Chapter 3

When Timothy finally arrived at the gate, his heart skipped a beat as he looked inside.

With just one glance, his expression faltered. The once quaint courtyard had become incredibly dilapidated.

It was filled with piles of junk that made it look uninhabitable. As a gust of wind blew past, it added to the desolation.

Timothy rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. How could this have happened? Was this really his home?

Just then, he heard the sounds of footsteps nearby. Upon turning his head, he saw an elderly couple picking up trash.

Both of them were emaciated. They had white hair and faces full of wrinkles. Their clothes were dirty and tattered, covered in patches.

The weight of the bag of junk on their backs bent their frail bodies. With every step, they had to stop and rest.

Timothy looked at the elderly couple and felt a deep sense of pity. They were so old and still had to pick up trash for a living—it was truly pitiful. He walked up to them, intending to help.

As he got closer and saw their faces clearly, he froze on the spot, feeling thunderstruck. At that moment, an indescribable emotion surged within him. His eyes welled up with tears.

Unable to hold back, he said in a trembling voice, "Dad, Mom… No way. How could this be?"

The elderly couple stopped and slowly lifted their heads to look at Timothy. Upon seeing him, they were so startled that they dropped the trash bags they were carrying on their backs. "T-Timothy?"

"Dad, Mom, it's me! Your son!" Tears filled Timothy's eyes as he hugged his parents tightly.

The two elders cried as well. They were indeed Timothy's parents—Joseph Yeager and Cora Lambert.

Cora clung to Timothy, crying uncontrollably. "My son, you finally came back. I've been looking for you all these years!"

Timothy let his tears fall freely. Seeing his parents in such a state filled him with sorrow. "Mom, why are you two picking up trash? I remember you both had jobs."

After a while, Timothy let go of them and wiped the tears on their faces. He couldn't understand how his parents ended up in this miserable state.

Joseph and Cora exchanged a look full of complicated feelings.

Cora's eyes were reddened as she smiled and said, "Let's not talk about this now. Come, let's go home. You must be hungry. I'll cook for you."

Timothy's heart couldn't take it, and he almost cried again.

As he followed his parents into the small house, his confusion grew. When he left, their house was in good condition, and his parents had stable jobs. Why had everything become so bleak?

He had also noticed faint scars on Joseph's body. What on earth had happened?

After they got seated at the table, Timothy couldn't hold back anymore. He asked, "Dad, Mom, what happened these years? Why has our family come to such a sorry state?"

Joseph's weathered face was full of deep wrinkles. After a moment of silence, he sighed and said,

"Timothy, it was all Helen Swift's doing."

Timothy was stunned. "Aunt Helen? How is that possible?"

Joseph smiled bitterly. "Timothy, you should remember that a few years ago, your Uncle Greg and Aunt Helen came to borrow money to start a business."

Timothy nodded. "I remember. You gave them all our savings. I think it was… 20 thousand dollars. Did they ever pay it back?"

Joseph shook his head and sighed deeply. "If I had known what kind of person Helen would turn out to be, I wouldn't have lent them a cent."

Timothy was puzzled.

Joseph explained, "After they became successful, not only did they not repay the money, but they also tried to force us to sell our home to them.

"They had heard rumors that this area would be redeveloped and could fetch a large sum of relocation compensation. Your mother and I refused, leading to a fallout with her. To retaliate, Helen made us lose our jobs."

At this point, Timothy finally learned the truth behind his family's misfortune. He clenched his fists, his eyes becoming cold. "Aunt Helen is shameless! I've misjudged her."

Cora said with a sigh, "Timothy, Helen is now a successful businesswoman. Don't cause trouble with her. We won't be able to compete with her."

Timothy felt awfully bitter upon seeing his parents in such dire straits. He had to confront Helen!

However, he didn't want his parents to worry, so he nodded and said, "I understand, Mom and Dad. Don't worry. I have a plan."

Joseph and Cora looked relieved as they smiled warmly at him.

Cora then asked, "Where have you been all these years? When you left without a word, your father and I were worried sick and couldn't sleep all day and night."

Her eyes reddened again. They had even thought Timothy was dead. When they finally saw him again after so many years, they couldn't help but feel emotional.

Timothy looked at his parents with a deep sense of guilt. "Dad, Mom, I left suddenly back then and didn't have time to tell you anything. I've spent those years on the mountain learning from my mentor. Now that I've finished my training, I'm more than capable of giving you a good life."

Joseph smiled. "It's good that you're back. We don't need much. A peaceful life together is more than anything I can ever ask for."

Cora added, "That's right, Timothy. You're in your 20s now. The most important thing is to find a good job and get married so that we can have grandchildren."

Timothy laughed. "Mom, work can wait. The important thing now is to introduce you to your daughter-in-law."

Joseph and Cora were taken aback.

Cora asked in surprise, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Timothy shook his head. "No, but my mentor helped me set up a few marriage agreements with a few young women. I need to choose one of them to be my wife. They might visit soon."

His parents exchanged a shocked look to learn that Timothy had not one but several marriage prospects. They felt incredibly happy. At their age, their biggest wish was to see their son get married and set up his own family.

Cora hurriedly told Joseph, "Dear, hurry and clean up the courtyard. If the young ladies see all this trash, it'll give them a bad impression."

Joseph immediately got up to clean the courtyard.

However, Timothy held his arm to stop him. He said with a laugh, "Dad, there's no need to clean. They're eager to marry me. They won't mind."

Joseph frowned and said seriously, "Timothy, we must be down to earth. Given our situation, why would anyone want to marry you? Let's clean up a bit. We may not be rich, but we can at least show some sincerity."

Timothy laughed helplessly, aware that Joseph thought he was boasting. He smiled and said no more.

Joseph tidied up the courtyard to the best of his abilities. However, it still looked shabby, especially with the pile of trash in the corner.

Cora thought for a moment and said, "Dear, let's change into cleaner clothes. We don't want the young ladies to make any snide comments."

Joseph agreed, and they went inside to change. When they emerged, Timothy felt a lump in his throat. The clothes they changed into were wrinkled and worn, albeit cleaner than the previous ones. They were faded and had small holes in the collars and cuffs.

Upon noticing his gaze, Cora pulled back her sleeves a little to hide the frayed edges of the cuffs. Her face flushed slightly, and she had an awkward expression on her face. She was worried they might embarrass Timothy.

But then, these were the best set of clothes she and Joseph had.

She looked at Timothy and said cautiously, "We haven't bought any new clothes over the years. These are the best outfits we have. Is… Is this okay?"

Timothy took in all the changes in Cora's expressions. She was his mother, yet she spoke to him with such inferiority. He felt a tingle in his nose, and his eyes stung a little. Timothy was heartbroken.

Of course, he understood Cora's concern. She was worried that Timothy would think that they were a disgrace to him.

Timothy looked up to force back his tears. He took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Dad, Mom, these clothes are fine. You look great."

Joseph and Cora were relieved by his response, and their faces lit up with joyful smiles. They were happy as long as Timothy didn't despise them.

The three of them sat in the courtyard and waited. Timothy remained calm, but his parents were nervous.

Soon, his ears picked up the sounds of footsteps outside the courtyard.

Finally, someone was coming.