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

When Chen Deshun met Chen Jianguo's pleading gaze, he not only didn't soften, but found it rather amusing.

This is the scholar he nurtured with all his might, the only college student in several generations of the Chen family.

When problems arise, instead of trying to solve them himself, he expects his father to scold his younger brother and protect his ridiculous pride.

Face? Face is something you earn yourself, not something given to you by others.

"What do you want me to say?"

"You want me to scold your two younger brothers for you, so you can save face as the eldest son in your family?"

"Why?! Are you saying your second and third brothers are wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jianguo was struck dumb, thinking he had misheard.

His father was actually speaking up for the second and third sons?

How could this be! From childhood to adulthood, his father had always favored him as his eldest son. No matter what he did wrong, his father would always stand by his side unconditionally.

What's wrong with me today? Not only did I not get my money back, but I also got yelled at for no reason!

Liu Rui was also stunned. He picked at his ears, wondering if he was hallucinating.

What's going on? The father-in-law isn't helping her husband, but instead is helping that scheming second son and the good-for-nothing third son?

"Dad, how can you say that about Jian Guo? He's the eldest son in the family! The second and third sons are clearly just jealous and talking nonsense!" Liu Rui shouted.

Chen Deshun didn't even bother to glance at her, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

Three sons, one daughter-in-law, a taciturn fourth son, and a carefree youngest daughter.

These are his good children.

A swarm of leeches waiting to suck his blood.

He slowly stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff body.

All eyes were on him.

They were all waiting, waiting for the old man to make his final decision.

"You all want money, you all want jobs, right?" Chen Deshun's tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

Liu Rui thought her father-in-law was about to relent, so she quickly interjected, "Dad, you have to prioritize Jian Guo! He's the eldest son, a college graduate, and his chance for promotion is incredibly rare..."

"Shut up!"

Chen Deshun roared, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, startling Liu Rui so much that he trembled and the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.

A smirk played on his lips as he walked step by step to his eldest son: "Chen Jianguo, don't you know how much money the family has spent on your university education, your marriage, and your rented apartment?"

"I've worked for two years and haven't brought a single penny home. Now, for your so-called future, you're going to rip off your father's lifeblood?! What do I owe you?!"

"Let me tell you, you want money from me? Fine."

"First, pay back every penny of the money your family spent on your college education. I'll give you five hundred yuan, including principal and interest. That's not unreasonable, is it? Give me five hundred yuan first, and then we can talk about your matter."

Chen Jianguo was dumbfounded: "Dad, what... what are you saying? I'm your son, isn't it only right that you spend money on me and support my university education?"

"It's only natural?"

Chen Deshun sneered, "I only know that it's only right to pay back debts! When you went to university, you knelt in front of your mother's portrait and swore that after graduation, you would hand over all your salary to the family to support your younger siblings' weddings and schooling! You know how difficult things were for our family back then, but we scrimped and saved to support your education!"

"You've worked for two years now, have you contributed a single penny to your family? You got married and moved out, and I emptied my savings to support you, but have you given me a single cent in return? And now you have the audacity to talk to me about what's rightfully yours?"

He gets angry whenever he thinks about it. Back then, his family didn't have to pay for his university education. The government would give students a living allowance called "People's Scholarship" to cover expenses such as food and books.

Other students can send money home to help support their families while they are in college, but Chen Jianguo often asks his family for money.

He only found out later that this kid wasn't studying well at school, but instead was chasing after girls, and all the money his family sent him was being used to help Liu Rui's family with poverty alleviation.

They're still trying to fool him! Do they really think he's made of paper?!

"Dad, don't be angry, let's talk this out."

Seeing her husband get the short end of the stick, Liu Rui quickly jumped in to smooth things over.

"If you think we've done anything wrong, please point it out and we'll fix it."

She adopted a reasonable stance, attempting to regain control of the conversation.

Goodness, this couple is trying to put on a show again.

Chen Deshun sneered inwardly.

In his past life, whenever something happened, the eldest son and his wife liked to put on a show, fooling him completely and eventually swindling him out of his life savings. Now they're doing the same thing again.

"A leopard can't change its spots, and two different kinds of people can't sleep in the same bed."

Chen Deshun's gaze fell on Liu Rui, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

Liu Rui's face flushed red instantly, as if his underwear had been pulled down in public.

"Dad, how...how could you say that to me? I've been married into the Chen family for two years now, how have I ever wronged you or the Chen family?"

Her eyes reddened, and tears came easily; her acting skills were superb.

"There are many things we, the Chen family, have done wrong."

