Chapter 438: Chapter 431: Came to the Company Without Even Getting a Consultation, Ended Up Bringing in an Outside Project First
While they were talking.
Xia Tian frowned slightly, clearly troubled by what she was discussing.
"I’m currently interning at the court’s filing department, mainly responsible for case distribution, assessment and evaluation, and petition reception. When I have time, I also observe trials..."
Xia Tian briefly explained what she’s been busy with recently.
Nan Zhubin nodded, pretending to listen attentively.
"Then, two weeks ago we handled a case... well, I can’t really go into the specifics with you, Teacher Nan, at least not right now."
Nan Zhubin nodded.
At the moment, Xia Tian sought Nan Zhubin’s help but didn’t share the specific details.
It seemed a bit comical, but Nan Zhubin unusually understood and was familiar with this scenario.
Because when he sought Xia Tian’s help previously, it was almost the exact same operation.
"In short, we had a civil lawsuit before, and the judgment is out. But the defendant’s family is still unsatisfied and comes to the court every day to find us..."
Nan Zhubin showed a puzzled expression; based on what Xia Tian mentioned, it didn’t seem like something requiring his "psychological assistance".
For such situations, the internal staff at the court should have much more experience than an outsider like him, right?
But there was no rush, Nan Zhubin continued to listen.
Sure enough, Xia Tian then mentioned the key detail: "It’s the defendant’s elderly mother who comes, an eighty-something lady, trembling. Previously, the defendant was sentenced to criminal detention and a certain fine, but refused to execute the fine, so he was listed as a dishonest person."
"The old lady is now coming to find our staff every day to cry and complain, saying things like ’wronged’, ’he’s a good kid’, ’a bolt from the blue’, and such..."
Saying this, Xia Tian’s eyes suddenly lost focus, her lips with orange-tinted lipstick couldn’t help but purse slightly.
This scenario, Nan Zhubin understood and was even more familiar with; it was being triggered into a negative emotional experience by a memory.
"The problem is, the old lady neither argues nor makes a fuss; she just comes up to people crying and claiming she’s been wronged. We try to reason with her, explain the procedures, but she doesn’t listen. We help her with the petition materials, and she doesn’t care. Every day, she shows up on time like it’s her job, and leaves after eating."
Nan Zhubin blinked: "Can’t you handle such a situation?"
This question hit the nail on the head, and Xia Tian couldn’t help but sigh: "The main issue is the old lady doesn’t make a scene. She just talks about appealing and doesn’t disturb other citizens or cause direct harm to our staff..."
The "direct harm" probably refers to physical harm.
But looking at Xia Tian’s expression, there probably was some psychological harm...
"We’re now rotating shifts every day, with each person taking two hours to deal with this old lady."
Nan Zhubin was curious: "Doesn’t this interfere with your work?"
"But she wants to appeal, and her behavior hasn’t reached the level where it needs to be forcibly handled. At most, she claims she’s ’too old to understand’, so she doesn’t follow procedures, agitating us. But this doesn’t amount to disturbance where the court police would escort her out, and most importantly..."
"She’s over eighty years old. With her age and the approach she’s taking, we really can’t take any forcible measures at the moment."
Nan Zhubin raised an eyebrow as he listened.
The details Xia Tian described didn’t seem like someone who’s truly "too old to understand the process".
"In short, this elderly lady is emotionally agitated because of her family member’s sentence, and then there’s some... ’compulsive behavior’?" Xia Tian clumsily attempted to use a couple of psychological terms.
Nan Zhubin smiled again.
"The reason I thought of Teacher Nan is that I felt if Teacher Nan were here, you’d surely be able to pacify this lady as a visitor."
"Of course," Xia Tian added quickly, "I immediately thought of Teacher Nan, and only Teacher Nan."
Nan Zhubin understood.
He then steadied his mind and focused on the serious matter Xia Tian mentioned.
Quickly, Nan Zhubin found the blind spot: "Helping isn’t a problem, but is this within the procedures? For me to privately talk with the ’defendant’s family’? Is this permissible?"
Nan Zhubin’s concern was with the procedure.
If not done carefully, it might not only fail to help but even cause trouble with good intentions.
But Xia Tian seemed to have anticipated this: "I can submit a report to my superiors, applying to hire Teacher Nan as a consultant through commercial outsourcing to help."
"Anyway, the old lady has already occupied a lot of our work resources, and there might be potential risks. This is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. We currently don’t have a better solution, so hiring a professional like Teacher Nan to help is entirely reasonable. The court itself allocates a budget every year to handle such unexpected situations."
"Also... if we really need to take further measures against the old lady, there would typically need to be a professional assessment report." With that, Xia Tian blinked.
Nan Zhubin also blinked.
It felt as if Xia Tian had planned this for a long time.
But obviously, they unexpectedly ran into each other at this mall today, so Xia Tian just thought of it... right?
However, what Xia Tian was saying now was indeed reasonable, and this outsourced expert method was something Nan Zhubin was familiar with.
The previous project at Jiang Yizhong could proceed precisely because it was done in this manner.
Wait... does this mean he brought a project to the teacher’s company?
Wow, having just arrived from Jiangdu on the first day, no case had been officially assigned to him—Nan Zhihao’s previous case was a temporary mess he took over, not formally assigned by the company—and now he’s created revenue for the company?
What a standout performer.
Nan Zhubin pondered for a moment, concerned: "Your procedure is indeed legitimate, but wouldn’t the approval process be slow? Wouldn’t you still need to accompany the old lady these few days? How about I..."
"That won’t happen," Xia Tian stated firmly, "This procedure is very straightforward."
Nan Zhubin: "..."
Alright, since the young lady said so, what else could Nan Zhubin say?
It seemed the matter was settled.
Perhaps because the topic flowed too smoothly, after they finished discussing, both found themselves temporarily out of things to talk about.
For a moment, the atmosphere was a bit silent.
Nan Zhubin glanced around and suddenly asked, "Are you shopping alone today?"
Xia Tian was startled, like she suddenly remembered something: "Oh, I’m actually here with a colleague. She suddenly felt unwell and went to the restroom. I’m just waiting for her outside..."
Before she finished speaking, Xia Tian’s gaze suddenly froze.
Following Xia Tian’s gaze, Nan Zhubin saw a girl, hands appearing reddened like they’d been scrubbed raw, swinging her wrists as she walked over from the restroom.
She looked familiar, perhaps someone who had squeezed out four pumps of soap while Nan Zhubin was looking in the mirror earlier.
She must be Xia Tian’s colleague.
And Xia Tian’s colleague also abruptly halted, her initially grimacing expression immediately softening upon seeing Xia Tian and Nan Zhubin standing together. She straightened her posture and even took a moment to tidy her hair.
Seems like she’s trying to salvage her image.
But...
The atmosphere was already turning awkward.