Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

The news of the public trial spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Jiaodaokou and even the surrounding streets and alleys of the steel rolling mill.

At 3 p.m., the open space in front of the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office was already packed with hundreds of people, including coworkers from the steel rolling mill, neighbors from No. 95 Courtyard, employees of the Hongxing Daily Necessities Manufacturing Factory, and many neighbors who had benefited from Da Biao's kindness. Even two staff members from the district committee came to listen to the proceedings after hearing the news. The public trial of the "witchcraft murder case" in 1961 in Beijing was a sensational event in itself.

The venue was simply yet solemnly decorated, with several wooden tables moved from the street office set up as the judge's bench, where three judges from the district court sat upright.

The presiding judge was a veteran of the political and legal system in his fifties. His face was etched with wrinkles, his eyes were sharp and steady, and he exuded a rigorous aura of handling cases in accordance with the law.

To the left of the judge's bench was the plaintiff's seat, where Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, and Yi Zhonghai sat together. Qin Huairu wore a patched blue cotton-padded jacket, her hands tightly clutching her lower abdomen, her face as pale as paper, her eyes vacant. Xiao Dang had already been taken away by Qin Jingru, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Madam Jia Zhang was disheveled, her eyes were red and swollen, and she would slap her thigh and cry softly from time to time, while muttering to herself.

Yi Zhonghai, dressed in the steel rolling mill's work clothes, frowned and looked gloomy—his "retirement security" investment of more than ten years was gone, and now he had to stand here accusing others; he felt confused and panicked.

Bang Geng also arrived, but was held tightly to Jia Zhangshi's side, her small face full of resentment, staring intently at the defendant's seat opposite her;

On the right side of the dock, Zhang Dabiao was still handcuffed, with two police officers standing behind him. Even though the evidence was insufficient, the rumor that he could "curse people to death" still made the police take it seriously.

Chen Guangliang, Lao Mo, and Xiao Li stood in the corner, their eyes fixed on the scene, barely daring to breathe. He was filled with remorse, blaming himself for being too eager to make a contribution and losing his composure, and fearing that the public trial would embarrass him. He could only secretly plan to immediately compile materials and report to the Municipal Bureau separately after the trial, taking the initiative to assume responsibility.

At the front of the crowd, Aunt Mu and Mu Wanqing stood side by side. Mu Wanqing's eyes were full of worry, but she just silently watched Zhang Dabiao, not daring to make any unnecessary movements. Aunt Mu frowned slightly, occasionally raising her hand to pat her daughter's arm, signaling her with her eyes to calm down: "Dabiao is a lucky child, don't worry."

"Everyone, please be quiet!"

The presiding judge raised his hand to signal, his voice serious and steady, carrying a strong sense of the times and the rule of law. "Today, in accordance with regulations, we are holding a public hearing for the case of plaintiffs Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, and Yi Zhonghai accusing defendant Zhang Dabiao of intentional homicide. This hearing adheres to the principles of openness, fairness, and impartiality, comprehensively investigating the facts and verifying the evidence. We welcome public supervision, and we ask everyone to maintain order and refrain from noise and disturbance."

He paused, then turned his gaze to the plaintiff's seat, his tone calm yet authoritative: "Plaintiffs, please state your accusations and the basis for them. Be factual and do not fabricate or make things up."

Jia Zhangshi suddenly stood up, ignoring the signals from the police officers around her, and slammed her fist on the table, screaming in a shrill voice: "Your Honor! You must do justice for me! It was Zhang Dabiao! He killed my son Dongxu! At the beginning of last year, he threatened that my Dongxu wouldn't live more than two years, and even said that his father was a Taoist priest who could perform evil magic!"

The judge looked a little embarrassed—"Your Honor... do you think I'm some kind of old-fashioned official?"

I gave Jia Zhangshi a slight reminder, but unfortunately she was almost insane and wouldn't listen to anything.

