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

"I spent the afternoon at the hospital, so I probably smelled of disinfectant."

Chen Jianguo gave a vague reply, then forced a smile and changed the subject: "Have you cooked? Let's eat first."

Liu Rui grabbed his arm with surprising force: "What are you talking about? I'm asking you, have Grandpa and Grandma been invited?"

Chen Jianguo's eyes darted away, and he nodded blankly.

"How's the situation? What about the passbook and the money?" Liu Rui asked again.

"No rush, let's eat first." Chen Jianguo avoided the main point and reached out to try to pry her hand away, attempting to deceive her.

Liu Rui saw through the scheme immediately and grabbed his collar: "You're not going anywhere until we make things clear today."

Chen Jianguo struggled to pry Liu Rui's hand away and took a deep breath: "No, I didn't get it back."

"What? You didn't get it back?" Liu Rui immediately exploded upon hearing this, his voice suddenly rising.

"Keep your voice down." Chen Jianguo frowned slightly. Liu Rui's voice was too loud; if he spoke any louder, the whole residential compound would hear him.

Liu Rui flung Chen Jianguo's hand away and pointed at his nose: "The money belongs to our family! Why is your dad withholding it from us?!"

She only handed over her basic salary to her parents' home; she secretly withheld things like night shift allowances and didn't hand them over with her salary.

That money was earned through countless sleepless nights, why should it go to that old bastard Chen Deshun!

Chen Jianguo knew this would happen, so he forced himself to calm down and his mind raced. Suddenly, the conversation between the police officer and his father in the hospital ward flashed into his mind, and his eyes lit up as he came up with a solution.

He softened his tone and coaxed, "Honey, don't worry. Grandpa and Grandma just came today. They just haven't gotten their hands on it yet, but it's not like there's no chance at all."

Liu Rui's anger subsided slightly, and he stared at Chen Jianguo: "What do you mean?"

Chen Jianguo recounted to Liu Rui the key points about how his second and fourth sons had been beaten and hospitalized by the Huang family, and how the two families would be going to the police station the next day for mediation.

Liu Rui looked confused: "What does their mediation tomorrow have to do with us?"

Chen Jianguo affectionately tapped his wife's forehead: "Think about it, if we reach a settlement tomorrow, won't Dad have some money? Then tomorrow I'll go and plead with Grandpa and Grandma again, explaining the benefits of my promotion to them more clearly this time. That way, we can not only get our bankbook back, but also get the money for my company's further education."

Liu Rui was somewhat skeptical, and pouted, "Your grandparents didn't help you today, do you think they'll be on your side tomorrow?"

Chen Jianguo, however, was full of confidence, patting his chest and saying, "Grandpa and Grandma just misunderstood me today. They don't yet understand how important I am to the whole family. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, they will definitely help me. Besides, think about it, I'm the only college graduate in the family, and I work in a government agency. I'm the only hope for the Chen family's future. Everyone has to rely on me. How could Grandpa and Grandma not help me?"

After thinking about it carefully, Liu Rui realized that Chen Jianguo's words made sense.

"Alright, let's eat, or the food will get cold."

Seeing that his wife had finally stopped nagging him, Chen Jianguo breathed a slight sigh of relief; this hurdle was finally over.

Walking to the dining table and sitting down, Liu Rui had prepared stir-fried shredded potatoes, stir-fried cabbage stalks with vinegar, and corn porridge—a simple, ordinary home-cooked meal.

Chen Jianguo's stomach growled. He had been so angry at noon that he hadn't eaten much, and now he was really hungry. He picked up a steamed bun and some vegetables and started to eat it in big bites.

The more I ate, the less taste I felt in my mouth. I've eaten the same food before, but today it suddenly felt bland and tasteless.

Looking up at the food on the table, I felt as if I were living like a rabbit every day.

Seeing Chen Jianguo staring blankly at the food on the table, Liu Rui remembered something and tapped the table: "By the way, where's your salary? Didn't I tell you to put your salary in the cookie box in the drawer? I need it when I go grocery shopping."

Chen Jianguo suddenly came to his senses, swallowed the half-chewed rice in his mouth, and his Adam's apple bobbed: "I...I took it."

"Don't put it back, just give it to me. I'll use it when I go grocery shopping tomorrow," Liu Rui said matter-of-factly, reaching out his hand.

She has always been in charge of the family finances, and it's become a habit.

Chen Jianguo opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. He slowly took out a few banknotes and loose coins from his pocket and hesitantly placed them on the table.

Liu Rui glanced at Chen Jianguo strangely, feeling that he was acting a bit unusual today, but since he had already handed over his salary, he didn't pay much attention.

However, when she saw the money on the table, her brows immediately furrowed, and she grabbed the money in her hand and started counting it. She counted it twice, as if she didn't believe it, and it was still twenty-four yuan and twenty-two.

"So, Chen Jianguo, you've learned to hide your money now. Are you planning to keep someone on the side so you can kick me to the curb when you get promoted?" She said sarcastically, her eyes narrowing.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Chen Jianguo was furious, his hands trembling. How could he dare to mess around with relationships?

Liu Rui, his face dark with anger, demanded, "Where's the money? How come there's only twenty-four yuan and twenty-two? Where did you hide the rest?"

"I...I didn't hide anything," Chen Jianguo stammered.

"You didn't hide anything?" A fierce glint flashed in Liu Rui's eyes. "If you didn't hide anything, how come your salary is so low?"

Chen Jianguo's job and salary have been in her hands since they got married, and she knows exactly how much he earns each month.

Chen Jianguo fiddled with the edge of the table, and after a long pause, he stammered out the truth: "I treated my grandparents to lunch and gave Dad twenty-one yuan."

Liu Rui narrowed his eyes, counted the change in his hand again, did some mental calculations, and then his eyes widened. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "You spent seventeen yuan and eighty cents on one meal? Did you eat gold?!"

Gold is only about 40 yuan per gram, yet I ate half a gram of gold in one meal!

Chen Jianguo felt a little guilty, but he still gritted his teeth and argued, "Please sit down first. This is just a temporary measure. Tomorrow, I'll ask my company for another day off, and I'll definitely get the money and bankbook back."

Liu Rui stared at him for a long time, her face full of suspicion, before letting out a cold snort: "I'll believe you one last time!"

Chen Jianguo's face beamed like a chrysanthemum as he quickly took his wife's hand, saying, "Yes, yes, I will fulfill my mission!"

"Let go!" Liu Rui forcefully pulled her hand back, glared at him irritably, and stuffed the remaining money into her pocket.

Compared to the chaos at Chen Jian's house, Chen Deshun's place was much quieter.

The second and fourth sons were both staying in the hospital, and their room happened to be empty. Chen Deshun made up the bedding so that the elderly couple could sleep soundly.

After settling his parents in, he moved a small stool to the wooden table in the living room and, under the dim light, opened the worn-out hardcover account book.

The paper is covered with a dense record of the foreign debts incurred over the years.

Every stroke of the pen was neat and tidy, with the date of the loan and the reason clearly marked, making it easy to understand at a glance.