A woman in her 70s marries a rough-looking man; her plump wife is too delicate and alluring.

Xiao Zhou stood at the door, his face not looking too good.

Seeing Xiao Zhou's worried expression, Sheng Yuze asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Zhou leaned close to Sheng Yuze and whispered, "The police are under pressure. It seems like a lot of people have been contacting them, telling them to let Shi Ping's family leave."

Sheng Yuze frowned. "What's going on?"

Xiao Zhou: "It's still unclear. The police don't dare to say who it is either."

Are Shi Ping's family still with the police?

Xiao Zhou nodded. "The police want Uncle Liu and the others to reach a settlement."

"Understood." Sheng Yuze glanced at He Zhaoyang, who was still sleeping, through the window, then looked away and walked out of the yard. "Let's go, drive and pick up Uncle Liu, we'll go to the town police station."

After driving for a while, Xiao Zhou spoke up, "Platoon leader, the police said that if Uncle Liu doesn't reconcile, they might not be able to drag this out for much longer."

Sheng Yuze remained silent.

After a while, he asked, "Which side did the police say the person who greeted us was from?"

"They didn't say. They only said it was someone we can't afford to offend."

Sheng Yuze looked ahead and didn't ask any more questions.

Sheng Yuze and his companion received a message from Liu Wei on the way, informing him that they wanted to reconcile. Liu Wei looked resistant.

Sheng Yuze: "Uncle Liu, think it over. If you don't reach a settlement, they'll still be released. You might as well reach a settlement, make some money off them, and then I'll use my connections to get them in."

Liu Wei remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Xiao Zhou glanced at Liu Wei in the rearview mirror, then looked away without saying anything.

After a long while, Liu Wei spoke, his voice hoarse, "How much money can they offer?"

Sheng Yuze said, "I will try my best to get them to contribute more."

Liu Wei nodded slightly. "Thank you."

The car continued driving, and houses in the town began to appear on the roadside. Xiao Zhou slowed down and turned into the police compound.

A black sedan was parked in the yard. Sheng Yuze glanced at the license plate.

Wow, it's a small license plate, but it's got quite a history.

Xiao Zhou parked the car, and Sheng Yuze got out first.

"Let's go," he said.

The three people got out of the car and walked towards the office building.

Before I even reached the door, a middle-aged man in a police uniform came out to greet me with a fawning smile.

"Platoon Leader Sheng is here." He held out his hand.

Sheng Yuze shook hands. "Director Li."

Director Li glanced at Liu Wei and Xiao Zhou behind him and said with a smile, "Come in, come in."

He stepped aside to make way, his gaze lingering on Liu Wei for a moment, a look of disdain on his face.

When Sheng Yuze walked in, he saw a man in his early thirties sitting on a bench in the corridor, wearing a dark gray jacket and holding a cigarette in his hand.

He openly sized up Sheng Yuze.

Sheng Yuze ignored him and walked straight into the office.

Director Li closed the door, poured a few cups of tea, and said, "Platoon Leader Sheng, you've probably heard about the situation. To be honest, someone from above has put in a difficult position for us."

He paused, glanced at Liu Wei, and asked, "This must be Uncle Liu, right?"

Liu Wei didn't speak, but nodded.

Director Li rubbed his hands together. "Uncle Liu, here's the thing: they're willing to offer compensation, and it's a considerable sum, enough for your family to live on for several years."

If you can sign a letter of understanding, this matter can be considered closed. We understand your daughter's situation, but going through the proper procedures will take a long time, and no one can predict whether something might change along the way.

He emphasized the word "variable".

Liu Wei looked down at the ground, at a loss.

Sheng Yuze spoke up, "How much are they offering?"

Director Li glanced at him and gave him a number.

The room was quiet for a while.

Sheng Yuze took a sip of tea, put the cup down, and said, "Since it's from above, who are you trying to fool with such a small amount of money?"

Director Li paused for a moment, then said, "Platoon Leader Sheng, this number..."

"I underestimated it," Sheng Yuze repeated. "Their whole family committed four crimes: rape, abandonment, domestic violence, and promiscuity. Do you think that number is appropriate?"

He leaned back in his chair, his tone not harsh, "Go ask them how much they're willing to add. If they don't, we won't sign, and you'll proceed according to procedure."

Director Li looked at him, realized he was a tough nut to crack, and immediately stood up. "I'll go ask him."

Director Li opened the door and left, and the office fell silent. Liu Wei sat there, his hands obediently placed on his knees.

Sheng Yuze didn't say anything, picked up his teacup and put it down again.

The sound of hushed conversation drifted down the hallway, but the content was indistinct.

Xiao Zhou glanced at Sheng Yuze, who shook his head slightly.

Soon, Director Li came in with a big smile on his face. "Platoon Leader Sheng, how about four hundred yuan? Plus eight hundred catties of cornmeal, seventy feet of cloth coupons, and five catties of cotton coupons."

Liu Wei was stunned.

Sheng Yuze tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Okay, but 800 catties of cornmeal is too much. You can give it to me in cash. Eighty yuan. Four hundred and eighty yuan doesn't sound good. Five hundred yuan. If that's acceptable, we can settle right now."

Director Li paused for a moment, then, seemingly afraid that Sheng Yuze might change his mind, quickly nodded, "Okay, okay, I'll give you the money right now."

After saying that, he immediately went out, came back with a thick envelope, and said, "Please count them."

Sheng Yuze glanced at the envelope. "Uncle Liu, take this and count it."

Liu Wei then reached out and took the envelope, opened it, counted the contents, and said, "No, no problem."

Liu Wei was dealing with so much money for the first time, and he even stuttered a little.

Sheng Yuze: "Call the three of them over here. Let's sign the settlement agreement now."

Director Li turned and shouted towards the door, "Bring the Shi family here."

Not long after, the door was pushed open, and Shi Ping walked in front, his clothes were clean and his hair was neatly combed. Behind him followed Li Xiangxiang and Shi Xiaoxue, who had happy faces.

Shi Ping walked up to Sheng Yuze and stretched. "Oh, Platoon Leader Sheng, I'm so sleepy! You wouldn't believe it, even though I sleep soundly and eat well here, I just miss home."

Sheng Yuze remained silent.

Shi Ping, feeling awkward, sat down, crossed his legs, picked up a pen, and without looking at the compensation amount or asking about the conditions, quickly signed his name.

After signing, he tossed the pen onto the table and leaned back in his chair.

Shi Xiaoxue and Li Xiangxiang also signed their names in turn. After Li Xiangxiang finished signing, she looked up at Liu Wei, pursed her lips, and said, "Keep the money safe, don't lose it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wei clutched the envelope tightly, fearing it would be snatched away by the person on the other end.

Sheng Yuze looked calmly at Shi Ping. "Quite confident?"

Shi Ping smiled, stood up, straightened his collar, and looked down at Sheng Yuze. "Platoon Leader Sheng, I know you have people in the village. But you also need to know that I have people in the town, the county, and even the city."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door without waiting for Sheng Yuze to speak.

Shi Xiaoxue and Li Xiangxiang followed behind him, and the three of them walked out of the office with increasingly leisurely steps.