Now that the document was signed, the donation had to be made. Furthermore, even abroad, he couldnât use the fact that Zhang Qingyuan and the others were elderly as a defense. This was because the laws here were completely different from those back home. For the elderly, there were well-established welfare institutions and similar support systems, but aside from that, their treatment was hardly different from that of an average person. There was no so-called preferential treatment. On public buses, one wasnât required to give up their seat for an older person, nor was it âelderly firstâ in queues. The concept of a duty to support oneâs parents didnât even exist. Thatâs rightâafter children reached adulthood, they were no longer obligated to provide for their parents. Even abandoning oneâs parents didnât constitute a crime. In many foreign legal systems, the parent-child relationship wasnât considered so sacrosanct. The prevailing view was that although children benefited from their parentsâ upbringing, parents were free once their children reached adulthood. They no longer needed to pay for their childrenâs living expenses or marriages, nor did they have the right to demand their children support them. So, using their age as a defense was also a dead end.
Behind this shady tour group... there must be someone well-versed in the law,
Qin Mu rubbed his forehead and let out a light sigh. The entire incident, if not perfectly seamless, was certainly thorough.
When it comes to lawsuits... a regular lawyer would surely lose and have to pay.
ăMidnight that night.ă
ăAmes City.ă
Qin Mu stepped off the plane, setting foot on foreign soil. Observing the surrounding buildings and facilities,
My first impression... is that itâs plain, just average. Itâs large, but it canât compare to the airports back home at all.
Afterward, he took out the address Zhang Qingyuan had given him and hailed a taxi, heading towards the hotel where Zhang Qingyuan and the others were staying.
Along the way, the taxi driver sized him up, attempting to converse in the local language. "Hey, buddy, youâre dressed pretty well. Why are you headed to a slum area?"
Qin Mu was momentarily taken aback by this. Before coming, he had specifically studied some of the local language to avoid communication barriers. Although not very familiar with it, he could barely understand what the driver was saying.
So, Old Zhang and the others are actually staying in a slum?
You really do get what you pay for,
he thought, the corner of his mouth twitching; he was speechless at Old Zhangâs decision. The compensation from the previous lawsuit had started to come in. Zhang Qingyuan... was by no means short of money now.
Perhaps his mindset hasnât shifted yet, so he still chose such a cheap tour! After all, even a domestic tour of a few days cost nearly a thousand. Going abroad would naturally be even more expensive! The only reason itâs so cheap is that they cut corners. The accommodations, for instance... theyâd never put Zhang Qingyuan and his group up in a high-end guesthouse or a five-star hotel.
ăForty minutes later.ă
The taxi arrived at its destination, and he soon saw Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua. Behind them followed a large group of elderly people with graying hair, mostly in their sixties and seventies. All their eyes were focused on him, filled with curiosity.
When Zhang Qingyuan saw him, he hurried over, his expression somewhat excited. "Xiao Qin, youâre finally here!" He introduced Qin Mu to the group of elderly people: "Let me introduce you all. This is Xiao Qin, also known as Qin Mu. Heâs quite famous back home."
Hearing this, the crowd looked at Qin Mu skeptically. They werenât quite convinced by Zhang Qingyuanâs words.
"Alright, first tell me in detail what happened," Qin Mu said with a light chuckle, following Zhang Qingyuan into the cheap hotel.
The hotelâs exterior was shabby and dilapidated, and an unpleasant odor wafted from the surroundings. But for these elderly people who had signed up for the tour group, they seemed to be used to it.
The group entered the hotel and squeezed into the room Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua shared.
Zhang Qingyuan began with a heavy sigh, "Itâs all because of what happened a couple of days ago. Theyâve been pressuring me to pay up. They said if I donât, I probably wonât be able to leave and might even die in this foreign country."
As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the other elderly people listening turned grim. His words had also struck a nerve with them. At sixty or seventy years old, they all had strong ties to their homeland and believed in the principle of âfallen leaves returning to their roots.â Indeed, they didnât have many years left to live, but they certainly couldnât die abroad. Their visit this time was for tourism. Whatever happened, they couldnât bear being detained overseas. Therefore, they had all chosen to swallow their anger and pay, believing it was better to avoid further trouble.
"Theyâre just trying to scare you. Itâs not that serious," Qin Mu said casually after hearing the story, offering some comfort. "Until a court hears the case and issues a judgment, this is just an ordinary civil dispute. It doesnât involve criminal liability, let alone detention. Even if you lose the case in court, youâll only have to pay compensation. You wonât go to jail."
Although the legal system here is based on case law, it also incorporates codified statutes. Actions that warrant criminal penalties are clearly detailed in the law. What the law does not prohibit is permitted. Their actions were not serious enough for imprisonment.
After Qin Muâs explanation, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, though they also felt a twinge of regret. Their money had already been handed over, and now it was impossible to get it back.
Zhang Qingyuan looked at Qin Mu and couldnât help but add, "Because of this, our tour group has been stuck here for the past two days, unable to do any sightseeing. A lot of people are planning to go home, but Xu Liming and his people refuse to book our flights, claiming the tour isnât over yet."