A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1477 The machine is broken, only Cui Guoming can fix it! (Please subscribe!)

Guo Xiaoxue broke down in tears halfway through her sentence, and Hua Shier quickly said:
"Xiaoxue, tell me slowly, what exactly happened to your dad?"

Guo Xiaoxue wiped away her tears, her voice choked with sobs: "The police just called and said my dad is a murderer!"

Upon hearing the word 'murder,' Li Xiaozhen immediately walked over and looked at Hua Shier, her eyes filled with shock.

Hua Shier patted the little girl's head:

"You must have misheard. Only after the court verdict will someone be called a murderer. Right now, they're at most a suspect. Your dad is at most a suspect. Do you think I don't know what kind of guts he has? He wouldn't kill anyone even if he had two lives!"

Guo Xiaoxue felt a glimmer of hope: "Really, Uncle Cui? My dad isn't a murderer?"

"Definitely not! Alright, don't worry. You're crying like a little kitten. With your Uncle Cui here, I guarantee your dad will be fine!"

Hua Shier was somewhat surprised by Guo Dapao's arrest, but not worried. It just so happened that this gave him a reason to take the bar exam.

He turned around and put on his leather jacket, saying to Li Xiaozhen, "You stay home, I'm going to check on Dapao's family. He still has an old man who's bedridden!"

"wait!"

Li Xiaozhen turned around, went inside, and took out five hundred yuan: "Take this money, ride slowly on the road, and come back soon!"

"My wife, you're so good to me!"

Hua Shier carried the two children on his back, blew a kiss to them, and then took Guo Xiaoxue and Erpang out the door, hailed a taxi, and went to Guo Dapao's house.

Guo Dapao's family lived in a simple building from the 1960s. As soon as you entered, there was a foul smell. Guo Dapao's father was paralyzed in bed due to a cerebral thrombosis and could not speak. When he saw Hua Shier come in, he could only groan anxiously.

Hua Shier sat by the bedside and comforted her:

"Uncle, don't worry. I know what kind of person Dapao is. He would never kill anyone. The truth will come out sooner or later. Don't get anxious and upset about this. If you ruin your health, what will Xiaoxue do then!"

The old man was still able to listen to what was said. Although he was anxious, he nodded slightly with tears in his eyes.

Hua Shier glanced at the Guo family's living conditions, took out the five hundred yuan that Li Xiaozhen had given him, and handed it to Guo Xiaoxue:

"Xiaoxue, your dad and I are buddies, and you're like my niece. We're not strangers. Take this money as living expenses. If you run out, just ask me for it again, understand?"

Guo Xiaoxue nodded gratefully.

After leaving the Guo family, Hua Shier first took Erpang back to Grandpa Cui's house, then returned to his own home. Li Xiaozhen was still awake and waiting for him in the living room. Upon seeing him return, she asked:

"What exactly happened? Did Guo Dapao really kill someone?"

Hua Shier shook his head: "I know Guo Dapao. He's not cut out for doing evil. I'll go to the police station tomorrow and ask Da Zeng about it!"

The next morning, Hua Shier rode his fiery chariot to the police station and met his classmate Da Zeng at the criminal investigation team.

Upon seeing Hua Twelve, Da Zeng immediately said:

"We were just looking for you. Our colleague will take your statement in a bit. Just tell us what you have to say!"

Hua Shier was a little confused: "Wait, what does this have to do with me?"

Da Zeng didn't say anything, but went to report the situation to the team leader. After a while, the two uncles in hats, along with Da Zeng, invited Hua Shier into the office to sit down.

One of the men, a man in his forties wearing a hat, asked:

"Cui Guoming, right? Don't be nervous. We just want to ask you a few questions. Are you classmates with Guo Dalei?"

Hua Shier nodded and said:

"Yes, Guo Dapao and Da Zeng, we were all high school classmates!"

