The door finally opened.
The sky was overcast outside, and the room was dark due to poor lighting. The ceiling was low, making it cramped even for the 1.83m tall Qin Mu, let alone for the nearly 1.9m Gangzi, who had to stoop like he had a cervical spondylosis.
The furnishings were simple and neat but carried a peculiar smell, reminiscent of medicine, musty smell of damp bedding, or the smell of an old person who’s been cooped up at home for a long time. There were two birdcages hanging on the wall, both empty. The floral curtains hung awkwardly, and the only sign of life was a row of plants on the windowsill.
“Uncle, you raise birds? Here, let me help,” Gangzi quickly took the trembling teapot from Zhang Wenhua’s hand and poured water for both himself and Qin Mu. The old man, with his frail legs and lack of strength, managed a few steps before sitting down on a rattan chair, leaning on the armrest.
“I used to. But then I got sick, I have no time to care for them, so I gave them away,” Zhang Wenhua looked at Qin Mu, hesitating before finally asking, “Lawyer Qin, tell me the truth, was Lawyer Xiao… because of my case…”
“The perpetrator hasn’t been found yet; there’s no conclusion at the moment,” Qin Mu replied.
Zhang Wenhua lowered his eyes, his thin fingers twisting together as he murmured, “He was kind-hearted, helping me without charging a penny, and now this has happened. I really…”
“It has nothing to do with you,” Qin Mu said. His eyes were dark in colour, set behind glasses on a straight and high-bridged nose, giving his gaze a sincere and deep look. Due to his professional habit, he made eye contact while speaking, conveying a sense of earnestness.
“Uncle Zhang, whether it was Teacher Xiao or me, we lawyers are just the blade you use to seek justice. Whether you want to draw that blade, when to draw it, and how to use it once drawn, it’s all up to you.” He paused, slowing his speech, “Going to court with a lawyer is to seek justice, but justice isn’t just a legal standard; it’s also a measure in people’s hearts. True justice is what brings peace of mind.”
These words struck Zhang Wenhua hard. He furrowed his brows for a long time before saying, “Lawyer Qin, I really… don’t want any more trouble.”
“I can understand your situation and your feelings, and I can guess the difficulties involved,” Qin Mu looked directly at him, “If you have a better option or can get satisfactory compensation, both Teacher Xiao and I could rest easy, even if this trip was in vain.”
Hearing this, the old man’s eyes reddened slightly, “Lawyer Qin, I’ll be honest with you. The reason I’m just ‘letting it go’ is because I have no other choice. Us common folk at the bottom don’t have many options when something happens.” He sighed sorrowfully, “Life is hard… there’s the ‘not being able to do things’ kind of hard, and the ‘must not do things’ kind. Young Lawyer Qin, you’re young, you might not understand. This is my second marriage with my wife; xiao Ran was her child from before, already sixteen when she came to me. We weren’t close, and she had a falling out with her mother, and became independent early on. My wife had high blood pressure, had a stroke, and was bedridden for over three years until she passed away. I was terrified of ending up alone in my old age, so I sought health supplements to stay fit, to not rely on anyone or suffer. But it backfired, leading to this illness.”
Zhang Wenhua pulled the corners of his wrinkled mouth and gave a bitter smile, “It’s terminal now, so whether I treat it or not, I don’t have long. But xiao Ran’s life is just beginning. She never had much fatherly love from her biological dad or from me; I owe her, and I can’t bring more trouble to her and her family.” As he spoke, he wiped his eyes, his voice trembling, “Lawyer Qin, I am grateful to Teacher Xiao and you. But… I can’t wield that blade anymore…”
The message was clear.
They had used Zhang Ran as leverage to threaten Zhang Wenhua, hitting his vulnerability with precision, leaving no further trouble.
Seeing him wipe his tears, Qin Mu felt a bitter taste in his heart. He had intended to persuade the old man to continue with the lawsuit, but now all his prepared words seemed inadequate. Looking at the lonely Zhang Wenhua, he thought of Xiao Chengzong lying in the morgue, feeling like his heart was split into two desolate plains. On one side were thousands of miles of glaciers, and on the other side were endless raging flames, both emotions entwined inextricably. He adjusted his glasses, forcing calmness into his voice, “Did they offer you compensation?”
Zhang Wenhua didn’t hide it and said honestly, “They gave me 80,000 yuan.”
Only 80,000 yuan.
