975 Very Professional
The only thing they could confirm was that Su Yang had gotten into a fight, but there was no obvious evidence regarding anything else. It was difficult for them to proceed further. The most important thing now was to find the whereabouts of that bed, but this matter was not so easy to do.
“Our suggestion is… for both parties to settle. We want to know if there’s any possibility of mediation.” Zou Ming found it difficult to inform them of the police station head’s proposed solution. He did not really want the women to have to settle with a scumbag like Su Yang, but his superior was putting pressure on him and he had no choice. It was such a dilemma.
Qiao Mei could tell how Zou Ming felt. It was a delicate situation at the moment. His superior did not want any open cases in their hands at this moment as it would affect the evaluation of their performance for the year. This issue was not as important to the employees since the only difference to them was whether they received a bonus of 10 dollars or 20 dollars.
However, it was different for the leaders. The year end evaluation exercise would determine whether they could get promoted or not. The opportunity for them to achieve meteoric success was all in the hands of these commoners.
“Settle? How?” Sun Juan asked with a frown.
Zou Ming did not know what to say. They could not obtain any relevant information about the case from Su Yang and Old Madam Fan. The two of them only provided misleading information and lies and when they became agitated, they would even attack the police officers. They were really difficult to deal with.
“Officer Zou, if you’re still unsure, then you can go back and think about it. We don’t have anything to say for now. All the people involved are our neighbors and we will definitely bump into one another at some point in time. All we want is for everyone to get along well,” Qiao Mei said with a smile.
“May I know who you are?” This was Zou Ming’s first time meeting Qiao Mei. Previously, he had posted to another police station to work on another case and he had only returned to this station recently. He was not there when the police station was handling Qiao Mei’s case.
“My name is Qiao Mei. These three ladies are my neighbors and they look out for me all the time. They’re like my elder sisters,” Qiao Mei said.
Sun Juan said affirmatively and excitedly, “Yes! This is my younger sister! You can also discuss the issues with her!”
“Alright, then I would like to know your opinion on whether there’s any possibility of a settlement,” Zou Ming asked softly.
Sun Juan and Zhou Shuang looked towards Qiao Mei at the same time. They were willing to let Qiao Mei decide on the way to handle this matter. If they could not handle it well themselves, it would only allow Old Madam Fan and her family to continue to bully them. They preferred to take a chance with Qiao Mei’s decision. At worst, it would end up as if they had handled it themselves.
“A settlement is also not impossible. It will depend on Su Yang’s sincerity. We should get compensation for medical expenses, nutrition fees, loss of income, emotional damages, among other things. Nothing less than that. Also, all the money and items that Su Yang snatched and stole must be returned. In addition, he needs to give us another 10% of the total amount as compensation for each person. If they agree to these conditions, then we can settle. We won’t accept an IOU. We want the compensation in cash,” Qiao Mei said in a gentle manner.
Zou Ming looked at Qiao Mei in shock. These professional terms and the amount of compensation she mentioned did not sound like something a young girl of her age could say.
“Alright. I understand what you mean,” Zou Ming said.
“That’s not all. Zhou Shuang has two children at home. At the crime scene, her child was the first one to get hurt. This is a very traumatic experience for a child. The younger child might forget about it as he grows up, but the older son won’t. Therefore, I hope that Su Yang provides a solution for this matter as well,” Qiao Mei said earnestly to Zou Ming.
Zou Ming stared at Qiao Mei in silence. He had heard about what happened to the children when he took statements from the neighbors. Feng Hong was looking after them at her house now, and the two children suffered from varying degrees of trauma. He had also heard that Su Yang often bullied Zhou Shuang’s older son, so it was not unreasonable for Qiao Mei to make such a request.
“Am I asking for too much? Why aren’t you saying anything, Officer Zou?” Qiao Mei asked.
“No, I just feel that you’re too professional. Even us police officers feel a little ashamed of being inferior to you,” Zou Ming said embarrassedly. Fatty only kept staring at Qiao Mei from the moment he entered the ward.
“You’re too humble. I haven’t really done anything. Since you’re clear about our request, then you can go back first. We can keep in touch when there’s any progress. My two elder sisters are not feeling well and need to rest,” Qiao Mei said as she stared at Zou Ming.