Era: Seven money-losing girls? They're trying to trick me into having a daughter again!

The villagers who had been watching the spectacle outside all gasped in shock when they heard what Village Chief Zhou said.

Seventy-odd yuan?!

What incredible luck did Fang Wei, that gambler, have to find wild Ganoderma lucidum on the mountain?!

"have."

He nodded slightly and readily admitted it.

This bastard has already brought his men to my doorstep, there's no use denying it now, I might as well just give up.

"It's good that you dare to admit it!"

Xu Rui was overjoyed that Fang Wei didn't even try to deny it and immediately admitted it, exclaiming, "Fang Wei! Do you know how serious your crime is?!"

"Wild Ganoderma lucidum grows on the mountain, and the mountain is the collective property of Laotang Village, so the wild Ganoderma lucidum naturally belongs to the collective too!" (Mmm-hmm)

"It's one thing for you to dig it up without permission, but you even dared to sell it for money! Do you know what that's called?!"

"This is called stealing collective resources! To put it more bluntly, it's undermining socialism!"

"I've already checked. You sold the wild Ganoderma lucidum for sixty-five yuan, and the snake for twelve yuan, for a total of seventy-seven yuan!"

Fang Wei remained silent, watching this bastard drooling away.

"Everyone, be the judge!"

Xu Rui looked at Village Chief Zhou and the villagers outside, "Our land in Laotang Village! Our mountains in Laotang Village! Why should all the produce go into Fang Wei's pocket?!"

"This is a loss for everyone and for the collective!"

"I came to Laotang Village today specifically to help the villagers understand this matter clearly."

"Fang Wei, if you voluntarily hand over the money and have it confiscated, we can handle this matter leniently."

"But if you remain obstinate, don't blame me for handling this officially; I'll report you to the police station for stealing collective assets!"

Xu Rui looked at Fang Wei and threatened, "You'd better think this through. Stealing collective property will get you a lenient sentence, even a few years!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Shaoli's face turned pale instantly.

Her family's life had just started to improve a little, how come Fang Wei is going to be arrested and imprisoned again?!

Village Chief Zhou glanced at Xu Rui and knew that this kid was just making a big show of things and deliberately trying to intimidate people.

But what the other party said was indeed correct. It was one thing for Fang Wei to dig up things from the mountain to eat, but to actually sell them was really unreasonable.

"Fang Wei! What are you doing? Hand over everyone's money right now!"

Someone outside the courtyard shouted, "The village chief and the others were being kind; they didn't call the police to arrest you right away, they even saved you face!"

"You came all this way, making such a big fuss, just to say this?"

Fang Wei looked at Xu Rui with some boredom.

I thought this bastard had some amazing trick up his sleeve, but it turns out he's just like he was yesterday, all he does is wave the flag.

"What? You still want to deny it?"

"quibble?"

Fang Wei raised an eyebrow, smiled, and shook his head. "When did I say I was going to make excuses? Besides, there's no need to make excuses about this matter."

"You're just a staff member from the subdistrict office, what are you up to by suddenly coming to our Laotang Village to act all high and mighty?"

"I'm speaking out for the people of Laotang Village!"

Xu Rui looked furious, as if he were genuinely angry on behalf of the villagers of Laotang Village. "You've seized everyone's property for your own selfish desires, and you should be spoken out!"

"How did you even get your head shaped like that?"

Fang Wei frowned, and said somewhat impatiently, "This is a rural area!"

"Any problems are between me and the other villagers; it's none of your business to interfere!"

"Do you think it's any of your business what happens here?"

"Don't change the subject!"

Xu Rui's face stiffened, and he shouted, "We're talking about you digging up collective property!"

Please answer my question directly.

Fang Wei, however, wouldn't let him off the hook, pressing him for an answer: "What's your position? Do you have so much power to interfere in village affairs?"

"Or are you saying that you just don't like me, so you're taking revenge on my behalf, using your position as a government employee to deliberately act like a bureaucrat, abuse your privileges, and damage the relationship between officials and the people in Laotang Village?!"

He needs to get rid of this bastard first before he can deal with the rest of the villagers.

"If you don't explain why, I'm going to report you to your superiors! Then we'll see how they punish you!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Xu Rui was surprised that Fang Wei, a gambling addict, knew these things, and quickly said.

"I just happened to find out that you were stealing things from the village to sell, so I'm here to seek justice for the villagers of Laotang Village!"

"Watch your mouth!"

Fang Wei immediately pointed at Xu Rui and said angrily, "In broad daylight, you dare to accuse me of stealing with your bare lips?!"

"What does it mean to steal? Taking something without asking is stealing! That's a crime that leads to jail time!"

"The wild Ganoderma lucidum on that mountain grew on its own; it had no owner. I dug it up honestly and legally through my own labor. What right do you have to slander me like this?!"

"If I really stole something, you don't need to call the police! I'll go to the police station with you right now and explain everything!"

"Let's go! Let's go now!"

Fang Wei, looking furious that his innocence had been violated, took two steps forward and pulled Xu Rui towards the police station.

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing how tough he was, Xu Rui panicked and quickly tried to break free from Fang Wei's hand.

"I! I misspoke just now! You didn't steal! You... you stole collective property!"

Things are different now. He knows that Fang Wei's behavior doesn't count as stealing, and even if he were taken to the police station, he would be in the wrong.

When did a gambler come to understand so many principles?!

"Oh!"

Fang Wei sneered, "What's the difference between stealing and robbing? Aren't you both just slandering my innocence?"

Those villagers outside the courtyard who saw Xu Rui's appearance and were a little quick-witted could vaguely guess that Fang Wei had not broken the law.

But they didn't speak up for Fang Wei, after all, it was more than seventy yuan.

If Xu Rui can help them get the money out of Fang Wei's hands, then they'll be getting a good deal, won't they?

"You're pretty funny."

Fang Wei chased after Xu Rui, saying, "If you really want to uphold justice, why don't you just call the police station to arrest me? Why are you spouting this nonsense here!"

"Alright."

Seeing that Xu Rui couldn't win the argument against Fang Wei, Village Chief Zhou interrupted him with a stern face.

"Officer Xu cares about the villagers, which is why he went to great lengths to come to our rural area. He just wanted to explain this matter to you."

"If anything goes wrong, we can settle it privately so you won't have to go to jail."

"Oh, what is it?"

Fang Wei looked at Village Chief Zhou and asked with a puzzled tone, "I don't have anything that needs to be resolved privately with everyone."