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

Chapter 84 When can I be discharged from the hospital? (Going to the trust store!)

Chen Sanqi sat up, pointed out the window, and said somewhat uncertainly, "Second Brother said he was going downstairs for some fresh air, he should be—in the small garden downstairs, right?"

Chen Deshun gently rubbed his forehead, feeling both angry and helpless. Even lying in the hospital, he still couldn't make things easier for everyone.

He put the things he was holding on the bedside table and said to the fourth brother, "Go and call him up here."

"Okay." The fourth child closed his textbook, put on his shoes, and ran out.

Chen Deshun moved a stool, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes to rest.

Not long after, the ward door was pushed open.

Chen Sanqi led Chen Jianye, whose head was also wrapped in gauze, into the room.

When Chen Jianye saw Chen Deshun, he called out "Dad" somewhat embarrassedly. His gaze then shifted and was immediately drawn to the canned food and biscuits on the bedside table. His eyes lit up, and he licked his lips as he ran over to unpack them.

"Dad, are these for me and the fourth brother?" He was somewhat surprised.

Seeing his greedy look, Chen Deshun didn't scold him: "You two better behave yourselves while you're in the hospital, don't be too flamboyant, and focus on recovering."

"I know, I know."

Chen Jianye mumbled a reply while stuffing a large piece of biscuit into his mouth, leaving crumbs all over his face.

"Dad, how's the Huang family's situation? When can Lao Si and I be discharged from the hospital?"

He wasn't in a hurry to go back to work; it was quite nice to have three meals a day and not have to do anything at the hospital.

But he hadn't seen Cuicui for almost three days, and he missed her terribly, always worried that someone would take advantage of the situation and seduce Cuicui away.

Beside him, the fourth brother, who hadn't said a word, stared longingly at Chen Deshun.

He also wanted to go back to school. Although he wasn't very happy with his classmates at school, learning new knowledge from his teachers and solving a difficult problem always made him happy for a long time.

"It'll be soon. Remember what I told you before: stay put and don't cause any trouble."

Chen Deshun stared at Chen Jianye, who was eating on the hospital bed, and said this mainly to him.

"Okay, Dad," Chen Jianye replied casually, chewing on some dried fruit.

Dad can't stay here 24 hours a day. He can leave as soon as he leaves, and I can slip out as soon as I leave. Whether I stay in the ward or not is up to me.

Although Chen Jianye agreed quickly, Chen Deshun was still not at ease.

The second brother is shrewd and two-faced. However, he is quick-witted and has a bit of cleverness, so he should be able to see things clearly in this matter, unlike the third brother, who speaks and acts without thinking at all.

"Alright, you guys just stay put."

Chen Deshun stood up. Before coming to the hospital, he had planned to tell his second son about the negotiations with the Huang family that day. But seeing how unreliable his son was, he decided to wait until the final result was out before telling him.

He pulled five yuan from his pocket and slapped it on the bedside table: "You two will have to take care of your own lunch and dinner for the next two days."

In the morning, the third brother can come over to deliver breakfast while he's on his way to work, but no one at home has the time to go to the hospital at noon and in the evening. Letting them manage on their own for a couple of days saves them the trouble.

"No problem!" Chen Jianye happily stuffed the five yuan into his pocket.

This is the first time in so many days that Dad has shown kindness and given a huge sum of five yuan. Although it's not much, it's enough to improve our meals.

After leaving the hospital, Chen Deshun did not go home, but went straight to the front gate.

Although the Huang family's compensation hasn't arrived yet, it's almost there. Now that he has cash on hand, he's thinking of buying himself a bicycle.

With a bicycle, it will be much more convenient to go anywhere in the future, which is much better than walking every day.

However, in those days, bicycles were a scarce commodity among the "three turns and one sound" (referring to the three essential items of a bicycle, a sewing machine, a radio, and a watch), and could not be bought simply with money; they required ration coupons.

