Lily and Margaret Evans listened in stunned silence. In her heart, Lily gave Uncle Arthur’s adoptive parents a silent thumbs-up, admiring them: The older, the wiser! They’d anticipated everything and left behind a letter, never once saying a bad word about the Evans Family Elders. Instead, they used this clever trick to let Uncle Arthur see the true colors of the Evans Family for himself. What a brilliant move!
No wonder Uncle Arthur’s adoptive parents could rise from humble peddlers to owners of a grand silver shop—their cunning far surpassed those two old geezers from the Evans Family!
Mrs. Charlotte Evans spoke, recalling her late in-laws. She wiped away tears and said, "There truly are no better parents in this world than mine."
Arthur Evans fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "Alas, it’s all my fault. I nearly brought disaster upon my wife and children. Thank goodness I saw through the Evans Family’s true nature early on, or my parents’ hard-earned fortune would’ve been snatched away by them! Hmph, it pains me to spend even a single coin on them!"
Mrs. Charlotte Evans gripped Arthur’s hand and said, "Who could’ve guessed those two from the Evans Family would be so heartless? They’re their own grandchildren, after all. I never imagined they’d stop me from taking the kids to see a doctor."
Arthur Evans wiped his face, brushing away his frustrations. "Enough, let’s not dwell on those troubles. Lily, my real name is Arthur Evans, and I’m registered in Zhuzhou down south. I won’t be moving back to Clearwater Village. Tomorrow, I’ll tell the Village Chief that I’m severing all ties with the Evans Family, then buy a plot of land and build a house here. We don’t have other relatives in Zhuzhou, and your aunt and siblings are fond of you, so we’ll stay here in the countryside to relax. We still have a house in Zhuzhou, so we can live in both places."
Arthur Evans, Mrs. Charlotte Evans, and their two children, Jack Evans and Jill Evans, temporarily moved in with Lily’s family.
Arthur Evans was a businessman with remarkable initiative. The very next day, he went straight to the Village Chief to discuss cutting ties with the Evans Family.
When Grandma Evans heard that Arthur’s family wanted to break off from the Evans Family, she was furious and stormed off to confront him, but Helen Parker stopped her.
Helen Parker, having already ransacked Arthur’s home and scored some new clothes, strutted over in high spirits and said, "Let them break ties if they want! They still have to eat, and that whole bunch is no good at work. Arthur can’t even chop firewood, and his wife is so delicate she can’t carry water. What’s the use of keeping two freeloaders who won’t lift a finger?"
Grandma Evans’s eyes lit up as she realized Helen Parker made a good point!
They’d already stripped Arthur’s family of everything they owned—why keep them around? The further they kicked them away, the better!
Grandma Evans immediately rounded up the Evans Family Elders and marched off to the Village Chief’s house to make the split official.
The Village Chief was taken aback by their eagerness and asked, "Are you sure about this?"
Grandma Evans sneered, "We’re absolutely sure! Arthur Evans and his family are useless. They’re just mud in the fields—no matter how you water them, they’ll never grow anything worthwhile. We don’t want them dragging us down!"
The Village Chief rolled his eyes angrily. "What nonsense are you spouting! Who talks about their own son like that?"
Grandma Evans shot a disdainful glance at Arthur Evans and his wife standing in the yard, then jabbed her finger at Arthur’s nose and scolded, "How am I wrong? Look at this useless man—are those hands made for work? Last time David Evans asked him to weed the fields, he only lasted an hour before whining about how tired he was! Just one hour and he couldn’t go on. If that’s not useless, what is?"
Arthur Evans stared at Grandma Evans’s harsh and domineering face and snorted loudly. "I’m useless? Hmph!"
He had made his mark in the business world; as the proud owner of Fortune Silver Jewelers, if Arthur Evans was considered useless, then the entire Evans Family were nothing but mud in the fields—no matter how much you water them, they’ll never grow anything worthwhile.