The Criminal Suspect's Family

The afternoon flowed slowly through the law firm, sunlight filtering through the blinds and casting stripes of light and shadow on the polished floor.

Lin Feng sat at his temporary workstation outside Lawyer Zhou's office, flipping through some law firm introductions and basic legal document templates that Lawyer Zhou had given him, which was his initial learning after joining the company.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door.

"Please come in," Zhou Wenyuan replied without looking up.

The door was pushed open a crack, and a head peeked in. It was a man who looked to be around forty years old, with dark skin and a face roughened by years of wind and sun. His eyes revealed a farmer's simplicity and an obvious unease. He was wearing a worn-out jacket and clutching a canvas bag tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Excuse me... excuse me, are you Great Lawyer Zhou?" The man's voice was a little hoarse, with a heavy local accent.

Zhou Wenyuan then looked up, put down his pen, and gave a professional, gentle smile, "It's me, please come in. How can I help you?"

Only then did the man seem to receive permission. He cautiously stepped inside, gently closed the door behind him, and stood on the doormat, somewhat at a loss, not daring to take another step forward.

"Sit down, don't be nervous." Zhou Wenyuan gestured to the customer chair opposite the desk.

The man nodded repeatedly, almost shuffling over to sit down, half his buttocks touching the edge of the chair, his back ramrod straight, his canvas bag clutched tightly to his chest.

Lin Feng also stopped what he was doing. As an assistant, he needed to take notes on the key points of the consultation, but more than that, he was simply curious. This client's temperament was completely different from the shrewd, anxious, or arrogant clients that Junyue Law Firm usually dealt with.

Zhou Wenyuan picked up the notepad and pen on the table and asked in a calm tone, "What's your name? What legal issues have you encountered?"

"I... I'm Li Xiaojun." The man licked his slightly chapped lips, his voice lowered, "I'd like to inquire about... my wife's case."

"Your spouse's case?" Zhou Wenyuan nodded. "What are the specifics? What stage is it at now?"

Li Xiaojun struggled to organize his thoughts. "The police told me... that it was attempted murder."

"Attempted murder?" Zhou Wenyuan repeated, his expression becoming more serious. "That's a serious crime. Tell me the whole story in detail, don't leave out any details."

"Okay, okay." Li Xiaojun took a deep breath and began to narrate, "It's just... it was a few nights ago..."

He had barely begun speaking when he mentioned that his wife had tried to harm him but failed, and that similar incidents had occurred more than once.

Zhou Wenyuan keenly grasped the key information. He raised his hand, made a pause gesture, and with an extremely strange expression on his face, interrupted Li Xiaojun's words, confirming:

"Wait. You mean... your wife tried to murder you three times, and failed each time?"

His tone was filled with disbelief. Even with his extensive experience and handling of countless bizarre cases, such a "serial attempted murder," especially from a spouse, was truly rare.

Li Xiaojun was taken aback by the question, then nodded very honestly, his expression even a little... helpless. "Ah, yes... that's how it is."

Zhou Wenyuan rubbed his temples, trying to process the information. He adjusted his posture, leaning slightly forward.

"Mr. Li, I'm sorry, but I might need to double-check. Our firm primarily handles criminal defense, which means providing legal services to suspects accused of crimes. If you'd like to consult about being a victim..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Xiaojun hurriedly waved his hand, his face showing a mixture of honesty and anxiety. "Look at you, saying that again! Lawyer Zhou, I know! I'm just... a prisoner's family member, you know!"

"A prisoner's family member?" Zhou Wenyuan's strange expression reached its peak instantly, and the corner of his mouth even twitched almost imperceptibly. The dual identities of victim and prisoner's family member were concentrated in one person, which was really a bit... awkward. He subconsciously glanced at Lin Feng beside him.

Lin Feng, who was holding a pen and preparing to take notes, paused on the paper upon hearing Li Xiaojun's words. He looked up at the seemingly honest Li Xiaojun, then at Lawyer Zhou, whose expression was almost out of control, and a strange feeling arose in his heart... as if he were watching a real-life absurd drama. He tried to maintain a calm exterior, but his eyes already revealed a hint of focused, gossipy interest.

"Alright," Zhou Wenyuan, being a highly professional individual, quickly composed himself and nodded. "Continue, tell me the details of each of the three... uh, events."

With permission, Li Xiaojun began to recount the story in detail, his tone flat and straightforward, yet carrying a strange and absurd quality that made people both laugh and cry.

"My wife and I have always had a good relationship. I work on construction sites, and she takes care of things at home. She doesn't have many hobbies, except for playing mahjong. Later, she met a guy at a mahjong parlor, and after a while... they started dating." Li Xiaojun's voice lowered as he said this, filled with obvious sadness, but not much anger.

"Later, that man tried to persuade my wife to divorce me. But my wife refused." Li Xiaojun paused, then explained, "The year before last, our farmland was expropriated, and we received compensation, which we've saved. If she divorces me, she won't get any of that money."

Lin Feng listened silently to the side, inwardly sighing, "That's a pretty good motive."

"She discussed with that man about... killing me." Li Xiaojun said this in a calm tone, as if he were talking about someone else's business.

"The first time, that guy somehow got hold of a bottle of sleeping pills. My wife crushed them all into powder and mixed them into my dinner," Li Xiaojun recalled. "After I finished them, hey! I wasn't sleepy at all, I was full of energy! I chatted with my wife for most of the night, really bothering her. I don't even know how I fell asleep, and I was perfectly fine the next day."

Zhou Wenyuan: "..."

Lin Feng tried hard to purse his lips to avoid laughing out loud. The sleeping pills failed? This constitution is truly something else.

"The second time, they probably thought the sleeping pills weren't working, so my wife got a bottle of rodenticide," Li Xiaojun continued. "She was quite careful; she mixed some into its food and fed it to our big yellow guard dog. The dog ate it, and soon after, it kicked its legs and died."

Upon hearing the words "Zanthoxylate," Zhou Wenyuan and Lin Feng both became more serious, as it was a highly toxic substance.

"Then that night, she made me a bowl of noodles and added rat poison to the soup." Li Xiaojun smacked his lips, as if savoring the memory. "The first bite I took, I knew the taste was wrong, it was too bitter! I spat it out and asked her if the noodles were spoiled?"

"What did she say?" Zhou Wenyuan couldn't help but ask.

"She scolded me!" Li Xiaojun said, sounding a little aggrieved. "She said I'd ruined my taste buds by drinking cheap liquor, so I couldn't tell good from bad. She also said she'd worked so hard to make these noodles, and if I didn't eat them, it meant I was disrespecting her... I thought about it, and she was right. I couldn't let her down, so I took another bite. It was still bitter, but I forced myself to eat most of the bowl."

"And then?" Zhou Wenyuan pressed, his body leaning forward unconsciously.

"And then?" Li Xiaojun looked blank. "Then I slept incredibly well that night! My head hit the pillow and I fell asleep instantly! I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and energetic, with plenty of energy to work in the fields!"