Chapter 20: Are You Delirious?! |
[A Complete Loss of Morality! A Shocking Case Emerges in Greenwood City, and the Victim Faces the Death Penalty!]
[Does the Law Still Need Improvement? After Ten Years of Searching for Relatives, He Is Welcomed Not by a Reunion, but by Prison!]
[Outrage! Should Human Traffickers Be Stripped of Their Human Rights?! Should the Buyers Face the Same Punishment as the Traffickers!]
[The Confession of an Abducted Woman, the Person Chained in a Pigpen...]
[...]
November 8th.
At half-past six in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten. A biting chill hung in the air, and thick white steam billowed from the steamer baskets of breakfast stalls lining both sides of the street.
Looking at the striking headlines splashed across the newspapers, the crowd sitting at the breakfast stands felt a fire burning in their chests.
"Fuck this! They''re nowhere to be found when the kid gets abducted, and you can''t even catch their shadows when the rape happens. But the moment the family kills the trafficker, a whole swarm of cops suddenly shows up!"
"Those two weren''t involved in breaking the law..."
"That is absolute bullshit! She was abducted for ten years. You believe those two old bastards didn''t participate in the abuse?"
"I bet you the money to buy her came straight from those two old bastards!"
"Sigh, the court has no evidence."
"Fuck this world..."
"..."
At the breakfast stand, several people sat huddled together, arguing over the newspapers until their faces were flushed and their necks thick with anger. Their eyes looked ready to devour someone, and their chests heaved violently.
The chatter around them rose and fell in continuous waves, barely ceasing for a moment.
Lin Guodong stood in line for food not far away, turning his head to look at the group and silently listening.
The stall owner serving him glanced up, then immediately lowered his head again. Without stopping his work, he casually remarked:
"Professor Lin, what do you think of this case?"
Hearing the question, Lin Guodong snapped out of his thoughts.
He withdrew his gaze, looked at the breakfast stall owner in front of him, and sighed with a shake of his head.
"It''s difficult."
Even without reading the newspaper.
Lin Guodong knew exactly what these people were discussing.
It was none other than the woman trafficking case in Lijia Village of Greenwood City!
The victim of the case, Wang Mei, had been abducted for a full ten years. For a decade, she was chained in a woodshed, suffering constant violations, living a life worse than a dog''s.
To save her, her father killed the trafficker in the process and was now being taken to court by Li Youcai and Liu Cui...
"In the past, for these kinds of cases, you''d have lawyers fighting to pay out of their own pockets to take them on, you know?"
Lin Guodong''s tone was flat, but his words carried a heavy sense of melancholy.
Lawyers were in it for the money, but it also depended on the case. As long as a case generated enough public outrage, those golden lawyers would gladly pay out of their own pockets to work tirelessly for the victim!
Wang Qiang''s case was massive. It had caused an uproar throughout all of Greenwood City, being discussed in every street and alley.
But even now, hardly any major lawyers had stepped into the arena to take it on.
"Because it''s hard to win."
Lin Guodong kept his head down, fishing for money in his pocket as he spoke.
"The defendant initiated the attack, and Li Erniu subsequently died. Based on this single point, there is practically no evidence favorable to the defense."
"Not to mention all the other objective evidence that favors Li Erniu."
As he spoke, Lin Guodong shook his head.
"It''s difficult."
Hearing this, the stall owner paused his work, refusing to give up.
"I heard the trial starts the day after tomorrow. There are still two days left."
"Is there really absolutely nothing that can be done in these two days?!"
Lin Guodong felt a complex mix of emotions. He didn''t want to say it, but as a professional in the field, he understood the inner workings better than anyone.
He could only answer in a low voice, "Even if there is, it''s only a one percent chance. Calling it a miracle wouldn''t be an exaggeration..."
After a pause.
Before the stall owner could respond, he continued:
"Let''s put it this way."
"The incident happened in Lijia Village, so the police and prosecutors can only collect evidence in Lijia Village!"
"Including testimonies, witnesses, and physical evidence. And the testimonies and witnesses..."
Where would this evidence come from? Naturally, from the villagers of Lijia Village!
What kind of evidence would they provide? Anyone with half a brain knows it would be a hundred percent fabricated and favorable to Li Youcai!
