Chapter 148: Where is the arrest warrant?
"...I'm innocent!"
Su Laosan was shouting when he saw Li Banxia return. He roared, "Mom, these two people said that someone was poisoned at Lin Jiefang's wedding banquet. They insist that the chicken I sent was poisoned and they want to send us to jail."
As he was speaking, there were two sharp cracks, and handcuffs were put on his hands.
Li Banxia's eyes turned cold as she looked at the two men and asked, "Do you have an arrest warrant for this person? Do you have any evidence to prove that the person was poisoned by eating chicken?"
The two men exchanged a glance.
One of them said, "The person who reported the incident explained on the phone that the poisoned customer got it from drinking chicken soup, and the person has been rushed to the hospital for stomach pumping and examination..."
"So you're saying you didn't even go to the scene to collect evidence before arresting my son and his partner as criminals?"
Their eyes flickered slightly as they exchanged a subtle glance.
Ignoring all that, Li Banxia focused only on the two men and said, "Article 37 of our Constitution clearly stipulates that no citizen may be arrested except with the approval or decision of the People's Procuratorate or the decision of the People's Court, and with the execution of the decision by the public security organs. On what grounds are you handcuffing them like criminals?"
The two men's expressions changed drastically. The one who spoke first emphasized, "The person who reported the case has witnesses and physical evidence."
"Just because they say it exists, does that mean it's true? They can arbitrarily conclude that my son is the poisoner?"
Li Banxia's eyes gradually sharpened. "As law enforcement officers, is this how you enforce the law? If you want to arrest my son and his partner as criminals, then produce an arrest warrant! Otherwise..."
"Nonsense!"
The man's eyes were sinister as he coldly stared at Li Banxia. "Ignorant fools, do you think they would dare to frame you without evidence?"
"Everyone heard that..."
Li Banxia didn't respond to his words, but turned to look at the group of neighbors behind her.
“They didn’t enforce the law impartially. Instead, they accused me of being ignorant and foolish, and of convicting my son and his partner without any evidence. Do you think I can accept this?”
The neighbors all sensed something was amiss. After a brief silence following Li Banxia's question, Grandma Liu spoke first, "Third son's mother, you can't admit to this! Third son would never poison a chicken. If you admit it, your life will be ruined."
Some people started whispering, "I've heard of torture used to extract confessions in ancient times, so why is Su Feng being forced to admit to poisoning people right off the bat?"
"He's just a chicken seller. If he poisons people, how can he continue doing business? He's not stupid; he can tell at a glance that someone wants to harm him."
Upon hearing this, Su Laosan nodded repeatedly at the speaker, his eyes red and looking quite pitiful.
Several elderly women couldn't bear to watch and kept saying how pitiful it was.
The two men were at a loss, looking at each other, unsure how to break the deadlock.
They didn't know, but Li Banxia did.
She turned her head, her gaze fixed on the two large men. "These neighbors are witnesses to what you've said and done, and we will pursue this to the end! Now, please, sister, unlock your handcuffs and remove your knees from my son and his partner. Also..."
Li Banxia glanced at the police badges and numbers on their bodies and said, "I've memorized your numbers. You made the arrests without a warrant, causing immense mental anguish to my son and his partner. I will file a lawsuit in accordance with the law."
The two of them widened their eyes in disbelief as they stared at Li Banxia.
One of them, still furious, sneered, "Didn't you hear? The person who reported the crime has witnesses and physical evidence. What's the use of your sophistry now?"
"Who are the eyewitnesses? And who is the physical evidence?"
Li Banxia looked over coldly, "You saw it, you asked, you're sure? Or did the court pronounce a verdict?! If he says it exists, then it's true?! Is this how you handle cases, treating human life so lightly?!"
The two men immediately realized the situation was tricky, and their faces turned grim.
Li Banxia lowered her eyes and gave Su Laosan a meaningful look. Su Laosan didn't quite understand what his mother meant by that look, but he figured that at this moment, she just needed to spread the word that he had been wronged in order to protect himself.
He called out to Grandma Liu, Grandma Chen, and Aunt Zhang, swearing and vowing, "There's absolutely no way there could be a problem with the chickens I sent over. I have witnesses and physical evidence to prove that I and my chickens are innocent!"
"...If I utter even half a lie, may I be struck by lightning, have my intestines ripped out, die, and have my body left to rot in the wilderness, never to be reincarnated!"
When Su Laosan uttered this solemn oath, even the elderly people at the courtyard gate couldn't bear to see him suffer.
"Oh dear," she exclaimed, "this silly boy made such a vicious oath, so he must be telling the truth."
"...If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Third Brother is a good man. Whether he makes this oath or not, we believe him!"
"Yes! We've been buying chickens from him these days. Not only are they cheaper than others, but they also give us a lot more in weight. He also throws in a few chicken eggs, duck eggs, or goose eggs every now and then, and we've never had any problems with them."
Others chimed in.
We've watched the third young man start this business. He's quick-witted and resourceful, and his girlfriend is also a straightforward person. The two of them have driven us to the countryside countless times without ever getting into trouble. How come they got into trouble just from delivering something to the hotel?
"Isn't it obvious that someone is trying to frame him?"
Fang Erniu roared, "They're definitely trying to renege on their debt! We went to several villages to collect so many chickens. It was so hot that day, my boyfriend's clothes were never dry, his lips were sore, and his legs were about to give out. How could they do this to us?! If they call the police, we'll call them too!"
"Yes, we should call the police too," Su Laosan shouted.
The neighbors were also stirred up, and their eyes were filled with hostility as they looked at the two men.
The two of them frowned deeply, muttering to themselves, "What should we do?"
"...How the hell would I know?"
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have come."
"If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have come."
Li Banxia didn't hear what the two said clearly. She just looked at them and said loudly, "You know you're enforcing the law but you're breaking it! They're not your prisoners. Why aren't you taking off your handcuffs?! Release them!"
Both of them saw the "fuck it" look in each other's eyes, and had no choice but to obey and release the person.
“We can leave them unhandcuffed, but as suspects in the ‘toxic chicken soup’ case, they must cooperate with our investigation,” the man said.
Li Banxia glanced at him, nodded, and said, "An investigation is fine, but have two of your leaders come over. We don't trust you... Who knows if we go with you and you'll force us to admit to this fabricated crime?!"
The man's expression changed, and he said, "You want to arrest me?"
Do you need us to explain what the word "arrest" means?
Li Banxia glanced at him, then turned to her neighbor and asked them to call the police.
Grandma Liu volunteered to go.
The two men looked extremely grim. One gave the other a meaningful look, and the man stared at Li Banxia intently for a couple of seconds before pursing his lips and striding out of the courtyard. He was also going to make a phone call.
The group remained locked in a stalemate, with Su Laosan supporting Fang Erniu and looking pitifully at Li Banxia.
Half an hour later, two groups of police officers arrived.
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