Chapter 6: What a wonderful piece of wood for making a surprise!

  Long Bao's surgical wound has been sutured for several days, although his leg is still a bit uncomfortable, but it's no big deal. It was already late at night, Long Bao lay on the hospital bed, turned his head to look at Qiu Ya who was sleeping soundly with her head on his arm.

  Qiu Ya lay like a small cat, softly curled up beside Long Bao, her hair scattered on the pillow, her face tightly pressed against Long Bao's shoulder, she slept very soundly, sweetly and contentedly.

  These days, Qiu Ya has become completely unscrupulous. Every night, she insists on squeezing onto the small hospital bed with Long Bao, not caring about the limited width of the hospital bed or everyone's opposition. She just wants to cling to Long Bao, sleep with him, and fall asleep smelling his scent.

  Shi Wei analyzed her and concluded that she was a unreasonable bully to Long Bao, and a heartless show-off to all her love rivals. Hai Tao said she was a narrow-minded girl, Du Ci said she was an unscrupulous flirt, Jing Er was secretly hurt but had no words to retort, De Lao shook his head in disapproval, while Zhou Qing envied her and Long Bao could only awkwardly accept it.

  Actually, no one knows the fear in Xia's heart. She seems to have a premonition and her instincts drive her to rely on Long Bao at all times, only then will she feel at ease.

  Under the soft light, Autumn's sleeping posture was quietly beautiful. Although Long Biao had a physiological reaction to her warm and fragrant body, he didn't have the kind of torture in his mind that Shi Wei mentioned, "My god, how can you stand it!" He was thinking about things, many things, especially tomorrow's trial.

  I remember the other day, Shi Wei asked Autumn Ya about his spicy and numb style: "Old Six, are you a human or a wooden pole? Such a good opportunity and you don't go up? Is it because of your leg injury? Even if you're injured, you can still get Autumn Ya to do it on top! Are you out of your mind? You can sit there calmly like that?!

  Hai Tao commented that Long Bao's heart was as calm as still water, but Shi Wei disagreed and accused Long Bao of being the "King of ** in China", saying that even eunuchs didn't have his abilities. Du Cui said that Long Bao was a gentleman, but Long Bao himself felt that this wasn't necessarily a complex exercise in self-control. He would affectionately kiss her and caress her face, but wouldn't go any further. He believed he could achieve a heart as calm as still water. As a result, Long Bao easily earned the honorific title of "The King of ** who remains unruffled throughout the universe" bestowed upon him by Shi Wei.

  Long Bao thought for a moment and suddenly smiled, but suddenly felt that Qiu Ya's body shook slightly in her sleep, and her hands and feet jumped up.

  This girl, dreaming again! Long Biao couldn't help but tighten his grip on Qiu Ya, pulling her into his chest, and covering her neck with his hand to keep the quilt from slipping off.

  With the light shining through the hospital corridor, Long Biao looked at Qiu Ya's face with her dark eyebrows and slightly trembling eyelashes. She really looked like a little girl! He couldn't help but say to himself in his heart. Qiu Ya was still sleeping soundly, breathing softly, and the flow of her breath gently lifted up the fragrance of her womanhood, deeply burying Long Biao in this boundless warm mist.

  Long Bao thought for a moment, then gently touched his lips to Qiu Ya's forehead. The quilt was indeed warm, and he wondered if the future candle night would be as exaggeratedly romantic as Shi Wei had claimed, "like a flood that cannot be stopped".

  Long Bao's body felt the soft pressure of Autumn Ya, and a wave of heat rose from his lower abdomen, gradually swelling, and soon he was struggling against the constraints of the fibers in his shorts. Long Bao quickly took a deep breath, shifted his gaze to the ceiling of the hospital room, and tried to suppress that somewhat arrogant desire, persuading himself: Little fool! You absolutely cannot learn from Hai Tao and Shi Wei's bad examples! You must save that wonderful feeling for the wedding night!

