Anutin and Lu Ming whispered a few words and then hurried away.
Lu Ming picked up the one-yuan bill again and looked at it again.
The temporary resting place was a thatched hut under a palm tree. While Lu Ming was thinking, a slightly hoarse voice came from the side: "Uncle."
The one who came was Papada. She had a nice voice, a little smoky and a little charming, which was in line with her lazy and indifferent temperament.
When Lu Ming was trying the case, he saw Erika and the other three. Britney and Kate were also there. Britney seemed to be trying to please Erika and didn't listen to the case carefully. She just kept smiling and talking to Erika.
"What's up?" Lu Ming looked at Papada and smiled, "Erika is like a blank sheet of paper, she has few friends. I'm very happy to see that she has made good friends like you here."
"Uncle, don't worry, I won't lead Erika astray." Papada smiled faintly.
Lu Ming nodded: "Yes, you are very thoughtful. It seems that you have never smoked in front of Erika. She doesn't even know you smoke."
Papada was stunned for a moment, then chuckled: "Yes, your wife's friend, how could you not investigate it clearly? You should know my past better than Erika." A trace of sadness flashed across her deep black eyes, but it was gone in a flash. She probably realized clearly how big the class differences between people were when she was very young.
"Well, uncle, can I take a few puffs now? I haven't smoked all day and I'm almost choking..." Papada smiled mischievously. She was obviously very good at hiding her true emotions.
Lu Ming nodded: "Okay."
Papada chuckled, "Forget it. I dare not waste uncle's time. If it weren't for Erika's face, I wouldn't even have the right to say a word to you. I know all this." After a pause, "Uncle, in the case you are investigating, could the money Chacha picked up be from someone else? However, according to the tradition of the Mitai people, not reporting lost items is as criminal as stealing, so she didn't dare to say anything?"
Lu Ming said, "I originally thought so, but now I'm sure it's not the case." He picked up the one-yuan note and shook his head, "It's difficult to handle, but I still have to open this Gu, even if everyone will be hurt in the end. Judge, you can't be so careless!"
Papada nodded, not quite understanding.
…
When the court opened again, there were two more people in the trial area. They were brought in by the security team. They were Pingsanna's husband Natapon, and a fisherman named Pippa. Both were dark-skinned men, also squatting on the ground.
Ping Sanna looked at her husband strangely.
At this time, Lu Ming knocked the gavel and said, "Natapon, tell me, what happened between you and Pippa on October 29th
Natapon didn't dare to look at his wife Pingsanna, and was even more hesitant at this time.
"Although we are a summary court, if you give false testimony, you will still be guilty of perjury!" Lu Ming said calmly while looking at Natapon.
Natapon lowered his head and muttered something in a low voice.
Over there, Pingsanna's face had already changed and she glared at her husband fiercely.
Lu Ming knew what he was talking about, and Gao Taihe translated it anyway. What Natapon said was that he lent two yuan to the fisherman Pippa that day, one of which was stolen from his wife's savings. This was the only whole bill in the place where his wife hid the money.
"Natapon, on the night of October 30th, did you and your wife really see a thief stealing money from your house and then breaking into Chachati's house?" Lu Ming asked again.
Natapon shook his head dejectedly.
"After your wife thought the money was lost, she accidentally saw Cha Cha using the money, so she beat her and robbed her of the money. Before the trial, she discussed with you and said that she saw Cha Cha stealing the money that night. You agreed to your wife's unreasonable request because you felt guilty about stealing the family's emergency money? Is that right?" Lu Ming continued to ask.
Natapon nodded with a sad face.
"Please answer, yes or no?" Lu Ming sighed inwardly. He now plays three roles: judge, prosecutor and defense lawyer. It is very difficult to ensure that he does not make mistakes. He has to judge everything by himself.
Natapon said something over there, which seemed to be an affirmative word like "yes" in the Mithai language.
Pingsanna stared at her husband fiercely, her eyes seemed to be blazing with fire, but she didn't dare to stand up, or else she would have scratched the bastard to death.
Lu Ming looked at the fisherman Pippa and asked, "Pippa, why did you borrow money from Natapon?"
Pippa was a short, skinny girl with a loud voice. "My Lord, I borrowed the money to give it to Unashan."
