Counterattack! Counterattack! And Counterattack Again!

Li Li had just opened her mouth when Li Sheng, standing beside her, gave her a sharp tug.

But Li Li shot him a glare, shook off his hand, and trotted over to Xu De. With a somewhat ingratiating smile, she said:

"That's right, that's right. My ma told me before she died last year."

"Back then, she even found someone in the village who could read and write to teach them how to write their names. After they signed, they put their thumbprints on it."

"Those two bastards have owed us money for ten years and still haven't paid it back!"

Li Li kept cursing them until she suddenly stopped and looked at Xu De again. She asked cautiously:

"Tell me, is not paying back money you owe against the law? Would the police do anything about it?"

An unpaid debt was a small matter. It was no use to Xu De.

But if there was an IOU on which Li Youcai and Liu Cui had personally written what the money was for, complete with their thumbprints... that would be incredibly useful!

It was eleven at night.

Xu De stood at the village entrance, swallowed by darkness. His throat bobbed, and a sharp gleam lit his eyes.

I've caught a big one...

He had known that villagers like Li Li could provide some evidence if they were willing.

But he had never imagined she could produce something like this!

An IOU. She actually had an IOU signed and thumbprinted by Li Youcai and Liu Cui, with a detailed description of what the money was for!!!

Was it useful?

On its own, not really. It might even be fair to say it was of little use. Why?

Because it was isolated evidence. If Li Youcai and Liu Cui claimed they had never bought anyone, or came up with some other excuse, the prosecutor and judge would never accept it.

It was the same with Wang Mei. Even if she accused Li Youcai and Liu Cui, she still could not do anything to them, because her testimony was also isolated evidence.

But that was where things got interesting...

Taken separately, they were isolated pieces of evidence. Put them together, though... and that changed everything!

"Are you sure?"

Xu De fixed her with a piercing stare, though he softened his tone so his excitement would not show.

"The IOU was from ten years ago, before Wang Mei was sold? You're sure both of them put their thumbprints on it?"

"And it states what the loan was for?"

Li Li was not concerned with the fact that they had borrowed money to buy a wife.

What mattered more to her was whether failing to repay a debt was "against the law." She nodded.

"That's right. Three days after they borrowed the money, they bought her and brought her home."

"A while back, Li Youcai even told us that if the police came asking whether they'd had anything to do with buying a wife, we should say no..."

It's real!

Xu De's blood warmed, and several ideas sprang to mind.

If Wang Mei's account and identification as the victim were isolated evidence, with nothing to corroborate them...

Then once this IOU came to light...

Those isolated pieces would immediately become an unbreakable Chain of Evidence!

A Chain of Evidence.

An ironclad Chain of Evidence!

Some people might not understand what that meant. Put it this way:

Many believed that after committing a crime, they could simply refuse to confess, maintain their denial in court, and leave the judge unable to convict them.

They could not have been more wrong.

If the Chain of Evidence was strong enough, even without a confession, the Presiding Judge could convict and sentence someone!!!

That was the credibility and weight a Chain of Evidence carried in court!

"Li Youcai and Liu Cui have escaped punishment, dared to fight for custody, and demanded an outrageous 230,000 yuan in the Civil Lawsuit attached to the criminal case..."

"All because the police couldn't put together a Chain of Evidence!"

Xu De's expression shifted as countless possibilities surfaced in his mind.

"Now that I have that Chain of Evidence, their demand for 230,000 yuan is a joke!"

In a civil suit, a substantial award required the claimant to be an innocent victim. Those two were no victims.

They were accomplices to Li Erniu, the perpetrator in the trafficking case!

Under those circumstances...

Forget Legitimate Self-Defense.

Even if Wang Qiang was found guilty of Excessive Self-Defense, if Xu De let the compensation exceed 10,000 yuan, all his years of legal study might as well have gone to waste!

Of course, the money was not the point. The point was...

"This can prove Li Youcai and Liu Cui took part in the trafficking that led to Li Erniu's death!"

"If Li Li and the others are willing to testify, they could even accuse the two of abuse, aiding an attempted rape, Intentional Injury, and unlawful confinement..."

Xu De's mind raced as he made a quick calculation.

