"Xie Dujuan! Don't you know you've broken the law? Huh?" Li Jia stared at Zhou Xiaoyu's sister-in-law and said with a serious expression.
"Huh? Breaking the law? What law did I break? I play cards, I don't gamble, don't try to scare me!" Xie Dujuan saw that Li Jia's expression was not joking at all, and she felt guilty and lost her previous momentum when she spoke.
"What law have you broken? You're Zhou Dazhu, right? Xiaoyu's brother. You two are suspected of the serious crime of human trafficking. You've seen it on TV, haven't you? Human trafficking is punishable by death!" Li Jia started doing what she used to do again, and after speaking, she took out a beautifully printed business card from her pocket and placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed). The business card was entirely in English; if Li Jia remembered correctly, it seemed to be the business card of some veterinary clinic abroad.
Seeing this, the other two women in the room immediately got up and left, leaving only Li Jia, Zhou Xiaoyu, Zhou Dazhu, and Xie Dujuan in the room.
Xie Dujuan didn't even recognize Chinese characters, let alone English. Her hand trembled as she looked at the business card for a long time, then at Li Jia's face, and then at her own man's blank expression. She was completely at a loss. "Human trafficking... that's punishable by death... Xiaoyu! Please beg your boyfriend to let me and your brother go! I don't want to be beheaded!" Her legs went weak, and Xie Dujuan knelt on the kang (heated brick bed). Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed Zhou Xiaoyu's arm and pleaded incessantly. On the kang, Zhou Dazhu remained expressionless, staring at the ceiling.
"Let me go! You sold me to Er Mazi back then, and I begged you so much, did you ever let me go?" Zhou Xiaoyu shoved Xie Dujuan away, then looked at Zhou Dazhu lying on the bed. "Brother! You're good at everything. You even sold your own sister for your wife! And what did you get in return? The house is built! But what about your leg? Your leg is broken, and this is what you've been pursuing all this time?"
"Xie Dujuan. What you've done has broken the law, so just wait for the court summons and your sentencing." After Li Jia finished speaking, she pulled Zhou Xiaoyu towards the door. "Xiaoyu!" Zhou Dazhu, who was lying on the bed, finally broke his silence. Tears streamed down his face, and his voice was choked with emotion.
“Xiaoyu… your sister-in-law was just momentarily blinded by greed… please let her go this time… there’s two thousand yuan under the third stone on the right side of the pigsty gate… take it and return it to Fang Erma… if the rest isn’t enough, sell the pigs in the pigsty… I’ve never done anything right for you in my life, this time… I’m begging you.” Zhou Dazhu choked as he finished speaking, then fell silent once again. Tears streamed down his face.
"Yes, please forgive your sister-in-law this once! Please! I'll never try to take advantage of you again, okay?" Xie Dujuan heard Zhou Dazhu pleading for her. Although she was heartbroken about losing the two thousand yuan, compared to losing her head, the two thousand yuan was no longer so important.
“Brother Li…” Zhou Xiaoyu held Li Jia’s hand. Li Jia could feel that Zhou Xiaoyu’s small hand was trembling slightly because she was angry.
“Alright! I can spare you from going to court, but on one condition. Come with us to Fang Er Ma’s house right now, and we’ll clear things up. Don’t worry about the money or land for now, let’s go!” After Li Jia finished speaking, she pulled Zhou Xiaoyu out the door, and Xie Dujuan quickly put on her shoes and followed behind Li Jia as they walked towards Fang Er Ma’s house.
When they arrived at Fang Erma's house, there were already many people in the spacious courtyard loudly congratulating Fang Erma. Fang Erma's parents were also beaming with joy. When Li Jia led Zhou Xiaoyu, followed by Xie Dujuan, through the gate, the courtyard immediately quieted down.
"Which one of you is Fang Er Ma's parents?" Li Jia asked loudly as soon as he entered the courtyard. Although he had already figured out that the two people standing at the door with their smiling faces full of wrinkles were Fang Er Ma's parents, if he was going to act, he had to play the part completely, right? So, he still asked with a cold expression.
"I am, and you are...?" Sure enough, the two old men at the door took over the conversation with questioning expressions.
"Lawyer, regarding your son's alleged involvement in human trafficking, I, as the lawyer for my victims, have come specifically to investigate the matter. I would appreciate your cooperation! Thank you. May I ask, which one of you is Mr. Zhang Baocai, the village chief?" As soon as Li Jia finished speaking, the two elderly people's expressions changed, and the previously lively crowd dispersed.
Li Jia's words made one of the elderly men stop in his tracks. "I am the village chief. Is there a problem?"
“Of course there are. Alright, now everyone involved in this human trafficking case is here except for Zhou Dazhu, who has difficulty walking. Let’s begin. Fang Erma, please take out the receipt that we showed you earlier.” After Li Jia finished speaking, she took out her glasses from her pocket and put them on. Then she took out a pen and a small notebook and looked at the people present with a serious expression.
As soon as Li Jia finished speaking, the village chief immediately put on a stern face and looked at her, "What makes you think we've broken the law? Zhou Xiaoyu's parents are both dead, and she only has one older brother, Zhou Dazhu. There's an old Chinese saying, 'The eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother.' Zhou Dazhu has raised her for so many years, so naturally he can make decisions for her. They can decide who she marries! What right do you, an outsider, have to interfere in our village's affairs?"
No sooner had the old village chief finished speaking than Er Mazi's mother shouted at the top of her lungs, "Did you hear that? The village chief is right! Besides, they've already taken our land money, Zhou Xiaoyu should have been our daughter-in-law long ago! What law have we broken? Tell me!"
Li Jia looked at the group of people in front of her, then glanced at Zhou Xiaoyu's angry face, before turning to the village chief and the others, and said in a deep voice, "I've recorded everything you just said. Based on what you said, I can easily send you all to prison for the rest of your lives. You asked me what law you broke. I'll tell you now: First, Zhou Xiaoyu is now over sixteen years old. Legally, she is recognized as a person with independent thought, meaning she is an adult. Second, and most importantly, you gave Zhou Xiaoyu's brother five thousand yuan to buy Zhou Xiaoyu as your son's wife. According to Article 1004 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, you have committed human trafficking. So, just produce that receipt, and I can send you all to prison immediately!" Li Jia finished speaking and looked sternly at Fang Ermazi.
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