Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

As the saying goes, having connections in high places makes things easier. What was originally a minor civil dispute, with a bit of compensation it could have been resolved, but that shrewish woman insisted on name-dropping some high-ranking official, vowing to get a medical examination at the hospital to make Xu Aiguo pay for his actions. The police, of course, had no right to deny her request to go to the hospital for an examination; however, upon arrival, when she learned that she had to advance the examination fee, she immediately refused, throwing a tantrum on the ground, rolling around and accusing Xu Aiguo and his comrade-in-arms of ganging up on her, to cheat and bully a defenseless woman. It was just a minor scratch, nothing more than a trifle, yet Wu Lingyu's mother didn't even demand a medical check after getting her hair pulled and face slapped, but this fuss made it impossible for both sides to back down gracefully. Xu Aiguo couldn't swallow the insult and, despite Li Meijuan's objections, paid out of his pocket for her medical examination. So you want a medical examination? Fine, let's all do it! Somehow, the doctor diagnosed Li Meijuan with a suspected concussion, and what was just a civil dispute suddenly escalated to intentional injury. According to Article 234 of the Criminal Law, anyone who intentionally injures another person shall be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance. What was originally an issue that would have led to just a few days in detention without resolving via mediation suddenly became serious enough to warrant handcuffs and shackles. The several troublesome shrews instantly lost their fire and started infighting at the hospital, pushing the blame onto one another, and even coming to blows amidst their quarreling. Xu Aiguo patted his comrade's shoulder and looked at him with a puzzled expression. Fang Xiaohai just smiled and shook his head, ambiguously saying, "Everything is by the book, a fair case!" A concussion is not like other injuries; even with medical advancements twenty years later, it cannot be detected—doctors only give a judgement based on the patient's descriptions. During the examination, the doctor asked Li Meijuan, "Do you feel any ringing in your ears, any dizziness or headaches, any nausea or weakness?" Having been slapped several times, it was perfectly normal for her to have these symptoms, and Li Meijuan affirmed she did. After consideration, the doctor naturally gave a diagnosis of a suspected concussion. ... When the group returned to the police station, the formerly haughty women immediately switched their demeanor, crying and begging Li Meijuan for mercy before even entering the police station's doors. The one who claimed she knew high-ranking officials just a moment ago was now the quickest to kneel. "Sister Li, you are magnanimous, please don't stoop to my level, I have the elderly and children at home...." "Sister Li, I'm kneeling before you, can you please let it go? I really realize my mistake...." "..." Xu Aiguo watched on the side, feeling a sense of schadenfreude, [Serves you right!] Since it was just a suspected concussion, the police, of course, hoped to resolve the issue amicably. Faced with the hospital's injury assessment report, the women had no choice but to accept Xu Aiguo's extortion. In the end, an agreement was reached where the six women involved in assaulting Li Meijuan compensated her for medical expenses, lost wages, nursing fees, transportation costs, and subsistence fees during her hospital stay, totaling ten thousand yuan. Once their families brought over the money, Li Meijuan immediately signed the settlement agreement, bringing the matter to a close. ... After eating fried skewers, Xu Qingfan picked up a broken tile from the side of the road and started drawing hopscotch squares on the sidewalk. Zhang Yiyi and Wu Lingyu had never played hopscotch before. After Xu Qingfan demonstrated the rules of the game through his actions, the group spent a joyous afternoon playing. Xu Qingfan and his friends played the hopscotch game with these rules: you have to hop through eight squares without stepping on the lines, and after successfully doing so, you can throw a beanbag. If it lands in a square, that square is considered "occupied," representative of building a house. Other players would have to skip that square when it's their turn. The one who occupies the most squares wins in the end. The glowing sunset sky painted the horizon a drunken red, and the oblique rays of the sun stretched the shadows of a group of children playing hopscotch on the sidewalk. Their crystal-clear laughter rode on the evening breeze, drifting into the distance. After much hopping and jumping, the little ones were getting tired, especially Lin Wanning who had fallen asleep on Xu Qingfan's thighs. "Uncle Xu, how much longer until they return?" After a round was decided, Xiao Ruawen glanced at the setting sun and asked. "They're here!" Xu Qingfan pointed to a taxi approaching in the distance and said with a smile. Everyone looked in the direction Xu Qingfan was pointing, and soon enough, they saw Xu Aiguo and Li Meijuan getting out of the car. "Mommy!" Seeing her mother return safe and sound, Wu Lingyu felt an urge to cry again and ran towards her mother for a hug. "It's okay, it's okay. Thank you, Uncle Xu," Li Meijuan lifted her daughter into her arms and gently patted her back to soothe her. "Thank you, Uncle Xu!" Wu Lingyu obediently called out. "No need to thank me!" Xu Aiguo laughed as he pinched Wu Lingyu's cheek. "Heehee... strawberry cake... the best... Brother Qingfan..." Xu Qingfan gently patted Lin Wanning's face, but she showed no signs of waking up and continued to murmur sweetly in her sleep, resting on Xu Qingfan's thighs. With a little help from Zhang Yiyi, Xu Qingfan carried the sleepy Wanning onto his shoulders. After bidding farewell to Wu Lingyu, the five youngsters reluctantly climbed into the taxi. Once inside the car, the little girls all looked sleepy, while only the father and son intermittently continued their conversation. "Dad, how was this matter dealt with eventually?" Xu Qingfan asked. Xu Aiguo recounted the restitution to Li Meijuan of ten thousand yuan, "Those shrews were really something. After signing the settlement letter, they immediately acted so high and mighty, as if they had no shame left!" Recalling the verbal attacks he and Wu Lingyu's mother had suffered upon leaving the police station, Xu Aiguo grew angrier the more he thought about it. "Getting ten thousand yuan in compensation isn't too bad," Xu Qingfan casually remarked. Ten thousand yuan in 2003, if only calculated based on the cost of living, was about equivalent to sixty or seventy thousand twenty years later; if converted into property value, it would be even worth over a hundred thousand. The car fell silent all of a sudden. Xu Qingfan felt something uncomfortable pressing against his backside, and when he reached out, he found a slightly bulging envelope. He opened it to reveal a stash of bright hundred-yuan bills. "Dad, are you hiding some personal savings?" Xu Qingfan showed the envelope to Xu Aiguo. "Oops! That must be the compensation money from those shrews. It looks like your classmate's mother must have left it in the car," Xu Aiguo turned the car around immediately to go back. However, by the time the taxi returned to the kebab stall, the storefront was already shuttered, and Wu Lingyu and her mother were nowhere to be seen. Xu Qingfan had more to consider, "Dad, don't you think Auntie Li might have intentionally left the money in the car to thank you? You can't keep this money, or I'll go home and tell Mom you've been stashing away private funds!" "You little rascal! Is that the kind of person your dad is?" If he weren't driving, Xu Aiguo would have loved to release the seals of the Seven Wolves and let his son understand just why the flowers are so red. Xu Qingfan wore an expression as if to say, "I knew it," "Dad, you really have been hiding private money. I'm going to tell Mom when we get home!" "Hahaha, you're good, kid, trying to scam your old man, huh!" "Hahahaha~" Feeling the affectionate moment between father and son in the car, the previously drowsy little girls also laughed heartily.