No matter who was right or wrong in this matter.
But if you don't come forward and quell the villagers' anger.
Once lives are lost.
Even if you, Mr. Ye, are not at fault, you will be considered at fault!
What made them even more frustrated was that this lawyer, Mr. Zhang, instead of appeasing the villagers, looked at them and chose to confront them head-on!
"If you don't want to reveal your names, so be it. You are from Gaohai Village, aren't you? My client has informed me of the entire situation."
"Villagers, can you please apply some legal reasoning? You voluntarily sold your houses and land. Did my client force you? It's very simple: my client offered a high price to purchase them, and the process was completed through official channels with written agreements. You became greedy and sold your houses and land."
"It's like Zhou Yu fighting Huang Gai – one willing to hit, the other willing to be hit. Under legal and compliant circumstances, you are still causing trouble?"
"Oh, so now that you know the land sold for a high price, you regret it and disagree. Ask yourselves, if the land hadn't sold and had remained unsold, would my client be willing to buy it back if they regretted it? I suspect that when my client offered 1.5 million for each house, you were all thinking my client was a fool with too much money."
"This matter, no matter how you spin it, is your fault. Not only are you in the wrong, but you also don't understand the law. My client even offered compensation afterward, agreeing to give each family an additional three to five hundred thousand. And what did you do? You demanded six to eight million, acting as if you were bestowing a favor. Do you think that's possible?"
"Now, I state clearly, my client will not pay any compensation. You are welcome to pursue legal action."
Lawyers are known for their sharp tongues, and lawyer Zhang's impassioned speech left the villagers speechless.
Seeing Elder Li about to fly into a rage and attempt suicide again, lawyer Zhang said calmly.
"Elder, allow me to remind you. Currently, you are only violating public order and safety. At most, it will be considered a civil offense, resulting in a seven-day detention. If that dagger moves any closer, it will be a serious violation of public safety plus carrying a controlled weapon. According to criminal law, you will be held criminally liable."
At this point, lawyer Zhang smiled brightly.
"Criminal liability, this goes on your record. You may not know what this means, so let me enlighten you."
"It means that for three generations, you will be unable to participate in civil service or public institution examinations. It means that your grandchildren, from the moment they start school, will be pointed at and told they have an unreasonable grandfather."
"Oh, right. That elder over there, your grandson is about to freeze and cry. Are you sure you want to leave a lifelong stain for your grandson over a lawsuit you can't possibly win?"
"And you, the pregnant lady, you know better than I do that pregnant women shouldn't be exposed to the cold. It's best not to let your offspring pay for your impulsiveness."
"Everyone from Gaohai Village, I've delivered my message. How you choose to proceed is your business, and it has nothing to do with my client. However, if you wish to sue, you are always welcome. Farewell."
With that, lawyer Zhang left with great flourish, as nonchalantly as he had arrived.
He left behind a stunned crowd.
After the shock came anger.
"Damn it! So that's what it was all about!"
"A profiteering merchant? Is this a profiteering merchant? They sold their houses themselves, and now that prices have gone up, they want them back? Is that fair?"
"Don't be so preachy. In less than a week, they've lost nearly ten million. If it had been half a year or a year, people wouldn't have had so much resentment. Hearts are made of flesh; what would you do in their situation?"
"Are you a saint? Forget a week, even a day. Once you sign, you must honor the contract. Oh, you're unwilling, so you'll protest? You're unwilling, so you'll attempt suicide? You're unwilling, so you think they should compensate you?"
"These villagers are too much! Everyone wanted compensation, and they dared to make such outrageous demands! 'Poor mountains and vile waters breed difficult people.' They don't even know how to reason!"
The situation instantly reversed. Although there were still some "saints" speaking up for the villagers,
This voice quickly disappeared into the crowd.
After all, most people have a correct sense of right and wrong.
You chose to sell, and now your house has doubled in value. Can you blame others?
Furthermore, as the saying goes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
How pitiful were the Gaohai Village villagers before?
Countless people sympathized. Now, all they felt was deception.
Therefore, their words now carried even more disdain for the Gaohai Village villagers!
Facing the public's criticism, the Gaohai Village villagers' attitude was no longer as stubborn as before.
It wasn't that they were convinced by the lawyer's logic, but by his threats.
If they stopped now, at most it would be administrative detention, a few days or weeks.
If they continued to escalate things, and it became a major issue, it would affect their direct descendants for three generations!
They might not care about themselves, being close to the end of their lives, but the thought of their grandchildren's futures being impacted meant that no one would burn incense for them on Qingming Festival.
Ultimately, they were just a bunch of ignorant villagers, incited by others.
In a moment of heat, they rushed over in a swarm, thinking they could get their money back by causing trouble at the Jinling Office Building, without considering the consequences.
The reason the negotiation experts had failed to persuade them earlier was that they had all adopted a gentle approach, constantly appeasing them, afraid of hurting the fragile hearts of these elderly and weak individuals, thus triggering terrible consequences.
However, these experts overlooked a fact: these elderly and weak individuals were not people at their wits' end, but actual villagers who had been displaced. Ye Yun had given each household at least 1.5 million!
In the suburbs of Jinling, they could afford to buy a three-bedroom resettlement apartment.
If their lives were stable, who would genuinely want to die?
At this point, a firm hand was needed to resolve the situation, and it wouldn't be difficult.
As for how to apply this firm hand, Ye Yun had already instructed the lawyer.
Why did these people want money? Wasn't it for their descendants?
If they knew the money couldn't be recovered and their continued actions would harm their grandchildren's lives...
What would they choose?
It was obvious even without thinking!
Once people's resolve wavers, even the largest organization can easily crumble.
This is why ancient armies collapsed like mountains.
At this moment, all the Gaohai Village villagers fell into deep thought.
Was there any point in continuing like this?
Could they really get their money back?
After a moment, the village chief looked at a police officer and asked.
"Officer, is what that lawyer just said true?"
"What the lawyer said is indeed true. Your current actions are already illegal, and we can impose administrative detention. The current situation is not severe, but if you become more aggressive, you will indeed be held criminally liable, and direct descendants for three generations will be prohibited from working in civil service or public institutions." The leading police officer nodded.
The village chief gritted his teeth and turned to look at the villagers. Their faces were filled with regret and hesitation.
Many even wanted to get up and leave immediately.
Even Elder Li, who had been the most vocal before, had already put away his utility knife.
The village chief then turned to the police officer and said.
"Officer, if we disperse now, what kind of punishment will we receive?"