The man nodded: "Okay, I have a question for you. Guo Dalei said that you gave him a good luck charm at your class reunion last time. Is that true?"

Hua Shier told the truth: "Yes, I did give him a peace charm!"

The man in the hat nearby wrote down Hua Twelve's words, and the one who asked the question continued:
"Tell me clearly when you gave him the amulet and what kind of amulet it was!"

Hua Shier described the appearance of the peace talisman, and the other party wrote it all down.

"One last question, why did you give Guo Dalei that amulet?"

Hua Twelve glanced at Da Zeng, then asked the man in the hat:
"Boss, I'd like to ask, does Guo Dapao's case have anything to do with this amulet I have?"

The man in the hat hesitated for a moment, then said:

"You just need to answer the questions. We are still investigating the case and cannot disclose any details at this time!"

Hua Shier knew he wouldn't get anything out of this person, so he might as well ask Da Zeng instead.

He immediately recounted Guo Dapao's bad luck:
"Da Zeng also knows about this. Guo Dapao has had a really bad run of luck these past two years. In just two or three years, his mother passed away unexpectedly, his father suffered a stroke and became paralyzed, and his wife died of illness. A perfectly good family is about to fall apart!"

"You know, he's a grown man, young and strong, and he doesn't even have a wife. He went to a hair salon and got caught red-handed. I thought he was just unlucky, so I gave him a lucky charm to change his luck. I never expected that he would be back in jail after only a few days!"

After Hua Shier finished recounting Guo Dapao's ordeal, the expressions of the men in hats were quite complicated, probably because they felt that this man was extremely unlucky.

The one who asked the question stood up and shook hands with Hua Shier:

"We've asked all the questions we needed to ask. You can go back now. We'll contact you again if anything else comes up!"

Da Zeng escorted Hua Shier downstairs, and the two went to the side to smoke. Only then did Da Zeng begin to talk about Guo Dapao's case and its connection to the peace charm.

It turned out that Guo Dapao took the amulet home and slept well that night. He thought the amulet was a good thing, so he kept it in his pocket.

As a result, when selling meat, he reached into his pocket to take out money and dirtied the amulet.

Guo Dapao realized that he was indeed having a run of bad luck, so he wanted to find an expert to do some calculations and see if they could help him break the cycle.

Finally, he went for a stroll outside and met a blind fortune teller. The blind man said he was going to travel the world but was short of travel expenses. So he spent three days telling fortunes for Guo Dapao, who spent fifty yuan. The expert told him a fortune and gave him some advice.

Make him go to the Songhua River at midnight to burn paper money and kowtow, and then throw his family's ancestral boning knife into the river. This will wash away the blood debt of his ancestors selling meat, and he will be able to live a life of ease and great success in the future.

After Guo Dapao finished his fortune telling, he went to the riverbank that very night to burn paper money and throw knives—a complete ritual. The next day, a female corpse floated up in the river where he had thrown the knives.

After listening, Hua Shier felt somewhat incredulous. How did the matter that he had clearly diverted from come back to him?

He asked Da Zeng, "Da Zeng, we're classmates, do you think Guo Dapao has the guts to kill someone?"

Da Zeng shook his head and said, "What we think he is is just subjective conjecture. When we investigate cases, we focus on time, space, events, objects, and people. To determine whether someone is a suspect, we start with these five words!"

"First, there's the issue of time and space. Several people saw Dapao burning paper money by the river, which is almost the same place where we found the body. He had just been arrested at a brothel, and the dead woman was a prostitute. How could it be such a coincidence that he just threw away the knife he had been using for over ten years?"

"Furthermore, forensic examination revealed that the perpetrator's methods were extremely professional, leading to the conclusion that he was either a doctor or a butcher!"

"Guo Dapao said that a fortune teller sent him there, but the fortune teller said he was traveling all over the world. Isn't that ridiculous? Even if we find the fortune teller, so what? That doesn't prove that he didn't kill anyone!"

