Old Deng is reborn in the 1980s, and he starts by severing his father-son relationship!

In front of a state-run restaurant in Beijing.

Chen Jianye and Chen Jianshe stood there like two door gods, their faces full of worry.

The two men gave all the money they had to Chen Deshun. Now, all the money they had left was less than two yuan and a pound of grain coupons.

Both of them had big appetites, but unfortunately, they didn't have enough to eat!

Chen Jianye sighed softly, feeling increasingly uneasy the more he thought about it.

It's all his father's fault. He acted so cruelly all at once. It was Chen Jianguo and Chen Limei's families who offended him, not him. He ended up killing himself with a single blow.

And then there's that third son, the troublemaker. Dad was so angry, yet he still dared to go up to him and ask for a job. He deserved the slap he received.

"Chen Jianguo is such a jinx! If he hadn't come to our house today, none of this trouble would have happened!"

Chen Jianshe sighed and muttered indignantly.

He cursed Chen Jianguo and his wife in his heart, but cursing didn't satisfy him; his stomach started growling even louder.

Clutching my rumbling stomach, I thought of the fried noodles with soybean paste that Chen Deshun made at home.

The golden-yellow hand-pulled noodles, topped with a layer of delicious fried sauce, even without diced meat, are so fragrant with the aroma of the sauce and scallions that it's irresistible.

It might even taste better than a state-run restaurant.

Most importantly, it doesn't cost any money.

"Comrade Jianye, are you here for dinner?"

A crisp sound came from the side.

The two brothers turned around and saw a girl in a floral dress standing beside them, smiling at them.

"Comrade Zhang... Zhang Xin."

Chen Jianye's eyes lit up, and he waved, "What are you doing here?"

"I just went to the department store for a stroll."

When Zhang Xin saw Chen Jianye smile at her, a blush instantly rose on her fair face, and her eyes showed a hint of shyness.

Chen Jianye felt a surge of pride.

He's so popular with women, so why won't Cui Cui marry him?

"Hello, Sister Xin."

Although Chen Jianshe wasn't familiar with Zhang Xin, he had met her a few times and was quite perceptive, so he greeted her politely.

Zhang Xin snapped out of her daze and smiled shyly, "Why are you two just standing here instead of going in?"

Chen Jianye looked embarrassed and was trying to come up with an excuse when Chen Jianshe, standing beside him, blurted out, "Ugh! Don't even mention it!"

His face was filled with despair as he complained, "Today, my dad got the wrong idea and insisted on demanding living expenses from us. If we didn't give them to us, he threatened to make us move out. We just finished paying our respects, and now we only have less than two yuan left, plus a pound of grain coupons. We can't even afford food!"

"Gurgle..."

Chen Jianye's stomach growled at just the right moment, and his face instantly flushed. Meeting Zhang Xin's surprised gaze, he forced a calm and composed demeanor: "Don't listen to his nonsense. My dad is old, my mom passed away early, and my eldest brother got married and moved out. As the second eldest brother, it's natural for me to share the burden of the family more. It's alright, you should go back now."

He was really afraid that Lao San's loose tongue would cause him to spout nonsense in front of Zhang Xin, which would shatter his image in Zhang Xin's eyes. He could only try to get Zhang Xin to leave as soon as possible.

"You brothers are quite filial."

Zhang Xin smiled and replied, then looked at Chen Jianye with reluctance, and then looked up at the state-run restaurant by the roadside. Suddenly, an idea came to her: "Jianye, Third Brother, how about I treat you to a meal?"

Chen Jianye maintained excellent composure, though he really wanted to agree, he still put on a resolute attitude and waved his hand to decline: "That's not really appropriate, it's too expensive inside, and there's no reason for a girl to treat me to a meal."

He was acting when Chen Jianshe next to him was practically drooling. He didn't care about anything else; he was a fool not to take advantage of the situation. He rushed over and said, "Sister Xin, from now on you're my sister! No, even closer than a sister! Let's go inside, I'm starving."

Zhang Xin's face was red and hot.

Closer than a biological sister? What else could it be?

Isn't she just my sister-in-law?

She was secretly pleased and gently tugged at Chen Jianye's sleeve: "Look, your third brother is starving. You have to think about your brother, right?"

"This...this won't do. I can't accept a reward without having done anything right."

"Let's go, consider this meal a thank you for your help at work."

Hmm? Chen Jianye raised an eyebrow. He couldn't recall ever helping Zhang Xin at work.

"Your third brother has already gone inside, let's go."

Chen Jianye licked his lips and made a few symbolic refusals before pretending to have no other choice and being pulled into the state-run hotel by Zhang Xin.

After Zhang Xin went in, he generously ordered a plate of braised pork ribs, a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes, two bowls of rice, and a bowl of tofu soup.

"ah!"

After ordering, Zhang Xin suddenly remembered that he was supposed to go to the tea and snack shop in Zhongguancun to buy butterfly pastries. There was usually a batch of fresh ones coming out around 2 pm. This shop was an old brand, and if he went too late, they might be sold out.

So, after settling the bill for the two, he said goodbye and left in a hurry.

Soon after, the food was served.

The second and third brothers had been starving for a long time. When they saw such a sumptuous meal, especially the meat on the table, their eyes widened and they devoured it like two hungry wolves.

In an instant, chopsticks flew across the table like spears, rice bowls were emptied as if by the wind, and the two of them had absolutely no manners to speak of.

"Well--"

Chen Jianshe let out a satisfied burp, picking his teeth contentedly: "It's so delicious, no wonder it's a state-run restaurant."

Chen Jianye rubbed his belly, having been so busy fighting with the third brother for the meat that he hadn't really tasted it.

But no matter what, a free meal always tastes good afterward.

Chen Jianshe spat out the food bits from his teeth, picked up the bowl, finished the rest of the soup, and smacked his lips, saying, "Second Brother, if you ask me, Sister Xin is pretty good. She's not bad looking, and most importantly, she's generous. You're so stingy, you two are a perfect match. You're a hundred times better than Gao Cuiyun who's always asking for this and that."

"Heh, you were bought off with just one meal?" Chen Jianye rolled his eyes at the third brother.

"Is it just a matter of one meal?" Chen Jianshe curled his lip. "If it were Gao Cuiyun today, let alone meat, we probably wouldn't even be able to afford steamed buns. She would have lured away all the money we had, and we would have had to take her home on an empty stomach."

"Get out! Shut up if you're full."

Chen Jianye glared at him and cursed irritably.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Chen Jianshe shook his head, pretending to be an experienced person. "Those who don't listen to the elders will suffer the consequences. Anyway, I think Sister Xin is better than Gao Cuiyun."

"Okay, you're nice to have Sister Xin, but don't just talk the talk, go after her!" Chen Jianye ignored him.

Chen Jianshe spread his hands: "I don't mind that she's older than me, the key is that she has to be interested in me... Hey, wait for me, I just finished eating and I'll rest for a bit before I go."

Seeing Chen Jianye get up and leave without stopping, he wiped his mouth and quickly followed after him.

Standing at the entrance of the restaurant, Chen Jianye glanced back at the sign of the state-run restaurant and couldn't help but sigh.

Sigh, it's good, but it's too expensive!

We still need to find a way to make his father willingly support him.

I can't cook, and I don't have time to cook. Even if I wanted to eat out every day, I couldn't afford it.

He had seen that meal just now; it cost Zhang Xin a full two yuan, not to mention the food coupons.

He needs to save his salary to marry Cui Cui.