  Long Bao slightly opened his eyes and looked through the slightly closed glass window for that curved moon.

  Perhaps it was the angle of view, Long Bao didn't see the crescent moon hanging in the distant sky, but only saw the silent glow and reflection of the city blending together with the night sky, forming a ghostly light in the grid background. However, there were a few stars twinkling in the far-off cloudy sky, where some clouds seemed to be present, but their shapes couldn't be discerned.

  Lean in and listen carefully, this night is not completely silent, the trembling wind of early spring in March, accompanied by the rustling of leaves, mixed with the sound of car wheels rolling over the road, occasionally a cough or two from patients in other rooms, as if performing a symphony of urban spring nights. My own heartbeat serves as the rhythmic drumbeat for this symphony, while the soft breathing beside me provides the quiet pauses between notes, faint yet clear, distant yet close.

  "The city of rest is sighing, and the waves are like those of Taihu Lake." This sentence flashed in Longbiao's mind.

  Qiu Ya moved again, this time with a smaller amplitude, but she seemed to have woken up. With sleepy eyes, she shifted her head on Long Bao's shoulder, as if finding a more comfortable position, and fell asleep again.

  Ordinary people all say "having money and power makes things easier to handle", which is reasonable.

  On March 20th in the morning, at the Dongcheng District Court of Changhan City, a formal trial was held for Long Bao's case of intentional injury.

  Qiu Ya, Jing Er, Du Ci, Hai Tao, Shi Wei, Wen Xuan and many other classmates have arrived. Wen Li, Liu Guanghua and Liao Ye, who have been served with court summons as relevant witnesses, also came but were not allowed to attend the trial and could only wait in the room. Chang Cheng did not come, De Lao did not come.

  The clerk reported to the presiding judge that all preparations for the trial had been completed, and the presiding judge declared the court in session. He summoned Zheng Xue and Long Bao to the courtroom, asked about their identities, announced the name of the Dongcheng District People's Procuratorate, the names of the prosecutors, the method of trial, the list of members of the collegiate panel, clerks, prosecutors, defense lawyers, expert witnesses, etc., informed Zheng Xue and Long Bao of their litigation rights, asked if anyone had applied for withdrawal, and soon entered the stage of court investigation.

  The prosecutor is a big lawyer's buddy, he read out the indictment against Longbiao, and Zheng Xue's proxy lawyer also read out the statement of the attached civil lawsuit. Longbiao stood in the defendant's seat, calmly looking at Zheng Xue, listening to Zheng Xue's description of the victimization process.

  To be honest, Zheng Xue would have liked to see Long Bing sentenced to death, but if he didn't follow Zhou Jing's instructions and make a statement, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't end up back in the detention center tomorrow. Not only would all his efforts over the past few days be for nothing, but his future prospects would also become even more precarious.

  He gritted his teeth and said with a hint of resentment: "That night, I was chatting with a friend in the woods when Wu Wenli came. She's my ex-girlfriend, maybe she misunderstood that I wanted to break up with her, so we got into an argument. I didn't pay attention to her out of injustice, but when I turned back after not hearing any crying sounds, I found her lying on the ground. I bent down to pick her up and comfort her, but she wasn't moving. When I tried to investigate further, I discovered that she had slit her wrist herself, with blood gushing out. At that moment, I was scared and shouted 'Someone's dead!' as I went to seek help."

  Long Bing found Zheng Xue said "wronged" those two words very heavily, he continued to look at Zheng Xue calmly.

  Zheng Xue gritted his teeth and continued: "As a result, when I turned around, I found Wu Wenli's fellow villager Long Bao. I've always disliked this person, so I hit him a few times. As a result, he started fighting with me. He was taller than me and didn't say anything. I also didn't tell him that Wu Wenli had committed suicide. The two of us rolled onto the ground, and before I knew it, I fainted. When I came to, I was already in the hospital."