A moment later, a number emerged.

"At least fifteen years in prison!"

"No... their attitude has been atrocious. They even assaulted police officers, gave false testimony, and repeatedly obstructed rescue efforts..."

"Twenty years!"

"At least twenty years. Whether it becomes life imprisonment may come down to the judge!"

With multiple offenses sentenced together, the charges he could clearly establish would bring at least twenty years, and probably twenty-five.

It might not amount to life.

But Li Youcai and Liu Cui were already over sixty!

Forget a life sentence. Even ten or twenty years would likely keep them behind bars until they died. It would be no different from a death sentence!

At that moment,

Xu De's "conservative" approach to the Trial Hearing quietly began to change. It grew... aggressive!

Counterattack...

Counterattack, and counterattack again!

Xu De wanted his client satisfied... No, he had to make sure his client was completely satisfied!

Clear Wang Qiang of the charge? Keep him out of prison and call that enough?

That was only right. It was the way things should have been from the start.

He needed Li Youcai and Liu Cui to reap what they had sown and spend the rest of their lives in prison!!!

"Is there anything else?"

Xu De's eyes burned as he stared at Li Li and pressed her again.

"I mean, does anyone else know about this? If we can get two more people... that'll be enough!"

One person's testimony still was not a sure thing.

If two or three neighbors with independent households could identify them together, Li Youcai and Liu Cui would never escape his grasp!

Li Li had been about to shake her head.

After all, if other people got involved, would she still get everything for herself?

But then she thought it over. Without anyone else, she might get nothing at all. Besides, bringing in two more people would give her some protection, in case someone else tried to claim things after Li Youcai went to prison.

"Old Zhang's family, and Li Erniu's second uncle's family."

Li Li thought for a moment and named a few people she knew well.

"Old Zhang saw them borrow the money. They borrowed from Li Erniu's second uncle too, though his IOU doesn't say anything about buying a wife. They haven't paid him back either."

"That's enough," Xu De said at once.

After a moment's thought, he added:

"Here's what we'll do. For now, don't give the IOU to anyone but me."

"First, I need to record your witness statement about Wang Qiang's case."

"Be objective and accurate. Stick to the facts. If the police come, don't be afraid. Just tell the truth!"

The IOU could not be revealed yet.

The first priority was keeping Wang Qiang out of prison, and for that, he still needed Li Youcai and Liu Cui to sign a Letter of Understanding and a Criminal Settlement Agreement.

If they learned about the IOU, they would be backed into a corner, and he would lose those two powerful weapons.

So...

Once Li Youcai signs and Wang Qiang is spared prison, I'll use the IOU to complete the Chain of Evidence and put both of them on trial!

Xu De made up his mind.

He looked at Li Li, then took the four hundred yuan he had left from his pocket and handed it to her.

"After we record your statement, give me the IOU."

"Consider three hundred yuan of this Li Yang's living expenses for the time being."

"Use the other hundred for phone calls. Find someone with a phone and call this number to reach me."

Xu De took out the paper and pen he carried and wrote down a string of numbers.

Then he recorded witness statements from Li Li and Li Sheng.

They went home to fetch the IOU and returned. Once Xu De confirmed it was valid,

he said a discreet goodbye to the two of them.

They watched him walk away.

"Three thousand four hundred yuan. We couldn't make that much from farming in two years!"

"And that's not even counting the Li family's house and those fertile fields!!!"

Li Li and Li Sheng stood at the village entrance, thinking just that.

Warm smiles spread across their faces as they waved goodbye. Anyone watching might have thought they were family!

As for Xu De,

once he was some distance away, he met up with Wang Chao, who had been waiting nearby, and they walked to where the van was parked.

Inside, Lin Yue had returned with the child some time ago. Seeing both men come back unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she looked at Xu De in puzzlement and asked,

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing much. Just picked up a little something."

A faint smile appeared on Xu De's face. He turned and narrowed his eyes at the dark, deathly still Li Family Village.

This time...

I came away with quite a haul!

"Let's head back the way we came!"

"Once the court opens, we'll submit Li Li's recanted testimony."

"Let's give the prosecutor some work to do and keep him up for a few nights!"