfigured by your actions. To recover from these injuries, she needs very expensive medicine. What, are you trying to evade paying for the medicine and make us bear the cost? There’s no such logic in this world. A life for a life and a debt for a debt—that is perfectly just."
Su Qing spoke with righteous conviction. Song Yufang’s boiling water had severely injured Li Huan. If Su Qing hadn’t used the green mist to alleviate the injury, the burns Li Huan sustained at the time would have certainly left scars, similar in severity to the ones Zhao Li’e had once suffered.
"My family doesn’t have that much money!" Song Yufang shouted in frustration.
"Then we’ll go to the police and seek justice," Su Qing said, tilting her chin up. Her voice was cold. "You intentionally harmed someone. The fact that we aren’t pressing legal charges is already a concession on our part. You must bear the cost of these medical fees. This is the price for injuring someone."
"That’s right," Shang Yuqi added. "This point is non-negotiable."
Father Song frowned. "Don’t push us too far."
Hearing Father Song interject, Li Fenghuo stepped in front of Su Qing to face him. "Tell me, how exactly are we pushing you too far? How have we bullied you? Don’t forget, your daughter is the one who caused the injury, so she is the one who must bear the responsibility. She’s an adult, not some child who doesn’t know any better. Even a toddler knows that hot water can burn someone. Are you telling me she didn’t know that? If she didn’t, then I have to wonder how she ever got into Beijing University in the first place."
"You... you’re talking nonsense!" Father Song choked on his words, retorting hastily.
Then, Father Song turned back to Director He. "Director He, our family really doesn’t have that much money. They’re completely disregarding our financial situation."
In truth, Director He also felt the medical fees the Li family was demanding were a bit high. The one hundred yuan for emotional distress was one thing, but the three thousand yuan for medicine sounded preposterous. How much was a city worker’s monthly salary these days? Even the Li family’s own patriarch probably had a retirement pension of just over a hundred yuan a month at most. But the Li family was demanding three thousand yuan all at once. Many people went their whole lives without ever seeing what three thousand yuan looked like.
"I’ve called everyone here today to resolve this matter." Director He thought for a moment, then turned to the Song Family. "It is a fact that Song Yufang injured someone. Moreover, she caused serious injuries to Classmate Li and has indeed caused her psychological trauma. Therefore, your family should compensate Classmate Li for her medical expenses and emotional distress."
"What’s this ’emotional distress fee’? I’ve never even heard of it..." Mrs. Song immediately started to shout.
Director He waved his hand, cutting Mrs. Song off. Then he turned to Li Fenghuo. "General Li, you see, Classmate Song has already paid the hospital’s medical fees. As for the additional three thousand yuan for medicine, perhaps that amount could be reduced? After all, for a family like theirs, it really is a bit too much."
General!
Hearing how Director He addressed Li Fenghuo, the Song family was stunned. Song Yufang stared at Li Huan in utter shock. She never would have dreamed that Li Huan was a general’s daughter. How much power must their family have? At that moment, a cold sweat broke out on Song Yufang’s back.