  It was Long Bao's turn to speak, and he almost verbatim repeated the police's first recorded statement. Zheng Xue watched with a pained expression as Long Bao spoke in a low tone, saying words that were absolutely beneficial to himself, clenching his fists tightly.

  ……

  The prosecutor briefly questioned Long Bao, and then the lawyer began to ask Long Bao: "Why did you want to fight with the victim Zheng Xue?"

  Long Bao calmly replied: "At that time, I didn't understand the situation. I thought he had hurt Wu Wenli and wanted to stop him from escaping. As a result, the two of them got entangled together."

  The prosecutor asked again: "At that time, was it the victim Zheng Xue who hit you first?"

  Long Bao looked at Zheng Xue with a hint of apology and replied in a low tone, "Yes, that's why I thought he was going to escape."

  The lawyer picked up another plastic bag, which seemed to contain a blood-stained piece of cloth, and asked: "Is this yours?"

  Long Bao recognized the fragment and replied: "It's mine."

  The great lawyer said: "What did you use it for?"

  Long Bao said: "I tore it from my clothes to use as a bandage for Wu Wenli's wrist."

  After the judges informed Liao Ye, Liu Guanghua and Wen Li of their legal responsibility to provide truthful testimony and intentionally providing false testimony or concealing evidence, the prosecutor and lawyers also questioned them smoothly, and Long Bao's plan was getting closer to its end.

  Zheng Xue's anger was burning, he had been greatly wronged in this forensic examination. The previous medical records and the results of auxiliary examinations such as X-rays, CT scans, and B-ultrasound had already been handed over under duress. Therefore, the previous forensic report on severe injuries did not have any supporting evidence to back it up, and could only rely on the fake diagnosis based on his physical recovery in the past half year.

  Zheng Xue really wanted to shout out the truth, but his anger was suppressed by his own rationality. Zhou Jing's words echoed in his ears again, and he slumped down on the stool, speechless.

  This trial went surprisingly smoothly, with a relatively harmonious atmosphere between the two sides and no sharp confrontations.

  The collegiate bench did not adjourn due to doubts about the evidence, and after the court investigation was completed, the court debate began. The prosecutor's indictment was obviously weak, and there was no direct evidence to support the prosecution's position. On the contrary, the defense lawyer's logic was tight and the evidence was strong. The prosecution and defense were clearly distinguished from each other without mutual recrimination. Later, the prosecutor simply gave up with silence.

  The presiding judge announced the end of the court debate and immediately declared that the defendant Long Bing would make a final statement.

  Long Bao stood like a stone, scanning the familiar faces of the people listening with complex eyes. Autumn Ya looked at her own eyes and still felt entwined with a hint of anxiety. Jing Er's eyes seemed to be conveying a conviction, Hai Tao was encouraging and relieved, Du Ci and those classmates were tense and waiting, only Shi Wei had a smug and sneering smile!

  Long Bao slightly concentrated his mind and looked around the courtroom, according to the introduction, this is the most sacred and majestic place, it's the home of the law. However, there are tens of thousands or even millions of such places in the whole country, just like the temples that are everywhere in the country. I remember that next to the ancient village of Xiongshan, there was a small temple with very prosperous incense, and the reason why it had very prosperous incense was that as long as you, this pilgrim, burned a lot of paper money, incense sticks, and offered sacrifices, and sincerely knelt down and prayed, then it would definitely guarantee that your wishes would be fulfilled. Of course, that small temple is very small, and can't compare to the grandeur of this courtroom.

  Three judges sat behind a long table, with the national emblem on their heads, shoulders carrying scales, and the wall behind them also hung a huge golden national emblem. The pattern of the national emblem is really beautiful, with five-pointed stars and ears of rice, and the red background is full of the blood of truly great martyrs! Judges, prosecutors, police officers, and many government officials all wear hats with the national emblem on their uniforms. For them, the national emblem does not have such complex components and texture, it simply represents the power that distinguishes between different classes.