Chen Deshun was too lazy to beat around the bush with her and said mercilessly, "What the second brother said earlier is right. When you married Jianguo, you asked for a dowry of six hundred yuan and a complete set of three turns and a radio. Our family has given you enough face, hasn't it?"

"What about your family? All they gave as dowry were two tattered quilts? Are they trying to fool us?"

"You haven't forgotten about this, have you?"

Liu Rui's face was pale, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

This matter is a thorn in her side and her biggest weakness in front of her husband's family. She usually doesn't dare to mention it, for fear that the Chen family will remember it.

But to her utter surprise, the old man, who was always concerned about his reputation and kept this matter to himself, actually revealed it in front of the whole family today.

"They say a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl, but how can you bring water back up?"

Chen Deshun said calmly, "Eldest daughter-in-law, if I remember correctly, ever since you started working, you've been giving your salary to your family."

I heard the second brother mention it in my past life, but now, apart from the eldest brother, no one in the family knows anything about Liu Rui's salary.

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to Liu Rui.

The third brother, oblivious to everything, looked at the eldest brother in shock: "Now I see! No wonder you two, both working, are always thinking about how to squeeze money out of your family. Turns out, your wife's entire salary goes to her family! What, are you addicted to being a live-in son-in-law, or are you doing charity work?!"

The second son, never one to shy away from a good show, added fuel to the fire: "What do you mean by 'marrying into the family'? Didn't you hear Dad say that when my eldest brother got married, our family gave him three watches, one radio, and a 600 yuan dowry? What family is so generous as to pay extra for a 'marrying into the family' dowry?"

Liu Rui's most hidden wound was exposed in public. She was most afraid of her husband's family finding out that she still gave her salary to her parents' family. No married woman could have her heart still tied to her original home. In the eyes of her husband's family, who valued family background, this was a great act of disobedience.

How will she hold her head high among her sisters-in-law in the future? How will she maintain her authority as the eldest sister-in-law?

All dignity crumbled completely in that moment.

"Chen Jianguo, what promises did you make to me when we got married? What right do you have to tell your father about this! Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?" Liu Rui roared hysterically.

Chen Jianguo's face also turned extremely ugly. His wife could be really stupid sometimes. Why was she acting so crazy at this moment? Wasn't her shouting an admission of guilt? What was the difference between that and a public confession?

"Dad, who told you that? It's completely untrue!"

His mind works much faster than his wife's.

Can we accept this statement? Absolutely not.

Once he admits it, not only will Liu Rui's status in the family collapse, but he, as the eldest brother, will also be inferior to others.

Some tears, once opened, can never be sewn back up, and he reacted almost instantly.

Whether it's true or not, you know the answer in your heart.

Disappointment filled Chen Deshun's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Should I personally go to your wife's workplace to check your cash receipts? And take the passbook to the bank to compare the transaction records? I've been giving you face at every turn, and you're treating your own father like a fool."

If their deceased mother knew this, she'd probably be so angry she'd crawl out of her coffin. They'd poured their own blood and flesh into supporting these college students, yet their own families were drowning in famine, and they'd been helping their fathers-in-law instead.

The other children exchanged bewildered glances, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes. It was truly as if the sun had risen in the west today! Surprisingly, the old man hadn't lost his mind.

He usually favored the eldest brother the most, and whatever the eldest brother said went.

Could it be that this time, the elder brother and sister-in-law have really angered the old man?

The specific reasons are no longer important.

The current situation, ironically, makes the children feel a sense of satisfaction.

This older brother of theirs has been taking advantage of the family for more than just a year or two. Even after getting married and starting his own family, he hasn't changed at all. He comes back empty-handed every few days to freeload, and when he leaves, he takes back big bags and packages.

The old man's workplace distributed rice, flour, cooking oil, and fruit, which the man took without even opening the packaging. He always put on a helpless, petty face, which caused a lot of gossip among the neighbors.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

Seeing that things were going badly, Chen Jianguo immediately softened his stance and admitted his mistake, forcing a low voice: "I understand the difficulties your family is facing. I was immature before. Starting next month, I will give half of my salary to the family to help you and your younger siblings. Is that alright?"

His idea was simple: get through this hurdle first, and the old man's money would be his sooner or later.

Chen Deshun, a shrewd man, saw right through his little scheme. He decided to play along, feigning anger, and said, "Next month? I've waited two years for you. Do you expect me to be on my deathbed before I receive you?"

"Let's start this month. If I remember correctly, your company's payday is the 15th of each month. Today is the 12th, so you'd better hand over your salary the day after tomorrow. If you're short even a penny, I'll go to your company and talk to your boss. Do you understand?"