As soon as he stepped out, the people outside turned to look.
The atmosphere instantly fell silent.
Ye Shizhi saw several elderly men sitting opposite Jiang Sinian. Judging from their bearing and presence, they looked very much like officials.
“This must be the Jiang family’s wife, right?”
The first to speak was a man with a red armband on his arm.
Ye Shizhi glanced at Jiang Sinian, then nodded. “Hello.”
When Jiang Sinian saw her approach, he took the initiative to give up his seat. Ye Shizhi didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down directly.
The gesture surprised the men opposite, though they quickly recovered.
“Hello. I’m Zhang Qian, the brigade leader of Linshan Village. These are from the Women’s Affairs office.”
Zhang Qian introduced them one by one.
Oh! So they really were officials.
Ye Shizhi mentally praised her own judgment and nodded naturally. “Jiang Sinian’s wife, Ye Shizhi.”
Standing to the side, Jiang Sinian paused slightly, his gaze resting on her face with an unreadable meaning.
Ye Shizhi didn’t notice his reaction. She only sensed his tall figure standing beside her, unmoving.
She had rarely interacted with people in leadership positions before, so she neither shrank back nor felt timid. Her posture was composed, her expression gentle—giving others a comfortable impression.
“You should go pour a few cups of water,” she said to Jiang Sinian.
Seeing that they had been there for quite some time, she assumed they must be thirsty and casually instructed him.
“No need, no need…”
Zhang Qian waved his hands repeatedly, flustered, almost standing up to stop him. The others also looked startled and awkwardly declined.
“Don’t be polite,” Ye Shizhi said calmly. “Captain Zhang, perhaps you could first explain the reason for your visit.”
Zhang Qian watched as Jiang Sinian slowly walked into the kitchen. After a few seconds, seeing he didn’t come back out immediately, he let out a breath.
“Comrade Ye, here’s the situation. Those relatives from the Jiang family were beaten by Sinian. Several of them are quite seriously injured, and they’ve brought the matter to us.”
“According to them, they want compensation…”
His voice turned uneasy at that point.
They had already said something similar to Jiang Sinian earlier—more cautiously even. Jiang Sinian had simply listened with a cold face and told them to keep their voices down.
After that, they had tried persuading him earnestly for quite some time, with no effect.
Now, seeing Comrade Ye’s temperament, perhaps there was some hope?
After listening to everything, Ye Shizhi rose just as Jiang Sinian returned with the water. She took the cups and handed them over with a smile. “You must be tired from coming all this way. Have some water first.”
“Alright, alright.”
They accepted the cups almost reverently.
In all these years of visiting Jiang Sinian’s home, they had never received such treatment.
Either the door had been locked in their faces, or they had to face his expressionless silence while talking themselves hoarse—sometimes even while he calmly ate his meal without uttering a word.
Occasionally, if he was annoyed, he would give them a single word: “Get out.” And they would know their purpose was hopeless and would return another day when he might be in a better mood.
To now drink water personally served by Jiang Sinian—it felt like all these years of humiliation had finally paid off.
For a moment, several of them were nearly teary-eyed, their emotions almost spilling over.
Noticing their strange expressions, Ye Shizhi tilted her head slightly toward Jiang Sinian and raised an eyebrow.
What’s going on?
Whether he received the signal or not, Jiang Sinian ignored her and said expressionlessly to Zhang Qian, “Finish and leave.”
The words were blunt and impolite, yet Zhang Qian, having endured so much over the years, almost found sweetness in them.
He consoled himself: at least this time there were five more words, instead of the usual cold, heartless “get out.”
Wiping his face, he tried again. “Sinian, about this matter…”
Before Jiang Sinian could speak, Ye Shizhi answered first.
“Compensation should, of course, be paid.”
If someone was beaten, then compensation was due. However—
“We’ll pay two cents.”
Her words fell firmly.
Zhang Qian’s delighted expression froze. “This…”
Two cents? With so many injured—how would that even be divided? It wouldn’t even cover a consultation fee, let alone treatment.
He hesitated and looked at Jiang Sinian for help. But Jiang Sinian was staring at his wife, not sparing him a glance.
At the moment, Jiang Sinian had no interest in Zhang Qian. He was far more curious about what Ye Shizhi would say next.
Ye Shizhi continued, “Captain Zhang, the two cents are out of Sinian’s kindness. He’s giving it because he pities them. Please don’t be too touched.”
Zhang Qian and the others: “???”
Jiang Sinian: “…Kind-hearted? Who?”
“Logically speaking,” Ye Shizhi went on calmly, “they first falsely accused Sinian of theft—that already constitutes defamation. Then, before the facts were clear, they barged into our home with a group of people, threatened the concerned party—namely me—and verbally attacked me, causing both mental and physical harm.”
“We can cover all their medical expenses. But the harm done to me must also be compensated.”
“At the same time, I will report this to the town police. Charges such as defamation, unlawful entry, threats, and insults—if deemed serious enough—could be sufficient to send them to prison for several years.”
“As for Sinian,” she added lightly, “although he hit them, he’s willing to compensate and has a correct attitude. At most, it’s just a matter of spending some money.”
She took a sip of water, composed.
“We don’t care much about the money. We prefer to avoid unnecessary trouble. But some people may not think the same.”
The cup made a crisp sound as she set it down on the wooden table. The sound landed heavily in everyone’s hearts.
“We don’t mind spending some effort on this matter. I just wonder, if things become big, whether certain people watching your position closely might make a move.”
Looking at their complicated expressions, she smiled sweetly and addressed him directly.
“What do you think, Captain Zhang?”
“Yes, yes…”
Cold sweat trickled down Zhang Qian’s back.
Calling the police would escalate everything. In his position, he had seen many cases where officials were removed after being dragged into police matters.
Some had even spent the rest of their lives in prison.
Though the root of this incident lay with those troublemakers, if responsibility were seriously pursued, his position might also be implicated.
Seeing that he had thought enough, Ye Shizhi smiled gently. “I trust Captain Zhang, being responsible and capable, will surely find a better way to handle this.”
Hearing the hollow flattery, Zhang Qian’s smile vanished entirely.
Ye Shizhi met his gaze calmly, her almond-shaped eyes rippling like water.
“Of course,” he said stiffly.
Ye Shizhi knew she had her answer. She turned to Jiang Sinian.
“What are you standing there for?”
She urged lightly. “See our guests out.”
Then she looked back at Zhang Qian and the others with an apologetic smile.
“Our household has been tight lately, so we won’t be able to entertain you further.”