The contents of the summons made Jiang Sanping and his wife nearly explode with anger.
"Is your mother just looking for trouble?" Jiang Sanpingās wife cursed. "Why is she getting so worked up about this? Weāre family! Is it really necessary to take this to court? Is she afraid people *wonāt* see us become a laughingstock?"
Her words were filled not with respect, but with complaints and resentment. The summons didnāt frighten them; instead, it only worsened their impression of Feng Cuihua. In their view, Feng Cuihuaās actions were utterly foolish. This was a family matter, yet Feng Cuihua insisted on dragging it to court, scheduling a public trial for seven days later!
The old saying goes, "Donāt air your dirty laundry in public," precisely because you donāt want others gossiping about your familyās problems. But Feng Cuihua? It was as if she was afraid the whole world *didnāt* know, actively stirring up a public spectacle.
"Keep your voice down," Jiang Sanping said coldly, glancing towards the study. "Our son is doing his homework."
But his wife was still fuming, refusing to back down. "I donāt care! Your mother started this mess, so you deal with it! Our son is in his senior yearāitās a critical time! If this affects his college entrance exams, donāt blame me for divorcing you!"
Still seething, she snatched the summons and the copy of the complaint and threw them into the stove where soup was simmering. Flames flared, instantly consuming the paper summons and complaint.
Jiang Sanping watched this entire scene, his face grim. In truth, the summons had deeply stung him too. Every line accused them of failing to fulfill their filial duty. Yet, among the four brothers, their family was the worst off. Neither the eldest nor the second brother had taken the lead. So why should *they* be the ones to provide?
It wasnāt like Mother was his responsibility alone.
After a long silence, Jiang Sanping sighed. "Iāll... Iāll find a better lawyer tomorrow and see what they say."
Hearing this, his wife nodded. "Exactly! We need to find a lawyer, a good one. Get a lawyer to help us shirk as much of this support responsibility as possible!"
"I heard Zhang Wei is pretty good..." She then took out her phone and showed Jiang Sanping Zhang Weiās information and his law firmās address.
ćJin City.ć
In a schoolās staff dormitory, an unexpected courier delivery disrupted the peace of the household.
Jiang Siping stared expressionlessly at the two documents before him, saying nothing. He had just finished grading his studentsā exam papers when the package arrived. Inside were only two documents: a summons and a copy of the complaint.
As a teacher, he knew exactly what this meant.
He was being sued! No, more accurately, his own mother was suing him! And the cause of action wasnāt some civil disputeāit was a private criminal prosecution for abandonment!
"H-h-how could we be guilty of abandonment?" Jiang Sipingās wife, standing beside him, panicked and quickly pulled out her phone. She looked up some legal statutes and finally found the definition of abandonment. But reading it only made her more flustered. Abandonment, it turned out, didnāt just apply to infants or children, but also to disabled individuals who had lost their ability to live independently, and the elderly. Sentencing could be up to five years in prison.
On the summons, Feng Cuihua was requesting a three-year prison sentence for Jiang Siping and his three brothersāa demand presented as perfectly fair and impartial.
"Siping, maybe... maybe we should call Mom?" she ventured, looking at Jiang Siping. "If we apologize, I think Mom will forgive us."
She had always felt a little guilty and indebted to Feng Cuihua. She had even wanted to offer to take care of her, but Jiang Siping had been adamantly against it. Of all four families, she was the only one... who had thought of calling Feng Cuihua.
"Forgive us?" Jiang Siping exploded. "Sheās sued *me*, and you think sheāll forgive *us*?"
"Am I supposed to bear the burden of her support all by myself? The eldest, second, and third brothers have all washed their hands of it! Does she expect us to be saints and support her alone? Iām definitely not calling her!"
Jiang Siping clenched his teeth, his emotions simmering on the verge of an outburst. He was just short of cursing Feng Cuihua outright.
Seething, he snatched the summons and complaint from the table and threw them into the toilet. Calling to beg for forgiveness?
The thought hadnāt even crossed his mind.
He instinctively felt that since his mother had sued them, she just wanted money. Even if she were to forgive them... it would be conditional.
"She just wants money for her living expenses, and I wonāt budge!" Jiang Siping declared stubbornly, taking a deep breath. "Unless the eldest, second, and third brothers all pay up, I absolutely will not give a cent!"
"So itās a lawsuit? Fine! Iāll just hire a lawyer!" He was a teacher, after all, not some uneducated fool. Since this case involved a private criminal charge, he had to take it seriously. Still, he couldnāt believe it.
Could the responsibility of support, shared among four families, really land *him* a three-year prison sentence?
"But... Siping... I still think Mom..." his wife began, hesitating, wanting to persuade him further.
"Enough," Jiang Siping cut her off with a cold snort and a wave of his hand. "Iām about to be nominated for the Outstanding Teacher award. I canāt afford any trouble right now."
"Iāll take a day off tomorrow, find a reliable lawyer, and get this lawsuit dealt with quickly." This was a critical time for the award selection. For years, his teaching performance had been consistently top-notch. Considering the positive reviews from colleagues and evaluations from students, he had a very good chance of winning the award.