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

"Oh, payday?"

Before Chen Deshun could even speak, Old Mrs. Shen's ears perked up immediately upon hearing the word "salary." She crossed her arms and exclaimed, "My dear grandson, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but what did your grandfather and I come all this way for? With this attitude, what will people in the village say when we get back? 'What did the Chen family's most successful grandson treat you to in the city?' A vegetarian tofu feast? Your grandfather and I won't know where to put our faces!"

As she spoke, Old Mrs. Shen sighed deeply, "Alas, you should go now. Your grandfather and I can't count on you."

Chen Jianguo was sweating profusely from being teased by Old Lady Shen.

He invited his grandparents over to support him and make decisions for him, but now, before he's even done anything, they're kicking him out. What's going on?

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have tried to save a few dollars on groceries.

Taking advantage of the situation, Old Mrs. Shen didn't give him a chance to react. She squeezed past him, grabbed the net bag full of rotten vegetable leaves from the table, and made as if to throw it out the door.

"Grandma! Grandma, what are you doing?!"

Chen Jianguo quickly stepped forward to stop Old Lady Shen.

He finally understood that if he didn't make his grandparents comfortable today, all the previous preparations would be in vain.

He gritted his teeth, realizing he had made a mistake, but in the current situation, there was only one way out: to go all the way down!

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; you can't get the real thing without wine and meat!

"Grandma, what would you like to eat?" Chen Jianguo asked with a forced smile.

Grandma Shen and Grandpa Chen have spent most of their lives toiling in the fields, and they can count the number of times they've been to the city on one hand. They've never even eaten at a restaurant in the city, so if you ask them what they want to eat, they really can't say.

The elderly couple exchanged a glance and then involuntarily turned their gaze to Chen Deshun, clearly handing over the ordering power to him.

Chen Deshun coughed lightly, as if he had already thought it through, and said leisurely, "I heard there's a roast duck restaurant on Qianmen Street that's pretty good."

"Roast Duck?"

The old man's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously licked his lips, muttering, "Roast duck is good. Back in the village, we couldn't bear to eat the chickens and ducks we raised. We treated them like ancestors, feeding them eggs. Even when they got old, we couldn't bear to slaughter them; we had to keep them to sell for money to buy tickets. Now we've caught up with good times."

Grandma Shen snorted, her words carrying a hidden meaning: "What good times? It's because our good grandson is successful and knows how to be filial to his elders. Try it with other people's children, and they won't even let you into their homes, let alone take you out for roast duck."

Chen Jianguo didn't listen to a word of his grandparents' praise; he was only focused on the "roast duck" that Chen Deshun mentioned.

The old man and Mrs. Shen praised Chen Jianguo to the skies, but he didn't take a word of it to heart. His mind was preoccupied with the "roast duck" that Chen Deshun had mentioned, which was no cheap dish.

Although I've never eaten Peking duck, a live duck is incredibly precious. It requires a ticket, is limited in quantity, and you have to get up early and queue for a long time to buy one.

I heard from my colleagues that some people go to the market at two or three in the morning to reserve a spot for a duck, using bricks and baskets, and they wait in line for six or seven hours, which is no less tiring than going to work.

A roast duck costs at least three to five yuan. There are four of them, so they'll definitely have to order one. If they add duck bone soup, scallion pancakes, or something similar, the meal will probably cost six yuan.

"My dear grandson, what's wrong?"

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Old Mrs. Shen asked with concern, "You're not having second thoughts, are you? If you don't want to treat us two old folks to dinner, just say so. We still have some pride and won't cause you any trouble."

"Grandma! What are you saying?"

Chen Jianguo snapped out of his daze, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "I... I didn't bring enough money with me, and I was worried you wouldn't enjoy your meal. How about we treat you another time? Let's just have something simple for today?"

After considering it all, he still felt that roast duck was too expensive and it really hurt his wallet.

If he had a choice, he would prefer to take his grandparents to a roadside shop and have a bowl of noodles each, which is affordable and filling.

Upon hearing this, Grandma Shen's smile widened, and she reached out her wrinkled hand to pat his shoulder: "I knew you were a filial son! But as the old saying goes, there's no time like the present, so let's do it today!"

