The death of a person made the matter extremely serious. Even if the police couldn't find any leads, Yang Jian wouldn't let it go.
To clear his name, the usually arrogant Old Gui had to compromise.
"Director Yu, how about this, I'll put in a good word for Wu Laizi. You just accept thirty thousand yuan as compensation. When Yang Jian gets out, I'll treat him to a meal separately and explain everything that happened during this period."
"Alright, I will convey Boss Gui's sincerity to Yang Jian. We'll go to the police station now to complete the procedures."
Yu Feng knew when to stop. Thirty thousand yuan was within her acceptable price range, and there was no need to haggle further.
However, Old Gui shook his head, "The procedures can't be completed for now. Wu Laizi has just been taken in by the police. We'll likely have to wait until he's cleared of suspicion for today before we can proceed with the reconciliation."
Yu Feng frowned. This was indeed a troublesome affair, meaning Yang Jian wouldn't be getting out anytime soon.
After reaching an agreement, Old Gui left his phone number for Yu Feng and repeatedly urged her to notify him when the funeral was held, stating that he would personally attend.
After Hu Zhenghua expressed the same sentiment, he quickly returned to Nanhu Manor.
Brother Mao had been waiting in his office for a long time.
"Master, things have gotten complicated. I just returned from the hospital and confirmed that Yang Jian's grandfather has died. What was Bao Guo doing? Weren't we agreed that they shouldn't hit anyone?"
As soon as Hu Zhenghua entered the office, he started complaining. With a homicide case, if it was traced back to him, he, the mastermind, would end up in jail.
Brother Mao, however, shook his head. "They didn't lay a hand on anyone. I just asked Bao Guo. They entered Yang Jian's house and didn't touch the two elderly people at all. They didn't smash any furniture that they were protecting. Yang Jian's grandfather's death was due to emotional agitation leading to a coma."
"Regardless, Yang Jian's grandfather's death is inextricably linked to them entering the house and causing destruction. If the police find out, we're all finished. Master, what should we do?"
"What else can we do? I've already notified Bao Guo to have all eight of them leave Xinhe and perhaps stay in the south for half a year or so before returning. They agreed, but they need some money."
"How much?"
"A total of fifty thousand yuan. Five thousand for each of them, and ten thousand for Bao Guo."
"Alright, I'll have the finance department transfer it to you. Master, Old Gui and Yu Feng have already reached a reconciliation agreement. Our plan this time has failed."
Hu Zhenghua felt a pang of regret for the money. The plan had gone awry, and they had lost both the battle and the war.
"Don't worry yet. Yang Jian hasn't been released. If the police can't prove that today's events are completely unrelated to Wu Laizi, Yang Jian will definitely seek trouble with them when he gets out. Given Yang Jian's personality, he won't rest until he deals with Old Gui and Wu Laizi."
"I'm afraid that won't happen as you expect. Old Gui just expressed his sincerity to Yu Feng. He will personally attend Yang Jian's grandfather's funeral, and when Yang Jian is released, he will also have a private talk with Yang Jian to explain."
Brother Mao sneered, "Heh, don't worry. As long as Bao Guo and the others aren't caught, Old Gui can't explain himself clearly. Because he can't prove that today's events and the smashing of Yang Jian's sister's shop have nothing to do with him, Yang Jian won't easily believe him."
"I hope so."
Hu Zhenghua had lost confidence. If the matter was exposed, he would not only face legal repercussions from the police but also endure the wrath of Yang Jian and even Old Gui.
At the hospital, due to the death of Yang Jian's grandfather, which was directly related to the home invasion and destruction case, the forensic doctor conducted a comprehensive examination of the elderly man's body. It was confirmed that he had not suffered any external physical assault and had died of cerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, his body was cremated five days after being stored in the morgue.
Yang Hui had no objections to this outcome. She had asked her grandmother at home, and those people had indeed not laid a hand on them.
The police also promised that once the perpetrators of the home invasion were identified, they would be held responsible for Yang Jian's grandfather's death.
Liu Xingzhi had been rescued, but she was extremely weak, especially mentally. She was disoriented and frequently murmured Yang Jian's name, not recognizing the people around her.
With the assistance of Yang Dalin and other uncles and neighbors, the funeral of the elderly man was held on the sixth day after his passing.
In rural areas, joyous occasions were divided into two categories: red and white. Red occasions included weddings, births, graduations, housewarmings, birthdays, and a child's first birthday.
White occasions were for the natural death of individuals over sixty years old.
Yang Jian's grandfather was over eighty years old and had a police certificate confirming his death from cerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, in the countryside, he was considered to have passed away peacefully in old age, a white occasion, and the funeral was to be grand, with all the villagers of Yangli Village invited to the feast.
This was a rural custom. People who died unnaturally did not receive such treatment. For example, those who died in car accidents, by hanging, or drowning were only buried hastily at night without any form of funeral. Their graves wouldn't even have wreaths.
The funeral was held at the threshing ground at the entrance of the village. The mournful sound of the suona echoed throughout the venue. The elderly man had been well-liked during his lifetime, and all the villagers came to pay their respects.
The more than ten luxury cars that arrived outside attracted the attention of all the villagers.
Rural people valued face and particularly emphasized grand funerals. In those days, the appearance of several cars at a wedding or funeral made it appear extremely magnificent and prestigious.
Not only were the cars driven by the people who came today high-end, but their gifts were also very generous, with monetary contributions in the thousands.
The guest registrar, responsible for recording the gifts, read out the list of guests who had contributed over a thousand yuan during the memorial service.
Among them, Yu Feng gave twenty thousand, and Old Gui gave twenty thousand.
Hu Zhenghua gave ten thousand, and Brother Mao gave ten thousand.
Song Jianhao gave five thousand, and Lu Feng gave five thousand.
Song Jianmin gave three thousand, Biao Biao gave one thousand, and Liang Liang gave one thousand.
Receiving so much gift money at a funeral was unprecedented in the entire Xinqiao Town. After all, at that time, the total income of an ordinary rural family was only around twenty thousand yuan. The gift money received this time was enough to build a very beautiful house in the countryside, while the Yang family still lived in a three-room bungalow.
The funeral was very grand. The surrounding common people also knew that Yang Jian had a strong reputation in the city. However, as the eldest grandson of the Yang family, being unable to personally escort his grandfather to his final resting place would be a lifelong regret for him.
After the funeral and seeing off the guests, the Yang family gathered to discuss how to proceed with their lives.
Due to the sudden accident, the rice transplanting time for the farmland had been delayed, and the early rice production was destined to be abandoned for the season.
More importantly, they had to discuss how to get Yang Jian out as soon as possible and what his future plans would be after his release.
Yang Shuanglin already knew that his son had a notorious reputation in the underworld in the city. Most of the people who came to give gifts today were from the underworld.
What angered him even more was that the woman named Yu Feng had also come and given a generous gift of twenty thousand yuan. If the occasion had been more suitable, he would have erupted in anger on the spot and turned her away.
Therefore, when his son was released, he absolutely could not let him stay at home. He had to keep him away from these people who engaged in crooked practices.