"Wasn't the agreement just about repaying the money? How did it get tied up with fraud?" He blinked, unable to stop himself from asking.
"Huh?" Yang Minghui and her two companions exchanged glances.
Then they protested, "We never committed any fraud! It was all completely voluntary; he donated the money of his own free will."
"This is just slander from the other party, Lawyer Zhang. You don't need to worry about that. Your main job is to help us figure out how to deal with repaying the money..."
From their perspective, the biggest issue was the possibility of being forced by the court to repay the 130,000 yuan after losing the lawsuit.
Before coming here, they had also learned that if they couldn't repay the money, the court would confiscate their property as compensation.
As for the charge of fraud mentioned in the indictment... they didn't care at all.
Zhang Wei's mouth twitched upon hearing this. Looking at the three ignorant clients, he felt rather helpless.
Clearly, they hadn't realized what the accusation of fraud in the lawsuit implied.
Fraud, unlike civil disputes, is a criminal offense! If they lost the case... it wouldn't just be about repaying the money; they might also face prison.
"You three, give me a detailed account of what happened." Zhang Wei took a deep breath and said sternly, "Remember, I am your lawyer, so don't hide anything. Otherwise, you'll only be harming yourselves."
Seeing Zhang Wei's serious expression, Yang Minghui and her companions swallowed nervously. After exchanging glances, they began to speak, the words pouring out of them.
"It's like this: that old fellow, Li Weiguo, seemed to have supported us for nine years, but in reality, he's just a sanctimonious hypocrite fishing for fame."
"Over the years, we've given him plenty of fruit and appreciation banners."
"But what does he do?"
"He turns around and slaps us with a lawsuit!"
"We must have been blind to have always thought he was a good person."
"He might be short on money now, but he can't just demand it from us! We're poor families; where would we get the money to repay him?"
"Besides, whoever heard of asking for donated money to be returned..."
The three were full of grievances. As they spoke, they were on the verge of tears, every word an accusation against Li Weiguo.
To an uninformed observer, one might think Li Weiguo had done something utterly outrageous to them.
But Zhang Wei, having been a lawyer for over a decade, had seen countless cases like this. Defendants often exaggerate the facts to elicit sympathy.
"Ahem. What I'm asking is what exactly transpired between you and Li Weiguo? For example, financial dealings, any grudges or conflicts, or... what precisely is the reason he's suing you?" Zhang Wei had no choice but to interrupt their incessant chatter and remind them.
Yang Minghui and the others finally stopped, their eyes flickering, not daring to meet Zhang Wei's scrutinizing gaze.
"As I said before, if you want my help, don't hide anything from me." Seeing their reaction, Zhang Wei emphasized again, "Otherwise, you're bound to lose this case."
Hearing this, only then did Yang Minghui and the other two, biting their lips, reveal the crucial information.
"We suspect that old fellow, Li Weiguo, flew into a humiliated rage and sued us because we made our children drop out of school."
"But we had no choice. Their fathers are useless—always out drinking or gambling."
"We can barely put food on the table; how could we afford to keep our children in school?"
"We had no choice but to have them drop out and work to earn some money to send home..."
Zhang Wei frowned. He couldn't resist asking, "Didn't Li Weiguo support your children's education? How could you not afford it?"
Yang Minghui didn't even pause to think before retorting disdainfully, "How much do you think he gave for tuition and living expenses each month? If it all went to the children, what about our households?"
The other two chimed in, "Exactly! He donated money, sure, but he was so stingy. It was just enough for the children's tuition and living expenses, not a cent more."
"If he'd just given a little more, we wouldn't have had to make the children drop out..."
Zhang Wei felt an instinctive revulsion at their words. Li Weiguo had supported these three families, yet in the accounts from Yang Minghui and her companions, Zhang Wei heard no trace of gratitude.
It was as if they believed he was obligated to do so.
However, his professional ethics compelled him to take a deep breath and compose himself. He began to inquire, "Did you bring the bank statements of the transfers Li Weiguo made to you over the years?"
"Yes, yes, we brought them. They're all here," Yang Minghui stammered, quickly pulling a thick stack of bank statements from her bag.
Before they came, Zhang Wei had instructed her to print these detailed statements from the bank in advance.
"So many?" Zhang Wei's eyes widened in surprise.
But Yang Minghui scoffed, pursing her lips. "So many? Don't let the sheer number fool you; each transaction is tiny, just a few hundred yuan. That old geezer is incredibly stingy."
Zhang Wei frowned. He picked up the statements and glanced through them. Each transaction detail on them had a noted purpose. For example, buying children's textbooks, attending tutoring, taking interest classes, and so on. Even medical expenses for sickness and hospitalization, or money for sneakers—all paid for by Li Weiguo.
Over nine years, there were more than two hundred such transactions. Some were for a few hundred yuan, others for one or two thousand.
As he looked through them, he swallowed and couldn't help but ask, "Your children... what exactly is their relationship with Li Weiguo?"