0056 Delivery receipt
When Lu Wei applied for online case filing, she checked the box to agree to pre-litigation mediation.
It wasn't just to ensure the case was filed smoothly before the end of the year, but also to leave himself a way out.
After Cheng Quan announced the dissolution of the company, the court quickly organized mediation, and Lu Wei agreed to attend. At this point, she had no choice but to agree.
The mediation was originally supposed to be attended by Qu Zhong, the defendant's representative, accompanying Cheng Quan, but she did not go, citing illness as the reason.
Perhaps subconsciously, she still couldn't accept this outcome. She didn't want to put on a happy face and shake hands with Lu Wei at the mediation table. She couldn't do it, and she couldn't pretend to.
Su Rongqin saw through her little schemes but didn't expose her. He changed into a formal suit and personally intervened, successfully negotiating the various amounts down from over 400,000 to 80,000.
The deposit paid upon signing the contract is compensation for the losses caused to Lu Wei and will not be refunded. Haitian and Cheng Quan will not pay any additional liquidated damages.
Both the plaintiff and the defendant, along with their respective agents, signed the mediation record. The case was ultimately settled through mediation, and neither party had the right to appeal.
The mediation agreement was sent to Guanzheng Law Firm on the eve of the Lunar New Year in southern China.
The document clearly states the amount Haitian needs to pay and the payment method. Besides the money, the mediation agreement also concludes with: "Shencheng Haitian Catering Management Co., Ltd. shall submit an application for deregistration to the Shencheng C District Market Supervision Bureau before January 31, 2023."
This statement is tantamount to legally declaring Haitian's demise.
That evening, Qu Zhong took the mediation agreement and went to Anyan Road again.
The lights at Haitian Restaurant are on. Today is Sunday, and according to Cheng Quan, the restaurant will be completely closed starting tomorrow; this will be its last night on Anyan Road.
Cheng Quan stood straight at the entrance, waiting for Qu Zhong to arrive.
Completely different from the scene I saw last time, this time the store was clean and tidy, like a bare house that has not yet undergone its first transfer of ownership.
Another unusual sight was two little boys sitting side by side at a table not far away. They were sitting upright with their heads down, seemingly writing.
Qu Zhong greeted Cheng Quan simply, then looked in the direction of the two children and asked, "Who's this?"
Cheng Quan grinned, a genuine smile: "My son." Then he called out to the two little ones, "How rude of you, greet them!"
The two little boys looked up and turned to look at Qu Zhong. As if they had planned it, they called her "sister" in their childish voices with perfect understanding.
Qu Zhong smiled and responded, unable to resist praising, "So cute."
Cheng Quan smiled sheepishly and gestured for her to sit down.
All the other tables and chairs in the shop had been tied up and set aside, leaving only two outside. One was for the two children to write on, and the other was specially reserved for Qu Zhong.
Qu Zhong originally planned to hand him the mediation agreement and leave, but Cheng Quan said, "Attorney Qu, please sit down and rest for a while. I'll make you a bowl of noodles."
This was something Qu Zhong hadn't expected: "Wasn't everything already packed?"
Cheng Quan had already lifted the curtain and walked into the kitchen. Her voice came from a distance, but it was still clear: "I brought the ingredients from home with me. I was afraid you hadn't eaten, so I rushed over."
Ah... she really hadn't eaten. Qu Zhong felt a warmth in her heart and thanked her in the direction of the kitchen.
Cheng Quan was busy in the kitchen, while Qu Zhong was sitting alone and feeling a bit bored. She decided to chat with the two children to pass the time.
They kept their heads down, writing intermittently, occasionally biting their pens and furrowing their brows, completely focused as if answering questions.
It wasn't until she walked over and her shadow covered the paper that the person closest to her suddenly looked up, hurriedly covering the notebook with their hand, afraid that she would see the words inside.
Qu Zhong chuckled and asked curiously, "What are you writing?"
Seeing that it was Qu Zhong, he relaxed his guard a little, but his hand did not leave the notebook even slightly: "Winter Vacation Life".
So she was doing her homework. This is the first time I've seen a primary school student so diligently doing their winter break homework.
She then asked, "What are your names?"
The one next to him looked up and said clearly, "My name is Cheng Tian." The other one then answered with the same gesture, "My name is Cheng Hai."
Cheng Tian, Cheng Hai… Qu Zhong suddenly understood. Hai Tian Catering, so that’s what it meant.
The name "Shop" shows how much they cherished the business; it's a pity it eventually closed down.
Just as I was distracted, I suddenly heard a loud shout: "The noodles are here!"
Qu Zhong looked up and saw Cheng Quan lift the curtain and walk briskly out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl of noodles, which she placed on the table where Qu Zhong had been sitting.
Qu Zhong returned to his seat. Before picking up his chopsticks, Cheng Quan reminded him in Shen language, "Be careful, it's hot."
Qu Zhong understood and replied with a smile in Shen language, "Thank you."
When Cheng Quan first heard her speak the Shanghai dialect, she asked, "Attorney Qu, are you from Shanghai?"
"No." Qu Zhong said, taking a sip of soup. The moment it entered her mouth, her movements froze.
Sweet.
The unique flavor of local-style noodles.
Subconsciously, she remembered tasting something similar not long ago.
The overwhelming longing was like a belated delivery receipt, delayed for many days and nights due to the careless postman, but finally delivered to her at this moment.
