Chapter 388 The Orphanage's Lies: The Handsome Flower Boy 88
Attorney Chen took out a yellowed piece of paper.
"This is a copy of the welfare home's 1968 admission record, which is clearly recorded on line 17."
Lu Jinnian, male, about four years old, was found outside the courtyard gate on the night of the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. He was wearing only a single layer of clothing and had frostbite.
Enclosed is a letter.
She then took out a small plastic bag containing a letter.
"This is physical evidence."
Handwriting analysis confirmed the handwriting as belonging to Zhou Weimin.
A murmur rippled through the audience. Zhou's mother covered her mouth and let out a suppressed sob. It's all over, it's really all over now.
He had been hoping to turn his life around with his eldest grandson, but now his grandson is suing his son.
The flood washed away the Dragon King Temple, and people from all walks of life started fighting each other.
However, Attorney Chen continued to present his case, stating that they were well-prepared this time, and that both their moral and ethical arguments and the evidence were in their favor.
It was an almost overwhelming victory; since the other party wasn't privileged, the case was more likely to side with the victim.
Attorney Chen has information on Zhou Weimin, including his previous official position and family situation.
In the past, as the son-in-law of Deputy Director Wang, Section Chief Zhou would certainly not have had such an easy time winning this lawsuit.
Were they just lucky to have encountered the Wang family being purged? No, someone brought down the Wang family and Zhou Weimin's protectors.
They have a protective umbrella behind them, so let's tear that umbrella apart too.
"Second, regarding fraudulent marriages."
In 1967, in order to obtain a quota to return to the city, the defendant Zhou Weimin concealed the fact that he had a de facto marriage in the countryside and had a son.
Registering a marriage with Wang Xiuying, daughter of the Wang family, using false documents constitutes bigamy.
Furthermore, this marriage certificate was also forged by him; he was also involved in document forgery.
She presented a photocopy of her marriage registration record from that year, as well as a written certificate issued by the Shenjia Village Brigade proving that Shen Ci and Zhou Weimin held a wedding banquet.
Attorney Chen's voice was calm and steady, sounding like heavenly music. His arguments were truly reasonable and well-founded, giving him a good chance of winning.
"Third, regarding civil compensation."
Due to the defendant's abandonment, the plaintiff, Lu Jinnian, lacked paternal love from a young age and grew up in an orphanage, suffering severe physical and mental trauma.
The plaintiff now demands that the defendant compensate for medical expenses, child support, and emotional distress damages totaling 5,000 yuan.
Five thousand yuan! The audience erupted in uproar. These days, an ordinary worker's monthly salary is only thirty or forty yuan.
Five thousand yuan is a lot of money, how long would it take to save up! Raising a child costs a hundred yuan a year, so even after ten years it would only cost a thousand yuan.
Of course, at that time, most families would spend less than 100 yuan a year to raise a child.
When the topic of compensation came up, Zhou Weimin got excited. In his current state, where would he get any money? Let alone 5,000 yuan, he would have trouble even getting 50 yuan.
"I didn't! I didn't abandon them! It was, it was an accident!"
The presiding judge frowned.
"Defendant, please abide by court rules and speak only when it is your turn."
Next comes the evidence presentation phase.
The first witness was Director Lu of the welfare home. She was dressed simply in a neat gray coat. When she walked to the witness stand, she first glanced at Lu Jinnian with a gentle look in her eyes.
"I am Lu Xiulan, the director of Beijing Red Star Welfare Home."
Around 10 p.m. on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in 1968, I heard a child crying outside the courtyard gate.
When I opened the door, I saw a little boy sitting on the stone steps, dressed in very thin clothes, his face purple from the cold.
I brought him inside and asked him whose child he was, and all he could say was, "Daddy, don't go."
When talking about the past, Dean Lu's voice trembled slightly.
"And then?" Attorney Chen asked.
“We asked around the neighborhood for several days, but no one recognized the child.”
