35. Guanshui County
Guanshui County is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangming City. Although it relied on government support to get rid of poverty in the past few years, it is surrounded by mountains and has inconvenient transportation. Its economic development is still far behind. To date, there is no high-speed rail, and express trains only run every other day. Residents still mainly rely on green-skinned trains to travel.
Tang Sizhuo had originally wanted to charter a car, but he was worried he wasn't in good shape and feared the six or seven-hour drive along the winding mountain road would be exhausting. However, with the Lunar New Year approaching and everyone seeking safety and good luck, no drivers were taking any orders. Finally, he was forced to join the Spring Festival travel rush, barely managing to snag two tickets: one seated and one standing, and they weren't even in the same carriage.
I don't know how long I'll be away, maybe until after the Spring Festival. The main work for this year has ended, and the last ten days before the holiday will mainly be used to file case files and organize reports for clients. Tang Sizhuo was worried that there would be something that needed the signature of the lead lawyer, so before leaving, he sent Wang Yue the hotel address and asked her to send it expedited if necessary. He didn't tell the others in such detail, and vaguely informed them that he was not feeling well and asked for leave in advance to rest. In the six months since he came back, even though his focus was not on work, Tang Sizhuo was habitually serious and his case handling was impeccable. Partners and clients were happy to do this favor and agreed readily, allowing her to cultivate herself.
The train station was packed with people, making the noise a headache. Tang Sizhuo only had a commuter bag; his suitcase was at Zeng Xiasheng's place. Zeng Xiasheng had been looking for Chen Tianhao in Jiangming City for over half a month, but not only had he not seen him, he was also restless wherever he went. The gang was like spies everywhere, and even his grandmother and the surrounding neighbors knew that he had incurred a huge debt right after being released from prison. Later, Zeng Xiasheng didn't dare to return to Tang Sizhuo's house, and randomly found a place to live outside. Tang Sizhuo had no idea where he was, and only received a text message every day to let him know that he was safe. In the early morning of the day of departure, Zeng Xiasheng sneaked into the house like a thief at around three o'clock, cleaned up the messy house, picked up her suitcase that she had left at the bedroom door, and quietly left.
The unticketed seat belonged to Tang Sizhuo. It seemed she had never been blessed by luck. She was snatched up by a middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and cut in line for the dining car ticket. Finally, she joined the crowd at the junction of the train cars. Even with a mask on, her breath still reeked of instant noodle grease and stale cigarette smoke. Dizzy and nauseous, Tang Sizhuo no longer cared about the filth of the train. She simply leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and letting her mind wander. Soon, she felt someone squeeze in and stop in front of her.
"Come sit over there with me," Zeng Xiasheng said.
Tang Sizhuo remained silent, feeling as though he were about to vomit if he opened his mouth. He simply didn't have the energy to argue with him, so he stood up and followed Zeng Xiasheng to the front of the train. He might have changed into his own cheap clothes, but he stood in front of Tang Sizhuo, parting the crowd and letting her sit in his seat. He then moved sideways to stand beside the seat.
It had only been seven or eight days since they last met, and he had lost a lot of weight. Tang Sizhuo leaned back in her chair and glanced over. She noticed that Zeng Xiasheng was looking away, not looking at her. She didn't know what he was thinking, and a sharp line stretched from his jaw to his neck.
She had a one-sided argument, and now was far from the time to reconcile; she should continue to be angry. Although Zeng Xiasheng had been given a tearful scolding by her and no longer tried to resolve the matter with his limited legal knowledge, he hadn't explained in detail how Tang Sizhu was forced to sign that day. He simply asked her a few questions, barely enough for her to assess the situation.
Tang Sizhuo, furious, had deliberately left him outside. However, upon meeting him, seeing him standing for two hours, he couldn't bear it anymore and slid a little closer, leaving him half the seat. She said nothing, not even a glance at him. Zeng Xiasheng looked from her to the seat, hesitating for a long moment before cautiously sitting down. He leaned halfway into the aisle, his back barely nudging her shoulder as the train swayed.
Tang Sizhuo flipped through hundreds of debt collection messages and found one from an unfamiliar number. It was short, "Brother, I'm sorry. I'll never let you down again. Try to avoid me." He called, but no one answered. Zeng Xiasheng went to Chen Tianhao's former rental house, and neighbors said they hadn't seen the couple in a long time. They seemed to have left in a hurry, not even taking in the laundry hanging outside.