  Long Bao finally fixed his gaze on that "惊堂木" (surprise stick), Long Bao didn't know what it was called, but it seemed to resemble the oily and smooth wooden board used by ancient officials when hearing cases. Ancient people called it "惊堂木", made from high-quality wood according to certain specifications. The current thing with a similar function was unknown in terms of material, quality, or composition. Long Bao remembered that he hadn't seen any description of this thing in the books he read before. Its shape was quite playful, just like those scratchy sticks sold on the street for two yuan each, with a small rubber ball at one end that could be used to strike and massage.

  Long Wan's face suddenly turned serious as he remembered that this was a courtroom and hurriedly began what was supposed to be his final statement.

  This is the statement prepared by the lawyer in advance for him, and the lawyer has repeatedly emphasized that Long Bing must read it out as written, and must not modify or add any new facts or evidence on his own initiative in this final statement, otherwise the collegiate bench will think that it may affect the correct judgment and restore the court investigation, and then there will be another court debate, which is purely a redundant branch.

  The dragon's scales flowed smoothly, finishing the steady and stable statement, which was carefully crafted by a great lawyer, with a weight of one word worth a thousand words. One more word would be verbose, and one less word would greatly reduce its persuasive power and infectiousness.

  Long Bao's final statement was finished, and the presiding judge immediately announced a recess. He led the collegiate bench to conduct a secret deliberation based on the facts of the case presented during the trial. Naturally, in a case where the facts were clear, the evidence was sufficient, there was no subjective intent to harm, it was purely an excessive defense, the defendant had promptly and voluntarily stopped the excessive defensive measures, and had provided humanitarian assistance to one of the deceased, the collegiate bench could not have had differing opinions on deliberation. Moreover, since Long Bao had volunteered to pay 100,000 yuan as compensation to the victim Zheng Xue, everyone reached a unanimous opinion that he could be exempt from criminal liability and punishment!

  The presiding judge sternly slammed the "惊堂木" again and announced the verdict on the spot, making a decision that conformed to the will of the majority: "Insufficient evidence in this case, unable to confirm the defendant's guilt, the alleged crime cannot be established!" Acquittal.

  Zheng Xue hesitated for a long time and finally expressed his obedience to the verdict. Long Bao also sincerely accepted the verdict, and the first trial procedure was declared a success.

  However, prosecutors still had to file an appeal. So the Dongcheng District People's Procuratorate filed an appeal with the Changhan City Intermediate People's Court.

  The second-instance people's court, after examination, believed that the facts of the original judgment were clear and the application of law was appropriate. The appeal request could not be established, and a wise decision was made to "dismiss the appeal and maintain the original judgment". It was also declared as the final judgment, which cannot be appealed again.

  This is what happened a month later.

  At 9:00 am Beijing time on March 18, the United States gave Saddam a final ultimatum of 48 hours. At 10:34 am on March 20, just as the dragon was about to appear in court, the United States launched a military attack on Iraq, and the Second Gulf War broke out!

  Now that Long Bao is safe and sound, Shi Wei feels he has completed his mission of caring for Long Bao. Now he has even more important things waiting for him to pay attention to - big things, world-class things! He loves watching battles the most in this life! F-16s, Patriots, Tomahawks, B-2 stealth bombers and all sorts of latest models of weapons are gathering on the stage in the Gulf, this oil-rich land. Isn't this exciting?!

  The leopard seemed to have also felt the joy of freedom, and with a burst of energy, it used its mouth to nudge Longbiao's leg, asking him to pay more attention to it and not always talk to everyone else. After all, it had to take care of its own dog emotions. Longbiao was a bit indifferent to the leopard, which became even more mischievous and ran off to Shi Wei, who was watching Hong Kong Phoenix TV.

  Long Wan was on the phone with Qian Lao, whose voice was both aged and cheerful: "Little Long, congratulations on being acquitted! Haha!"

