Hongyan was taken to the county town by the Public Security Bureau early in the morning. Xie Zhi couldn't leave today. He switched classes with other teachers yesterday afternoon, so Xu Yan had to accompany her.

Xie Zhi looked at the sleeping girl, leaned over and kissed her forehead gently: "Good girl."

"Jiaojiao, are you still sleeping?" Xu Yan knocked on the door. He worked in the village office. Now that a murder case had occurred in the village, he had to go to the city to help deal with it.

"Brother, let me change my clothes." She was not in the mood to pack.

But Xie Zhi said that he was going to the county to find his third brother today. Only his third brother could help with things like hiring a lawyer. Xu Jiaojiao felt a little scared because she didn't even know what her brother looked like.

The third brother Xu Bai worked in the county’s propaganda department. He was an excellent writer and he submitted his articles to the literary club when he was still in high school.

"Talk to your third brother later. He misses you so much. In the past, the first thing he did after receiving his royalties was to buy you candy." Xu Yan reminded her, fearing that his sister would get confused and quarrel with her third brother.

When Xu Jiaojiao was chasing after Sheng Jie, she often took his manuscripts to embarrass Xu Bai and insisted on publishing them in the county. For this, the third brother received countless criticisms.

Xu Jiaojiao nodded seriously, but in fact she had no memory of her third brother at all.

..........

The two of them soon arrived at the gate of the Propaganda Department. Now, unlike in later times, everything had to be proven and communicated.

"Comrade, let's look for Xu Bai from the Propaganda Department."

"You must be Comrade Xu's brothers and sisters, right? He greeted you this morning. Just go to office room 314 on the second floor." The comrade from the communication office took one look at their identification documents and let them in.

Xu Jiaojiao tightly grasped her brother's sleeve and looked around. Although it was a government department, it was far less imposing than later ones. It was just a six-story building. The place was very small, and the most conspicuous thing was the national flag in the middle.

As Xu Yan and Xu Jiaojiao walked along, they attracted a lot of attention. The brother and sister were really good-looking, and both men and women liked them.

Xu Jiaojiao was wearing a goose yellow blouse today, with her hair still in a side ponytail. This outfit and makeup reduced her sharpness and made her look much more approachable.

There was a knock on the door, followed by hurried footsteps from inside the house, and the door was opened almost instantly.

What came into view was a tall man in a Zhongshan suit. He had a similar elegant temperament to Xu Yan and wore a pair of glasses. He was obviously a well-educated intellectual.

The first thing Xu Bai looked at was Jiaojiao, who was standing a little further back. Seeing the girl's fair skin, he nodded secretly.

"Come in."

Xu Jiaojiao sat on a chair beside her in a daze, feeling a little uneasy. She smiled narrowly, "Third Brother."

Xu Bai smiled meaningfully, nodded and said "hmm".

"Jiaojiao has grown taller and more beautiful. I heard from dad that she is going to marry Azhi."

"Well, I've bought my wedding dress."

Xu Yan handed over the thing in his hand: "Brother, these are the dumplings that mom made for you. Below is the chicken soup."

After a while of greeting, Xu Bai was called to a meeting, leaving the two of them in the office. Xu Jiaojiao completely lost her scruples and turned around to take a good look at the surroundings.

The whole room is about a dozen square meters, but in this day and age it is quite impressive to have an independent office, Xu Jiaojiao leaned close to her brother's ear.

"Brother, Third Brother is so awesome, he even has his own office."

Xu Yan smiled and pinched his sister's cheek. Wearing a white shirt, he looked like a tall man from later generations: "You are obsessed with officials, but I am really capable."

When Xu Bai finished the meeting, it was almost time to get off work. The food Yan Fenglian brought was still hot. He ate a few bites, and then the three of them left.

Xu Bai brought the two of them to a state-owned restaurant. He ordered a few meat dishes, glanced at his watch, and waited silently.

"Third brother, are we waiting for a lawyer?" The girl's tone was soft and really endearing.

"A comrade in our office introduced one of his relatives to us. He used to be a lawyer and university teacher."