And the police and prosecutors have no choice but to hold their noses and admit this evidence.
"That''s why this case is so difficult, and no one is willing to take it."
Lin Guodong let out a long sigh.
Cross-examination requires real evidence, but the defense simply couldn''t produce any. A shrewd lawyer wouldn''t let themselves take on such a practically impossible risk.
"This..."
The breakfast stall owner''s lips trembled. He looked at his former middle school classmate, finally letting out a sigh of his own, and said no more.
He handed the breakfast to Lin Guodong, then walked away in silence to knead dough.
Lin Guodong looked back, glancing at the few diners at the table.
The customers were still simmering with indignation.
He shook his head, looking no further. Carrying his tofu pudding and baked flatbread, he turned and disappeared.
The weather in November was rather biting.
Wearing a thick, bulky coat, Lin Guodong walked down the street, stopping and starting, taking several turns.
A short while later.
Lin Guodong stood in front of a Daoist temple. He walked into the courtyard, finally stopping before a guest room. Raising his arm, he placed his hand on the door.
Creak.
The door swung open in response.
"You''re back?"
From inside the room, a gentle voice drifted out. Looking up, a mild-mannered middle-aged woman approached him and closed the door behind him.
"Mhm."
Lin Guodong nodded, placing all the breakfast he held onto the table.
"Eat it while it''s hot."
His wife, Su Xin, glanced at him, then slowly turned around. Presenting him with her back, she arranged the breakfast and asked:
"You''re in a bad mood? Because of what?"
"Sigh."
Hearing this, Lin Guodong didn''t hold back. He immediately sat down on a chair and let out a long sigh.
"What else but that case in Lijia Village. You have no idea how massive the public outcry is out there right now."
"The breakfast stall, the wet market, the supermarket. Just on my walk back with breakfast, I encountered people discussing it at least five times!"
As the wife of law professor Lin Guodong.
Su Xin was also in the legal field. Naturally, she knew about this case, and she said gently:
"What are your thoughts? Maybe you could try contacting the local bar association to take on the case..."
At her words, he fell silent.
It was common knowledge that the legal field... produced depression in abundance!
Lin Guodong wanted the justice system to be better, for society to be more stable, and for the people to be happier. But... reality always dealt him a heavy blow, leaving him bewildered.
Take marriage, for example, the simplest yet most conflicting issue.
First, during a divorce, the court decided whether to grant it based on ''determining if the affection has broken down.'' This meant that even if the affection had indeed shattered, as long as one party firmly denied it, it was very difficult to get a divorce.
Seems very unreasonable, doesn''t it?
But if you were a man, and without this law, you were scammed into marriage. The woman swiftly divorced you the very next day, and the court immediately declared the divorce valid.
What would await you then? The lightning-fast division of your property!
So, a divorce buffer needed to be added.
Thinking about it this way, does it seem reasonable again? No.
Now, suppose you are a woman suffering from domestic violence. You can''t take it anymore and want a divorce. But because this law exists, the man insists the affection hasn''t broken down, making a quick divorce impossible.
Like this, does it feel unreasonable once more?
But if you broke it down further, trying to perfect the law, not only would it fail to plug the holes, but the loopholes would only grow larger.
Lin Guodong, this idealist, found himself lost at this double-edged, schizophrenic crossroads.
And so, he decisively moved to the Daoist temple to rest for a few months, allowing his state of mind to return to a peaceful equilibrium.
"Forget it."
Lin Guodong was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"I''m just a theorist. If I took on a case relying on the prestige of a top university professor, that would be irresponsible to the client."
Hearing this, his wife, Su Xin, didn''t offer empty comforts.
The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes curved slightly as she softly encouraged her husband.
"So you know you''re a theoretical professor?"
"It seems the lawsuit Yue took on is related to the Lijia Village case. Why don''t you go and give her some guidance from a theoretical perspective?"
As her words fell, Lin Guodong paused slightly.
He had a daughter named Lin Yue, who was also a legal professional and had become a lawyer upon graduation.
It seemed she had recently taken on the custody case for the child of the victim in the Lijia Village trafficking case. And the custody rights would inevitably involve the attitude of the family members toward the defendant after Li Erniu''s death...
