A friend in need is a friend indeed
Li Guorong drove towards Wu Cuihua's place. Wu Cuihua's small restaurant was run by Li Guorong when Lin Shaocheng went to university. After the change of owners, Wu Cuihua's cooking skills became even more refined, and fewer locals came. The factory workers from their hometown preferred to eat here. She pushed open the half-closed door.
"Mom, Mom, Mom," Li Guorong cried out, his voice growing more and more urgent.
Wu Cuihua came out of the kitchen and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Li Guorong looked suspicious. "Mom, did you sign for the court summons before? Why didn't you give it to me?"
Wu Cuihua asked, "What flyer? I haven't seen it before?"
Li Guorong said with a hint of anger, "It's just something like paper, you really haven't seen it before?"
Wu Cuihua also got angry. She was old and going through menopause. She scolded, "You unfilial daughter, you didn't tell me about such a big thing as divorce. Why didn't you have Lin Shaocheng, your doormat, to come and take your anger out on your mother?"
Hearing this, Li Guorong was even more furious. How was she unfilial? She raised her poor brothers and sisters, and this two-story house and this small restaurant were all built by her for her mother. She had given the most, yet she was the most unfilial. "You eat my food and drink my water, and you even swindle me with my second brother. Am I adopted?"
Wu Cuihua slapped him across the face. "You were born from a crack in a rock. I didn't raise you from childhood to adulthood. I haven't wronged you at all. Now that you've raised me, you think I'm getting a good deal? You're so selfish."
Li Guorong covered his face, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm about to go to jail, and you still hit me. Only your brothers are your children, aren't I?"
Wu Cuihua finally calmed down. "What did you say?"
Li Guorong shouted, "I'm asking you if you've seen a flyer?"
Wu Cuihua recalled that as she entered menopause, her memory was getting worse and worse. "There was a piece of paper that said it was yours, and I asked my younger brother to give it to you."
Li Guorong asked anxiously, "Where is my younger brother?"
Wu Cuihua looked anxious. "He went to play with the second son."
Li Guorong's heart skipped a beat. What a coincidence!
Wu Cuihua picked up the phone and dialed Li Guoliang's newly purchased portable phone.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
“I asked you to deliver the documents to your second sister, but you didn’t tell her. Didn’t you say at the time that they weren’t important documents? Why is your second sister going to prison?”
Li Guorong snatched the phone, "Li Guoliang, where did you get the money to buy such an expensive phone?"
Li Guoliang, dressed in light clothing, lay on a beach chair, picked at his ear, and removed the battery. "It's really annoying."
On the beach, Li Guojian and Cui Fanghua played beach volleyball, surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women. The accessories they wore made their not-so-outstanding looks quite attractive. Li Guoliang played with the latest handheld game console imported from Japan. This is life. What's the point of working yourself to death to earn money for my second sister? It's better to be your own boss and not need other people's charity.
Li Guorong stormed back to the factory, where there was almost no cash flow. If Lin Shaocheng were here, he could definitely introduce her to a qualified lawyer. She took a deep breath, decided to find a lawyer, and then go to court together the next day to see how things were going.
Ring ring ring
Li Guorong answered the phone, "Rongrong, my brother just opened a new bar, come and support him!"
Do you have a reliable lawyer? I'm at my wit's end.
Qian Mancang raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice becoming nonchalant, "What's wrong?"
Li Guorong didn't want to talk about being schemed against by his second brother in front of outsiders. "It's not a big deal. There are two orders in the factory that have some problems."
Qian Mancang laughed helplessly, "I can find all sorts of people, but lawyers are such a high-end profession, I really can't do that."
Li Guorong still has to rely on herself. She can do it. She faced wolves alone on the mountain, faced her mother-in-law's difficulties alone, and managed to run the factory to such a large size on her own. Two small lawsuits can't bring her down.
Li Guorong drove to the university. She had been there with Lin Shaocheng before and remembered that the outermost part was the College of Arts and Law. She sneaked in and saw the vibrant students and the thick books in their hands, guessing that they were from the College of Law.
"Hi, I'd like to hire a lawyer, but I don't know where I can find one."
The student looked innocent. "There are state-owned ones on Wenhua Road. You can go and ask them."
Li Guorong's face was full of gratitude. "Thank you so much."
Not far from the university town, on Wenhua Road, there was a small, dark shop with steel railings outside. It didn't look like a law firm, but more like a small shelter. The white sign with black lettering read "Shenzhen's No. 1 Law Firm," making the whole place seem gloomy. Li Guorong clutched his Hermes bag and stepped inside.
"Is anyone there? I need to call a lawyer."
The old-fashioned, dark-colored desks were piled high with documents. Several elderly lawyers were dressed in Zhongshan suits or Western suits, but they were worn and made of ordinary fabrics. The room reeked of ink.
Li Guorong spoke again, "I want to hire a lawyer."
