Names: Uncle Zhao Mengsheng, Father-in-law Pei Yihong

"You!" Liang Lu's chest heaved with anger, and she was about to explode.

Just then, two villagers rushed in, carrying hoes, their faces full of anger, their clothes covered in mud, and reeking of sweat.

He kept shouting, "Comrade Xiao Qi, please be the judge for us!"

He occupied my homestead and even hit me! That's outrageous!

"You're talking nonsense! That land originally belonged to me. You're just being unreasonable and trying to extort money from me!" another villager retorted.

As he spoke, he waved the hoe in his hand.

Liang Lu couldn't stand the smell; she couldn't stand it at all.

Instinctively, she covered her nose and took several steps back. Not paying attention to her footing, she nearly stepped on her own gift box, letting out a shriek of fright: "Ah! What's that smell? It's awful! It's filthy! Get away from me, don't get my clothes dirty!"

As she spoke, she shouted to the nanny, "Quick, get me some disinfectant! I need to disinfect; it's so unlucky!"

Qi Tongwei ignored her affectation and greeted the two villagers, saying, "Uncles, please calm down and talk things out. Put down your hoes first, or you might hurt someone. I will definitely settle things for you and resolve the matter properly."

Looking at the two villagers' filthy appearance, smelling that lingering odor, and glancing at the dilapidated and run-down judicial office, Liang Lu could no longer hold back.

He grabbed his bag and ran out of the judicial office as if fleeing.

He ran while complaining, "What bad luck! What a lousy place! It's filthy everywhere and smells awful. I'm never coming back!"

The nanny hurriedly picked up her suitcase and gift box and followed after her in a panic, afraid of falling behind Liang Lu.

Cheng Du watched Liang Lu's disheveled retreating figure and laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight: "Hahaha, Tongwei, look at the pathetic state she's in! It's hilarious! What a load of rubbish, a pampered young lady! She can't handle any hardship at all. The smell of the countryside terrifies her. She's a hothouse flower, untouched by the realities of life, unable to withstand the slightest hardship!"

Qi Tongwei smiled and shook his head: "Don't bother with her. She's a spoiled young lady who can't do anything but throw tantrums."

After saying that, he turned to the two villagers and said, "Uncles, I'm sorry to have made you laugh. Let's go inside and talk about what happened. I will definitely give you justice."

Two villagers followed Qi Tongwei into the office.

They were still glaring at each other, muttering to themselves.

Qi Tongwei didn't interrupt immediately. Instead, he poured a glass of water for each of them and handed it to them, saying, "Uncles, have some water and calm down."

We're all neighbors, we see each other all the time, don't let something so trivial ruin our relationship, it's not worth it.

The villager on the left, Old Man Wang, scratched his head and said, "Comrade Xiao Qi, you don't know, Zhang Laogen has gone too far!"

The boundary of my family's land is clearly drawn on the family genealogy. He insisted on moving half a foot onto my side, encroaching on my land. When I confronted him, he even pushed me. Look at my arm!

As he spoke, Old Wang rolled up his sleeves, revealing several shallow bruises on his arms.

Zhang Laogen on the right also got anxious, slamming his water glass on the table. "Old Wang, you're talking nonsense! That half-foot of land was originally mine!"

"When the land was allocated for residential use, your father promised it to my family. Now you're going back on your word and even blaming me. You were the one who insulted me first, so I pushed you!"

"You're talking nonsense! When did my dad ever agree to that?" Old Wang was so angry that he was about to get up, but Cheng Du quickly stepped forward to hold him down and said with a smile, "Uncle, uncle, don't get agitated. Let's talk things out. Brother Tongwei is here. He can definitely give you a fair judgment. To be honest, I've been with Brother Tongwei for so long, and I've never seen him fail to solve anything. You can rest assured and leave the matter to him."

Qi Tongwei nodded. "Uncles, I know you're both holding your breath and think you're in the right."

But matters concerning homestead land cannot be resolved with mere words; they require evidence and adherence to the law.

As he spoke, he took out the Land Administration Law from the drawer, turned to the relevant chapter, and handed it to the two of them. "Look, our country's laws clearly stipulate that the boundary of homestead land shall be based on the ownership certificate registered and filed. If there is no ownership certificate, the boundary formed historically shall be used as the standard. No party may encroach on another person's homestead land without authorization."

Old Wang leaned closer to take a look, then frowned: "Comrade Qi, my family has a genealogy book, and the boundary is written on it. Does that count as evidence?"

"Yes!" Qi Tongwei nodded. "Although a family genealogy is not an official certificate of ownership, it is still a basis for historical inheritance and can be used as a reference."

Uncle Zhang, do you have any proof that Uncle Wang's father promised to give you half a foot of land back then?

For example, witnesses, written agreements, etc.?

Zhang Laogen paused for a moment, scratched his head, and said in a weaker tone, "There was no written agreement, it was just a verbal agreement. The old Party Secretary who was standing nearby overheard it, but he passed away last year."

Qi Tongwei sighed, "Uncle Zhang, a verbal agreement has no proof. If it really goes to court, it won't stand up to you."

