"Let's go in. I'll cook some more food for us!" Judith said with a smile.

Maurice went to take a bath.

Severin's mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts as he entered his old room. It was clean, however, and he felt a burst of warmth.

Sure enough, his parents, the people who cared most about him, had been cleaning his room from time to time. When Severin opened the closet, he discovered several of his old clothes. They were aged, but spotless. [The sentence about finding novels online is irrelevant and should be removed.]

Judith entered some time later, smiling at Severin. "We clean your room occasionally when you're not here," she explained. "Your clothes are probably a little small and out of fashion now. Old folks like us don't really understand young people's fashion trends!" She approached him, placing $200 in his hand. "Go shopping tomorrow and get some decent clothes!"

"I can't accept this, Mom," Severin said solemnly, returning the money. "You don't need to worry about me. I have money, and I'll buy you and Dad a big villa in the future. You've suffered your whole life because of me; I've only suffered for a few years. I can't spend your money like that!"

Judith looked at him skeptically. She believed the generous person he'd met in prison had given him a substantial sum—likely tens of thousands. After all, if Severin hadn't paid the six men the remaining $26,000, there would be no other explanation for their departure. Judith and Maurice knew those men's characters well after five years of dealing with them.

"Of course I have money. Why would I lie?" Severin assured her with a smile. "Dad's finished showering; I'll take one too. Let's have a nice meal afterward!"

After showering and changing into his old clothes, he sat with his family at the small table and ate.

"It's been a while since you had a drink, hasn't it, Dad?" Severin asked as Maurice took a sip of wine.

The question startled Maurice. He forced a smile. "N-no! You know how much I enjoy these drinks. All that physical work is tiring; a few sips help me sleep better, don't they?"

"Yes! He drinks all the time!" Judith added, worried Severin would be concerned. "We eat meat almost every day, too, don't we?"

"Yep! It's pretty much a daily thing," Maurice said awkwardly.

Severin's heart ached at his parents' poor acting. Had he not returned, there would have been no wine or stewed meat—at most, shredded potatoes and a plate of yellowed cabbage leaves (a clear sign they were salvaged from the market).

"Why are you staring? Eat some meat! Did you eat and sleep well in prison?" Seeing Severin's quiet expression, Judith placed two pieces of meat on his plate.

"It was alright. Didn't I tell you I had help from someone generous? I wouldn't have gotten out so soon otherwise!" Severin smiled, scooping meat for his parents. "You both should eat more. You're much thinner than before, and Mom's hair is gray!"

"Your mother's hair turned gray from worrying," Maurice said, laughing despite his bitterness. "I never believed worrying could do that, but your mother proved me wrong!"

"Don't worry, I've learned some medical knowledge; I'll make her hair black again! But whether it's black or gray, she'll always be my beautiful mother!" Severin clinked glasses with Maurice and drank.

"You're quite the sweet talker now!" Judith said, though she didn't fully believe him. She was happy he was home safe; his hair color didn't matter.

"By the way, what's with that envelope, Mom?" Severin asked, curious about the envelope the delivery person left and the $200 Judith received. He wondered aloud, "Could a relative be helping us?"

Maurice smiled bitterly. "Those relatives used to keep in touch, but not since you were imprisoned."

Judith agreed. "That's right. After you went to prison and the house was sold, everyone avoided us knowing we owed the Loughs $150,000."

"They did? Even Aunt Marie, Aunt Edwina, Uncle Paul, and Uncle Vincent? They didn't help at all?" Severin was surprised. "Especially Uncle Paul; isn't his family well-off?"

Judith explained, "Your uncles and Aunt Edwina made excuses to avoid lending us money; they were afraid we couldn't repay. We're old, and it's hard to improve our lives. Only Aunt Marie, despite being poor, helped. We borrowed $8,000 from her, and meticulously kept records."

She warned Severin, "Remember Aunt Marie's kindness and repay her as soon as possible. She quarreled with your uncle, and had no money for surgery when she fell ill. Your cousin had to borrow heavily, even taking out high-interest loans."

Maurice sighed. "Your cousin asked us to repay, but we had no money. Easton's men demanded $700 monthly, and we couldn't always save that much. We gave her the $50 we had; she threw it down and left."

He took a sip of wine. "Don't blame her. We let their family down."

"I understand, Dad," Severin said. "Aunt Marie was kind; I'll repay her a hundredfold!"

Judith handed Severin the envelope. "We don't know who sent this. Every month, they send $120–$150. The letter says they're a friend you met once, assuring you're doing well and that you asked them to send money to us."

Severin frowned. He couldn't believe a one-time acquaintance would help his parents so generously, and he had no idea who it was.