  Long Bao sighed and said: My Chang'an plan, can be said to have ended perfectly! He respectfully said: "Chairman, if it weren't for your trust in me and your selfless help, I wouldn't have had this safe and sound verdict no matter what. ……"

  Qian Lao laughed and said, "All of this is the result of your own intelligence and wisdom, haha! My help to you isn't as selfless as you think, hehe. Let me tell you another great thing: all futures positions have been closed out, and funds have been invested in index futures market! When can you come back? You must attend the listing ceremony of our investment company. Bring your grandfather along when you come!"

  Longbo responded with a series of goodbyes, and after another round of casual chatter, they hung up the phone.

  Shi Wei perked up his ears to listen to the news report, while rolling his eyes to observe Long Bao's facial expressions as he answered the phone. Seeing Long Bao's joyful smile, Shi Wei immediately leaned in, warmly embracing him and asked: "Old Six, is there another great thing happening?"

  Long Bao smiled silently, Shi Wei immediately became furious and said: "Damn it! I've never seen anyone like you who doesn't even let out a fart when asking questions! Luckily I'm not borrowing money from you, if I were to borrow money from this multimillionaire, I think we wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore! Damn it! A scourge on society! It's a pity that beautiful women like you!"

  Long Bao heard this and smiled again, saying: "Third Brother, you want money? That's easy to arrange. How much do you want? I'll give it to you, no need to pay me back."

  "Really?" Shi Wei's face lit up with joy, saying, "How about giving 18 million to spend?"

  Qiu Ya, Jing Er, Du Ci, Wen Li, Hai Tao, Bao Bei Fen and Zhou Qing were all gathered in the private room of this restaurant, when they heard Shi Wei's shameless question, they couldn't help but burst out laughing, wondering how Long Bao would respond.

  Long Bao still smiled and said: "What are you preparing money for?"

  "We, the descendants of hardworking and simple laborers, will not waste a single penny! We must use our precious money wisely! First, I need to buy a house for my stomach, a four-bedroom, two-hall one, which costs 600,000 yuan; second, to save on taxi fares, I need to buy a small car, just a decent one, like a Chevrolet sedan, which costs another 200,000 yuan; third, to quickly get my stomach married off, I need to spend 100,000 yuan on an engagement ring; fourth, for the future of our little ones... after calculating all this, it's really not possible to do it with less than one million! You see, where did I waste a single penny?"

  "Alright, I'll give you a million, but there's one condition: you're not allowed to speak for a week."

  Shi Wei was shocked and disbelieving, looking at Long Bao with a puzzled expression: "Damn it, you're not playing me, are you? You think I'm easy to fool? Even selling Jing Er's blood to you would cost 100 milliliters! What makes you think I'd give it to you?"

  Long Wan smiled and looked at him, saying: "Isn't what you just said the ideal life of a normal person? What's money? Didn't you always say that 'money is a son of a bitch'? This financial operation was very successful, I've already made enough to build reservoirs and roads for my fellow villagers, and there's even a lot left over. If I don't give it to you, who should I give it to?"

  "Remember, your conditions are an exception to others. You like to swear too much, so you'll be punished from now on for a week, not allowed to speak. One sentence costs one million, and the punishment will continue until it's finished!"

  Shi Wei hehe smiled twice and said: "This is what you said! Everyone can testify! Mom, isn't it just talking? I don't believe I can't bear it!"

  Haitao knew about Longbiao's prank on Shiwei, so he hurriedly shouted loudly: "Alright, from now on! Shiwei shut up, not allowed to speak!"

  Shi Wei triumphantly and proudly raised his head, deliberately covering his mouth with his hand, twisting his waist and sitting in front of the TV, letting everyone's loud laughter continue.

  Missiles of the US-British coalition tore through the sky above the Gulf, "Boom! Boom!" The sound of huge explosions shook the air as war broke out. Steel and explosives, along with the blood of Iraqis, turned the night sky over the Gulf red.

  On the same day, Chang'an City TV publicly reported the city's first suspected case, and the patient was treated at Chang'an City People's Hospital.