Chapter 342: Love outside the law
Aunt Chu looked at Zhou Yuzhen with disbelief in her eyes, "Yuzhen, I know it's not easy for you these years, and I know you want to give Cheng'er a better life. But Cheng'er has lived here for so long, and he relies on me, an old woman. For the sake of Tianli, can you let Cheng'er stay?"
"No! I came back to pick him up this time just to make up for what I owed him over the years. And my current family needs him too, I can't let him stay in this small place forever."
Gao Cheng raised his head from Aunt Chu's arms, his eyes full of tears, "Mom, I don't want to leave, I want to be with Grandma. Grandma, I don't want to leave you."
"Oh, Cheng'er, don't cry, my darling, don't cry, don't cry." Aunt Chu hugged the child tightly with heartache and patted his back gently, trying to calm him down.
Gao Cheng's crying echoed in the room, hurting everyone's heart.
Lin Anan looked at this scene, and a sour feeling welled up in her heart. She looked at Zhou Yuzhen and said sincerely: "Comrade Zhou, Xiaocheng has a very deep affection for his aunt, he really doesn't want to leave, and he is still young.
Although you haven't been with him these years, I understand your desire to make it up to him and give him a better life, but the emotional needs of the child are equally important. You need him now, but I can't live without him either, he is my lifeblood!"
Zhou Yuzhen clenched her fists, a slight struggle flashed in her eyes. She looked at Gao Cheng, whose face was covered with tears, and pursed her lips.
Before she could speak, the man standing on her left stepped forward and said, "If you want to discuss the issue of child custody, you can talk to me. I am Ms. Zhou's attorney, and my last name is Zhu."
As if he was afraid that Lin Anan and the others might not understand, he straightened up, fished out a business card from his pocket and handed it over, "I'm a professional lawyer, the kind that handles lawsuits."
Lawyers of this era were indeed rare; even the business card in his hand was very modern.
Lin Anan glanced at the business card and did not reach out to take it. Instead, she looked coldly at Lawyer Zhu and said, "We are here today in the hope of resolving the problem through peaceful negotiation rather than litigation.
The child custody issue is not just a legal issue, it is also about the child’s emotions and future needs. We all want our children to be happy, so we have to sit down and have a good talk.”
Lawyer Zhu frowned, very dissatisfied with Lin Anan's words, "My duty is to protect Ms. Zhou's legal rights. As the child's mother, Ms. Zhou has the right to custody of the child according to law. Your request is not tenable in law."
After hearing what the lawyer said, Aunt Chu's heart tightened, her eyes turned red, and she could no longer hold back her tears. "I know Yuzhen is Cheng'er's mother, and I'm not unreasonable. But I raised Cheng'er since he was a child. Doesn't my feelings for him and my dedication to him count at all?"
Minister Qin couldn't bear to see the old man like this, so he spoke up at this time. He looked at the lawyer, his tone was calm but not friendly, "Comrade Zhu, I understand your responsibility to protect the rights and interests of the parties. But in this matter, we can't just consider it from a legal perspective. The child's wishes, his growth environment, and family emotional factors should all be taken into consideration.
The Gao family has made great sacrifices for the country, and Aunt Chu has been raising the child alone for many years, and the hardship can be imagined. We hope to find a proper solution that can protect the rights and interests of the child and take into account the feelings of all parties. "
Lawyer Zhu looked at Minister Qin and said with impatience, "The law is the law! If the two parties cannot reach an agreement, we can only resolve it through legal means. Moreover, Ms. Zhou's current family conditions and educational resources are obviously better than here, which is beneficial to the child's future development."
After hearing what the lawyer said, Gao Cheng started to cry again. He broke free from Aunt Chu's arms, ran to Zhou Yuzhen, and hugged her legs. "Mom, I don't want to leave grandma. I don't want to go to court. I don't want to go to a place where I don't know anyone. I want to be with grandma."
Zhou Yuzhen looked at Gao Cheng crying heartbreakingly, and her heart sank a little bit...
The man standing on her right leaned over and reminded her in her ear: "Ms. Zhou, don't forget the purpose of your visit."
Zhou Yuzhen retracted her outstretched hand.
There was no sympathy, no comfort, not even a response.
Just as Lin Anan thought, there must be something fishy going on. It was impossible for her to let the child take away!
Lin Anan looked at Minister Qin, nodded slightly, stood up and hugged Gao Cheng in her arms, "Xiao Cheng, don't cry, come to your sister-in-law."
Minister Qin also stood up and said, "Comrade Zhou, you keep saying that this is for the good of the child, but look at how Cheng Ge'er looks now. Is this the result you want?"
Seeing that Zhou Yuzhen was still indifferent, Lin Anan and Aunt Chu were a little disappointed.
Lawyer Zhu: "Comrade, please stop using emotional connections to bind Ms. Zhou, or we will not be polite."
Minister Qin glared at him, and Lawyer Zhu subconsciously shut up.
There was no way. Even though Qin Guang was a civilian cadre in the army, he was also a tough soldier. When he was serious, he looked completely different from ordinary people.
"This lawyer has been emphasizing the law. Yes, the law has regulations, but the law also advocates putting people first and focusing on the rights and wishes of minors. Cheng Ge'er has clearly expressed that he does not want to leave, but you turned a blind eye to it. Is this appropriate?
I am Qin Guang from the Political Affairs Department of the Northwest Military Region. Since you hope to solve the problem from a legal perspective, our military region also has its own solution. Gao Tianli belongs to the Northwest Frontier Army and is a martyr of our Northwest Army. His mother and children are the martyr's family members, so they are naturally under our jurisdiction. "
When Lawyer Zhu heard Minister Qin's identity, he was slightly startled, and a trace of unnaturalness flashed across his face. "Minister Qin, I understand your concern for the martyr's family, but everyone is equal before the law. As the child's mother, Ms. Zhou's rights should also be respected."
Minister Qin snorted coldly, "Respect her rights? What about the child's rights? Shouldn't Cheng'er's wishes be respected? You only see the legal provisions, but ignore the most basic human nature and emotions. Gao Tianli sacrificed for the country, and Aunt Chu raised the child with great difficulty. The efforts and emotions involved are incomprehensible to you who only know the legal provisions!"
Zhou Yuzhen's face turned a little ugly. She looked at Minister Qin, then at Gao Cheng, whose face was covered with tears. The conflict in her heart became more and more serious.
She keeps wandering between reason and emotion.
On the one hand, she did owe this child too much, and she just wanted to make it up to him and give him a better life. And... she urgently needed to take him back...
On the other hand, the crying of the child and Aunt Chu's pleading made her extremely uneasy.
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