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

Director Yang glanced at Chen Jianguo and his wife, and said sternly, "What happened earlier is over, now it's something else! The neighbors have been telling me about your situation..."

"You said your wife just verbally abused your father and even hit your fourth brother. What do you say about that? Although it's a family matter, the physical alteration changes the nature of the situation. Do you want to settle this privately, or do you want me to report it to the factory's security department and notify your workplace?"

"Huh?!" Liu Rui's face turned bright red, and he trembled with anger.

It's true she cursed, but it was her father-in-law who cursed her family first! And they say she hit the fourth son? Are these people blind? Her face was swollen, and her elbow was bruised; she was the one who was injured the most!

Liu Rui's chest heaved violently; he was about to explode when Chen Jianguo suppressed him.

Chen Jianguo knew perfectly well that the current situation was clearly unfavorable to them. If things escalated to their workplace, both he and Liu Rui's jobs would be affected. Although they wouldn't be fired, they could forget about being eligible for awards and commendations in the future. Taking a hard line would only make things worse.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a gentle, apologetic tone, "Director Yang, calm down! It's just a trivial family dispute. My dad isn't even bothered with it. Is there any need to notify the workplace?"

Director Yang looked at Chen Deshun, who shrugged and said coldly, "I haven't forgiven you."

"Dad! I've already given you my salary, what more do you want?" Chen Jianguo's voice rose several decibels in his anxiety.

Director Yang gave Chen Deshun a wink, and Chen Deshun understood immediately.

In the 1980s, fighting and brawling were no small matter.

At best, they will be detained and fined; at worst, they will be sent to a community security patrol training class and forced to undergo labor reform for one to three months, leaving a "criminal record" stain on their files.

This stain will stay with you for life.

However, Liu Rui and Lao Si are relatives after all, and their conflict is a family matter that doesn't warrant going to jail.

Director Yang was just trying to scare Chen Jianguo and his wife, to teach them a lesson they would never forget. The wink he gave Chen Deshun earlier was also a signal to stop while he was ahead.

Chen Deshun knew exactly what was going on. He coughed lightly and said, "I can let it go, but Liu Rui must apologize to me and Lao Si in public and write a letter of repentance, which will be stamped and filed by the Parents' Committee."

This was a decision he made after careful consideration. If he directly asked his eldest son and his wife for compensation, it would surely lead to a dispute. Writing a letter of repentance and making a public apology would not be too much to ask, and most importantly, it would not cost him any money. Chen Jianguo and his wife would most likely agree.

The apology was just a formality, nothing more.

The letter of repentance is a real handle. Once Liu Rui writes it, her actions of cursing her father-in-law and beating her fourth brother today will be confirmed. It will be written in black and white and stamped with the official seal of the parents' committee. If she throws a tantrum again and gets pushed too far, we can take this document to her boss at work.

Let's see which hospital will dare to hire a woman who openly insults her father-in-law and beats her underage brother-in-law as a nurse.

Upon hearing Chen Deshun's words, Liu Rui felt a surge of anger about to explode from his chest.

Today was the worst day ever!

Everything went wrong from the moment she entered the family. Now, not only is she being scolded and beaten, but she also has to apologize to her brother-in-law and father-in-law in public and write some ridiculous letter of repentance. What's the difference between this and nailing her to the pillar of shame?

"This is outrageous! You want me to apologize? No way!"

She slapped her thigh, yelling at the top of her lungs, spitting as she spoke: "Why should I apologize? It was my father-in-law who cursed my family first, and it was the fourth son who hit me first! How am I the sinner? You people know nothing but spouting nonsense!"

A murmur of dismay rippled through the crowd.

"Judging by her tantrum, her family must be no good either. No wonder Old Chen made her write a letter of repentance."

"To verbally abuse one's father-in-law and beat one's brother-in-law, and to say it so self-righteously—that's utterly rude!"

