The schedule used to be packed five days a week.

Now, there were occasional idle days.

"Although it’s a good thing that there are fewer cases, I always feel something is off. When will there be another talent like Meng Lei?"

"Xiao Qin, when you’re free, why don’t you take a stroll outside and see if there’s a suitable defendant?"

"Not watching a trial today really feels a bit unusual."

"Yesterday’s case was rather intense. It involved a minor who stole a car and drove drunk. This single individual committed numerous crimes, yet in the end, was only sentenced to the Juvenile Detention Center."

Zhang Qingyuan and the others were sitting in the courtyard, chit-chatting during their free time. They started discussing yesterday’s case.

The protection for minors, they felt, had gone a little too far. A traffic accident that resulted in someone’s death, and in the end, the sentence was merely education at the Juvenile Detention Center. After Qin Mu’s explanation, they all came to understand what the Juvenile Detention Center was. It was a kind of prison, a special one for minors. But it wasn’t about harsh labor reform; it was about educational reform—essentially an alternative school. The focus was on learning various kinds of ideological and cultural knowledge.

"In a few days, there’ll be a big case," Qin Mu let slip, seeing Old Zhang and the others looking idle and bored. He recounted the situation Qing Lan had encountered. Qing Lan had once invited them to a meal, so Old Zhang and the others had a very strong impression of her.

But after hearing the rough details of this new case, Zhang Qingyuan, Li Weiguo, Song Tiancheng, and the others all widened their eyes in disbelief.

"At their age, still stealing someone else’s melons? And to be so brazen about it?"

"Elderly people might not be detained, but that doesn’t justify such arrogance, does it? I’m nearly eighty and wouldn’t dare to do such a thing."

"They deserve it! Let them be punished! Better to add a few more years to their sentence and have them spend the rest of their lives in prison!"

"They’re a real shame to us old men!"

The crowd spoke one after another, all of them extremely indignant and full of anger. This was especially true because the perpetrators in this case were elderly. This made them feel even more that their own demographic had been tarnished. They spent their days honestly in the nursing home, playing chess, cards, and occasionally fishing. After losing their ability to work, they were mostly enjoying life, spending their twilight years in peace.

But some people... were old yet refused to live peacefully, instead causing trouble and becoming thieves. No wonder the reputation of their demographic was becoming increasingly tarnished. In the past, when they took buses, they would often encounter many kind people offering their seats. But in recent years, the emergence of elderly people aggressively demanding seats had led to widespread resentment towards the elderly. And those elderly individuals who engaged in staged injury scams... had further dragged down the public’s perception of this group.

"That young lady worked so hard to grow those melons, yet these people really take it for granted."

"Xiao Qin, how long do you think they’ll be sentenced?"

"A case tried by Zizhou Court? That’s too far away; it seems we won’t be able to attend the trial in person."

"Remember to set up the screen in five days; I want to see their ugly faces!"

The crowd gathered around Qin Mu. They vehemently suggested a live broadcast be projected in the courtyard for them to watch in five days. This was the first time they had felt such disgust towards the elderly demographic. At the same time, they also wanted to witness firsthand the fate of these people under the judgment of the law.

The only pity was that a criminal record only affected direct children, not three generations of descendants. Otherwise, these melon-stealing elders... would definitely be roundly cursed by their grandchildren.

...

Time flew by swiftly.

「Five days later.」

Early in the morning, urged by Zhang Qingyuan and others, Qin Mu arrived at the nursing home. He started setting up the screen in the courtyard, preparing for the ten o’clock broadcast.

In the courtyard, by nine-thirty, it was already packed with people. Zhang Qingyuan, Li Weiguo, Song Tiancheng, and others had moved their stools into neat rows. Even Wan Zhongyuan had come to join the excitement. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Clearly, after Old Zhang and the others had spread the news, most people in the nursing home were aware of the case. The anticipation was unprecedentedly high.