Chapter 329 Who is more powerful, me or Zhou Lu?
During the evening rush hour, Mo Ziqian's car drove smoothly through the streets.
Cui Xiao seemed lost in thought, appearing absent-minded.
About half an hour later, Mo Ziqian suddenly spoke, breaking the brief silence, "That shop is hidden in an old alley, you'll probably have to go around two more turns."
Cui Xiao nodded, and Mo Ziqian continued, "The owner is from Sichuan, the broth is made with homemade beef tallow, and the chili peppers are carefully selected. Are you sure you want the spiciest one?"
Cui Xiao sat up straight abruptly, her tone indifferent, "Since we've already eaten Sichuan hot pot, we must eat the spiciest one to truly enjoy it."
As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and added, "Oh right, I forgot to ask if you can eat spicy food. Also, won't eating such spicy food affect your court appearance? It would be troublesome if you lost your voice."
Just as they were thinking about having hot pot, forgetting for a moment Mo Ziqian's special profession, Cui Xiao suddenly changed her mind, "How about we order something else?"
Mo Ziqian was amused by her earnest worry. He gently turned the steering wheel and the car turned into a small road decorated with red lanterns. "Don't worry, I don't work overtime on weekends. And when it comes to eating spicy food, I'm not necessarily worse than you. Oh, I forgot to tell you, my maternal grandmother's family is from Sichuan."
I see, Cui Xiao was relieved.
A few minutes later, Mo Ziqian stopped the car.
As soon as I opened the car door, a rich aroma of butter wafted out.
The hot pot restaurant is small, with only seven or eight tables. Each table has a copper hot pot with red broth bubbling inside and chili oil floating on the surface, making it look very appetizing.
The shop owner, wearing a plaid shirt, greeted him warmly. Upon seeing Mo Ziqian, he patted him on the shoulder familiarly. "Mr. Mo, the usual spot today?"
As he spoke, the shop owner noticed that he had brought a female companion with him. The shop owner was also curious, "This is the first time I've seen Mr. Mo and a lady come to the shop together. It's quite rare."
Cui Xiao realized that Mo Ziqian was a regular customer here and had a close relationship with the owner.
Mo Ziqian looked at Cui Xiao and then introduced her, "Miss Cui, this is my... friend."
The boss smiled knowingly, "Miss Cui, this is your first time here. I'll have someone bring you two side dishes later as a small gift."
The boss was so generous that Cui Xiao felt embarrassed, saying, "Actually, there's no need to be so polite."
Boss, "Yes, yes, you're Mr. Mo's friend, so you're my friend too."
After saying that, the owner chatted with Mo Ziqian again, "Would you like to recommend our tender beef to this young lady? It was just transported from Sichuan yesterday, and it's most tender when cooked for fifteen seconds."
“Okay.” Mo Ziqian turned to Cui Xiao and asked, “Besides the tender beef, what else would you like to eat? How about a serving of all the classic dishes like tripe, beef aorta, and duck intestines? Oh, and their secret weapon for relieving spiciness is iced glutinous rice balls, osmanthus flavored. You can order a bowl to try later.”
Cui Xiao felt a little embarrassed and nodded, "Just keep an eye on it."
Mo Ziqian didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he picked up the menu and pointed to it, "There are also dried bamboo shoots and sweet potato noodles, which are also delicious when cooked in spicy soup."
When she looked up, she met Mo Ziqian's gaze. His eyes were smiling, and the lamplight cast a soft shadow on his eyelashes, even more gentle than the sunset outside the window.
Cui Xiao, rarely relaxed, replied, "Okay."
The hot pot dishes were served quickly; the copper pot was brought out soon, and as soon as the red broth boiled, the spicy aroma instantly filled the air.
Cui Xiao picked up a slice of tender beef, dipped it in the pot for fifteen seconds, and as soon as she put it in her mouth, she gasped from the spiciness, but couldn't help squinting her eyes. "Delicious! I haven't had such an authentic Sichuan hot pot in a long time."
Seeing the slight redness on her nose, Mo Ziqian handed her a glass of plum juice. "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."
Cui Xiao paused. Although she was unfamiliar with Mo Ziqian's enthusiasm, she didn't feel any rejection at all.
This person is easier to get along with than I imagined.
He's also a rare example of a wealthy second-generation heir who's down-to-earth.
Cui Xiao's cheeks flushed slightly. She took a sip of plum juice to relieve the spiciness in her mouth. "Thank you. By the way, do you often come here with your friends? You seem to know the owner quite well."
Mo Ziqian crossed his arms and spoke frankly, “Three years ago, I presided over a case in which the defendant was the owner of this shop.”
Cui Xiao was surprised, "The other party lost the case?"
Mo Ziqian remained calm and composed, pouring himself a glass of plum juice. "He lost the first trial, but I helped him win the second."
Mo Ziqian felt that she might not have understood. "At that time, I was not the presiding judge. I risked my career for this case."
Cui Xiao listened intently, "What case is it?"
Mo Ziqian leaned forward, a smile playing on his lips, "Intentional homicide is changed to self-defense, death sentence is commuted to acquittal."
Back then, the owner of this hot pot restaurant was just a migrant worker, honestly working to earn money and support his family.
His wife has an intellectual disability, and his ten-year-old son also has some intellectual problems.
He works tirelessly every day so that his wife and children can live a better life.
One day, he had to go home to get some things, only to find his neighbor's good-for-nothing son raping his wife.
His son was locked in another room, listening to everything that happened outside.
He was furious and chased after the man like a madman, but the man was strong and powerful, and he was no match for him. Not only did he fail to get justice for his wife, but he was also seriously injured.
From then on, it only fueled the other person's deeper malice. Things that he used to only dare to do when he wasn't home, he now did openly.
He was made to witness it firsthand, and he hated it, hated it to death.
On that very day, while he was being punched and kicked again, he accidentally killed the man with a vase.
The other party hired a well-known lawyer who determined that he continued to beat the victim when the victim was unable to retaliate, resulting in the victim's death, and therefore constituted intentional homicide.
The initial verdict was also intentional homicide.
But the man was not satisfied and filed an appeal. It was Mo Ziqian who helped him, risking his own career to help him.
After hearing the whole story, Cui Xiao fell silent.
Having followed Zhou Mubin for so many years, Cui Xiaotai knows how difficult it is.
She seemed to admire him a little. "That amazing?"
Mo Ziqian picked up a piece of tripe, heated it according to the "seven up, eight down" rule, and then picked it up. "It's not that I'm good at it, it's that the law will side with justice."
Cui Xiao laughed, "So official?"
Mo Ziqian placed the blanched tripe into her bowl, a half-smile on his face, "Alright, here's an unofficial answer."
He gazed at her, his affection suddenly turning focused, "Between me and Zhou Lu, who is more capable?"
Cui Xiao paused, her hand holding the chopsticks frozen in mid-air. The quail egg she had just picked up fell back into the red soup pot, and the splashes of oil landed on the rim of the white porcelain bowl, just like her heartbeat, which was now out of rhythm.
The chili peppers in the hot pot were still sizzling, and the rising steam blurred the man's features across from her, but his focused eyes seemed to be gleaming, locking onto her firmly, and even his breathing seemed to carry the weight of waiting.
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