This case was different from past ones; it involved crimes committed by the elderly. It resonated somewhat with them. These people, who had always been honest and upright, were very curious about the kind of old man Qin Mu described—one who stole someone else’s melons and even deliberately sought revenge.

「Ten o’clock sharp.」

The projected black screen suddenly turned into a live broadcast of the criminal trial court.

"Here it comes! Huh? Why are there only so few people in the defendant’s seat?"

"They are probably waiting in the detention room. The defendant’s seat isn’t big enough to accommodate so many defendants."

"That old man looks to be in his eighties. Surely he wouldn’t covet someone else’s few pumpkins, right?"

"God knows what they are thinking. Maybe they think taking them is no big deal, with no consequences."

"Why do I feel that they all seem very calm? Not worried at all about being sentenced?"

"..."

Zhang Qingyuan, Li Weiguo, Song Tiancheng, and others raised their heads, staring intently at the screen.

All their attention was focused on the defendant’s seat. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

At that moment, three elderly people were sitting in the defendant’s seat. In front of each person stood a placard with their name on it.

The defendant in the very center was a man named Zhao Dezhu. He seemed to be in good spirits, completely indifferent to the upcoming trial.

It wasn’t just him; the other elderly people also displayed a calm and nonchalant attitude, not taking the court session seriously at all.

"Look, everyone, their lawyer... why does he look familiar?"

"It’d be strange if he weren’t familiar. Aren’t those two Zhang Wei and Wang Dachui? What are they doing in Zizhou?"

"Really, they’re everywhere. Does this mean they’re going to defend these old men?"

"Then this is a sure thing. With Zhang Wei there, they’re bound to get a few more years."

"..."

The crowd scanned the scene, quickly noticing the two lawyers’ seats beside the defendant’s seat. The people sitting there were all too familiar to them: one was Zhang Wei, and the other was Wang Dachui.

This case was a public prosecution, and Zhang Wei and Wang Dachui were the defense lawyers for Zhao Dezhu and the other elderly defendants.

Considering Zhang Wei’s previous "track record," they felt that Zhao Dezhu and the others would definitely not escape guilt!

The reason they are so calm is probably because they know they will be sent to the prison ward for the elderly and disabled after sentencing, Qin Mu, sitting among the crowd, couldn’t help but analyze.

This was his first time seeing Zhao Dezhu and the others. Their expressions and attitudes were extremely arrogant and aggressive. Although they sat quietly in their seats, they showed no fear of the impending trial, a stark contrast to the reactions of many other defendants.

Other criminal defendants were typically nervous and unsettled. Only these individuals, as if accustomed to life’s storms, completely disregarded the courtroom.

THUD—

Following that, amidst the solemn sound of the gavel striking, high above in the courtroom, the Judgment Chief surveyed the crowd and declared gravely, "Today, the First Criminal Trial Court of the Zizhou District Court will formally conduct a public trial of Zhao Dezhu and other elderly persons accused of theft, robbery, destruction of other people’s property, and provoking trouble."

"Now, the court rules will be read. Everyone, please remain silent."

With that said, the clerk stepped forward and read aloud the nine rules of court discipline.

Meanwhile, down in the courtroom, Hu Wenning was not sitting in the plaintiff’s seat but in the witness stand. This case was entirely initiated by the Public Prosecution Service. Therefore, there was no plaintiff’s seat, only the prosecutor’s seat. But as a key witness and victim in the case, she still needed to testify in court to prove that Zhao Dezhu and the other elderly individuals had infringed upon her rights.

As for Qing Lan, she sat all alone in the empty spectator’s gallery. That’s right, in the whole case, she was the only spectator. It looked as if she had reserved the entire space for herself.

「In the nursing home.」

Zhang Qingyuan and the others started discussing again, looking puzzledly at Qin Mu.

"Xiao Qin, do people in Zizhou not like attending trials? Why is Qing Lan the only one?"

"All these seats are empty. Where are Zhao Dezhu’s relatives? Why hasn’t anyone come?"

"I always feel something is off; there’s something peculiar about this case."

"Surely they can’t all have sons like Jiang Daping?"

"..."

The spectator’s gallery was just too quiet, making them quite uncomfortable.

You see, in Jin City, the spectator’s seats at every trial were highly sought after. If you arrived late, you could only go back and watch the broadcast that day. But at the Zizhou District Court, only Qing Lan sat in the spectator’s gallery, leaving the remaining 39 seats vacant.

Listening to Old Zhang and the others, Qin Mu couldn’t help but roll his eyes. The high demand for seats in the Jin City Court’s gallery was entirely their doing. In all of Jin City, it was only these old men who couldn’t stay out of trouble, always eager to join the crowd. They went to any case. At first, they only enjoyed watching criminal cases. Gradually, when they couldn’t get a seat in the criminal trial court, they also started to appear in the civil trial court. In the courtrooms for cases dealing with divorce lawsuits, property disputes, unpaid loans, and the like, one could often see a group of elderly people sitting in the gallery, seriously watching the commotion.

"There definitely seems to be something strange. Logically, relatives of Zhao Dezhu and others should come to observe..."

Looking at the screen, Qin Mu furrowed his brows, also sensing something odd. People like Jiang Daping... are in the minority. These elderly individuals were those left behind in rural areas. Their families, upon hearing about the case, would surely send someone to check on things.