Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 574 - 226: Wherever There are Elders, Qin Mu Will Surely Appear_3

"Third, the crime of abandonment requires severe circumstances. According to judicial interpretation, these include causing the victim serious injury or death due to abandonment; becoming homeless and begging in the streets due to abandonment; living in dire poverty due to abandonment; or committing suicide due to abandonment..."

"But Feng Cuihua’s living conditions have not reached such an extent, and she remains well to this day."

"Fourth..."

Sitting across from Wang Dachui, Qin Mu laid out all the defense points he had just listed. These defense points were all based on the elements constituting the crime of abandonment, aiming to argue for its dismissal.

Wang Dachui, listening to one defense point after another, was completely dumbfounded. He had been studying criminal law for almost half a year. He initially thought that although there was a gap between him and Qin Mu, it wasn’t very large. But after listening to Qin Mu’s series of defenses, he realized he was far too naive. In just ten minutes, Qin Mu had listed so many key defense points, each one targeting a relevant legal loophole. Anyone who didn’t know better might think Qin Mu had an entire criminal code memorized in his head.

Just the first point alone... he didn’t know how to rebut it. The crime of abandonment indeed stipulated three categories of people. Apart from these three categories, others could not be charged with abandonment. Originally, he thought Feng Cuihua belonged to the category of being elderly, jobless, and without a source of income. But after Qin Mu’s explanation, he realized there was such a thing as social welfare assistance.

"It’s your turn."

Listening to Qin Mu’s prompt, Wang Dachui hung his head, almost on the verge of tears. This opposing lawyer in the mock trial... his fighting strength is simply too strong! He completely muddled my thoughts! He faltered and stammered for a long time without getting to the point. In the end, the mock trial concluded with a complete victory for Qin Mu.

"How about... we do a review?" Wang Dachui proposed cautiously, looking at Qin Mu’s speechless face.

A review meant Qin Mu would directly tell him the countermeasures. On my own... it would probably take me several days to figure out a response, he thought.

Qin Mu rolled his eyes but still spoke seriously, "Actually, the first point about social welfare assistance can be addressed..."

Wang Dachui transitioned from civil cases, so his proficiency in criminal law is indeed lacking. If it were Zhang Wei, he would probably come up with a countermeasure quickly and could engage in a more intense confrontation with me, Qin Mu thought.

"Oh... I see... so that’s another way to do it..." Wang Dachui kept exclaiming in amazement as he listened to the "answer," looking as if he’d had an epiphany.

Time slowly passed.

「Seven days later.」

Outside the nursing home, early in the morning, it was a bustling scene, teeming with people. Thanks to Zhang Qingyuan spreading the word, all the elderly residents in the nursing home knew about Feng Cuihua’s case. Regardless of their age, they all came out to join in the excitement.

"Cuihua, you must win! It’s a pity the observer seats are limited; we can only cheer for you from here in the nursing home."

"Cuihua, don’t worry too much. With Young Qin on the case, it’s your sons who should be worried."

"You all should head off now, or all the seats might be taken."

"Go early and come back early; try to be back for lunch."

"..."

The elderly residents who weren’t planning to attend the trial stood at the entrance, their expressions full of excitement as they watched Qin Mu, Wang Dachui, Feng Cuihua, Zhang Qingyuan, and the others leave. As "fellow residents," they were very concerned about Feng Cuihua’s case.

After seeing Qin Mu and the others off, the crowd hurried back into the courtyard, urging the staff to set up screens. Sitting on small stools, they were all spirited and extremely excited, waiting for the trial to begin at ten o’clock.

Since Meng Lei had faded from the scene, they hadn’t been this excited in a while. In a corner, Wan Zhongyuan had also brought a stool and mingled among them. Clearly, he was very interested in this case too.

「Nine-thirty. Jin City Court. Second Criminal Court.」

Qin Mu, leading a large group of elderly people, walked into the courtroom under the watchful eyes of the court officers. These court officers remained calm, not the least bit flustered, contrasting sharply with the court officers of the intermediate court. They were quite accustomed to dozens of elderly people coming to observe the proceedings simultaneously.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others entered the gallery and gradually took their "usual spots," willingly saving the prime seat in the gallery for Qin Mu. Meanwhile, Wang Dachui, accompanying Feng Cuihua, went to their designated places. In this case, Wang Dachui was the plaintiff’s lawyer, and Feng Cuihua was the plaintiff.

Stepping into the courtroom for the first time, Feng Cuihua looked around nervously. Seeing this, Zhang Qingyuan quickly left his seat, went over to her, and said comfortingly, "Don’t be nervous. When the trial starts, just answer whatever questions the judge asks you. Leave the rest to Dachui."

With that, he turned to a court officer next to the plaintiff’s bench and said very familiarly, "Xiao Zhao, this is my companion. If anything comes up during the trial, please look out for her."

The court officer gave a wry smile but nodded anyway.

Meanwhile, in the gallery, Qin Mu witnessed this scene and couldn’t help but widen his eyes. I didn’t expect Zhang Qingyuan... to have unknowingly gotten acquainted with even the court officers!

"AHEM. I’ve attended so many hearings that I recognize a few of these officers; several of them even live near our nursing home," Zhang Qingyuan said casually as he returned to his seat.

Qin Mu: "..."

「Courthouse lobby. Observer registration desk.」

"Sorry, the observer quota for the Second Criminal Court is full."