They're being cared for in the welfare home.
When the child first arrived, he had nightmares all night, had a fever, and talked nonsense, always saying, "Dad, don't throw me away."
He gradually got better, but he remained quiet and remarkably sensible, so sensible it was heartbreaking.
Lu Jinnian lowered his head, his fingers tightening slightly.
The second witness was the accountant of Shenjia Village Brigade, a thin old man.
He showed the wedding registration book from Shenjia Village back then, which did indeed contain the names of Shen Ci and Zhou Weimin.
"At that time, Zhou Weimin was an educated youth and lived in the Shen family's house."
Everyone in the village knew that he and Shen Ci had gotten together, and later they held a three-table banquet, which was considered their wedding.
In the spring of 1967, Zhou Weimin received a permit to return to the city and said he would come to pick up Shen Ci once he had settled back in.
They disappeared without a trace, taking the child with them when they left. The Shen family girl kept thinking about it every day.
Our whole village knows about this; everyone in the village can be a witness.
Shen Ci is now a great philanthropist and benefactor in the village. There are quite a few people willing to come forward to testify for her. She has made contributions to the village, and the village will not abandon her.
The women's federation members in the audience looked very unhappy.
Zhou Weimin's defense lawyer was a young man who attempted to argue his case.
"Your Honor, at that time, common-law marriages were prevalent in rural areas, and the lack of legal registration meant that the marital relationship could not be proven."
Furthermore, after my client returned to the city, she had effectively ended her relationship with Ms. Shen Ci.
Attorney Chen immediately retorted.
"Common-law marriages are protected by law."
Furthermore, the defendant concealed his marital status and registered for marriage again, which constitutes the crime of bigamy.
More importantly, when Zhou Weimin returned to the city, Shen Ci already had a child with him. You not only took the child away, but you also abandoned him. This is not only a moral issue, but also a legal act of abandonment!
With witnesses and physical evidence readily available, Zhou Weimin is adept at maneuvering, but he's not a lawyer. The evidence is practically all-encompassing, which is extremely disadvantageous to him, and he doesn't know how to defend himself.
Before he arrived, his lawyer had told him to keep quiet and leave everything to him. At this moment, his face was pale, his lips were trembling, and he couldn't utter a single word.
He had nothing to say, since all of this was true, and even if there were lies, they would be easy to find out.
The court debate lasted for more than an hour.
Zhou Weimin's lawyer has consistently tried to downplay the abandonment as an inability to support his family and to explain the bigamy as a misunderstanding caused by the times.
But the evidence was so solid that every rebuttal seemed useless, superfluous, and unconvincing.
During the final statement, Shen Ci stood up.
She didn't bring any notes; her gaze calmly swept across the judge's bench before finally settling on Zhou Weimin.
"Your Honor, I am sitting here today not to seek revenge, but to demand justice for my son."
Thirteen years ago, Zhou Weimin abandoned his wife in order to return to the city. After returning, he abandoned his young son in the snowy night in order to climb the social ladder.
"If it weren't for the orphanage, my son would be dead."
She paused, controlling her emotions. To win this case, she would have to keep bringing up Lu Jinnian's pain, so she had to win this case.
Otherwise, all that pain would have been for nothing!
"Over the years, I've searched for my child all by myself, and I don't want to talk about how much I've suffered."
I just want to ask Zhou Weimin one question: when you abandoned the child back then, did you ever think about the fact that it was a winter with temperatures of minus nine degrees Celsius?
Have you ever thought about how a three- or four-year-old child survives?
This is clearly premeditated murder!
Zhou Weimin dared not look at her, his head almost buried in his chest.
It wasn't that he was afraid to watch; he was afraid he would lose control and say something malicious, which would make the situation even worse.
The lawyer said that his case was very difficult to win.
All he could do was try not to speak, not to provoke the other party's anger, strive for leniency, and sincerely admit his mistakes.
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