The Prosecutor Is Accustomed To Waiting For A Rabbit To Hit A Stump - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

On Xiao Wu’s first official day handling a case, having left the protective wing of her supervising mentor, the very first defendant she encountered was rolling around on the floor.

This defendant looked to be over forty but was much older than her peers. She had white hair, a face drawn with weariness, and her eyes were filled with gloom and fatigue. At this moment, rolling and throwing a tantrum on the floor, her jaw was tightly clenched. The look of gloom temporarily vanished, replaced only by the fierce determination of “one who has nothing to lose fears no one.”

Xiao Wu, at the tender age of twenty-five, was single and unmarried. She had grown up in a happy family and her life had been smooth sailing. Her own mother was only 47 and loved to dance gracefully. She had never encountered a woman with the temperament of the defendant before her.

At the slightest disagreement, this woman would sit on the ground and refuse to get up, her tantrums carrying a hint of heartache…

Lin Fan, while waiting for her call to connect, walked into Xiao Wu’s reception room and squatted next to the woman. “Big Sister! We have surveillance here. If you don’t get up, I’ll call security! If you have something to say, say it properly. We’re all women; we’ll definitely help you if we can!”

Lin Fan wasn’t old and her round face made her look even younger, but she wore her uniform with a serious expression and her tone was not soft at all, carrying a sense of authority.

The defendant dared to roll and act up like this because she saw that the enforcement officer for her case was young, soft-natured, and looked easy to bully.

But with Lin Fan’s presence, the pressure came down hard. She looked anything but easy to bully, and the defendant immediately got up obediently. “We’re all women, just take pity on me…” With that, she started crying with snot and tears.

The situation was temporarily under control. Lin Fan winked at Xiao Wu. Just as her phone connected, she stepped outside to ask the applicant to come to the court.

The applicant asked, “How much is he willing to pay?”

“He’ll pay you ten thousand first. The remaining twenty thousand he wants to pay over four months. Come over and discuss the details.”

“Sure, I’ll come over right away. He’s been avoiding me for a long time. Thank you, Miss! Even getting back ten thousand is good.”

The applicant was about the same age as Lin Fan, and very sweet-talking.

“Come over then; I’ll wait for you.”

Lin Fan hung up, asked the defendant in her case to wait in the reception room, and even made him a cup of tea.

Then she walked into Xiao Wu’s reception room.

She saw Xiao Wu, in her uniform, sitting next to the woman, holding a box of tissues, listening to the woman’s complaints, and thoughtfully handing her a tissue.

Xiao Wu had been admitted as a judge’s assistant. Law students have certain legal beliefs and sentiments. She originally wanted to work in the criminal court to uphold justice but was assigned to the enforcement bureau, dealing with the aftermath of judgments.

The young woman was initially reluctant, but work requires obedience.

At this moment, the defendant’s face was grim, and Xiao Wu’s face was even grimmer.

The reception room was clouded in gloom and the air pressure was low.

Lin Fan heard the woman crying, “This case is so old. They talked about family planning back then, but now they’re encouraging everyone to have children! I gave birth to five; shouldn’t the country reward me! Why are they asking me for money again, this ‘social compensation fee’! Isn’t that all in the past now!”

Xiao Wu was an only child. Her parents strictly adhered to the family planning policy back then, so Xiao Wu, who grew up a little princess, didn’t understand. She frowned and asked, “Big Sister, why did you give birth to so many? Five children? That’s too much over-birth. Besides, having children has a huge impact on a woman’s body, you…”

“You’re just a child; what do you know!” The defendant blew her nose loudly. “My first four were all girls. In the countryside, if you can’t have a son, it’s a disgrace! It’s cutting off the family line! No matter how hard it was, I had to have a son for my husband!”

Xiao Wu couldn’t stand hearing talk of favoring sons over daughters. “What’s the difference between a boy and a girl! Now it’s common for couples to have their own family name; there’s no such thing as cutting off the family line.”

“You don’t understand!” The defendant said with extreme disdain. “You don’t know how smart my youngest is. He’s much better at studying than his sisters. His sisters aren’t cut out for studying. I’ll have the fourth one start working after she finishes middle school the year after next. Her sisters are already working outside and can look after her.”

“You don’t even let them go to high school, and you say they’re not cut out for studying!” Xiao Wu stopped handing out tissues. “Your bias is obvious. It must be terrible to be your daughter!”

“You’re young, you don’t understand. I won’t talk to you.” The defendant pouted and rolled her eyes at Xiao Wu.

“I don’t even care to talk to you! I’m telling you, you can’t run away from this money. You must pay it. You’ve seen that I’ve already put you on the credit blacklist. Your bank accounts are all frozen, you can’t take high-speed trains or planes, and the court has set a delinquent ringtone for you. Anyone who calls you will know you owe money and refuse to pay! Also, the house under your and your husband’s name will be judicially auctioned.”

“That’s the only house for our family of seven. Didn’t they say it couldn’t be sold!” The defendant instinctively exclaimed, revealing her plotting before coming today.

Lin Fan smiled and walked in. “So you actually did your research before coming here to play dumb!”

Seeing the defendant’s eyes darting around, clearly having rolled the plan around in her mind several times, Lin Fan was direct. “Big Sister, I’ll be honest with you. The Supreme Court issued a new judicial interpretation in 2015, which states that if the applicant provides the defendant and their dependents with a residence according to the local minimum rental housing standard, or agrees to deduct five to eight years of rent from the proceeds of the house sale based on the local average rental market price, then your sole home can be auctioned off. ① Think about it. Housing prices are going up every day. Do you really want to lose your house over this small amount of money? That’s when you’ll really lose big!”