Hua Shier interrupted, "Wait, there's a problem with your statement. Even if finding a fortune teller doesn't prove that Da Pao didn't kill anyone, you also can't prove that he did, can you?"

"I think there's something wrong with your methods and approach to the case. I've listened to you for so long, but where are the fingerprints? Where's the bloodstain analysis on the knife? You have no professional tools at all. So you're just guessing?"

"I also think those witnesses are suspicious. They saw people burning paper money by the river at midnight. You need to investigate them thoroughly. What were they doing by the river at that time? They might be suspects too!"

Da Zeng smiled wryly and said, "You're quite knowledgeable. We're just conducting an investigation. If you want to help Da Pao, you should find him a lawyer!"

He said, taking out a business card: "This lawyer is really good at handling these kinds of cases. Why don't you go ask him?"

Hua Shier pushed the business card back: "I'll find a lawyer myself!"

He knew perfectly well that the lawyer Da Zeng had recommended was an idiot, completely useless, and expensive.

After saying goodbye to Da Zeng, Hua Shier rode his bicycle to the small law firms near the courthouse.

Actually, if he really wanted to get things done quickly, it wouldn't be difficult for him—go to the riverbank, use Qimen Dunjia to enter the inner realm, rewind time in the inner realm, and he could directly see the appearance of the real culprit. Then, as long as he found the other party, he could use hypnosis or the power of the Mind Stone to make the other party honestly confess their crimes, and then he would be done.

But if that's the case, why would he need to take the bar exam?
Hua Shier made up his mind that he would handle this case himself.

He took the bar exam, obtained his lawyer's license, and personally went to court to represent Guo Dapao in this case.

As for the real culprit, he certainly cannot be let go.

Find the person and control him to prevent him from committing any more crimes.

Once Guo Dapao wins his lawsuit, the murderer will be forced to turn himself in.

However, this has a drawback: it's a bit unfair to Guo Dapao, as he'll have to stay in jail for a while.

However, on the other hand, in the original story, that guy was doing very well in the cell, becoming the cell boss, and apart from not being able to get out, he was living a pretty comfortable life.

Hua Shier found a small law firm with a small storefront. It was deserted inside, with only one lawyer and no clients.

As soon as he explained the case, the other party waved his hands repeatedly:

“This is a life-or-death case for you, and I’m not very good at criminal investigations.”

Hua Shier smiled and said, "It's alright. Just help me with the investigation phase and let me know if there are any new developments. I'm going to take the bar exam and handle this case myself once I get my lawyer's license."

The lawyer was stunned, thinking to himself, "Do you want to listen to what you're saying?"
But since things have come to this point, there's no reason to turn away money that's offered to you.

The lawyer still accompanied Hua Shier to Guo Dapao's house, where the bedridden old man Guo put his fingerprint on the power of attorney.

After the lawyer left, Hua Shier didn't rush to leave.

He took out a few silver needles from his pocket and gave Grandpa Guo a few acupuncture treatments.

The effect was immediate; the old man, who could only hum before, actually started speaking!

"Now I can talk?"

Hua Shier smiled and put away the needles:
“I recently learned some traditional Chinese medicine, and I practiced on you. I didn’t expect it to be so effective. I’ll come over every two weeks to give you acupuncture. I estimate that in about six months, you’ll be able to get out of bed.”

The old man's eyes immediately reddened:

"Guoming, you've run around so much for the cannon, and even treated my illness. I don't know how to thank you enough. Our Guo family owes you so much."

Hua Twelve grasped the old man's hand:
“Dapao and I are brothers, you’re being too polite. Just focus on getting better. When Dapao comes out and sees you’re healthy again, he’ll be so happy.”

The old man wiped away his tears and nodded repeatedly: "Dapao has made a good friend."

After leaving the Guo family's house, Hua Shier went to the job market again in the afternoon, personally selected a reliable nanny, and gave instructions on how to take care of the patient and the child.

