Sam Evans froze for a moment, then hurriedly chased after the two and entered the inn.
Since it was still the New Year period, the inn was rather quiet, with almost no guests. Only Lily Evans and her companions were in the corridor.
Lily Evans released the little yellow bird into the air again. The bird flapped its wings and flew down the corridor, finally stopping at the door of a certain room.
Lily glanced at that room, then asked the innkeeper to open the room next door.
The group entered the room next door. Lily glanced at the wall shared by the two rooms, then sat on a chair by the wall and motioned for Sam Evans to sit as well.
Sam Evans pressed his lips together and quickly walked over.
As soon as he sat down, he could vaguely hear noises from the next room.
Sam Evans recognized the voices—it was his daughter Lana Evans, her husband Jasper Cheng, and those creditors. He immediately looked at Lily Evans.
Lily Evans made a shushing gesture and lowered her voice, saying, "Uncle Sam, I don't want to say anything to you right now. Listen for yourself. Whatever you hear, you can choose to believe it or not."
After speaking, Lily Evans sat silently, sipping her tea.
Sam Evans also stayed quiet and began to eavesdrop on the sounds from the next room.
First came Jasper Cheng's voice: "Brothers, thank you for helping me put on this act. I made quite a bit of silver from this, thanks to you all."
Then Lana Evans laughed, "Take your silver and leave quickly. Ten taels each for your trouble is more than enough."
The creditors hurried to thank them: "Thank you, boss, thank you, madam! You're really generous. We just ran a few errands and put on a few shows, and got silver for nothing. It's like a pie falling from the sky! If you ever need this again, call us brothers."
Then came the sound of counting silver. Lana Evans handed out the winnings and sent the creditors away.
Lily Evans glanced sideways at Sam Evans and saw his face had turned pale—he was clearly shocked. He hadn't expected his daughter and son-in-law were deceiving him. There were no real creditors, no debts; it was all a show put on by Lana Evans and Jasper Cheng.
Sam Evans trembled all over, his face turning red and white. He clenched his fists tightly, breathing heavily, but didn't say a word.
Lily Evans poured him a cup of tea and quietly pushed it toward him.
Sam Evans took the tea, his hand trembling, and drank it in one gulp.
He finally managed to speak, voice hoarse: "Lily, why... why did they do this to me?"
Lily Evans sighed softly. "Uncle Sam, sometimes the truth hurts. But it's better to know than to be kept in the dark forever."
Sam Evans covered his face with his hands, tears streaming down as he sobbed in silence.