Besides, your two families have been neighbors for decades, helping each other out. Is that less valuable than half a foot of land?

Uncle Wang, your land area is sufficient; even if it's half a foot less, it won't affect the construction.

Uncle Zhang, even if you take up this half-foot of land, you won't get along with your neighbors, and you won't feel at ease living here, right?

Both fell silent, heads bowed, their anger gradually fading, replaced by hesitation.

Cheng Du chimed in at the opportune moment: "Uncles, Brother Wei is right, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. If anyone has an emergency in the future, we'll have to help each other out. Don't ruin decades of friendship over such a small matter."

Qi Tongwei, observing their expressions, knew the time was ripe.

He continued, "I think we should do this: let's work on-site, using Uncle Wang's family genealogy as a reference, combined with the memories of the village elders, to redefine the boundaries. I'll draft a mediation agreement, and both of you will sign it to confirm. From now on, we'll follow the agreement, and neither of us can go back on our word, nor can we argue or fight over it anymore. How does that sound?"

"Okay, no problem," the two said in unison.

After on-site visits and investigations, the ins and outs have been basically clarified.

Old Wang raised his head, the knot in his heart gradually untied: "Comrade Xiao Qi, I believe you! As long as he doesn't take over my land anymore, I won't make a fuss."

Zhang Laogen also breathed a sigh of relief, a look of guilt on his face: "Actually, I know that I did something wrong. I shouldn't have moved the boundary without permission and even pushed Brother Wang."

"Little Qi, we'll do as you say. I'll sign it, and I'll never argue with Brother Wang again."

Qi Tongwei took out a template of the mediation agreement and quickly drafted it while asking for the opinions of both parties.

Cheng Du stood by, helping to hand over pens and lay out paper, his eyes full of admiration.

He thought to himself: Tongwei is really amazing. He not only understands the law, but also understands people's hearts. He sorted out such a thorny matter in just a few words.

After the agreement was drafted, Qi Tongwei handed it to the two men and read it to them one by one: "Article 1: Both parties confirm that the boundary recorded in the Wang family genealogy shall be the standard, and Zhang Laogen shall not encroach on the homestead of Wang Laohan's family without authorization. He shall restore the moved boundary to its original state within three days."

Secondly, Zhang Laogen apologized to Wang Laohan for pushing him.

Article 3: Both parties shall live in harmony from now on and shall not engage in disputes or fights over the homestead issue. Any violation will be subject to appropriate penalties.

"No problem, Comrade Xiao Qi, we'll do it your way!" Zhang Laogen picked up the pen, signed the agreement, then turned around and bowed deeply to Wang Laohan. "Brother Wang, I'm sorry, I was confused. I shouldn't have taken your land and even pushed you. Please don't take it to heart."

Old Wang quickly helped him up. "Hey, we're neighbors, why are you apologizing? I was also wrong; I shouldn't have argued with you so fiercely."

Let's remain good neighbors and help each other out.

After saying that, Old Man Wang signed the agreement and pressed his fingerprint on it.

Qi Tongwei made three copies of the agreement, giving one copy to each of the two men and keeping one copy for his records.

"Uncles, that's right. Harmony between neighbors is better than anything else."

If any problems arise again in the future, please don't resort to violence or argue. Just come to the judicial office or the police station directly, and I will definitely help you resolve them.

Grassroots work involves countless tasks; even something as simple as losing a chicken can lead to villagers seeking help.

The two held Qi Tongwei's hands.

Old Wang said excitedly, "Comrade Xiao Qi, thank you so much!"

If it weren't for you, we would have continued arguing, and maybe even caused something bigger.

You are truly a good comrade; you have us ordinary people in your heart.

Zhang Laogen nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Comrade Xiao Qi, thanks to you, otherwise the feud between our two families would probably never have been resolved."

If you ever need our help in the future, just let us know, and we'll do our best!

Qi Tongwei was very happy. "Uncle, this is what I should do. Since I work in the judicial office, I have a responsibility to help everyone solve difficulties and resolve conflicts."

I'm relieved that you two can shake hands and make peace.

The two exchanged a few more words of thanks before leaving the judicial office.

Qi Tongwei's reputation is getting better and better.

Qi Tongwei felt that his departure was getting closer and closer, and he even made a 5-year plan and even a 10-year plan for the judicial office.

Two months later.

Qin Hansheng convened a small meeting with the four people from the judicial office.

Qin Hansheng sat in his chair and said, “The main reason I’ve called this meeting today is to tell you something. I’m getting old, almost 60, and it’s time for me to retire. Since the institute doesn’t have a deputy director, I’ve decided to appoint Qi Tongwei as the deputy director. After I retire, the position of director will be handed over to Qi Tongwei.”

Upon hearing this, neither Li Jianguo nor Zhang Jianjun objected; they both nodded in agreement.

Qi Tongwei declined, saying, "Director Qin, no, I haven't been here long and I lack experience. I can't serve as deputy director. Let Brother Li or Brother Zhang take the position."

"No, my mind is made up." Qin Hansheng waved his hand. "Although you haven't been here long, we've all seen your abilities. You're serious, responsible, and well-educated. You're the most suitable person to be the deputy director."