The village leaders discussed the matter and, after obtaining the names and addresses of the other two accomplices, called their parents to explain the situation, giving them two choices.
The first was to replenish the money from the sale of the old machinery, and to share the penalty fee among the five families, and for a lesson to be learned, the cost of repairing the mill would also be split equally between the five families, otherwise it would not be acceptable to the community.
The second option was, if they disagreed, to report the case to the authorities for them to handle, with everything proceeding according to the judgment.
After discussing among themselves, the adults from all five families certainly couldn't let the matter go public, so they had to grit their teeth and accept responsibility, with each family needing to pay four hundred and eighty yuan.