The price of a life was only 80,000 yuan.
Qin Mu clenched his fist on his knee, feeling a pang of sympathy, “If we win, I can get you 800,000 yuan back.”
Zhang Wenhua seemed startled by the figure, looking at him blankly before shaking his head, “…Forget it, let’s forget it. It’s my bad luck; I’ll accept it.” He struggled to his feet, pulled out a stack of cash from a drawer, and handed it to Qin Mu, “Young Lawyer Qin, you took the trouble to come here. Take this money.”
“You’re trying to send me away,” Qin Mu smiled helplessly, standing up to gently push the money back, “Uncle Zhang, I’ll be in J City for a few days. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me. I’m here not just for you but to finish what Teacher Xiao started.”
Zhang Wenhua looked at the young man before him with guilt, hesitating several times before speaking. As Qin Mu was about to leave, he sighed deeply, “Wait a moment.” He took out a small address book from his pocket, flipping to the last page where a number was scribbled. The book had been wet, the ink smudged at the edges, making the digits and the words ‘Wu Guangming’ look fuzzy.
“He used to live in this compound but moved out. He came to see me recently when he heard I was sick, saying his mother also had issues from taking the medicine. He asked if I wanted to join him in seeking justice. We went a couple of times, but my health couldn’t take it, so I stopped. He tried reaching out to authorities, media, and Baolijian company, but nothing worked. He also approached several law firms to sue, but none would take the case once they heard it was against Baolijian. Lawyer xiao Qin, you might want to contact him.”
This was an unexpected gain. Qin Mu felt a warmth in his heart, gratefully holding the old man’s hand, “Thank you.”
Leaving the stairwell, they found it had started to rain again. Gangzi asked, “Should we contact Wu Guangming now?”
Qin Mu, feeling exhausted, shook his head, “Let’s go back to our accommodation to rest first.”
The accomodation was a suite at the Hyatt, booked by his assistant.
In truth, Qin Mu had no particular demands for accommodations. As long as it was clean and quiet, it was enough. Whether it was a five-star hotel or a business one, he was fine with both, just as he was with buffet meals or street food. He had endured all sorts of hardships running cases with Zhou Yi as a paralegal, so he wasn’t fussy.
He ordered room service and sat on the sofa, lost in thought. Since Xiao Chengzong’s incident, Qin Mu’s mind had been racing, constantly reviewing the case, strategizing, and planning, not getting a wink of sleep on the plane. Now, with Zhang Wenhua’s case off the table, he needed to plan his next move. The air conditioning warmed the room, and Qin Mu relaxed, feeling the fatigue return. He fell asleep before lunch arrived, not even waking when Gangzi covered him with a blanket.
After a nap on the sofa, his neck was stiff when he woke up, but he felt much better. He ate a few bites and then called Wu Guangming.
“Hello, is this Wu Guangming? I’m Qin from Mu Xin Law Firm…” Before he could finish introducing himself, the other end of the line cursed, “Go fvck yourself!” and hung up. Subsequent calls went straight to busy signals, indicating he’d been blocked.
Qin Mu said helplessly, “Do I sounds like a scammer?”
Gangzi laughed, and handed over his cell phone.
Qin Mu texted Wu Guangming, explaining that he got the number from Zhang Wenhua. After a while, he received a call back.
“Sorry, really sorry,” the man on the other end apologized awkwardly, “My information must have been sold to someone; I keep getting spam calls, so I thought you were a scammer too.”
“No worries,” Qin Mu understood, “I heard from Uncle Zhang that you want to sue Baolijian, is that right?”
“You’d take the case?” Wu Guangming was surprised.
Qin Mu briefly explained his connection with Teacher Xiao, Zhang Wenhua, and Baolijian. Wu Guangming hesitated, then said apprehensively, “Lawyer Qin, I won’t hide it from you, we’ve spent almost all our money on my mother’s treatment, and I have two kids to raise. I might not be able to pay much for legal fees. But… if you can help me win this lawsuit, I’ll give you half of whatever compensation we get, even all of it if you want! You don’t know how much I hate them! I wish I could burn that damn company to the ground!”
“The fees aren’t important,” Qin Mu said, “Mr. Wu, if it’s convenient, can we meet?”
“Sure, sure,” Wu Guangming agreed hastily, then added in a downcast tone, “Sorry, could you come to my place? I… can’t leave here.”
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