The conference room of this law firm is very large, with a long brown oval table and brown glass walls on all four sides, giving it a very modern feel.
However, wouldn't it be oppressive for two people to sit alone in such a large conference room? Perhaps this is a strategy of this firm.
At the long oval table, Bis sat with a middle-aged Chinese woman.
When I say he is Chinese, of course that is what Lu Ming sees.
"Why are you dressed like this?! I send you to school every day and you run away to work as a lowly worker?!" Pamela walked up to Bis and yelled at her.
Bess was wearing a yellow waiter uniform similar to those worn in fast food restaurants, which did not match her temperament.
"Ma'am, please don't be angry. Bis is wearing work clothes and she only comes occasionally to work for a while. I don't dare to violate the law and ask her to do full-time work..." The middle-aged Chinese woman stood up a little awkwardly and explained in a low voice.
Bisi lowered her head and seemed very afraid of her mother, with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Pamela, let me tell you..." Lu Ming waved his hand and pulled out a chair to sit down next to Bisi and the proprietress.
Pamela bit her lip. This guy was different from other people in Central China. He could give orders to her naturally without making her feel annoying.
Perhaps it was because of the confidence he displayed. One could feel that regardless of race, everyone was equal in his eyes.
They are completely different from those hypocritical tribesmen, the humble Central Plains people, and some other Central Plains people who have gained power and deliberately show off in front of him.
He really is the type who looks at everyone with a calm and equal gaze.
"I'm Miss Pamela's representative lawyer, and now I'm Bisi's agent. My last name is Lu, Lu Qianxing. May I ask what is your relationship with Bisi? Tell me what's going on." Lu Ming looked at the middle-aged woman.
The middle-aged woman should have been a beauty when she was young. She still has charm even now. She wears a light blue cheongsam, which is also the preferred and popular clothing among Chinese women in Donghai today.
"My last name is Jin Taohua..." She looked at Lu Ming suspiciously, "You look very young... Are you really a lawyer?"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Yes!" In this world, he was only nineteen years old and looked very young.
Then he said, "Miss Pamela would never lie to me, right? Tell me, what's going on?!"
Jin Taohua sighed, "Oh, oh, it's like this. Yesterday, a customer in my store fell and got injured because Bisi didn't clean up the water on the floor in time. So, he wanted Bisi to pay for the medical expenses and found a lawyer here. Today we are here to discuss compensation. Bisi doesn't want to tell her family, but I think if I don't tell Madam Pamela, if something happens, I can't take the responsibility, right? Lawyer Lu?"
Lu Ming frowned. According to the laws of his previous life, even if there was such responsibility, it was the responsibility of the store, not the waiter.
But in recent months, I have had time to look through the legal books here, and according to some precedents, employees are indeed responsible for their own actions.
The laws of this world sometimes favor employers and the wealthy class.
Even child labor is allowed, but there are requirements on the intensity of the labor, and it cannot be full-time. In fact, it is much better than the child labor situation in the United States before Roosevelt's New Deal.
"Bisi, is this what Manager Jin said?" Lu Ming looked at Bisi.
Jin Taohua immediately said, "How could I lie to you and Lady Pamela?" She spoke very quickly and looked like a very shrewd proprietress.
Bis nodded timidly.
Pamela frowned, but glanced at Lu Ming and didn't interrupt.
Lu Ming thought for a moment and said, "Then why didn't you clean up the water? Does the store's employee rules require you to clean up the water as soon as possible?"
"Hey, Lawyer Lu, what do you mean?" Jin Taohua immediately became anxious.
"Yes..." Bisi whispered, "Uncle, this is all my fault..."
Obviously, despite her young age, she is actually very smart. It's also because children from poor families grow up early that she actually knows what Lu Ming meant by the question. Moreover, looking at Jin Taohua's anxious look, it is clear that the employee rules will not be so detailed. This little girl said that there is that item in the employee rules just to be loyal.
Lu Ming smiled and asked, "Why didn't you clean up the water stains at that time? Were you lazy?"
Bis shook her head immediately, "No, I was the only one in the restaurant at that time. A batch of flour arrived in the kitchen, and the other waiters were called away by Aunt Jin to move the goods."
Lu Ming nodded, looked at Jin Taohua, frowned and said, "Manager Jin, according to her age, although the imperial law does not explicitly prohibit helping, it requires the employer to arrange for adult workers to be by her side, and she cannot do heavy labor. She is so young, how can she take care of the entire restaurant by herself? If there is a problem, it is your fault, and it has nothing to do with my client."
Jin Taohua wanted to say something, but Lu Ming waved his hand and said, "I understand. You think she's Western and nothing will happen to her, so you put all the responsibility on her. But she's only eight years old. Can you imagine the psychological pressure she's been under these two days? We all went through this as children."
Jin Taohua, who originally wanted to argue, fell silent, with a look of guilt on her face.
"Now, tell me in detail what happened. I don't want to just put the blame on you and walk away. If I can help you, I will do my best."
Bisi suddenly sobbed. Obviously, she understood what Lu Ming was saying. This strange uncle, whom she had only met once a few mornings ago, seemed to have swept away the nightmares she had had in the past two days.
It turns out that this uncle is a big lawyer and a very capable man.
Moreover, this uncle seemed to know her very well. While helping her, he did not make things difficult for Aunt Jin and even helped Aunt Jin with the lawsuit.
Aunt Jin, she almost didn't recognize her these past two days. This good person who had helped her a lot now asked her to take on such a big responsibility.
Why is Aunt Jin like this
This made her little mind extremely confused, and she had no idea how many grievances and complex emotions she had.
But now, everything is resolved.
She didn't know why, but she burst into tears, and the louder she cried, the more it seemed as if all her grievances were vented out in her tears.
"Why are you crying? You're useless!" Pamela scolded.
Lu Ming frowned, "If a child wants to cry, let her cry! I think this child is more sensible than you. You are just trying to save face and suffer. The laundry shop can't be run anymore, and you refuse to find a new job. You live off your savings every day. She is so young, but she comes out to work as a child laborer. Isn't it to help you reduce the burden?! I tell you, don't scold her when you go back. In fact, you feel sorry for her in your heart, don't you?"
Pamela was stunned, biting her red lips and staring at Lu Ming. Finally, she suppressed her anger, snorted, and raised her fair neck like a proud swan, "I don't debate with barbarians."
Bisi listened to Lu Ming scolding his mother, but she did not get any scolding from her mother. Her crying stopped for a moment. She looked up and saw Lu Ming taking out a handkerchief for her through her tearful eyes. She could no longer hold back and suddenly threw herself into Lu Ming's arms, hugging him and crying bitterly.
Lu Ming was stunned. Although the little girl's work clothes still had the smell of cooking, Lu Ming had always been a bit of a germaphobe, but he still didn't push her away.
"Okay, it's okay!" Lu Ming gently patted her hesitant shoulders.
Then he said to Jin Taohua: "You tell me your story and tell me all the details."