I wonder where Zhai is now, what she's doing, and if she misses her too.
While Qu Zhong was lost in thought, she heard Cheng Quan continue her previous comment, saying, "Your Shen language is quite standard."
Qu Zhong snapped out of her daze and nodded without any modesty: "I learned it from my boyfriend, who is from Shanghai."
She proudly showed off her mentor to outsiders, like a proud student.
But then he quickly lowered his head, poking at the noodles with his chopsticks, and muttered to himself, "We've been arguing lately."
It wasn't really an argument. They didn't exchange harsh words, there was no hysteria, and not a single harsh remark.
In fact, since they officially got together, they've never had a real argument. Zhai would tolerate all her good moods, bad tempers, and her imperfections. He understood everything she was thinking without her needing to say much.
He doesn't have any mind-reading abilities; he just put a lot of effort into understanding her.
As she thought about it, Qu Zhong's nose started to tingle: "I haven't spoken to him for several days now."
She got angry again at this point. What's wrong with Zhai? She doesn't take the initiative to contact him, yet he's patiently refusing to reach out. Does he not want to reconcile?
Cheng Quan scoffed, "What couple doesn't argue? Just apologize to each other and coax each other, it's no big deal."
Qu Zhong felt that the problem they had argued about that day couldn't be solved by simply coaxing them. She unconsciously raised her voice: "It's a matter of principle."
Her reaction was a bit strong, and Cheng Quan was taken aback. She asked, "What's the problem? Is it convenient for you to tell me?"
Qu Zhong hesitated for a few seconds, thinking it wasn't quite appropriate. It wasn't because of privacy or anything like that, but because she felt: "Our agency agreement doesn't stipulate the right to speak, nor does it stipulate the obligation to listen."
Cheng Quan was amused by her; how could a lawyer be so meticulous? He pointed to the mediation agreement Qu Zhong had placed on the corner of the table: "The case is over; we are now just customer and shop owner."
His words reminded Qu Zhong of Yu Wen. That day at D University, she had handed her coffee as the author.
Customers and shop owners, readers and authors—it turns out that her relationship with them is not just that of lawyer and client, but can encompass many other relationships.
On legal matters, Qu Zhong is undoubtedly a professional, seeing things more clearly than they do. But on other issues, she might not gain any advantage and would instead need their guidance.
After holding it in for several days, Qu Zhong no longer hesitated and blurted out, "He wants to get married, but I don't want to."
Cheng Quan asked, "Are you against marriage?"
Qu Zhong denied it: "No, it's not that. I just don't want to for the time being. I want to focus on my career."
Cheng Quan praised her generously: "I can see that you are a very excellent and responsible lawyer, Attorney Qu."
Feeling unworthy of such a compliment, he repeatedly said, "No, I'm far from good enough."
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but change the subject: "What are your plans for the future?"
Cheng Quan didn't hide anything: "Going back to my hometown." He not only reconciled with Lu Wei, but also with himself. "After struggling in Shanghai for so many years, that's enough. Smaller places are better."
He looked at the table where the two children were sitting and sighed. This was the only thing he felt regretful about: "It's a pity that the two of them can't continue their studies in Shanghai."
After all, the level of education in Shanghai is incomparable to that of small county towns.
Qu Zhong's gaze followed his, but she disagreed with his words and said firmly, "The sea is wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky is high enough for birds to fly. I believe that as long as you have a distant dream in your heart, it doesn't matter where you are."
She used two magnificent idioms to describe Cheng Hai and Cheng Tian, who were writing about their winter vacation, as having a bright future and countless possibilities in their long lives.
Whether it was a blessing or just polite talk, these were the best words Cheng Quan had heard in all the days since she was involved in the lawsuit.
He had endured so many difficult days in the past two years without uttering a single complaint, but now his eyes welled up with tears. He raised his sleeve to wipe his eyes and said, "You're right."
Qu Zhong smiled and looked away, picking up a mouthful of noodles and putting it in her mouth. She mumbled, "It's so delicious. My boyfriend is a great cook too."
Cheng Quan stopped crying and started laughing.
Qu Zhong asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Cheng Quan said, "Attorney Qu, you really like your boyfriend."
Qu Zhong was taken aback: "Huh?"
Cheng Quan gave a knowing smile: "Otherwise, why would you keep talking about him?"
"Really..." Qu Zhong muttered, "I didn't even notice..."
Okay, how could I not have noticed?
Qu Zhong has been suffering from insomnia every night since arguing with Zhai. Even though the neighborhood is so quiet, she just can't fall asleep.
As she tossed and turned in bed, she realized something. It was like the question she couldn't answer during the trial, which was finally confirmed afterward.
It turns out that the reason she slept so well before wasn't because of the change of environment, but because there was someone else beside her. This person's embrace was more effective than any melatonin or sleeping pill.
She's just stubborn and refuses to admit it to this day.
In fact, the postman had already left the return receipt, but the recipient kept refusing to sign for it.
Only at this moment did she dare to tell the truth: "Cheng Quan, you're right."
Cheng Quan smiled and concluded, "Attorney Qu, if you repeat what you said to me today to him again, you can make up."
Qu Zhong grunted in agreement, then, with a hearty appetite, devoured the entire bowl of noodles in no time. Finally, she asked, "Is there any more? I'd like to pack one to take home."
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