Xu Bai smiled and filled the teacups of several people. His long, slender hands looked particularly beautiful. He then took out a gift box from his arms and handed it to Xu Jiaojiao.

She glanced at the two of them, took it in a daze, opened it, and saw a shiny bracelet inside, decorated with flowers. Xu Jiaojiao's eyes widened and she couldn't help touching it again and again.

"That's beautiful, bro."

Then he looked at his third brother expectantly: "This is for me."

Xu Bai half raised his eyebrows and nodded with a smile, then he touched his sister's head and said matter-of-factly: "If not you, who else should I give it to? You are our Jiaojiao."

Xu Jiaojiao picked up the bracelet with a smile and held it up to the sunlight. The setting sun that filtered through the fallen leaves by the window fell on the girl's face, casting a shadow on her soft eyebrows. Her pink cheeks were covered with fine down, which looked incredibly beautiful.

Guan Zhiman outside stared with his eyes wide open, and his breathing subconsciously became lighter, for fear of disturbing this beautiful scenery.

Across the street, through the glass window of the hotel, I saw the godlike girl holding a bracelet in her hand and flirting with the man opposite. Her sharp black eyes swept over: "Xu Bai, you are really capable."

Xu Jiaojiao said in a crisp voice: "Brother, I really like it. Thank you, brother. I will treat you well." She looked at it again and again without letting it go.

Xu Bai bought this bracelet for his sister when he went on a business trip to the provincial capital. He fell in love with it at first sight and thought it was very suitable for Jiaojiao.

Seeing that she liked it so much, he was very happy: "I'm glad you like it. On the day of your wedding, I will give you a big gift."

"Fourth brother wants one for me too." Xu Jiaojiao raised her cheeks proudly.

"Okay, Fourth Brother will buy it for you too."

"Xu Bai." Guan Zhiman interrupted the conversation of the three people. A man in a moon-white gown was standing at the door of the store. Xu Jiaojiao looked over when she heard the voice. He was so handsome that she always felt like she had traveled through time.

"Zhi Man, you're here, come and sit down." Xu Bai stood up pretending to be enthusiastic, walked forward and called him over. The two shook hands in a friendly manner, and when they parted, she lightly hooked her fingers on his palm.

Guan Zhiman sat opposite Xu Jiaojiao, and glanced around with smiling eyes: "Who are these two?"

"These are my brother and sister. We came here mainly to ask for your help."

After hearing the relationship between the three, he was finally relieved and glanced at Xu Bai unintentionally.

Then, several people told the general story again. During this process, Guan Zhiman was listening carefully, but his playful eyes were always focused on Xu Jiaojiao. He would ask questions from time to time while listening. At least Xu Jiaojiao felt that he was quite professional.

Guan Zhiman tapped the table lightly with her fingers for a long while before saying, "The current law does not have strict provisions for manslaughter after domestic violence, and there is a lack of clear identification, specific relief measures and sanction standards, and the regulations on law enforcement entities are not clear enough."

Guan Zhiman looked at the three people who were listening attentively and smiled happily. These three siblings looked quite similar.

"In general, if it can be proved that Qin Hongyan did suffer great domestic violence and physical harm, and fought back when she had no choice, these will also become considerations of the rule."

"In my opinion, the most likely outcome is a death sentence, but a suspended sentence of fifteen to twenty years."

After hearing Guan Zhiman's answer, Xu Jiaojiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and stroked her chest with her white and tender hands: "It's okay, at least she won't die. If Hongyan works hard to reform herself in there, she can get her sentence commuted and released earlier."

Guan Zhiman looked a little surprised. People nowadays think that death with a suspended sentence is equivalent to death, and few people know that the sentence can be commuted.

"Jiaojiao knows a lot." He said in an ambiguous tone.

Xu Bai glanced at Guan Zhiman with his narrow black eyes, but said nothing in the end. Xu Yan pinched his sister's waist.

Xu Jiaojiao also realized that she knew too much, and explained sheepishly: "I read Ah Zhi's book, and that's what it said."

Guan Zhiman took out a box of candies prepared for her niece and threw it into Xu Jiaojiao's arms: "Jiaojiao is very cute, I like her very much."