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

Just as the workshop director finished his meal and was about to get up, Chen Deshun quickly stopped him.

The workshop foreman sat back down: "What's wrong?"

Chen Deshun wiped his mouth: "Director, I need to ask for leave this afternoon. I have some urgent business to attend to at home."

We must go to Chen Jianguo's side as soon as possible and get back the money we spent on his schooling and wedding.

After working for two years, he refused to believe that Chen Jianguo and his wife had no savings at all.

The factory's closing time is 5:30 PM.

It takes at least half an hour to get to the Industrial Bureau by bus from here, and by the time you arrive, the boss will have already left work.

Therefore, we must leave early.

Yesterday, news of Chen Deshun's family situation had spread, and the workshop foreman had naturally heard about it as well. He expressed deep sympathy and sighed, "Go ahead and take care of your business, don't worry!"

Chen Deshun was a long-time employee, and based on the trust placed in him, the workshop director was very accommodating, not even requiring a leave slip.

"Alright, I'll give my apprentice a few words and then leave."

"Go ahead, go ahead!"

Chen Deshun nodded and turned back to the workshop.

The apprentice, Liu Jun, was hunched over the repaired radio, scribbling and drawing in a small notebook while muttering to himself.

Chen Deshun walked over and tapped him on the head.

"Watching without doing is useless. I have to go out this afternoon. Take a look at those machines that need repair, figure them out yourself first, and don't rush to do anything. If you can't figure it out, we can talk about it when I come back tomorrow."

Liu Jun snapped back to reality, saw it was Chen Deshun, and immediately stood up straight: "Yes, Master!"

After handing over his work, Chen Deshun hurriedly left the factory.

In the 1980s, Beijing was far less congested than it is today. The streets were filled with bicycles, while cars were a rarity.

He walked to the bus stop and waited for about ten minutes before a slightly dilapidated articulated bus came to a stop, panting heavily.

The car doors opened, and a surge of people rushed in.

Chen Deshun squeezed his way up and found a corner to stand in amidst the ticket seller's shouts of "Move in, move in!"

The carriage was filled with a mixture of sweat, gasoline, and various other indescribable odors, which swayed as the vehicle started moving.

Looking out the window at the rapidly receding street scene, the gray brick walls, the low bungalows, and the occasional Soviet-style "Khrushchev Building"

Everything felt so familiar, yet so strange.

The bus cruised leisurely through Beijing. After about twenty minutes, the conductor called out loudly, "We've arrived at the Industrial Bureau stop. Passengers getting off, please take your belongings!"

Chen Deshun got off the bus with the flow of people.

Walk forward about a hundred meters, and across the street is where Chen Jianguo works.

Chen Deshun asked someone about the time; there was still an hour before he got off work.

He wasn't in a hurry. He strolled to the gate of the courtyard, found a quiet spot, leaned against a large locust tree, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and smoked it slowly.

I bought the cigarettes on a whim at the convenience store I passed by earlier; they were Guanting brand, 27 cents a pack.

He crouched under the tree, like an extremely patient hunter, quietly waiting for his prey to appear.

His actions quickly caught the attention of the old gatekeeper.

The old man, who looked to be in his early sixties, was wearing a blue work uniform and sitting by the window reading a newspaper.

He looked up from behind the newspaper and stared at Chen Deshun for several minutes.

He was squatting under a big tree smoking. He looked quite respectable, but based on his years of experience guarding the gate, this man didn't seem to be there to do business; he looked more like he was there to cause trouble.

The old man opened the window and waved to Chen Deshun: "Hey, comrade."

Chen Deshun exhaled a smoke ring and looked up.

"What are you doing here?" the old man asked, narrowing his eyes.

Chen Deshun stubbed out his cigarette and replied, "Waiting for someone."

"Who are you waiting for? Should I let you know?" the old man asked tentatively, looking him up and down.

"I'm looking for Chen Jianguo." Chen Deshun shook his head: "No need to notify him, just wait for him to get off work."

The old man thought for a moment, but couldn't recall anyone named Chen Jianguo. However, there were many people in the factory, so it was normal not to remember. He then asked, "What's your relationship with him? What do you want with him?"

"I'm his father, and I'm here to ask him for money," Chen Deshun said truthfully.

The old man's eyes lit up, as if he had caught a whiff of gossip, and he beckoned Chen Deshun to come in and wait.

Chen Deshun saw it immediately, but he didn't refuse.

Regardless of the era, everyone has a gossipy nature, especially in times when entertainment is scarce.

The old man warmly ushered Chen Deshun into the guardhouse. The small room was about eight or nine square meters, with a wooden bed, a table, and some newspapers and other odds and ends piled up in the corner.

"Brother, please have a seat, make yourself at home!"

The old man quickly moved a small stool over, his face beaming with smiles, and started asking him all sorts of questions.

Chen Deshun naturally wouldn't casually bring up his family's affairs to gossip with others. He only talked about how his wife had passed away early, how difficult it was for his family to support Chen Jianguo as a college student, and how much money they had spent on his schooling and marriage.

Finally, he raised his head, sighed deeply, and said with a bitter smile, "Now, the child has made something of himself. But what about me? I'm drowning in debt, and my family is almost starving. I had no other choice but to come to him to see if I could borrow some money to plug the hole in our finances."

His words were sincere, but only half true.

The old man sighed repeatedly, "Every family has its own troubles! You've really had a tough time being a father! You've put in so much effort to raise him into a successful person, and now that he's accomplished, he should definitely repay the family!"

Just then, the loudspeaker in the courtyard suddenly blared.

After a stirring melody, the broadcast began with "Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman".

"Sailing the seas depends on the helmsman, and all things grow by the sun..."

Chen Deshun's spirits lifted.

get off work.

He hurriedly walked out of the guardhouse, went straight to the gate of the compound, found a conspicuous spot to stand, and scanned the crowd of people coming out of the office building with sharp eyes.

People gradually came out of the office building.

People were pushing their bicycles, chatting in twos and threes.

Chen Deshun's eyes quickly searched through the crowd.

Soon, a familiar figure appeared at the back of the crowd.

Chen Jianguo was pushing his old-fashioned bicycle and chatting and laughing with his colleagues as he walked out.

She seems to be in a very good mood today.

Chen Deshun sneered. He still walks to and from get off work every day, but this kid rode one first, and he even dares to complain about being poor every time he comes home.

"Chen Jianguo!" Chen Deshun called out.

Chen Jianguo was praised by his superiors at the meeting today and was in a very good mood. He planned to buy a bottle of wine on his way home and ask his wife to cook a couple more dishes tonight to treat himself and get rid of yesterday's bad luck. When he heard someone calling his name, he subconsciously looked over and saw Chen Deshun at the factory gate.

Why is Dad here?

Chen Jianguo's mind raced.

I had a scene at home yesterday, and now they've come all the way to my workplace?

Could it be... that he regrets it?

Thinking of this possibility, Chen Jianguo's mind immediately became active.

That must be it! He must have felt that he had spoken too harshly yesterday, thought about it all night, and realized that his eldest son was the most important, so he came here today to apologize and make amends!

That's good, it saves me the trouble of making the trip myself.

Chen Jianguo smiled and, pushing his cart, almost jogged over to greet him.

"Dad! What brings you here?"