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

Liu Rui's face turned bright red, and he opened his mouth to swear, but Chen Jianguo covered his mouth tightly.

Chen Jianguo pressed his elbow down and squeezed out a sound through clenched teeth, close to his ear:

"Honey, calm down! A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. Why bother arguing with them at this crucial moment? As long as we're alive, we can always settle things later behind closed doors!"

Having said that, he straightened his back, a familiar and smooth smile spreading across his face, and bowed slightly to the neighbors who had gathered to watch:

"Dear uncles and aunts, I'm so sorry! My wife was in a bad mood today and spoke without thinking. I apologize on her behalf. It's all just a family matter, so I won't take up any more of your time. Please go home now."

It has to be said that the eldest brother is quite eloquent. The old neighbors exchanged glances and prepared to disperse, following the lead of the conversation.

You can't hit someone who's smiling at you, especially since things have come to this point. Knowing when to stop is the wisdom of the older generation.

Besides, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes.

Chen Deshun, the person in charge, remained silent. These neighbors were only getting involved in this mess because they had nothing better to do. If they continued to interfere, they would be overstepping their bounds. The important thing was to hurry home, turn on the stove, and cook.

Chen Deshun's lips curled slightly, a smile that was neither a smile nor a frown.

What do you mean, "in a bad mood, speaking without thinking"? Does Liu Rui even have a brain?

Now his little mouth is smacking non-stop, like he's been given a laxative. But when his wife was pointing her finger at him and yelling at him, why didn't he utter a single loud fart?

Although I had witnessed the boss's cold-heartedness in my past life, experiencing it again still sent a chill down my spine.

Chen Deshun sniffed and squeezed out two tears: "Neighbors, I've made a fool of myself in front of you... What a misfortune for my family! It's my fault for not teaching my son properly. I've let down my deceased wife..."

In fact, he had many ways to deal with the eldest son and his wife, but the current scene was so perfect, with all the neighbors around, it was like a stage had been set up for him, just waiting for him to take the stage and put on a show.

Of course, there is also the most important point. Although he has been reborn, he still needs time to change. It is fine to be unrestrained in front of his own son, but he cannot break his image as an old workhorse in front of his old neighbors. If the contrast is too big, there is no guarantee that some villains will gossip behind his back and say that he is possessed by a ghost.

The neighbors who had gathered at the door, ready to leave, paused in their tracks, turned around, and those who had already walked away quickly ran back, afraid of missing something.

Chen Jianguo's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at Chen Deshun, his eyes pleading. Why couldn't they talk about it at home behind closed doors? Why did they have to shout it out in front of outsiders? If word got out, it wouldn't be good for his and his wife's reputations, and they wouldn't get any more opportunities at work.

Chen Deshun completely ignored his boss's gaze, and, as if going all out, said with great distress:

"As the old saying goes, 'Don't wash your dirty linen in public.' But I don't care anymore today. Jianguo, since things have come to this point, and everyone here is reasonable, let's get this straight."

"Brother, please be the judge!"

Chen Jianguo's face darkened, and he had a bad feeling. Just as he was about to explain, he saw Chen Deshun walk to the door, hold Grandpa Zhang's calloused hand, and tell him everything that had just happened in the house. He also brought up some old, trivial matters from the past. When he got excited, he didn't forget to wipe his eyes with his hand and wipe them on his sleeve.

Chen Deshun glanced at Chen Jianguo, who was standing there dumbfounded, and quickly looked away. This was nothing; the main event was yet to come.

The so-called family scandal only counts if I consider you family. Now, what are you?

"What a misfortune for the Chen family! What bad luck they had? Not only did they raise a simple-minded son like Chen Jianguo, but they also brought in a daughter-in-law who's completely siding with outsiders. Old Chen, I'm not criticizing you, but if it were me, I would have already published a statement in the newspaper to sever all ties with my unfilial son!"

"Tsk tsk, this is outrageous. I used to think it was unusual for a daughter-in-law to dare to scold her father-in-law, but good heavens, she actually sends all her salary to her parents' home? Isn't this like the old-fashioned 'betraying one's own family'?"

"Who says otherwise! She's married now, her salary goes to whose drawer it is. What, does her family own a savings bank?"

