dognovel Chapter 173 How Biased Are Parents' Hearts?
Chapter 173 How Biased Are Parents' Hearts?
Shi Wanxia spent the entire morning organizing accounts. Besides the Xiao family's money shop, there were many other accounts that needed to be calculated and checked, making the workload quite substantial. After lunch, Cui Zhihao was about to take a short break when he saw Shi Wanxia still diligently working, and a sense of admiration welled up in his heart.
He walked gently to Shi Wanxia's side and said softly, "Miss Shi, you've worked hard. Please rest for a while." Shi Wanxia looked up and replied with a smile, "It's alright, I can manage. These accounts must be sorted out as soon as possible, without the slightest error."
Cui Zhihao nodded and said, "You're right, the accounts are crucial. But you also need to take care of your health and not overwork yourself." Shi Wanxia gave him a grateful look and continued working.
Time passed slowly, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Shi Wanxia's forehead. Seeing this, Cui Zhihao quickly handed her a handkerchief and said, "Wipe your sweat, don't overwork yourself."
Shi Wanxia took the handkerchief, wiped her sweat, and said, "Thank you, sir. I will finish it as soon as possible."
Finally, thanks to Shi Wanxia's efforts, the Xiao Family Bank was tidied up. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with satisfaction.
Cui Zhihao was also happy for her and said, "Miss Shi, you are really amazing. You have organized so many accounts so well." Shi Wanxia said modestly, "It is what I should do." The two smiled at each other, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
At this moment, Chief Constable Chen from the county government came to report that someone had filed a case outside the county government office. He requested that the county magistrate go to preside over the case. Cui Zhihao reminded the young lady to bring paper and pen and go with him, as the registrar also needed to record the details of the case.
Shi Wanxia, holding a pen and paper, jogged to catch up, when Cui Zhihao suddenly stopped. Shi Wanxia abruptly stopped, nearly bumping into her boss, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"mighty....."
With a "smack" of the gavel, Shi Wanxia came back to her senses and noticed two elderly people kneeling below the court, with a burly man and two young women beside them.
Shi Wanxia looked closely and saw that the two elderly people looked haggard, their eyes filled with fear and helplessness. The man, on the other hand, had a fierce face and a menacing gaze that sent chills down one's spine. The two young women had their heads down, trembling, as if they were afraid of something.
Magistrate Cui sat majestically in the courtroom and loudly asked, "Who is kneeling before me? What has he done wrong?"
The man spoke first: "Sir, these two old men are my parents. They stole my money and tried to run away, but I caught them."
The two elderly people quickly shook their heads and cried, "Sir, we didn't steal the money, he framed us."
Shi Wanxia's heart skipped a beat, sensing that things were not so simple. She carefully observed the expressions and actions of the people below the hall, trying to find some clues.
Just then, one of the young women suddenly raised her head and said loudly, "Sir, he forced us to do this. He often beats and scolds us and threatens to sell us."
The man's expression changed, and he shouted angrily, "You're talking nonsense!"
The magistrate frowned and said, "Silence! No noise is allowed in the courtroom."
Shi Wanxia watched this scene, and she already had some guesses in her mind. However, now that they were in the courtroom, she had to see how they would explain these things.
Cui Zhihao didn't want to listen to them and their unreasonable arguments. A loud "smack" startled everyone's attention.
Magistrate Cui's solemn expression and upright posture, exuding an imposing aura, genuinely intimidated the people present.
“This is not a place for you to make a lot of noise. Now quickly confess the truth.”
Everyone present was startled. The two elderly people were honest and kind, but their son and daughter-in-law were disappointing!
The old man kneeling below slowly began to speak: "This strong man is the old couple's second son. Eight years ago, we sent our second son to join the army, and we haven't heard from him for eight years. In order to prevent the Chen family line from dying out, we forced the young woman who was already our second son's wife to marry our eldest son."
"Who would have thought that the second son would come back alive? When I learned what his wife, parents, and brother had done since he left, I was heartbroken, but I could only accept it helplessly."
"I never imagined that this rebellious son would take his own savings and travel south to do business, remarry and have children, without showing any regard for family ties."
"Not only does he not give this money to us, the old couple, but he also plans to keep several taels of silver for himself. Doesn't he think about how his parents, and his brother and sister-in-law's family, will survive in the future!"
"That day, while this rebellious son was away, I gave this money to the eldest son's family. Who would have thought that when this rebellious son returned and found out, he would rely on his martial arts skills to beat his elder brother half to death and then steal the money! Your Honor, please do justice for this old man!"
Sitting in the courtroom, Cui Zhihao looked at the noisy old man below and couldn't help but feel uneasy. These matters weren't worth taking to court; they were family affairs, and the village head could handle them!
“Insolence! If you dare to make any more noise, you will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane. What else are you hiding? Come and confess.”
Cui Zhihao stared coldly at the people below the hall. The two old men were so frightened that they trembled all over and remained silent.
The man bowed first and knelt properly in front of the hall.
"My lord, let me speak for myself! I did hit my elder brother. He first took my wife, and then conspired with my parents to poison me. I saw through their scheme and escaped. In a fit of anger, I thought of asking the village head to uphold justice, demand that we divide the family property, and sever ties with them."
"But they were unworthy of being parents, and they disagreed. They even made me work for them at home and hand over all my money. I disagreed, so at the instigation of my elder brother, they reported it to the authorities and took it to court."
"My lord, I would rather throw this money away than give it to these people. Please, my lord, do me justice!"
Cui Zhihao was a bit of a headache, so he sent someone to bring the village head of Chenjia Village and Chen Laoda to be questioned.
The two old men pointed at the burly man's nose and hurled insults at him. Cui Zhihao, his face cold, slammed his gavel in anger.
"Snapped"
"Dare to be insolent again, and don't blame me for being impolite and roaring in the courtroom. Can you afford to commit such a crime?"
The two old men became obedient and knelt tremblingly in front of the hall. Shi Wanxia noticed that the burly man seemed a little uncomfortable, so she brought him a cup of tea.
"Brother Chen, have some water! That's just how the world is. Some parents are parents, and some aren't. There's no need to resent yourself for it."
The two old men were displeased and pointed at her, cursing, "How dare you, you little slut! This is official territory! How dare you, an ignorant and worthless woman, set foot here? Sirs, this slut is right under your noses..."
"Snapped"
Before he could finish speaking, Shi Wanxia slapped him across the face. The old lady, seeing this, also hurled insults. Cui Zhigao immediately ordered that both of them be slapped twenty times.
"How dare you! This young lady is the female registrar of this county. How dare you insult an official appointed by the imperial court! Guards, take her away and slap her twenty times!"
Shi Wanxia rubbed her sore wrist. "This person has a really thick skin. Looks like they've done a lot of bad things. My hand hurts from hitting them."