Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

Wang Xuemei let everyone whisper among themselves until the noise gradually subsided, then symbolically lowered her hand while subtly exchanging a glance with the deaf old lady.

"Quiet down, let's discuss how to deal with Jia Zhangshi and Yan Bugui."

"In chronological order, starting with Jia Zhangshi."

Wang Xuemei's gaze swept over Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and Jia Zhangshi in turn, and finally landed on Gao Xiaosheng.

"Comrade Gao, let me first explain the subdistrict office's proposed solution. If you see anything wrong with it, we can reconsider. What do you think?"

Gao Xiaosheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Okay, I'll do as Director Wang says."

He dared not underestimate Wang Xuemei, the grassroots director.

Although the current subdistrict offices are not yet at the level of a full-fledged department after the merger, but are only at the section-level, their job duties are the same.

We must try every means to secure more resources from the district.

To win the high recognition of the people in the jurisdiction, we must unite their hearts and minds and form a cohesive force.

They still have to go to the factory every now and then to freeload.

Anyone with low emotional intelligence or poor communication skills would not be able to hold this position.

"Jia Zhangshi forcibly occupied the rented office space of the street office. Even though she knew that Comrade Gao was a new resident, she still refused to unlock the door and move the stored items, which led to the subsequent dispute between the two parties."

"The fault lies with Jia Zhangshi, but it's not just her problem alone."

At this point, Wang Xuemei raised her voice, "Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, you are the neighborhood management officers and residents' group leaders, and you just stood by and watched her occupy the house without permission?"

"Even if you lack the ability to stop it, wouldn't you report the situation to the neighborhood committee or the subdistrict office?"

"I propose that the three neighborhood supervisors make a profound self-criticism in public."

"As for Jia Zhangshi, all the furniture that was moved should be returned or Gao should be compensated in cash, and she should sincerely admit her mistake."

"Comrade Gao, what do you think of this plan?"

Gao Xiaosheng scratched his head, somewhat confused about what Director Wang was up to.

She was called in by the deaf old lady to keep things going, so even if she didn't dare to openly take sides, she could still show some favoritism.

But the suggestion I just made was not a mere empty boast; it was even more thoughtful and comprehensive than Gao Xiaosheng himself had thought of.

To be honest, the most crucial part of Jia Zhangshi's matter—the forced occupation of the house—didn't really have anything to do with Gao Xiaosheng. If Wang Xuemei wanted to, she could have easily let it go.

"That's fine. Just return the furniture. I've already bought it all. Let's just give you a discount. Yushui, how much did the cabinet we bought cost again?" Gao Xiaosheng looked at He Yushui.

"Brother Sheng, is it that cabinet in the living room? It costs 65,000."

Gao Xiaosheng rubbed Yushui's head. "Director Wang, look, it's not unreasonable for Jia Zhangshi to make up for this money, is it?"

Wang Xuemei's suggestion not only surprised Gao Xiaosheng, but also Yi Zhonghai.

While the two were exchanging opinions, he moved closer to the deaf old woman and said, "Godmother..."

"Shut up. Let Dongxu keep an eye on her mother. No matter what the final decision is, he's not allowed to object," the deaf old lady interrupted Yi Zhonghai in a low voice.

"Okay!" Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and gave the order to his apprentice.

"What? Sixty-five thousand? How can it be so expensive... umm."

Apologizing in public was fine, but returning the cabinet was already painful enough for Jia Zhangshi. But this brat Gao Xiaosheng actually made her pay for it. What difference was there between that and tearing flesh from her body?

He had just stood up, intending to throw a tantrum and try to get away with it, but before he could finish speaking, the deaf old lady hit him hard on the buttocks with her cane, and Jia Dongxu covered his mouth tightly, so he couldn't even cry out in pain.

Wang Xuemei didn't even acknowledge Jia Zhangshi's protest, and nodded decisively, "It's reasonable and not excessive at all."

Turning to Yi Zhonghai, he said, "Old Yi, make Jia Zhangshi pay compensation and apologize in public later. The three of you neighborhood managers will also have to write self-criticisms. Got it?"

"I've got it, I've got it."

"Alright, let's continue discussing Yan Bugui's problem." Wang Xuemei's gaze swept over everyone in the courtyard.

"Everyone knows the specifics. Since this matter concerns everyone, let's take turns expressing our opinions."

"Each household should send a representative to talk about whether they have been extorted by Yan Bugui and how they want to punish him."

Gao Xiaosheng suddenly realized what Wang Xuemei was up to.

Severely punishing Jia Zhangshi was both a gesture of goodwill towards him and a way to silence him.

The goal is singular: protect the large and let go of the small.

Compared to Jia Zhangshi's minor problem, Yan Bugui's mistake was significantly more serious.

If we really take the issue of misinterpreting or concealing the spirit of the document seriously, it could be classified under the clause of the "Punishment of Anti-GM Act" concerning "undermining policy implementation by spreading rumors, defamation or other means".

Those with serious offenses may be sentenced to death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for more than five years.

Taking advantage of the situation to extort or demand bribes constitutes misinterpreting documents, leading to production disruptions, material losses, or social unrest. Such actions can be prosecuted as disrupting economic order, with penalties ranging from imprisonment to the death penalty.

If Yan Bugui were a genuine member of the working class or a poor peasant, he might have received a lighter sentence and been detained at the police station for a few days.

But he's a small business owner, so the documents won't explicitly state "differential treatment," but it will definitely be an important reference in actual implementation.

Gao Xiaosheng's thoughts were now completely clear.

The deaf old lady remained silent, and it was also reasonable for Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu to work together to stop Jia Zhangshi.

So now, only one question remains.

How should he deal with this?

Should we send Yan Bugui to prison or make him eat peanuts?

Should we go along with it, give Director Wang some face, and let bygones be bygones?

Neither of these two options seems to work.

As a patriotic, party-loving, and self-loving young man, Gao Xiaosheng still cherishes these beasts in the institute who don't cause much harm but keep making minor mistakes.

We need to use them sparingly; we can't condemn them outright. We rely entirely on them to provide the lottery chances.

But Gao Xiaosheng was equally unwilling to let Yan Bugui pass the test easily.

People care about their reputation, just as trees need bark; a man's pride is more important than anything else.

Moreover, winning spectacularly and impressively can unite people's hearts and minds, planting the seeds of resistance in the hearts of Sun Youtian, Liu Guangtian, and Liu Guangfu, which will help them form a united front in the future.

Gao Xiaosheng listened absentmindedly to everyone's lukewarm criticism of Yan Bugui, his brain racing as he considered a compromise that would benefit both sides.

"Ahem, well... what the Third Uncle did was indeed not very ethical, but he didn't take anything from me. I gave him those lunchboxes voluntarily, no, they were for his children to supplement their nutrition."

He Yuzhu finished his brief speech with some difficulty.

"Brother, what did you say?" He Yushui looked at He Yuzhu in surprise, then glanced at Yi Zhonghai who had just left his side, and immediately understood.

"Shh, rain, keep your voice down, we'll talk when we get home."

"You idiot!" He Yushui was so angry that she stopped calling him "brother," turned her neck away, and couldn't be bothered to look at this fool anymore.

Although she was young, she knew that one should not be fickle. Zhang, the clerk, was standing right next to Director Wang.

He Yuzhu recanted his testimony in person; who would dare believe him anymore?

"Comrade Sun Youtian, it's your turn to speak."

Without exception, all the long-time residents spoke in Yan Bugui's favor, which made Wang Xuemei's expression much more relaxed.

"Wait a minute, Director Wang, let me go first," Gao Xiaosheng suddenly said.