Bicycle tickets were either a benefit or reward issued by the company, or purchased from someone else at a high price.

Chen Deshun didn't want to waste time or spend money unnecessarily.

It's just a means of transportation; it doesn't have to be brand new. As long as it's secondhand and the chain doesn't fall off, it's fine.

So he decided to try his luck at the trust shop in Qianmen.

The trust store is a second-hand goods exchange center. Bicycles sold there do not require a ticket; you can buy them simply by presenting your household registration book and relevant documents.

Chen Deshun went straight to the trust store at the front gate.

Pushing open the shop's wooden door, a pungent smell of old ironware and tung oil wafts out, carrying a sense of age and weight.

The shop was a bit dimly lit, and a dozen or so bicycles were lined up against the wall—Phoenix, Forever, Flying Pigeon—the brands were all there.

There were a few other customers in the room who had also come to pick out bicycles. They were all silent, circling around the bicycles again and again.

Occasionally, someone would bend down and ring the bicycle bell, the crisp "ding-a-ling" sound echoing clearly in the room before quickly fading away.

Chen Deshun walked over and examined each of the cars, but his brows gradually furrowed.

At first glance, there are quite a few license plates, but the condition of the cars varies greatly. Every car looks dilapidated, with paint chips or rust on some parts.

He picked a Forever brand bicycle that looked decent enough, and when he reached out to touch the seat, it was smooth and had already developed a patina.

Looking down at the chain, it dangles loosely. When you turn the pedal by hand, the central axle immediately makes a dry "creaking" sound, which sounds like the groan of an elderly person having an arthritis attack, making your teeth ache.

"Master, do you have any decent cars? About 80-90% new is fine."

Chen Deshun walked to the counter and asked an old man inside who was looking at a newspaper with a magnifying glass.

The old man, who was about fifty years old, was wearing a faded work uniform and slowly raised his head.

He didn't quite understand what "80-90% new" meant, and pointed to the bicycle near the door.

"That one, a Phoenix brand, from 1977, the newest one."

Chen Deshun looked in the direction he was pointing and immediately realized it wouldn't work.

That vehicle looked cleaner than the others, but the tape wrapped around the handlebars was cracked, and if you looked closely, you could see the dark iron pipes inside.

He had no interest in even going over to take a look. Adhering to the principle that you can't judge a car by its appearance, Chen Deshun still went over and reached out to squeeze the brake.

The brake pads were hardened and had poor elasticity, the brake cables were loose, and the rims seemed a bit wobbly, swaying as it turned.

The most critical issue was that when his fingers ran along the welded joint of the chassis beam, he actually felt a tiny crack.

Chen Deshun felt a chill run down his spine. He feared that if he rode this vehicle on the road, it might "automatically disintegrate" if he wasn't careful and it bumped around.

Imagine you're riding your bicycle down the street, you run over a stone, and suddenly the wheels lift off and roll away, leaving you alone, gripping the handlebars, stubbornly holding on.

"Master, is that all? Is there anything that was just brought in and hasn't been displayed yet?" He coughed twice and asked again, unwilling to give up.

"That's all," the old mechanic shook his head and said truthfully, "To be honest, what's displayed in the shop are all discarded items from other units. If we had any good bikes, would they even have a chance to be displayed in the shop? They would have been ridden away long ago."

He paused, then leaned closer and whispered, "Don't bother going to other shops; the price is the same all over Beijing. If you don't have a ticket but really want to buy one, add a little more money, and I'll fix it up for you, replace the brake pads, tighten the chain, and I guarantee you won't have to ride it without the chain falling off."

"Thank you, I'll think about it when I get back." Chen Deshun shook his head, politely declining the old master's offer.

Although he doesn't need a brand new car, he at least wants one that is in reliable condition, safe, and durable.

Buying a beat-up bike and riding it will only lead to frequent chain breaks. What if the frame suddenly breaks or the tire blows out while you're riding it? That would be a real problem. It's better to keep walking.

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