Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 428 - 190: Law-abiding Chen Family Village, Is This Illegal?

The judgment was delivered.

The entire courtroom suddenly fell into a deathly hush.

It was incredibly quiet.

"If you disagree with this judgment, within fifteen days of this judgment taking effect, the parties involved may apply to this court for a retrial or appeal to a higher court."

Zhou Quanmin took a deep breath, looking at the seventy-eight people crowded into the defendants’ dock.

At the time of the sentencing, all these individuals had to be present.

Each person’s written judgment was also delivered into their hands by the bailiffs, one by one.

Everyone’s face was extremely grim. Their expressions were incredibly complex—a mixture of nervousness, fear, regret, terror, and confusion.

This was the first time many of them had been sentenced to prison. Prior to this, although they had occasionally been detained for various issues, they had never been to court.

As a result, their first court appearance had earned them several years of imprisonment and fines amounting to thousands in compensation.

"Brother..." After a long pause, the other villagers from Chen Family Village seemed to recall something, all turning their gaze toward Chen Daoguang. "Brother, this trouble started because we were helping your family. We’ve shown our loyalty as relatives and friends, and we’ve accepted going to prison. But the compensation... you said you would reimburse us. Does that still stand?"

Everyone stared intently at Chen Daoguang, raising the question that concerned them most.

At this point, causing a scene was useless unless they appealed. But they had heard that appealing involved more legal proceedings and attorney fees. Coupled with Chen Daoguang’s "spectacular performance"... They felt that appealing would only lead them to a dead end.

Moreover, compared to Chen Daoguang, their sentences were all under five years. Except for a few main instigators who had repeatedly followed Chen Daoguang in stirring up trouble, most had only received fixed-term sentences of two years. They could accept that.

Their biggest worry was undoubtedly the court-ordered compensation. They felt that the trouble had started because they helped Chen Daoguang’s family. They could handle going to prison with him, but they absolutely refused to pay the money themselves!

"Pay money?" Chen Daoguang swallowed hard, looking around at his assembled kin. He felt his scalp tingle.

When he was first arrested, he had boasted about reimbursing their fines. He hadn’t expected... Each person’s amount was at least over 2,000. Seventy-eight people in total. That added up to over two hundred thousand! He was just a villager. His life savings, accumulated over half a lifetime, were only just over two hundred thousand. This meant... he was facing utter bankruptcy!

"Brothers, this matter... can we discuss it?" he swallowed hard again, trying to find a more amicable solution.

However, no sooner had he spoken than the crowd glared back angrily.

"Discuss? We’re already going to prison with you, what’s wrong with you paying a bit of money? This whole mess is your damn fault!"

"Look at you! Who did you have to provoke? Why did it have to be the Chen Family? I knew something was off back at the farmhouse restaurant, but my brain was fogged, and I still ended up joining you in making trouble!"

"I’m telling you, my wife has also been arrested by the court! Only our young child is left at home, and we need money for everything. We won’t pay a single cent of this!"

"If you don’t pay, don’t blame us for dealing with your Chen family after we get out. You’re going to be locked up for ten years, anyway!"

...

Everyone stared fiercely at Chen Daoguang, their emotions seemingly on the verge of exploding.

Being saddled with several years of imprisonment for nothing... It felt like a huge stone pressing down on their hearts. And Chen Daoguang’s current attitude only made them feel colder. As for the bonds of kinship... in the face of prison terms, they had long since vanished.

Chen Daoguang listened to his relatives’ "threats," his expression growing increasingly troubled. But what his relatives said was the truth. He was sentenced to ten years. These people had very short sentences. If he offended them, his family would struggle to take a single step in the future!

"I... I’ll pay. I’ll cover all your money!"

Finally, he gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and agreed.

「Meanwhile.」

In the nursing home, the projection screen suddenly went black. The trial broadcast had abruptly stopped, and with it, the proceedings concluded.

"That’s it? This group today seemed much better behaved; they barely made a fuss."

"They probably didn’t dare. Those people from yesterday were all detained. They’d have to be out of their minds to dare stir up more trouble."

"It’s over, it’s over. When’s the next case scheduled?"

"Chen Family Village, I’m afraid, has suffered an epic calamity this time..."

...

Zhang Qingyuan and the others reluctantly withdrew their gazes, starting to chat amongst themselves. Everyone wore an expression of satisfaction.

Watching the live broadcast, on one hand, satisfied their curiosity; on the other, it enriched their elderly lives. This form of entertainment, in terms of both excitement and drama, far surpassed other activities in the nursing home. It was much more engaging than playing chess, ball games, or fishing.

Qin Mu thought for a moment and shared some "good news" with everyone. "I just heard from Huang Lan that the Public Prosecutor’s Office notified her of the court date. The indecent assault case will be heard in three days."

After being acquitted, Huang Lan had followed his advice and decided to pursue charges of indecent assault against those wedding harassers. The young people who participated in the wedding harassment—not one was missed. All were currently under criminal detention, awaiting trial by the court.

In three days, the case would officially go to trial.

Actually, the court had already recognized the criminal acts involved in this case, so there wasn’t much room for dispute. Even if they hired the most capable lawyer...