After bringing the person to the Guo family and arranging things properly, the old man expressed his gratitude once again.

After leaving the Guo family, Hua Shier went to Xinhua Bookstore and bought all the books he needed for the bar exam.

His legal knowledge would be enough to pass the bar exam in later generations, but in 93, the law in use was the 79 Criminal Law, and the articles were very different from those in later versions. Even he would need to brush up on his knowledge.

Holding his bar exam books, he had just arrived home when he saw Secretary Zhang waiting downstairs with many gifts.

When Secretary Zhang saw Hua Shier return on his bicycle, he forced a smile and waddled over like a penguin: "Engineer Cui is back! I've been waiting for you for ages!"

Hua Shier parked the motorcycle and couldn't help but laugh:
"Hey, isn't this Secretary Zhang? Why are you walking with your legs apart? I thought a penguin had come to life!"

Secretary Zhang's face darkened, but he didn't dare to lose his temper.

"Engineer Cui, you're joking. Didn't you call me this? We've been colleagues for so many years, you're really ruthless!"

"That's because you deserve a beating. Okay, if you're not going to do anything else, stay away from me. I hate just looking at you!"

Hua Shier carried the books he had bought upstairs, and Secretary Zhang hurriedly followed behind, legs spread apart.

The reason for using the word "urgent" is that Secretary Zhang, with his legs spread apart, could not walk fast and had to tidy himself up by increasing the frequency of his strides to improve his walking speed.

Hua Shier laughed loudly: "Are you trying to make me laugh myself to death so you can get revenge for yourself?"

Secretary Zhang looked embarrassed.
"Guoming, Engineer Cui, stop teasing me. The factory manager sent me to apologize and ask you to come back to work. I've brought you gifts, you see? Maozi, Huazi, and malted milk powder—I paid for all of these myself."

Hua Twelve waved his hand and said:

"Alright, stop with the nonsense. If you want me to go back, I'll give you two conditions."

"First, they need to promote me to engineer. Second, Director Chen needs to come and personally invite me to apologize and promise not to act arrogantly in front of me again; it annoys me."

Secretary Zhang chuckled inwardly, knowing he'd have room to embellish the story when he got back, but he didn't show it on his face and said:
"Alright, I can't persuade you to come, so I'll just pass on your message. I'll head back now, Engineer Cui."

He turned to leave, but Hua Twelve said, "Wait."

Secretary Zhang turned around and forced a smile: "Guoming, have you thought it through?"

Hua Shier reached out and took the gift he was carrying: "Isn't this for me? Then keep it. It's quite heavy, and it wouldn't be good for you to take it back. Okay, you can go now!"

Secretary Zhang's face darkened. The matter hadn't been resolved, and the items were gone. He really wanted to shout, "Cui Guoming, are you even handling this human affairs?"
Hua Shier carried a thatch and a whistle as he entered the house.

He was thinking to himself, "You really can't compare people. Look at Guo Dapao, he went out for a stroll and got into a murder case, while I went out for a walk and got all these good things!"

Secretary Zhang returned to the factory and embellished the story:
"Factory manager, you didn't see how arrogant Cui Guoming is. He accepted all the gifts but still refused to come back. He even said that you have to go and invite him in person and kowtow to apologize before he'll come back to work!"

"Factory manager, tell me, isn't he just using that recording from that day to threaten you?!"

Factory Director Chen was furious: "This Cui Guoming, so what if he recorded something? Let him sue me. At worst, I'll write a self-criticism to my superiors. What can he do to me? Can he fire me as factory director? Every factory director has a powerful backer."

Just as she was about to explode, the phone on her desk rang. Secretary Zhang quickly answered it, then her expression turned somewhat strange:
"Factory manager, it's Director Wu from Workshop One calling. Our factory's imported machine from the S-type era has broken down again. The technical department can't fix it; they said only Cui Guoming can."

Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!