Without giving Chen Jianguo any chance to refute, they continued, "What's wrong with not having money in your pocket? Just go home and get some! We'll go back with you!"

Chen Jianguo's smile froze on his face.

Having said all that, he knew he couldn't escape this roast duck meal today, no matter what.

His shoulders slumped, and he looked like a deflated balloon. He waved his hand listlessly: "...Okay, okay, I'll go home and get the money."

Chen Deshun stood to one side, secretly amused.

I admire my mother to the core. When it comes to cunning and scheming, none of the younger children in the family can match her.

With this one move of "retreating to advance" and another move of "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron," they completely controlled Chen Jianguo.

Why didn't he inherit his mother's brains in his past life? He only inherited his father's honest and simple nature.

Thinking of this, he subconsciously glanced at his own father.

Is there something on my face?

The old man sensed that Chen Deshun's gaze was a bit strange, and reached out to touch his old face, which resembled terraced fields.

"without."

Chen Deshun quickly steered the conversation back on track, smiling at the elderly couple, "Dad, Mom, you haven't been to our eldest son's house yet, have you? Let me tell you, he lives in a newly allocated cadre family housing building. It's an apartment building with running water and a private toilet. All his neighbors are educated cadres."

Upon hearing this, the elderly couple's eyes lit up, and they both turned to look at Chen Jianguo.

Grandma Shen's smile widened: "My good grandson is really successful, he's even living in the cadre housing now."

Chen Jianguo, who had been looking sullen, straightened up a bit upon hearing this, and a smug look appeared on his face.

That's right, he's the most promising person in the Chen family. He lives in an apartment building, and his future achievements are limitless. He's nothing like those peasants in the courtyard.

Although treating someone to a Peking duck meal hurts, it earns me a lot of face in front of my grandparents and helps me get my savings and tuition fees back, so it's worth it.

The four of them left the courtyard, with Chen Jianguo walking in front. The thought of getting his bankbook back after this meal made his steps much lighter.

Chen Jianguo's place is neither far nor near; it takes about twenty minutes by bus.

On the way, the old man and the old lady were like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, finding everything new and interesting.

Grandpa Chen pointed at a Volga sedan that drove past, his face full of surprise: "Goodness, how much coal would it take to run that fast?"

"Sir, that's a sedan, it runs on gasoline, it's specially for leaders," Chen Jianguo chuckled and explained.

Chen Deshun smiled but didn't say anything.

In the 50s-70s, the Volga was the exclusive vehicle of high-ranking officials, such as those at the rank of major general or provincial/ministerial level. Ordinary people might not even get to see it.

After entering the 80s, with the reform and opening up, the restrictions on use were relaxed, and county and township governments, as well as some key enterprises, were also able to be equipped with one. The factory director of their electronics factory had one.

There was another reason for relaxing the restrictions: the country had exchanged agricultural products for a lot of volcanoes through "barter trade," and since they were just sitting idle, they decided to distribute them among the local population.

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to get a seat; if they wanted to, they'd have to wait until at least the 1990s.

With technological advancements, the Volga gradually entered the realm of ordinary households and taxis in the 1990s.

At the same time, due to outdated technology, high fuel consumption, and frequent malfunctions, it was replaced by emerging models such as Santana and Jetta within a few years, and basically withdrew from the mainstream market by the end of the 1990s.

In the 21st century, they became collectible items cherished by some enthusiasts.

That being said, right now, it really is just as Chen Jianguo said: the seats are all for the leaders.

Grandma Shen wasn't interested in the cars on the road, but she was very interested in the floral shirts in the shop windows. She clicked her tongue and said, "The city is so much better. Even the clothes are nicer than those in the village supply and marketing cooperative."

"Mom, if you like it, I'll get you a few feet of cloth to make you a dress another day."

Chen Deshun didn't bring any cloth coupons with him when he went out. Anyway, the old couple didn't have anything urgent to do. His older brother was watching over the fields, so they weren't in a hurry to go back. If they really liked something, they would bring all the coupons and come back to buy it tomorrow.

Come to think of it, I've never really spent any money on my parents in all my years.

Since we're already here, we should buy as much of what we like as possible to take back with us.

"No need." Old Mrs. Shen waved her hand, not wanting her son to waste money, and casually said, "Why should an old woman like me dress so neatly after working all day? Make it for your wife."