During her days alone at home, Tang Sizhuo carefully reviewed the entire situation and concluded that Zeng Xiasheng, like her, was difficult to confide in. Chen Tianhao, having maintained their friendship for several years from his imprisonment until his release, likely wasn't a shady person and wouldn't deliberately deceive him. A mobile phone repair shop isn't a big business, with millions in turnover uncommon. Gambling could be a factor, but it's usually gradual and doesn't push someone to the brink of desperation. Therefore, it's likely that Chen Tianhao, anxious to expand his new shop to save face for his marriage, constructed a cage after being discovered. He implicated Zeng Xiasheng out of a desire to help his brother make money or perhaps a lack of legal awareness.
Speaking of right and wrong, Zeng Xiasheng was indeed innocent. He was released from prison and had not yet fully integrated into society when he suddenly encountered a disaster. In his panic, he instinctively did not want to implicate her.
He's already done a good job, Tang Sizhuo couldn't help but make excuses for him. Zeng Xiasheng was harassed every day, hiding from everyone, but she had never let anyone know of her existence. She even avoided close contact on the train, as if she were just a stranger giving up her seat to an unwell passenger.
Guanshui County was where Chen Tianhao ran a grocery store before his imprisonment. Born in a remote mountainous area, he met his girlfriend from the neighboring village and lived there for a long time. Compared to his rural hometown, this place was equally familiar to him, yet less conspicuous. Considering the additional financial burden of fleeing to another province, Tang Sizhuo concluded that Chen Tianhao was likely hiding in the county town to avoid debt.
She had rarely been to the county town or the countryside. Xiao Tong might have taken her children back home with Tang Jiahua before their divorce, but the events of over twenty years ago had long since faded into oblivion, leaving only the memory of them. So, upon exiting the station, a swarm of motorcycle taxi drivers swarmed around her, not only yelling at her but also attempting to grab her, frightening Tang Sizhuo. She took a few steps back, accidentally bumping into a passenger passing through the gate behind her. She stumbled and nearly fell, and as she instinctively apologized, Zeng Xiasheng pulled her into his arms.
The men who worked odd jobs to make a living were often bullies who only targeted young women. Seeing Zeng Xiasheng's unfriendly expression, they immediately dispersed. Zeng Xiasheng escorted her to the side of the road and got into a taxi. However, the driver ignored the meter and, seeing they were from out of town, said ten yuan when they got in, but changed it to thirty once the fare started. He then insisted on taking them to a hotel owned by a friend, claiming it was better than the one Tang Sizhuo had booked.
Tang Sizhuo couldn't explain herself, so she pulled out her phone and pretended to complain, but the driver didn't care. She realized later that this was just one of those times when poverty and hardship breed unruly people, and she didn't have the energy to continue reasoning, let alone arguing about such a small amount of money. She was simply afraid that the driver would take them to some shady place where they'd have trouble getting out.
There was only one decent hotel in the county town, more than a dozen stories high, which should have stood out among the three- and five-story buildings. The driver said there was traffic jams due to road construction and that he wasn't following the navigation system. Tang Sizhuo anxiously glanced out the window, trying to locate the hotel sign. However, during the few seconds the car stopped at a red light, there was a sudden loud thud inside the car. Zeng Xia had violently kicked the back of the driver's seat.
Tang Sizhu was startled, and when he turned around, he saw him growling viciously: "You've already gone around in circles twice. If you don't turn left at the next intersection, you'll see."
She was terrified, a cold sweat breaking out, expecting the driver to unleash a curse in the next moment. She'd shove the car door open and start a fight with Zeng Xiasheng in the back seat. She might even find a steel pipe and a knife hidden in the trunk, and they'd end up in the police station before even reaching the hotel. But the man in the front seat didn't utter a single word until the light turned green, as if he'd swallowed his anger. He didn't jerk off, stopped suddenly, and, after a smooth left turn, parked in front of the hotel. Zeng Xiasheng got out, grabbed his luggage, threw down ten yuan, and left. The driver simply cursed under his breath and quickly drove off.