"Ha, and you still dare to shamelessly insult Old Chen like this? How dare you?"

"Old Chen, you gave your eldest son's wife quite a bit of betrothal and dowry back then, didn't you? What did her family bring as part of the dowry? How much of the betrothal money did they bring back?"

Chen Deshun looked at Wang Ma, whose eyes were gleaming with gossip, sighed softly, and said with a wry smile, "Don't even mention it. The bride price was six hundred, plus three turns, one ring, and thirty-six legs—not a single thing was missing. Her family gave two quilts as a dowry. They said they brought the bride price money back, but I haven't seen a single penny!"

"What? So you manage your eldest son's salary?" Wang Ma asked, her eyes filled with disbelief.

In his previous life, if someone asked him this question, Chen Deshun would always cover for his eldest son to maintain his dignity as the eldest son and establish his image as a filial and sensible person.

But now, haha, let's show everyone your true colors.

Chen Deshun sighed and shook his head, saying, "To be honest, my eldest son spends the most money, but he has never given a single penny to the family."

"Dad! What did you say?!" Chen Jianguo shouted, his eyes wide.

"What? Am I not telling the truth? You dare to do it, but you don't dare to let people talk about it?" Chen Deshun's tone was calm, but his words carried a hint of hostility.

Chen Jianguo's face flushed red and then turned pale, just like a malfunctioning streetlight at the entrance of the alley.

It seemed the old man was really angry this time; a few words from him completely exposed him.

The neighbors' gazes were like needles, pricking him all over.

It's as if I can already hear how he'll become the talk of the town among these old folks in the coming months.

It's over.

Years of hard work were destroyed in an instant, and only these two words remained in Chen Jianguo's mind.

The neighbors pointed and gossiped, saying all sorts of unpleasant things.

Liu Rui, having held back for a long time, could no longer bear it. Taking advantage of Chen Jianguo's momentary daze, she pried his hand away and retorted:

"A bunch of rabble, what do you know? My father-in-law is living a very comfortable life. Besides, he's getting old, and he doesn't spend much money even if he's at the factory all day. Why is he taking Jianguo's salary? This is a new era now. Jianguo has started his own family. Why should he give money to his family?"

The second son, who was watching the commotion, chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law, according to you, this is a new era. Your family is safe and sound, so why are you still giving your salary to your parents' family?"

Chen Deshun glanced at the second son without showing any emotion and said slowly, "You have younger siblings who need your help, and Jianguo also has younger siblings. The second and third sons don't have proper jobs, and they're not married yet. Lihua and the fourth son are still in school."

He paused, then said in a deep voice, "My whole family depends on me. If my family weren't so desperate for money, I would never have asked you for this."

His words were sincere and heartfelt, and everyone had seen Chen Deshun's difficulties over the years, so the voices criticizing the eldest son and his wife grew louder.

The third brother chimed in, clicking his tongue and saying, "Big brother, don't you know how tight things are at home? But you're the only one who's thinking about the meager allowance Dad has as soon as you get home, otherwise you'd just let your wife throw a tantrum."

"It's rare for Dad to ask for anything, but he wanted you to help out at home like your sister-in-law. He hasn't even asked for all of your salary yet, and it's like he's asking for your and your sister-in-law's lives."

Chen Jianguo glared fiercely at the second and third brothers. These two were useless at everything, but they were more eager than anyone else to sabotage others and hand over the knife.

Although he was angry, he could only suppress it. The neighbors were all watching closely, so he couldn't confront them directly. He had to minimize the impact as much as possible. These people were loose with their tongues, and it would be terrible if word got back to his workplace.

"Third brother, stop making baseless accusations! Did I ever say I wouldn't give Dad money?"

Chen Jianguo looked at Chen Deshun and said sincerely, "Dad, from now on, I will give you a portion of my salary every month."

Upon hearing this, Liu Rui instantly flew into a rage, angrily twisting Chen Jianguo's arm. Chen Jianguo grimaced but refused to let go of Liu Rui's hand.

Chen Deshun smiled broadly, overjoyed: "That's wonderful! Fourth brother, hurry up and go invite Director Yang from the Parents' Committee! Remember to tell him to bring the official stamp!"