The Ancestors Showed Their Power

Zhou Wenyuan opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time. In all his years in the profession, he had heard of people being immune to poisons, but to be immune to rodenticide and still feel "clear-headed and refreshed" was simply a medical miracle!

He glanced at Lin Feng subconsciously and found that Lin Feng was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they both saw the utterly absurd look in each other's eyes.

"The third time," Li Xiaojun sighed, "My wife probably realized that drugging her wasn't working, so she wanted to resort to force."

"She bought a bottle of good wine and drank with me that night. I was so happy; she usually doesn't let me drink much. I drank too much and fell asleep, feeling dizzy." Li Xiaojun touched his neck, still shaken. "In the middle of the night, I felt a tightness around my neck, and I couldn't breathe. I woke up gasping for air! When I opened my eyes, it was pitch black, and someone was strangling me with a rope!"

"I was terrified. I struggled desperately, and I don't know where I got the strength, but with a snap, the rope broke!" Li Xiaojun gestured. "I thought a thief had broken into the house. I called my wife's name and grabbed an empty bottle from the ground in the dark, smashing it against the guy's head a few times! The guy groaned twice and then lay still on the ground."

"I quickly turned on the light, and there he was—the guy from the mahjong parlor! His head was covered in blood! I panicked and yelled at my wife to call the police! And then..."

Li Xiaojun looked confused and hurt. "My wife not only didn't call the police, but she also glanced at the man, screamed, opened the door, and ran away! I wanted to chase after her, but seeing that the man on the ground was barely breathing, and that he might die if I didn't help him, I didn't dare to chase after him and quickly called the police."

What followed was predictable. The police arrived, arrested (and treated) the lover, and later, based on clues, found his runaway wife. In the interrogation room, his wife confessed to plotting three murders.

At this point in the story, the originally bizarre and convoluted atmosphere is inexplicably tinged with a strong sense of dark humor through Li Xiaojun Xiaojun's simple, even somewhat aggrieved, narration.

However, what Zhou Wenyuan and Lin Feng didn't expect was Li Xiaojun's request.

Li Xiaojun looked at Zhou Wenyuan and said very sincerely, "Lawyer Zhou, this is the situation. I... I've already issued a letter of understanding to my wife. I'm here today to ask what else I can do in her situation to get the court to give her a lighter sentence?"

"A letter of forgiveness?!" Zhou Wenyuan finally couldn't hold back and repeated it aloud. The expression on his face could no longer be described as "wonderful"; it was a complex mix of shock, absurdity, confusion, and intense professional curiosity. A husband who had been murdered three times (attempted) by his wife and her lover not only didn't hate her, but instead issued a letter of forgiveness and even tried to help the other party get a reduced sentence?

This is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people!

Even Lin Feng, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, was completely stunned. He had originally thought this was just a tragedy with a touch of comedy, but he never expected the ending to be so unbelievable. Looking at Li Xiaojun's face, which was full of sincerity and pleading, he had a direct and profound understanding of the complexity of "human nature" for the first time.

Zhou Wenyuan took several deep breaths before he could finally calm himself down from the overwhelming information overload. After all, he was a professional, and his strong mental fortitude and professional ethics allowed him to quickly get back into the zone.

"Mr. Li," he cleared his throat, his expression returning to seriousness and professionalism, "First, I must tell you that attempted murder is a serious crime. Even with a letter of forgiveness from the victim, it doesn't mean that the punishment can be waived or significantly reduced; it's merely an important discretionary mitigating circumstance."

He began to explain to Li Xiaojun in detail the relevant legal provisions, the factors to be considered in sentencing, and, as a family member, in what ways they could work besides issuing a letter of understanding, such as actively compensating for the victim (although there seemed to be no actual material loss in this case), reflecting the victim's fault (if it could be proven), and cooperating with the judicial authorities to clarify the facts of the case.

Zhou Wenyuan explained in great detail, and Li Xiaojun listened attentively, nodding from time to time. He also unconsciously traced lines on his knees with his rough fingers, as if trying to memorize the complex terms.

Lin Feng stood to the side, taking notes on the key points of the consultation while listening to the legal logic behind this bizarre case. He looked at Zhou Wenyuan's professional and patient profile, and then at Li Xiaojun's weathered yet determined face. Suddenly, he felt that this cold lawyer's office seemed to have become warmer because of these strange and wonderful human stories.