"I heard that Jianguo's wife is a nurse at a hospital. With that kind of behavior, she doesn't even deserve it!"

"Huh? Which hospital? I'm too scared to go there even when I'm sick."

"..."

Director Yang's face darkened. He had initially thought that Chen Deshun's request might be a bit excessive, and that an apology would suffice, but a letter of repentance was unnecessary.

But now, seeing that Liu Rui not only showed no remorse but also acted wildly in public, and that he, as the director of the parents' committee, was still present, what was going on when he wasn't there?

Chen Deshun is too honest and soft-hearted; the punishment was too lenient.

Chen Deshun seemed to have expected this and wasn't angry: "Fine, if you don't want to apologize, then pay up. Look at the scratches on Lao Si's face and arms. He's still a student. How can he go to school looking like this? You have to pay for his medical expenses and nutritional supplements, right?"

"Pay back?!"

Liu Rui's eyes widened, and he rolled up his sleeves, revealing the bruises on his arms: "He beat me so badly, how am I supposed to go to work and face people? I'm already being lenient by not making him pay for it, and he still dares to ask me for more!"

"Enough already! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?!"

To prevent the situation from escalating, Chen Jianguo grabbed Liu Rui's wrist and whispered urgently in her ear:

"The fourth child is a minor. If this gets out of hand and reaches your workplace, do you still want to work? Your reputation will be ruined, and you won't be able to hold your head up in the hospital anymore!"

"Apologizing is shameful, losing your job is losing your life!"

"Dad is really angry this time. The parents' committee is still watching. We need to calm things down quickly, get through this crisis first, apologize and write a letter of repentance. It's better than losing your job and having to pay compensation!"

After saying that, without waiting for Liu Rui's reaction, he pulled her to Director Yang and said, "Director, we apologize! My wife was confused for a moment. I'll make her apologize to my dad and Lao Si right now, and we'll write a letter of repentance!"

An apology is just words, and a letter of repentance is just a few words. I've already lost a third of my salary today, so I absolutely can't spend any more money unnecessarily.

Liu Rui's eyes blazed with anger; he was naturally unwilling to apologize, yet he had no other choice.

She's not stupid. As soon as Chen Jianguo said it, she immediately understood the implications. The safest course of action now was to apologize.

Holding back her anger, she wrote a letter of repentance under Chen Deshun's guidance, which was basically a deep reflection on her mistakes of scolding her father-in-law and hitting her brother-in-law today.

Chen Deshun picked it up and glanced at it, confirming that the written meaning was expressed correctly, before handing it to Director Yang for stamping and filing.

"Jianguo, let's go!"

Liu Rui slammed his pen on the table in a huff, sending it rolling far away. He grabbed Chen Jianguo's arm and pulled him outside, not wanting to stay in this humiliating place for even a second longer.

"Jianguo and his wife, don't rush off."

Director Yang slowly put away the letter of repentance, looked up at the two of them, and said seriously, "I think there is a problem with the ideological awareness of you two comrades. The family committee has the responsibility to educate you on the ideology, to teach you filial piety and integrity. Come with me to the family affairs office."

"Director, we've already apologized and written a letter of repentance. We'll definitely reflect on our actions when we get back. Is it alright if we don't have to go?" Chen Jianguo asked cautiously, his smile stiff.

"no."

Director Yang's attitude was also very firm, leaving no room for negotiation: "If the ideological issues aren't resolved, there will only be more conflicts in the future!"

Now that things had come to this, Chen Jianguo and Liu Rui, like two defeated roosters, hung their heads dejectedly and could only slink away with Director Yang to the family affairs office.

As Chen Jianguo left, Chen Deshun saw the resentful look he gave him, but paid no attention to it.

He quickly chased after him and gently tugged at Director Yang's sleeve.

Director Yang turned around, looking puzzled. Could it be that he came to plead for leniency out of pity?

"Deshun, is there anything else?"