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Grumbling aside, this matter still needs to be settled.

"So, Miss Liu, as an elder, it’s natural to discuss this with you," Lin Jiazhong said as he clasped his hands together and smiled ingratiatingly at Liu Limin: "My son, he was just momentarily confused and didn’t intentionally go to steal your family’s bricks.

These things are all trivial matters, why bother the Government Office?

Isn’t that making a mountain out of a molehill?

Besides, it’s just a few bricks, our family can indeed afford to compensate with silver. "

Lin Jiazhong meant to settle the matter with money.

Liu Limin curled her lips, not intending to let Lin Yongcheng off so easily. Besides, what was the use of compensation in silver? She herself could buy plenty of red bricks with her own private money, who’d fancy his lousy silver!

Liu Limin might not care for it, but Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng certainly did.

Before Liu Limin could refuse, Lin Yuan already tugged at her aunt’s sleeve and shook it, smiling faintly: "Uncle, what you mean is that you want to give us hush money?"

Lin Jiazhong hadn’t expected this Little Disaster Star to be so cooperative this time. Although puzzled, he still nodded eagerly with a beaming smile: "Yes, yes, as long as you don’t blow up this matter, I’m willing to give silver, give silver. Five taels, how about five taels?"

"No way! Who wants your silver? We are going to report this to the authorities!" Liu Limin was infuriated and waited for her good-for-nothing niece to rebuke her: "What’s wrong with you, girl? Weren’t you the one with all the ideas? How can you be so easily dismissed with a few taels of silver? No way, given what Lin Yongcheng has done, if he doesn’t spend some time in the big jail, he will surely not learn his lesson! "

Lin Yuan looked at Lin Jiazhong with an insincere smile, shrugged her shoulders, and spread her hands: "Uncle, there’s nothing I can do, you see, it’s not that I don’t agree, but my aunt doesn’t consent. She doesn’t fancy your little bit of silver!"

Xia Zheng also shrugged his shoulders and pursed his lips: "Exactly, as if five taels of silver would suffice to appease a beggar?"

Seeing that Lin Yuan was not swayed by the silver, Liu Limin nodded repeatedly: "Right, right, we shouldn’t lose our principles over just a few taels of silver."

But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt as though she had somehow fallen into a trap.

Lin Jiazhong’s lips twitched, weren’t these people just implying that his five taels of silver were too little?

"Seven taels!"

Liu Limin grabbed Lin Yuan’s hand and turned to leave, also calling out to the villagers who were watching the commotion: "Everyone, you better be careful when you go out. Watch out so that your house doesn’t get taken apart and sold by someone!"

The villagers erupted into laughter, leaving Lin Jiazhong and his family unable to stand up straight due to embarrassment.

Seeing that Liu Limin was not giving in, and Lin Yuan had no choice but to follow her, Lin Jiazhong bit his lip, steeled himself, and stamped his foot, shouting: "Ten taels!"

Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng exchanged glances, both detecting amusement in each other’s eyes. The bricks Lin Yongcheng had stolen were worth at most three taels of silver, yet Lin Jiazhong had escalated to ten taels; indeed, he was willing to pay a significant price.

Lin Yuan turned around and stood firm: "Fine, ten taels! But I have one more condition."

With ten taels of silver already offered, what condition could he possibly fear?

Lin Jiazhong gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words: "You say."

"I want Lin Yongcheng to move the bricks back exactly as they were, right now, and no one is allowed to help."

How could Lin Yongcheng be willing? Moving them back now, in broad daylight, wouldn’t that just cause him to lose face in front of the whole village again?

"No way! I won’t move them!"

Before he could finish, Lin Jiazhong kicked him behind his knees, bellowing: "Now you know shame! You worthless thing!"

Seeing that Lin Jiazhong had agreed, Lin Yuan glanced at the crowd of onlookers, her lips curling into a slight smirk.

She stepped closer and said in a low voice: "There’s one more thing I’d like to remind you, uncle.

The thing about today is, it’s not just my mouth you have to seal but all these people who know as well.

The whole affair is clear as day, as they say, a multitude of tongues can melt metal.

If a single person talks about this matter, I’m afraid.

.. Uncle, haven’t you thought about how to silence the mouths of the entire village? "