Chapter 9
Edward Quan ·
“She has a son and a daughter.”
Zhao Xue gritted her teeth.
“Why are you so determined to make things hard for us?”
“I’m only refusing to let you move into my home.”
“Then sell the house, split the proceeds, and let everyone live their own lives.”
“Is that what you really want?”
Zhao Xue did not deny it.
“If Brother Ming can get the money, he can buy Mom a small place and settle our family’s debts too.”
I looked at her.
“You’ve been planning this for a long time.”
She immediately changed her tone.
“I just said it offhand.”
I took out my phone.
“Say that again.”
Zhao Xue turned and left.
But after taking only a few steps, she suddenly looked back.
“Song Wanqing, don’t think you’re so clever. Brother Ming still has another card to play.”
I remembered Zhao Xue’s words.
Zhao Ming still had another card.
Aside from that loan agreement, what else could he produce?
Three days later, the court held its first mediation session.
Zhao Ming came with his lawyer. My mother-in-law and Zhao Xue sat in the gallery.
My lawyer and I sat on the other side.
The judge first asked about the house.
Zhao Ming’s lawyer submitted the loan agreement and argued that Zhao Ming had contributed 200,000 yuan toward the home after the marriage, asking that it be recognized as marital property.
Our side submitted my father’s transfer receipt, the house-payment records, and the bank statements.
After reviewing them, the judge asked Zhao Ming:
“You say you gave the money in cash. Do you have a withdrawal receipt, a witness, or any other evidence?”
Zhao Ming said, “It was a long time ago. I didn’t keep anything.”
“Then who drafted this agreement?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she wrote it.”
“If you lent her the money, why didn’t you agree on a repayment date?”
Zhao Ming could not answer.
My mother-in-law, sitting beside him, grew anxious.
“They’re married. Why would they need to write down every detail if they lent each other money?”
The judge looked up at her.
“Please remain quiet in the gallery.”
Zhao Ming’s lawyer requested a handwriting examination.
I agreed.
The mediation did not reach an agreement.
As we left the courthouse, my mother-in-law chased after me.
“Are you happy now? You had to make Mingming lose face in front of everyone.”
“He filed the agreement.”
“It’s a matter between husband and wife. You’ve dragged it all the way to court. The Zhao family is the one losing face.”
“The house is in my name. The Zhao family’s face has nothing to do with it.”
My mother-in-law pointed at me.
“Your children will get sick of you sooner or later!”
Zhao Nian stepped in front of me.
“Grandma, don’t scold my mom!”
My mother-in-law froze, then began crying even louder.
Zhao Ming hurriedly pulled her away.
Before getting into the car, he turned to look at the children.
His expression was reproachful and helpless.
I knew he wanted them to take his side.
But the children had seen too much.
After I got home, my lawyer called.
“The forensic examiner found something. There’s a problem with the original document the other side submitted.”
“What is it?”
“The paper used for the agreement was manufactured in recent years, but the date on it is from more than ten years ago.”
I was stunned.
“Are you sure?”
“At this point the examiner can only say there’s a discrepancy between when the paper was made and when the ink was applied. We need to wait for the formal report.”
“Could the agreement have been filled in later?”
“That’s possible.”
I told my mother about it.
She suddenly remembered something.
“Did Zhao Ming ever take an old family seal from your house, the second year after you married?”
I thought for a moment.
“He said he needed to stamp it for the renovation reimbursement.”
“What happened to it afterward?”
“I stopped seeing it.”
I searched through the drawers and finally found traces of wear on the bottom of the seal in an old box.
My father had given it to me for the property paperwork.
There was also a faint stamp beneath the signature on the agreement.
My lawyer said, “This may prove that the agreement was supplemented later, but we still need to determine where the seal came from.”
I called Zhao Ming.
“Does the agreement you have carry my seal?”
“You signed and stamped it yourself. Why are you asking me?”
“You took my seal that year.”
“I didn’t take it.”
“Then why is there a stamp on the agreement you submitted?”
The other end fell silent.
I heard my mother-in-law beside him ask, “Did she find out?”
Her words came through clearly.
Zhao Ming hung up at once.
I saved the recording.
That was the other card Zhao Xue had mentioned.
They thought that producing an agreement that looked genuine would force me to give in for the sake of the children and the lawsuit.
But they hadn’t expected the documents to tell on them.
On the day the formal examination report was ready, my lawyer and I went to submit it to the court.