After reading the Transaction Paper for a while, Lynch picked up the local newspaper. Most of the things he learned from the Transaction Paper were macroscopic changes, which were of little use to Lynch now.
On the contrary, some of the local newspapers could provide him with some important information, allowing him to quickly understand some of the local changes.
For example, a few more factories had closed down, and a large number of unemployed workers had flooded the streets, making the already unsafe environment even more unsafe.
For example, a certain family's male cat was pregnant, and its stomach was so swollen that it looked like it was about to give birth soon. The cat's owner even hired a special nurse to take care of the cat.
For example, a milkman on a farm said that he was kidnapped by aliens, who took a tuft of his leg hair and released him. He also drew the alien spaceship and the aliens with the help of an artist.
And … Lynch glanced at the directory and flipped to the Chinese edition of the local newspaper. There was a small piece of news on it. The news said that Michael, the former head of the tax bureau's investigation team, who had been transferred to another prison not long ago, admitted that he had asked his child to take some responsibility for him in order to avoid being punished by the law.
Now, he realized his mistake and surrendered to the prison management, and was sentenced by the court yesterday.
Michael Jr. was acquitted, but his sentence was increased by 40 months, which was three years and four months. Coupled with the previous sentence, even if Director Johnson wanted to use the "Special Talent Acquisition Act" to get Michael out, he probably wouldn't have a chance.
Seven years later, Director Johnson would be nowhere to be found. Maybe he still had the ability to do so, for example, he was promoted to the state office as a consultant.
But it was also possible that he didn't have the ability to do so. We all knew that the warehouse manager couldn't use such an act, even if he was nominally promoted to the state office of the tax bureau.
This was a "deal" that didn't know whether it was worth it or not.
Perhaps it had different values in the eyes of different people. For example, in the eyes of Michael Jr. and his wife, at least this deal was worth it. Michael Jr. was released from prison a few months early, and he even received an important verdict of "not guilty".
The state court considered some specific facts and believed that if Michael Jr. asked Michael Jr. to do something, as father and son, and also as master and slave, it would be difficult for Michael Jr. to refuse.
In addition to Michael's age, the charges of covering up and perjury were not established. The state court judge very humanely gave Michael the final verdict of "not guilty".
This also meant that the stain on Little Michael's record had been completely erased because of this sentence, as well as the additional three years of his sentence.
The trajectory of his life had changed a little.
Just as Lynch pursed his lips to express his indignation at Michael's plight and a certain degree of humanitarianism, the doorbell rang.
Lynch put down the newspaper and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. He got up and walked to the living room. The maid simply tidied up the things on the table and went to open the door for Lynch.
It was hard to find a good job in this year's year, let alone a job that only required one to clean.
As long as Lynch was not at home, she would lie on the sofa and watch TV to pass the time. She also had a good salary every month. She cared about this job very much. This was also the reason why she wanted to talk to Lynch in private. She hoped to work here longer.
The door of the house was soon opened. Director Johnson, who was standing outside, was stunned when he saw the maid's dress. He quickly looked away.
Who knew if these people had some little hobbies that were hard to talk about. If he angered Lin Qi by looking at them too much, or if some accident happened, he really wouldn't be able to explain himself.
After some simple questions, the maid led Director Johnson to the living room and left.
"I just saw you in the newspaper."
After shaking hands with Director Johnson, Lynch sat back down. He crossed his legs and looked at Director Johnson with a smile. "How can I help you?"
It seemed like a normal attitude, but Director Johnson felt that Lynch was hiding a kind of temperament. It was something indescribable. Was it arrogance?
Maybe it was, but it was also a little bit like arrogance. It was not easy to describe.
Director Johnson was sure that Zhang Heng's words and expressions were just perfunctory.
He didn't care about Lynch's performance. Instead, he asked curiously, "Am I in the newspaper?"
According to the unwritten rules, the head of a certain authority in a region would not take the initiative to appear in front of the media and the public without the consent of the other party.
On one hand, it was to maintain and protect their mysteriousness. On the other hand, it was to not cause trouble for them.
There were always a lot of lunatics in this world. They never considered whether what they did was in line with the rules. They only did what they wanted to do, including harassing people who they thought had hurt them, even if that was not the case.
Lynch nodded. "I saw that Michael's sentence was increased …"
Director Johnson scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. I did it, and it has something to do with my intentions."
Lynch nodded slightly. At the same time, he also realized the purpose of Director Johnson's visit.
However, he wouldn't take the initiative to say it. Some words might be more valuable if he said it himself, but sometimes, it wouldn't have a good effect.
Michael was serving his sentence, and Michael Jr. was also in prison. Michael's wife might not know how to deal with the sudden change in her life. No one in this family had the ability to change the status quo.
There was only one person left who could change and had the right to do so, and that was Michael's old boss, Director Johnson.
Lynch didn't suspect that Michael's colleagues did it. No matter what the reason was, they wouldn't let themselves have any contact with Michael. Only Johnson was different.
He was a good person. Sometimes, it was hard to say whether it was right or wrong to be too kind.
After hesitating for a while, Director Johnson sighed helplessly. "I met Michael two days ago, and he said that this matter is over. At the same time, he said that he regrets what he did to you in the past. He also asked me to convey his apologies to you, and he hopes that you can forgive him …" Lynch nodded to show that he understood. However, judging from his expressionless face, it seemed that he didn't care about Michael's statement at all.
Thinking about it, 10 years later, a prisoner who had just been released from prison and a big shot who might have become more successful would have no chance to have any relationship with him. Why would he care?
However, there were still some things that needed to be resolved. Director Johnson bit the bullet and continued, "We spent a lot of money on this matter. When Michael comes back, he has to transfer to another school to study again. Plus some other expenses …"
Director Johnson subconsciously rubbed his palms. To be honest, he might not be a good person, but he had almost never broken the law, let alone taken the initiative to do something like today.
Upon hearing this, Lynch realized that it was about time. He first expressed his attitude. "There's nothing good between Michael and me, and there's no friendship between us. Even if his wife and children have to beg on the roadside, that's what they deserve."
"But …" He changed the topic. "I'm a good friend of yours. When you're in trouble, I'm willing to help you. This is not because of Michael's bullsh * t. It's because of you, Director Johnson."
Lynch's words made him a little angry, but he also felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
In fact, when a person's value was affirmed by others, and it was given a higher affirmation, they would be happy about it.
"I don't know …" Director Johnson was a little confused.
Lynch took out a transfer checkbook, wrote a number, and handed it over. "For your sake, in the spirit of humanitarianism, I'm willing to help this poor family. However, I need someone to supervise the use of this money and give it to them in batches. Do you have time to do this, Director Johnson?"
With a tearing sound, Lynch tore the check from the checkbook and held it in his hand. He was waiting for Director Johnson's answer.