Li Guorong was invited to a chair by a bespectacled man in his forties or fifties. The chair creaked as soon as he sat down. Li Guorong swallowed and said with a hint of nervousness, "My court hearing is on Thursday. I want to find someone to come to the court with me tomorrow to check on the situation. My mother signed for the summons, but it's lost."
The bespectacled man paused for a moment, then said, "Lawyers are hired as soon as they receive a flyer. It's too late for you. We don't have any available lawyers to accompany you tomorrow."
Li Guorong slammed her bag on the table. "I'm the owner of the chili factory. I have plenty of money."
The bespectacled man shook his head. "No time means no time. No matter how much you offer, we're a state-owned enterprise, and the salary is the same."
Li Guorong wanted to get angry, but there was no one on her side right now, so she could only suppress her anger. "What can I do? I'm really anxious. I haven't even seen my flyers, and now I'm going to be sued." She touched her eyes and pretended to cry.
The bespectacled man also showed sympathy and said in a low voice, "There's a private law firm 100 meters south. You can go and take a look; they take temporary cases there."
Li Guorong seemed a little listless. She walked south and saw a red sign with gold lettering that read "Victory Law Firm." It was newer than the other firm, and as soon as she entered, a young woman in a suit served her.
A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses sat in a leather seat, his eyes tilted upwards, looking shrewd like a fox stealing chickens.
Li Guorong felt uneasy. This person didn't seem like a lawyer, but rather like a seasoned veteran in the business world. However, she had nowhere else to turn and could only ask him for help. "Hello lawyer, my second brother cheated me out of two contracts. Now someone is asking me to file a lawsuit, but my mother signed for the summons a month ago, and I didn't see it at all. The court hearing is next Thursday. I want a lawyer to go to the court with me tomorrow to see what's going on."
The fox-eyed lawyer's eyes gleamed. "This contract is a tough deal to close, given the fees."
Li Guorong turned the bag inside out, saying, "I'm also short on cash. I need to collect the payments from the customers before I can have a large sum of money."
The fox-eyed lawyer shrewdly appraised her, "What price comes with what service? We have intern lawyers, elite lawyers, senior lawyers, and lawyer managers."
Li Guorong asked cautiously, "How much does an intern lawyer cost?"
"Depending on the complexity of the case, the percentage of the amount in dispute plus the service fee. I have another case, Nana, could you please handle it?" The fox-eyed lawyer got up and went inside, and the receptionist at the door came over.
Li Guorong praised, "Miss Nana is beautiful and a lawyer; her future is limitless."
Nana looked a little embarrassed. "I'm still an intern lawyer, not a full-fledged one."
Li Guorong wore a gossipy expression. "That lawyer looks like someone you shouldn't mess with."
Nana nodded. "Attorney Jiang charges the highest fees."
A hint of regret flashed in Li Guorong's eyes. "Was he really that amazing?" He should have known better than to pretend to be poor; it would have been worth spending more money.
The receptionist scoffed, "He only takes cases he's sure to win and then asks for exorbitant prices."
Li Guorong was relieved. "Then, Miss Nana, could you recommend someone for me, or could Miss Nana help me?"
The receptionist looked embarrassed, not expecting anyone to think so highly of her. She whispered, "I'm not that good at it, but I have a senior who's really good at contracts. His fees are very reasonable. The senior lawyers here charge 7%, but my senior only charges 1%. He's handled several economic contract cases successfully."
Li Guorong hesitated, wondering whether to trust the private firm or the senior colleague at the front desk. Looking around, she noticed that the items on the lawyers' desks were all quite valuable, making her suspect that they had been swindled from people like her. "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Miss Nana."
The sun was shining brightly. The lawyer Li Guorong had hired was a 27 or 28-year-old lawyer named Zhou Zheng, who was about the same height as her. He was young but had studied under a famous master. He came from a poor family and took on cases everywhere, both to hone his skills and to earn money.
Li Guorong looked bewildered. Her chili oil production process was standardized, so how could the taste be inconsistent? She needed to go back and check the returned goods and the payment for the raw materials, but there was no such entry in the accounts. "I'm really wronged. My second brother and sister-in-law usually manage the accounts and sales, so I can't ask them for help."
Clerk Wang's face showed impatience. "Your signature is on the contract. You are the legal representative, so of course you are responsible. Now it's about compensation. How you and your second brother handle the rest is between you two."
Before Li Guorong could say anything more, Zhou Zheng said, "We understand the situation. We will make preparations immediately. Thank you."
Li Guorong looked aggrieved. She had never done such a thing, so why should she lose money? The raw materials alone cost 200,000 yuan, plus the compensation and recall of the goods, she would lose 600,000 yuan. Including the money she earned less, she would lose 1.2 million yuan. Even if she sold the factory, she probably wouldn't be able to make up for it.
The two walked into a teahouse, to a private room. "I have to win this case," Li Guorong emphasized.
Attorney Zhou was organizing materials and tasting the chili oil that was being sold. "The taste difference is significant. This chili is only spicy and doesn't have the original aroma."
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