Arthur Evans's Origins
"When the Merchant Couple saw that the child was on the verge of death, they couldn't bear to watch him die. So they sold everything they owned, scraped together twenty taels of silver, and gave it to the Evans Family Elders. That's how they managed to rescue Arthur Evans. Then they borrowed more money, another five taels of silver, and finally saved his life. Afterward, the Evans Family Elders repeatedly used Arthur's name to harass the Merchant Couple for more silver. The Merchant Couple, unable to endure it any longer, took Arthur—who was not yet a year old—and left Greenfield City, finally escaping the bloodsucking Evans Family Elders."
Margaret Evans recounted these old memories with a sigh, then continued: "These ancient family matters—I only learned about them shortly after marrying into the Evans family, when Grandpa Evans accidentally let it slip after drinking too much. The rest, I only heard from villagers these past few days. After the Merchant Couple left Greenfield City, their business flourished. They raised their adopted son to adulthood, helped him marry and have children, but because they resented the Evans family, they kept his origins secret. Uncle Charles is known for his filial piety and kindness; he truly repaid his adoptive parents' love. He cared for them in their old age, gave them a proper farewell, and only learned he was adopted years later, quite by accident."
"I suspect that Uncle Charles grew up with such kind adoptive parents, which is why he's so gentle and filial. Once he learned he had biological parents, he started searching for them everywhere—and he actually found them..."
"The Evans family coveted Uncle Charles's wealth and didn't want him to know the truth, so they lied and said he'd been stolen by human traffickers as a child. Very few people in the village know he was abandoned, and I'm one of them. Grandma Evans is afraid I'll spill the secret and ruin their scheme, which is why she came to warn me today not to talk too much."
Margaret Evans gave a mocking laugh. "Lily, don't be fooled by the Evans family's glamorous façade—everyone's dreaming of getting rich, but honestly, some people are scared out of their wits. They're terrified Uncle Charles will learn the truth and stop giving them money. Tell me, do you think the Evans Family Elders can sleep soundly at night?"
Lily Evans sighed, feeling a wave of pity. She never expected the Evans Family Elders to be so heartless in their youth—abandoning their newborn son in the snow for five taels of silver. And when someone saved him, they went to extort more money, pulling emotional blackmail and forcing the adoptive parents to sell everything. What they did was truly worse than animals.
"Lily, your uncle is really pitiful. He’s still in the dark, thinking his biological parents are wonderful. Should we give him a hint?" Margaret Evans hesitated, unwilling to watch Uncle Charles be tricked by the whole Evans family.
Lily thought for a moment, then said, "Mom, let’s not rush. When Uncle Charles comes back, we’ll see what kind of person he really is. Since he’s known for his filial piety, there are two kinds—blind devotion and reasonable devotion. If he’s blindly devoted and thinks blood ties are everything, even if the Evans Family Elders are the worst, he’ll still recognize them and keep throwing money their way. If we try to persuade him, it’ll only backfire and make the whole family resent us. But if he’s sensible and clear-headed, we can quietly give him a hint, help him break free from that bone-devouring Evans family. That’d be saving a life, which is better than building a seven-story pagoda."