Many of the natives gathered outside the trial area started talking when they heard the name of Onashan, and most of them showed expressions of hatred and fear on their faces.
After listening to Gao Taihe's translation, Lu Ming asked again: "Why do you want to pay money to Onashan?"
"If I don't pay, I won't be able to go out to sea to fish. If I'm seen by the fishing boats from Suno Island, they will kill me or sink my boat! That's how my father died two years ago!" When she said this, Pippa gritted her teeth, her face full of grief and indignation.
Lu Ming had heard the whole story. This Onashan was one of the fishermen leaders on Sandano Island. Their large fleet of fishing boats usually fished in the waters near Biyun Island.
There are not many fishermen on Biyun Island itself, because all the nearby marine fish have been occupied by Sanda Island. The only dozen or so fishermen have to pay protection fees to Ona Mountain before they can go out to sea. Otherwise, once they encounter a large group of fishing boats from Sanda Island, they will be attacked by the other side, and they will not take your life seriously even if they ram your boat and take your life.
"Specifically, how much should we pay to Onasan?" Lu Ming continued to ask.
"I haven't calculated it, but if he asks for it, I'll give it to him..." Pippa raised her head and thought for a moment, "Probably two or three times a year, and each time each household has to pay Onnashan two dollars. I was short of money this time, and I heard that Brother Natapon had just received his salary, so I went to borrow from him."
Pingsanna suddenly started talking incoherently.
Gao Taihe said, "Ping Sanna said that since the money was finally given to Onashan, why did it appear in Cha Cha Ti's hands?"
Over there, Cha Cha Ti, who was squatting, looked terribly pale. His legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.
Lu Ming glanced at her, then turned his gaze to the natives of the island who were whispering outside the trial area, and said, "This Onashan is suspected of extortion. The sheriff of this city will send an official letter to Sunano City, requesting the arrest of this person and sending him to this city for trial." He paused, "The islanders living in this city are all protected by the laws of this city. If you encounter injustice in the future, just report it to the sheriff of this city!"
The natives looked at each other in disbelief and thought it was a fairy tale.
Some of the natives were a little excited. Is the world really going to change? Will this Zhongzhou master protect us in the future
Lu Ming added, "In addition, Aon-Nashan is also suspected of raping a woman in this city. We will investigate the case together!" He looked around at everyone, "Rape, according to the interpretation of this city's laws, does not mean that force must be used to be considered rape. Inequality of status and intimidation, which make male and female victims fearful and have to submit, is also rape. So, if there are women who have been raped by Aon-Nashan, I hope you will stand up bravely."
In fact, it is useless to say it. This concept needs to be instilled slowly.
It’s not that the victims are afraid to come forward and expose the incident because of face or something.
It is because in the tradition of the Mitai people, the concept of rape is very vague. Hundreds of years ago, in these island tribes, there was no such thing as rape, nor the concept of chastity between husband and wife. If a man saw that a woman had sexual desire, he could make peace with her. If the woman was unwilling, he could force her. Of course, if the husband was around, beating her was definitely not allowed.
Although these bad habits have been improved today under the influence of modern civilization, matters between men and women are still not so mysterious and taboo for the Mitai people in the island tribe.
The peninsula has been influenced by Central Asians and Westerners for two or three hundred years, especially the city of Ferman, which is a different story.
As for Cha Cha Ti, although she has been confirmed as the victim, she has long since accepted her fate and become Onnashan's lover.
What she was afraid of was that when Onnashan stayed at her house that night, she stole a dollar from Onnashan's coat, and it was the banknote with Pingsanna's mark.
Now, she is terrified of being punished if she is caught stealing.
Lu Ming looked around at everyone, "Now I'm going to pronounce the verdict. I rule that the case of Ping Sanna suing Cha Chati for theft of money is dismissed because the facts are not in accordance with the facts!"
"As for the origin of the one dollar in Cha Cha's hand, it has nothing to do with this case, and the holder of the money does not need to explain it to me."
"Ping Sanna beat up Cha Chati, and we need to negotiate compensation for the cost of the medicine soup."
He added: "Sheriff, bring an official letter to Sunano Island within three days and ask for local cooperation to bring the suspect, Onnashan, to this city's court for trial."
Liu Dachui stood at attention and said, "Yes!"
"Court adjourned!" Lu Ming slammed the gavel hard.