Pointing at Zhang Dabiao, Jia Zhangshi's eyes were bloodshot as she wailed like a madwoman, "My son was fine just a few days ago, but today he suddenly fell into a machine at the factory and died! The factory doctor checked him, and there was no poisoning. Nobody pushed him. If he didn't use some kind of evil magic, what else could it be? He cursed my son to death with evil magic! I beg you to punish him severely according to the law and make him pay for my son's life!"

Qin Huairu also started crying, her voice choked with sobs and her body trembling slightly: "Judge, my husband... he worked as a first-class fitter in the factory for nine years. Although his skills weren't high, he never made a mistake and was always very steady. It couldn't have been an operational error, and it certainly couldn't have been suicide. It was all Zhang Dabiao's doing. He cursed us... Please, you do justice for us, a widow and her orphan."

Yi Zhonghai slowly stood up, his back slightly shorter than usual, and said in a heavy tone, "Judge, I can testify. Last year, Zhang Dabiao did say that Jia Dongxu wouldn't live more than two years. Many neighbors in the courtyard heard it at the time. Dongxu died suddenly, and all the examinations ruled out external factors. Apart from his actions causing Jia Dongxu's death, I really can't think of any other reason. I urge the organization to investigate the truth."

The moment the plaintiff made his accusation, the crowd erupted in a frenzy of whispers.

"Evil magic? This is a modern society, who still believes in that?"

"But Jia Dongxu's death was indeed strange. No one pushed him or harmed him. He just fell into the machine. It's too suspicious."

"Zhang Dabiao's father, that Zhang the Fortune Teller, the old man is a good person, I've never heard of him harming anyone."

"It's hard to say. Some old methods are really hard to explain these days, but we handle cases based on evidence, we can't make a judgment based on that alone!"

"..."

The crowd below was in an uproar. The presiding judge raised his hand again to signal for quiet. After the crowd calmed down, he turned to Zhang Dabiao and asked in his usual serious tone, "Defendant Zhang Dabiao, the plaintiff accuses you of using evil magic to curse and kill Jia Dongxu. Do you plead guilty?"

Zhang Dabiao slowly stood up, his face showing no sign of panic, but rather a nonchalant smile.

His gaze swept over the hysterical Jia Zhangshi in the plaintiff's seat, then turned to the judge, his voice clear and firm: "Judge, I plead not guilty. I never did this."

"First, I have a solid alibi. This morning, when Jia Dongxu was involved in the incident, I was in class at school. My teachers and classmates can attest to this. I simply did not have the opportunity to commit the crime."

He paused, his tone tinged with sarcasm—

"Secondly, the plaintiff's accusation that I used 'evil magic to kill' is pure feudal superstition, which does not conform to the principles of materialism, nor does it conform to our principle of handling cases 'based on facts and in accordance with the law.' In our country, we handle cases based on evidence and science, and we cannot accuse someone of murder based on a few rumors or a bit of superstition."

"Third, the plaintiff keeps claiming that I killed Jia Dongxu, then please provide concrete evidence. When, where, and by what means did I kill Jia Dongxu? Who were the witnesses? What was the murder weapon? There is none of this. Just because I made a joke last year, they've pinned the crime on me. This is a classic case of 'wanting to find fault, one can always find a pretext!'"

Zhang Dabiao's words were reasonable and logically clear, and the discussion in the crowd instantly changed direction.

"Yes, that's right! Investigating cases requires evidence, not just superstition!"

"That's right. When Jia Dongxu had his accident, his teacher said that Zhang Dabiao stayed at school all morning and didn't leave the school gate."

"These are tough times for everyone, but the Jia family can't just accuse someone based on a joke! Isn't that ridiculous?"

"..."

Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi became even more agitated and struggled to rush over and hit Zhang Dabiao, but was firmly held down by the police officers beside her: "You're talking nonsense! You're just making excuses! Your father is a Taoist priest, you must know all sorts of evil magic! You used your family's evil arts to harm Dongxu!"

[Family heirloom my foot! If I really had one, the first person I'd take down is you, Jia Zhangshi!]

"Plaintiff, please watch your words and actions!"