After seeing off Li Xiaojun, who was full of worries and expressing his gratitude, Zhou Wenyuan leaned back in his chair, let out a long sigh, and rubbed his throbbing temples. Even for him, it took some time to process such a case.

"The world is truly vast and full of wonders," he remarked, then looked at Lin Feng. "Have you finished recording everything? This kind of case, though extreme, is good material for understanding the complexity of human nature and the diversity of criminal cases."

Lin Feng nodded and organized and filed the notes. The afternoon passed by while processing other documents and familiarizing himself with the law firm's procedures.

It was time to leave work, and the people in the law firm began to leave one after another. Lin Feng packed up his things, said goodbye to Lawyer Zhou, and took the elevator downstairs.

Stepping out of the office building, the evening air carried a slight chill, dispelling the stuffiness of the room. Just as he was about to head to the subway station, his phone vibrated in his pocket, displaying the name "Monkey" on the screen.

Lin Feng was somewhat surprised, but he answered the phone.

Hey, Monkey.

"Crazy... Madman." On the other end of the phone, Monkey's voice wasn't as lively and cheerful as usual; instead, it was somewhat low, carrying obvious hesitation and difficulty in speaking. "Are you... are you available now?"

"It's convenient, you tell me." Lin Feng stopped and stood under a tree beside the sidewalk.

"I..." The Monkey paused for a few seconds, as if gathering his courage, before finally speaking in a strained voice, "... Could you lend me some money?"

Lin Feng's brows twitched slightly. Monkey was the only close friend he could truly confide in during college. He was cheerful and strong-willed, and although his family's financial situation was average, he had never complained, let alone asked to borrow money. For him to set aside his pride and ask for help, the situation must be quite serious.

"How much do you want to borrow?" Lin Feng asked directly, his tone calm.

"Fifty... fifty thousand." The Monkey's voice trailed off as he uttered the number, tinged with shame. "I know it's a lot, but I really..."

"You haven't changed your account, have you? It's still the same one as before?" Lin Feng interrupted him without asking why.

The Monkey paused for a moment, seemingly surprised by Lin Feng's decisiveness. "Huh? Yeah, it didn't change, it's still the same Industrial and Commercial Bank of China..."

"Okay, I understand." Lin Feng said and hung up the phone.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately started using mobile banking. Instead of transferring 50,000 yuan, he directly transferred 100,000 yuan to the other party, simply typing "Use this for now" in the transfer remarks, then confirmed and entered his password.

The operation was completed in less than a minute.

Almost at the same time the successful transfer notification appeared on Lin Feng's phone, Monkey called again.

As soon as Lin Feng pressed the answer button, Monkey's voice, clearly choked with sobs and incoherent, came through the receiver:

"Madman... I... I received it! One hundred thousand! This... this is too much! I only need fifty thousand... that's enough! I..." His voice was choked with emotion, clearly extremely agitated. "Thank you! Really... thank you, Madman! I'll definitely pay you back as soon as possible! I..."

Hearing Monkey's suppressed sobs and repeated thanks on the other end of the phone, Lin Feng could imagine the other person's eyes probably red-rimmed. He remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, his voice still steady, but less cold than usual:

"Alright, stop being so polite with me. Let's get this over with first, we can talk about it later if needed."

"Enough! Enough! That's enough!" the Monkey exclaimed, his voice almost overflowing with gratitude. "Madman, I... I really don't know how to thank you..."

"You're welcome. I have to go now, so I'll hang up. Call me anytime if you need anything."

Lin Feng didn't say anything more; he wasn't good at offering words of comfort, and simply hung up the phone.

He stood there for a while, phone in hand. The evening rush hour traffic roared past him, neon lights flashed one after another, the city night was noisy yet indifferent. The Monkey's choked voice of thanks still echoed in his ears.

Lin Feng knew that Monkey must have encountered a tremendous difficulty, otherwise he would never have asked. He didn't press for details, out of respect and trust that Monkey would tell him if needed. This 100,000 yuan was nothing to him now, but for Monkey, it might be a lifeline.

He put away his phone and continued walking towards the subway station.

Night slowly fell, enveloping the city. Lin Feng's figure merged into the crowd and disappeared at the entrance of the subway station.