743: 571 On Duty (Happy Lantern Festival!)_2 743: 571 On Duty (Happy Lantern Festival!)_2 “Building Seven, over there.”
Tong Dan raised her hand and pointed.
Following the address, Fang Qing led Tong Dan to the door of Apartnt 604 in Building Seven.
The hallway was in complete disarray, with shoe racks and trash piled outside, and the floor hadn’t been cleaned for a long ti.
Tong Dan couldn’t help but frown.
Fang Qing, acting as though she hadn’t noticed, raised her hand and knocked on the door.
“Knock knock knock…”
No one responded.
“Is anybody there?”
Tong Dan stepped forward and also knocked on the door but was t with the sa silence.
“Give them a call.”
She turned her head to look at Fang Qing.
“I’ve called many tis, but no one answers.”
Tong Dan was startled and asked, puzzled, “Then why did you co here?”
Before Fang Qing could explain, the door of the neighboring apartnt suddenly opened, and a young woman erged.
“Hello, do you know where Guan Libing, who lives here, might be?”
Fang Qing asked in a friendly manner.
“He’s probably out at his street stall.”
“A street stall?
Where?”
Tong Dan pressed.
“Just around the back door area; you should go look for him there.”
The young woman didn’t linger to chat; after all, they were just tenants, likely not very familiar with each other.
After placing the trash at the door, she closed it before Fang Qing could even say thank you.
“Let’s go.”
Fang Qing turned to leave.
“What exactly is the case about?
What does this person do?”
In the elevator, Tong Dan asked curiously.
“It’s not about a case.
Guan Libing had previously consulted about an issue with a high-interest loan.”
“High-interest loan?”
“He borrowed money from an online lending platform and asked what the legal implications would be if he didn’t pay it back.
He’s been unreachable since, so I ca to check on him.”
Tong Dan said in astonishnt, “I thought it was so big case, given that you’re a lawyer, not a police officer.
Isn’t this ddling?
You even ca all this way.”
“Ding.”
The elevator doors opened.
The two won exited the elevator.
“I checked that online lending platform called ‘Jie You Dai’; it’s a blatant case of high-interest loan sharking.
Victims definitely aren’t just Li Bing.”
Fang Qing spoke as they walked.
“But what does it have to do with you?
If it’s a high-interest loan, he could go to the police, right?”
“He wasn’t sure whether not paying back the money he owed was illegal, which is why he ca to for advice.
I’m here to suggest he reports it to the police.”
“You really are dedicated.”
Tong Dan couldn’t help but mix laughter with her complaint.
After asking for directions to the back door, wandering around for a while, they finally found their target on a street.
“Is that him?”
Fang Qing nodded.
Watching the man standing by the street, frying rice in his wok, and the sign next to him that read “Ten Yuan per Serving,” Tong Dan’s face turned expressionless and she remarked, “If all lawyers were like you, that would be sothing.”
Fang Qing, as if she hadn’t heard, quickly walked toward the food stall.
“Mr.
Guan.”
This place was filled with migrant workers earning low wages, so this kind of cheap and convenient street food was in high demand.
There were a few people in line at Li Bing’s stall.
Hearing the voice, Li Bing turned around.
Seeing Fang Qing, a look of astonishnt flashed across his face, which was darkened by the soot from the cooking.
“Fang, Fang Lawyer?”
A few of the custors curiously sized up Fang Qing and Tong Dan, who was a few steps behind.
These kinds of places rarely see won with such an aura of elegance, let alone two.
“Fang Lawyer, what brings you here?”
“The number you left couldn’t be reached, so I ca to check on you.”
Fang Qing glanced at the rice in the wok, “You keep busy, we can talk after.”
Li Bing seed to want to say sothing more, but in the end, he just nodded awkwardly, “Then, Fang Lawyer, please have a seat.”
There were a few chairs and tables nearby.
Fang Qing and Tong Dan took a seat.
“Seriously, Fang Qing, aren’t you bored?
Can this kind of person even afford a lawyer’s fee?”
Tong Dan whispered.
Such vendors had been common around the school during their studies; all of them were poor people who couldn’t even afford to rent a storefront.
“I’m not an official lawyer yet, I don’t need a lawyer’s fee.”
“…”
Tong Dan fell silent.
“Fang Lawyer, I’ve got three servings of rice left; please have so water first.”
After handing a custor their fried rice, Li Bing wiped his hands on his apron and brought over two cups of water.
“It’s okay, no rush.”
Fang Qing stood up to take the two cups of water.
Li Bing gave a restrained smile and then went back to work, or more accurately, to eke out a living.
Fang Qing sat down and placed one of the cups in front of Tong Dan.
“He seems like a decent person,” murmured Tong Dan.
“He’s a retired soldier,” said Fang Qing softly.
Tong Dan’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at her.
Fang Qing took a sip of water.
“A retired soldier?
He sure seems to have fallen on hard tis,” Tong Dan couldn’t help but look again at the man, who really did have a sturdy physique and arms that seed powerful as he handled the frying spatula.
“Do you think life is easy?
What you see every day on planes are the successful people who float above the clouds.
But this is the true face of the world.”
Tong Dan started to speak, but stopped herself.
In the end, she said nothing, picked up the cup of water, wanted to drink but was worried it wasn’t clean.
Fang Qing seed to have no such concerns.
“Shall I go buy you a bottle from the convenience store?” asked Fang Qing.
“I can go myself.”
Tong Dan was about to get up when suddenly she saw a van marked with “City Managent” drive up.
“The city managent is here!”
The vendor across the street selling fried skewers acted like a cat that had seen a mouse, hurriedly packing up his stall, ready to run.
Li Bing did the sa, not even finishing frying the half-cooked beef rice; he frantically turned off the burner.
These kinds of food carts were designed for mobility, allowing them to change locations at any ti.
“Nobody run!”
“Bang bang bang…”
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