Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 552 - 221: She’s not just my mom, why should I be the one to provide for her?

This method is tantamount to social suicide. The more people who know... Feng Cuihua’s sons wouldn’t be able to show their faces in their neighborhood or nearby. In these times, if word got out that a family was unfilial and mistreated their parents, they would undoubtedly be scorned by everyone.

Feng Cuihua couldn’t help but gulp after hearing this. Can it really be done like this? If it’s really as Qin Mu said... then I might as well give it a try. After all, even if a sentence is passed, my four sons wouldn’t have to go to jail.

After a moment, she exchanged a look with Zhang Qingyuan, as if having made a decision. "Okay, I want to sue them!" she said seriously. "Once I get the support payments, I will marry Brother Zhang!"

This lawsuit served two purposes for her. Firstly, she wanted to seek justice for herself. Secondly, she wanted to get the support payments so she could marry Zhang Qingyuan. Once they found they were kindred spirits, they felt an almost reckless urge to be together, disregarding everything else.

For them, now in their seventies and eighties, they felt they had seen it all. So-called good looks and wealth held little attraction for them anymore. Their love was different from that of the young. Young people might long for fiery passion and excitement, but they yearned for a love as tranquil as water, supporting each other through thick and thin. It was simply a case of two souls connecting, untainted by any material considerations.

"Alright, then let’s go find Wang Dachui," Qin Mu said, looking at the two, who clearly had sparks of love between them. He nodded with a smile.

The love of the elderly... he thought. Over the years, he had witnessed many such relationships. Most involved individuals who had lost their spouses early in life and had spent more than ten years alone, raising their children. Upon growing old and moving into the nursing home, they chanced upon someone with whom they truly connected. Seeing Old Zhang find Feng Cuihua... he was genuinely very happy for them.

「The nursing home.」

In the legal advisor’s office, Wang Dachui was sitting in front of the computer, slacking off. Suddenly, Qin Mu arrived with Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua, telling him about a new lawsuit and asking him to participate in the defense.

"You... want to sue your four sons?" Wang Dachui looked at Feng Cuihua in a daze, asking for confirmation again. Abandonment is a criminal offense. If confirmed, they would have to bear the corresponding criminal responsibility.

"Her sons..." Qin Mu began, stepping forward to recount Feng Cuihua’s family situation. If Feng Cuihua hadn’t had some savings and chosen to move into a nursing home, she would very likely be homeless by now. The attitude of those four sons toward her was atrocious. Having four sons like that was worse than having none at all.

After listening, Wang Dachui was filled with righteous indignation. "Okay, I’ll take this case!"

Supporting one’s parents is often a moral issue. However, the law also penalizes the failure to provide for one’s parents. Minor offenses are illegal, while severe ones are criminal.

Watching Wang Dachui agree, Qin Mu turned back to Feng Cuihua. "For this case, we first need to file a report with the police. We’ll see if the procuratorate decides to prosecute. If not, we’ll file a private prosecution," he explained. "When filing the report, you will need to prepare some evidence."

He paused for a moment, then added, "This evidence is primarily to demonstrate that your four sons have failed to fulfill their filial duties—they haven’t provided companionship, financial assistance, or emotional support. These are all fundamental obligations in caring for elderly parents. Of course, this doesn’t mean that failing to do these things automatically constitutes the crime of abandonment. In reality, many people fail to fulfill their filial duties for various reasons. However, it’s rare for sons to completely neglect their mother as Feng Cuihua’s have. Such behavior has always been morally despised. Most people, even if they can’t always be physically present with their parents, will give them some money periodically, or they arrange for their parents to be cared for in a nursing home."

Evidence... Feng Cuihua thought carefully, then said with a wry smile, "I’m just an ordinary woman from the countryside; I don’t know anything about evidence." Although she had decided to sue her sons, she was clueless about what constituted evidence or where to find it.

"This kind of evidence is actually quite straightforward," Qin Mu said with a smile. "It mainly includes testimonies from neighbors, records of any financial transactions between you and your sons, and whether they’ve visited you at home. You can seek out people familiar with your family’s situation. Any past mistreatment by your four sons can also serve as evidence."

He continued, "The biggest difference between private and public prosecution lies in evidence collection. In private prosecution cases, you need to gather the evidence yourself and submit it to the court for review and cross-examination during the trial. In public prosecution cases, however, the procuratorial and public security organs are responsible for collecting evidence."

Feng Cuihua sighed as she began to recount her past. "Well, there is that. The year before last, I went to my third son’s house, but they refused to let me in. They said I was dirty and smelly, even though I had clearly taken several baths before going to his place... My daughter-in-law, on the other hand, was kinder; she gave me a quilt."

"Also, six months ago, I had a fall. I needed surgery, which required a family member’s signature, but none of them came to the hospital. Nobody signed, so the surgery was delayed for three months." As she spoke, she pointed to her leg. "Now, I walk with a limp. Previously, I was very healthy. Even in my seventies, I didn’t use a cane. But ever since that fall and delayed surgery, I’ve had to use a walking stick, and my health has never been the same."

"And for the past ten years," she continued, her voice heavy, "not one of them has come home to see me for Chinese New Year. The neighbors in the village can all attest to this. They all say I raised four ungrateful wretches..."