The defendant’s eyes rolled again. “If you dare to sell my house! I’ll make my daughters kneel at the courthouse entrance every day! Let everyone know how heartless you are! I’ll make them live here with you!”

“You!” Xiao Wu was truly dumbfounded, her focus completely derailed. “You expect your daughters to do the suffering! Why don’t you have your little son come and live here!”

Lin Fan handed the defendant a cup of water. “Don’t rush. Drink some water first; your voice is all hoarse. I know your family must be struggling with so many children, and your youngest son is still so small. But you must be thinking about him getting married and having children and giving you a grandson. But to marry a good wife, your son needs a stable job, right? Even now, let alone how strict the policy will be when your son grows up, children of debtors on the blacklist can be refused admission to universities, including post-graduate studies.”

The defendant snorted with disbelief.

Lin Fan took out her phone, searched on Baidu, and handed a news report to the defendant. “Look, this debtor’s child took the college entrance exam in 2018. His son did well, getting into a key university in Jingping, and was happily waiting for the acceptance letter. Instead, he received a notice from the school that he was not admitted because his father was a delinquent. Also, when your son grows up, don’t let him take the civil service exam or apply to military or aviation academies. They won’t pass the political review.”

Lin Fan sighed. “Forget it, don’t study, don’t look for a job, and don’t look for a wife. After all, you’re so biased toward sons over daughters, and a wife is a woman, too.”

Seeing the defendant about to curse, Lin Fan pushed the tea toward her. “Have some tea first. After you finish this tea, just leave. Anyway, this money isn’t going into our pockets. We’re both girls, and we especially can’t stand seeing your son live well. I sincerely hope you don’t pay the money and have to raise your son for the rest of your life, given your bias!”

“You two little brats don’t know anything! I’ll pay now! You won’t sell my house! You won’t harm my son!” The defendant pushed the cup away, spilling hot tea all over the table.

But Lin Fan and Xiao Wu exchanged a knowing look.

After the defendant successfully paid the money, Lin Fan’s side also organized the settlement agreement for her case.

The applicant, who was the same age as her, smiled sweetly before leaving. “Miss, I’ll treat you to a meal! Thank you!”

Lin Fan politely but firmly refused. “No, we have rules.”

The applicant didn’t give up. “Then how about we add each other on WeChat?”

“I don’t use WeChat.”

“Then QQ?”

“No QQ.”

“Then a phone number?”

“I’ve already given you my office number. Just call that if you have anything.”

Lin Fan was decisive and pointed to the door. “That’s it for now. You can exit through that way.”

Just as she returned to the office, she received a call from the applicant in another case. “Hello! Officer Lin! I tracked down that bastard who owes me money! Can you come over now!”

Lin Fan remembered this case clearly. The defendant refused to show up for any meeting, then stopped answering calls. She had even made a special detour to the local area on a previous business trip to look for him.

And because it was in the neighboring province, there was no police assistance for coordinated control. The applicant was anxious, waiting for Lin Fan’s reply.

Lin Fan checked the time. It would take four hours to drive there, and four hours to drive back with the person. She could just barely make it to deliver him to detention today.

It would just be a long and tiring day for her…

“Officer Lin?”

“Keep an eye on him. I’m coming now. Stay in contact.”

“Okay, okay, thank you so much! Thank you both so much!”

“It’s our duty.” Lin Fan hung up and was about to call Ying Chaoyang when Chen Qian poked his head in. “Going to Shanghe City? What a coincidence, I’m going too. Let’s go together.”

“Fine.” Lin Fan started preparing the paperwork for the business trip approval, the case file, the detention decision, handcuffs, and other equipment.

Fifteen minutes later, she and Chen Qian got into the police car, driven by Lao Shen.

The car left the court and headed toward the highway entrance.

They stopped at a red light at an intersection. In less than a second, a police car that had been following stopped in the left-turn lane, two lanes over. Both cars were standard police sedans. The only difference was the lettering on the body: one read “COURT,” and the other read “PROCURATORATE.”

Lin Fan looked up and immediately noticed it. As if a thought clicked, the corner of her mouth lifted, and she took out her phone to send a message to Gu Ye.

“I ran into your unit’s car.”

She included a casual photo.

Less than a second after the message was sent,

The rear car window of the Procuratorate’s police car in the next lane quickly lowered, and Gu Ye’s face, more beautiful than a flower, appeared in Lin Fan’s view.

The two exchanged smiles across a lane.

It was noon, and the sun was high and exceptionally bright, but Gu Ye’s slight smile surpassed the dazzling sun. The usually cool person suddenly became warm and gentle, and Lin Fan’s face immediately flushed.

Gu Ye looked at her, her face full of smiles, and she replied to Lin Fan on her phone.

“Yes, it’s our car.”

Lin Fan pursed her lips and smiled again.

The green light was about to turn on; the red light was counting down. Lin Fan poked her head out to quickly glance at the changing traffic light and swiftly replied—”I have to go now. I’m going to Shanghe City for a business trip.”

The green light for the straight lane turned on. The court police car started moving. Lin Fan didn’t have time to send a message, so she suddenly raised her hand and waved to Gu Ye.

The driver, Lao Shen, noticed it and asked, “Did you meet an acquaintance? Should I slow down?” The next second, Chen Qian’s sharp gaze followed closely.

In Lin Fan’s sight, the Procuratorate police car was already swallowed by the traffic. She closed the window. “It’s fine. Let’s go.”

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