She'd assumed it was just the fatigue of the journey and the difficult conditions, but upon arriving at the hotel, Tang Sizhuo felt her strength drained from her. Still terrified, she discovered the receptionist had slipped a card for a foot massage parlor into Zeng Xiasheng's room card. Her temper completely lost its edge, and she was practically laughing in frustration. The receptionist, a woman herself, was still trying to seduce the men she was traveling with into doing something inappropriate at night, even if the guests were staying in a suite. It was absurd.
Zeng Xiasheng simply pulled the card out and tossed it into the trash can by the elevator entrance. He had anticipated the situation in the small county town, predicting it would be worse than the urban-rural fringe where he grew up. He hadn't wanted Tang Sizhuo to come at all. However, since he was the cause of the trouble, he had no right to offer suggestions or veto her. He simply accepted whatever Tang Sizhuo said and stayed by her side like a lackey.
They'd booked a family suite, with a master bedroom with a double bed and a second bedroom with two single beds. It wasn't small, but the facilities were dated, likely due to its sparse use. A damp, musty smell hit them as soon as they entered. Zeng Xiasheng, who had brought his own backpack, pulled out a thick coat and offered it to Tang Sizhuo. Then, he opened a window to ventilate the room and went to the master bedroom to put on the disposable sheets and duvet covers she had brought.
He seemed to feel uncomfortable if he did nothing, so he tidied up the hotel and cleaned everywhere. Finally, after he thoroughly cleaned the bathtub, Tang Sizhuo called him out and asked him to sit on the sofa for a while and think about where to find Chen Tianhao.
Tang Sizhuo had little experience handling private lending disputes, but her previous team had an independent lawyer working on economic criminal cases, so she had some experience. Based on her experience, she knew the actual loan amount Chen Tianhao received was unlikely to be 2.4 million yuan. It was likely inflated by the lender's falsified financial statements, and the amount would likely be cut in half. Even if the actual loan amount was only 1 million yuan, Tang Sizhuo didn't believe Chen Tianhao had the confidence to repay the debt unless someone had promised him something, like the boss Zeng Xiasheng mentioned who was looking for business with the money. With so little information available, she had to find Chen Tianhao first and understand the situation. Only then could she devise a targeted response and decide whether to report the matter to the police.
Tang Sizhuo's computer and laptop lay on the coffee table. Holding her tablet, she opened a map app and searched. Zeng Xiasheng had heard Chen Tianhao brag about the two-story grocery store he and his partner opened here. It was a thriving business, but after he got in trouble, his friend's incompetence caused it to fail. Guanshui County only had two intersecting avenues, making them quite busy. If a grocery store had a lot of traffic, it would have to be nearby. Directly searching for someone was too difficult. Tang Sizhuo figured that Chen Tianhao had lived here for years, and now that he was back, he might have known someone there. She could first find the old grocery store and then, using that as a starting point, ask around.
She entered the working state, muttering to herself as if she was discussing a case with her colleagues. After talking for a long time without any response, she looked up and saw that Zeng Xiasheng was unsteady in his movements, his buttocks not even fully landing on the sofa, as if he was ready to stand up and walk at any time.
Tang Sizhuo put down his pen and sighed. The slight noise frightened Zeng Xiasheng so much that he froze.
"That's all right," she said. "It's just over two million. Even if you have to pay me back, I can still make some money. It just takes time. It's not something I can't handle."
Zeng Xiasheng's Adam's apple rolled, his fingertips turned white from clenching his trouser legs, and his head drooped even lower.
Tang Sizhuo stared at him for a long time, and the anger in his heart disappeared long ago. Finally, he stood up and walked to Zeng Xiasheng, reaching out to touch his hair which had grown a lot since he hadn't taken care of it for many days.
"No one is perfect, and no one can guarantee that their friends won't make mistakes. You were dragged into this, not deliberately causing trouble. Keep your head up."
Her cool fingertips slid down and caressed the side of Zeng Xiasheng's face. His tense muscles relaxed slightly, and he didn't resist. His eyes slowly moved upwards, following her force.
"You are the victim."
Amidst the chilly breeze that seeped in through the cracks in the window, Tang Sizhuo made her final decision. Her eyes were gentle, devoid of accusation, as she leaned over Zeng Xiasheng, her fingertips symbolically wiping away the nonexistent tears from the corners of his eyes.
"I'm a lawyer. I can handle it. Trust me."
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