Looking at it this way, Lin Yue should be overwhelmed and frantically busy right now.
After all, she was still young; it was normal for her to find it thorny.
"But... she hasn''t come to ask me these past few days."
Lin Guodong was a bit hesitant.
Su Xin remarked, "The child just graduated not long ago. Perhaps she doesn''t want you to see her in a predicament."
Lin Guodong thought for a moment and found it made sense.
"Then I''ll go give it a try. Any help I can give is still help."
Having figured it out.
Lin Guodong didn''t dither. He stood up and walked outside.
Watching his retreating back, Su Xin smiled, then leisurely sat down in her chair, beginning to eat her breakfast with slow, measured bites.
...
Guest room.
Knock, knock, knock.
Lin Guodong knocked on his daughter Lin Yue''s door. For a long time, there was no response from within.
''Is she not home?''
He raised an eyebrow, several question marks popping into his head, then pushed slightly with both hands.
The next second...
Creak.
The door opened.
A simply decorated bedroom appeared before him. Lin Yue was currently sitting at the desk, reading a book intently. As she read, her face displayed an expression of someone doubting her entire existence.
Seeing his daughter was home, a look of hesitation crossed Lin Guodong''s face.
"What are you doing?"
He leaned in and asked softly.
"Why have you been so out of sorts these past two days?"
When he reached her side and clearly saw what book Lin Yue was holding, Lin Guodong raised an eyebrow.
He saw that what she was reading was none other than Dongguo''s supreme and ultimate manual—the Criminal Code!
If he remembered correctly, two days ago, after she went out early in the morning, she came back and locked herself in her room, spending several consecutive days studying this book, hadn''t she?
And looking at that expression... she must have encountered a difficult problem to solve!
"Ah?"
Hearing his voice, Lin Yue finally snapped back to reality from her mental world.
She turned her head, and upon seeing that the person who arrived was her father, she breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the question Lin Guodong had just asked her...
Lin Yue hesitated for a moment. Finally, with a look of existential doubt still on her face, she spoke:
"Dad, I... I ran into a thorny problem. I''ve been thinking about this for the past two days."
Just as he thought.
She really did run into a question!
Seeing this.
A smile appeared on Lin Guodong''s face, while inwardly, he prepared himself to provide an answer.
One had to know, although his daughter wasn''t a world-class top-tier lawyer, she was still an honors graduate from the country''s top university!
Without a doubt, Lin Yue was a genius, yet this genius actually had a question...
What kind of problem could this be?!
"It''s alright. If you have questions, you can ask Dad."
Lin Guodong pulled out a chair, sat down beside Lin Yue, and said gently.
Hearing this, Lin Yue displayed a rare, strange expression. She paused and said, "Are you up to it?"
Lin Guodong froze, then found himself at a loss for words, chuckling:
"If it were anything else, I might not be up to it, but in the field of law... throughout all of Dongguo, your dad is absolutely at the peak level!"
Lin Guodong was very confident.
This confidence stemmed from his strength and status!
He was a law professor at a top-tier university, dedicating his career to academic circles, having mentored numerous doctoral students himself!
His published papers were featured by authoritative international organizations, and countless people quoted his works!
Even regarding the amendment of judicial laws, he held a certain level of authority to propose opinions. He was absolutely an academic heavyweight in the legal field, standing at the very top of the profession''s pyramid!
Now, it was just a student''s question. How could he not answer it?
"Then I''m going to ask."
Lin Yue said hesitantly.
Lin Guodong nodded. "Ask away."
Her voice fading.
Lin Yue took a deep breath. She furrowed her brows, falling silent for a moment. After a long while, she articulated word by word:
"Dad, tell me..."
"Is stealing children really illegal?"
Lin Guodong: ?
Lin Guodong froze. He looked at the daughter before him, entirely rooted to the spot.
In the legal field... no, even an illiterate would understand this. This most fundamental of fundamentals, this matter of basic common sense... how did these words come out of the mouth of this top university graduate?!
She had even flipped through the Criminal Code for days without finding an answer, and came to ask a professor like him!
Sure enough, the very next second, Lin Guodong''s face filled with astonishment as he cried out.
"Are you delirious?!"
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