Lin Guangde and Chen Fu arrived at Lin Er Lai's ward and relayed Li Min's reprimand of Chen Fu to Lin Er Lai and Lin Duo'er.
Chen Fu said to Lin Duo'er with shame, "I'll take responsibility for this. Never mind how long father's remaining years will be, it will take eight years for Lin Man to become an adult. By then, you'll be twenty-five."
"By then, your marriage prospects will be very difficult. Don't say you're fine being single. Look at father's current state."
"People still need descendants to have a peaceful old age."
"What mother said is right. We can just find two nannies. We can take turns checking if anything is amiss."
"It's not that we can't afford it. Don't sacrifice your youth. Father isn't worth it. We just need to be able to live with ourselves."
"Right! The young man is right!" the enthusiastic person in the next bed spoke up again.
"I was just talking to this girl. This family of three, father and two daughters, is a trap. How can you just jump into it?"
"Since you're not short of money, spend it to care for them. That girl with the broken arm is not to be trifled with, so be careful."
Chen Fu thanked the person in the next bed for the reminder.
Lin Er Lai also agreed with his elder son-in-law's suggestion. He said he would pay for the nannies.
He handed the money and cards to Duo'er for safekeeping. From this year on, he would have the village temporarily manage his shares in the scenic area.
Later, he would distribute them based on the efforts of his four daughters. The money would be entrusted to the village, hoping they would help him manage this matter.
Lin Guangde approved, "Once you're discharged, you can go to the village committee to handle the delegation."
"Cooperate well with the doctor's treatment. The better you are, the less hard work Duo'er and Hua'er will have to do."
Lin Er Lai nodded vigorously. He would try his best. He wanted to stand up.
...
The villagers of the three villages had already heard that Lin Wan had sued Village Chief Li.
Everyone cursed Lin Wan as an ungrateful wretch.
Following Lin Wan's actions, they criticized and educated their own children at home.
Village Chief Li had taught everyone legal knowledge, not to repay kindness with enmity.
If the village chief turned a blind eye and did nothing, who would bother with other people's affairs? Would hearts and humanity still exist?
They felt heartbroken upon hearing this. Wasn't Village Chief Li's heart thoroughly chilled?
Village Chief Li, whose heart was "thoroughly chilled," was listening to Lin Guangde talk about what happened at the hospital.
Knowing that Lin Er Lai could clearly express his thoughts and was mentally sharp, he felt relieved.
"Then we'll wait until he's discharged. I'll personally cover Lin Wan's medical expenses."
"Nonsense!" Lin Guangde disagreed. "How can you pay? You... sigh! Forget it, you pay, let you pay."
As Lin Guangde spoke, he felt it wasn't right to cover for Lin Wan. Village Chief Li wasn't unable to afford the money either.
Therefore, after Tian Jing visited Lin Hua'er at the hospital, she went to find Lin Er Lai with a bank card.
Lin Er Lai refused, but how could he push away Tian Jing's insistent offer?
Tian Jing turned to leave the ward, "I'll go see Lin Wan and tell her that ten thousand yuan has already been paid. If she feels it's not enough, she can report it again."
Lin Wan's anesthesia had worn off, and she was sweating profusely from pain. The caregiver not only didn't call for a doctor but also wouldn't allow her to get out of bed to leave the ward.
Seeing Tian Jing arrive, she started complaining.
Tian Jing waved her hand, "I'm not here on behalf of the village committee. I'm here in my personal capacity to bring you medical expenses, nutritional fees, and nursing fees from my husband."
"The ten thousand yuan bank card has already been given to your father. If you feel it's not enough, you can report it again, and we will pay whatever is appropriate."
"When I get back, I'll ask my husband to resign. He's a kind person who likes to help others. I'm worried our family assets won't be enough for him to compensate, so it's better to keep him at home."
"From now on, if you have any grievances, you don't need to look for him or me. We won't be the scapegoat. Take good care of yourself."
After speaking, Tian Jing left the ward.
She drove to the provincial capital and headed straight to the newspaper office.
The next day, the front-page headline of the Provincial People's Daily attracted the attention of a large number of citizens.
The Consequence of Acting Righteously!
The Rescued Sues the Rescuer!
These two phrases, with a half-page report, captured the eyes of everyone who picked up the newspaper.
After reading the report, the public formed two opposing factions.
The majority sided with the righteous village chief. If the village chief didn't uphold justice, wouldn't the village fall into chaos?
In an emergency, someone was saved, and the rescued person suffered some injuries, yet they demanded that the rescuing village chief be responsible for all expenses. Where was the justice?
A small minority sided with Lin Wan, feeling she was pitiful. Her mother and brother were in jail.
Her father was paralyzed, and her sister was in the hospital, causing Lin Wan's injury. The village chief should have been responsible until the end. How could he withdraw halfway?
The majority felt that the minority's thinking was narrow-minded. The village chief didn't say he wouldn't help; wasn't he going back to make arrangements?
Besides, Lin Wan's relatives were all in the hospital at the time.
A village chief managing thousands of people, should he stay and accompany this family until everything was resolved before leaving?
Would he still be a village chief then? He would be Lin Wan's guardian. Even if he were Lin Wan's guardian, with three members of Lin Wan's family hospitalized, he couldn't just take care of her alone!
Among the three, Lin Wan was the least in need of care! Yet she wanted to make a fuss about being injured by the village chief.
Why didn't she sue her brother then? If her brother hadn't choked her, wouldn't she have fallen with him? Since he was her brother, why didn't he protect her when they fell?
Her brother was over eighteen, an adult, and had the responsibility and obligation to protect her.
The minority felt that the majority was quibbling. Lin Wan's brother was in jail, so how could she sue?
The majority retorted, why couldn't she? Just add to his charges. Wasn't it because Lin Wan knew to bully the weak and fear the strong, bullying good people and fearing the wicked?
The debate between the two groups spread from the provincial capital outwards.
Not only did Village Chief Li and Lin Wan become famous, but Lin En Hu and his mother in prison also became famous.
Lin Er Lai and Lin Man at the county hospital also became famous.
Lin Man cooperated very well with the doctors and nurses during her recovery.
She was unaware of her sister's actions until she found out, and a major storm had already formed.
The province convened a special meeting to discuss the issue of compensation between Village Chief Li and Lin Wan.
Everyone knew that the villagers of Ku Shan Li were not short of money.
The reporter who reported this matter also wrote in the opening that the information was provided by the wife of Village Chief Li of Ku Shan Li.
The reporter also quoted Village Chief Li's wife in the report:
"Injuring a thug or a hostage is considered intentional injury. Injuring oneself is meddling. If the injury is severe and results in death, it is called a heroic sacrifice. By reporting this matter, what I want is fairness and justice. I want to ask, where is the conscience? I want to know if morality still has a bottom line?"
What Village Chief Li's wife wanted was clearly stated in the report.
Those attending the meeting remained silent.
They were also aware of the right and wrong of this matter and the two opposing theories that had formed in society.
They could not say which side was right and which was wrong.
Legally, Lin Wan's demand for compensation was not wrong.
In terms of human sentiment and morality, it was a grave mistake.
To compensate would chill the hearts of the rescuer!
Not to compensate would hurt the feelings of the injured!
The one who compensated did so, asking for fairness, justice, conscience, and morality.
Would the injured party, having received compensation, feel at peace?