Dinner time.

The last rays of the setting sun shone through the window onto the dining table.

Wang Xiulan was bringing the last dish to the table.

Simple farm-style dishes: steamed potatoes and steamed eggplant, served with a bowl of golden egg sauce.

A few bright green scallions floated on top of the egg sauce, making Su Jianguo's throat bob.

"Honey, dinner's ready."

Wang Xiulan called softly, her voice very gentle.

Su Jianguo took a deep breath, and the familiar smell made his eyes well up with tears.

In his past life, when he was lying in a hospital bed, he dreamed countless times of the country-style dish his wife cooked. It could be said that this was the dish he craved most.

"Dad, please sit here."

The third son, Su Mingfu, eagerly pulled out the chair for the head of the table, his eyes filled with a hint of ingratiation.

Su Jianguo glanced at him. In his previous life, this kid couldn't afford to repeat his studies and spent his whole life working as a wok cook in a small restaurant. In this life, he could be put to the test. If he was someone who could be trained, he could support his continued education.

Four dishes and a soup were laid out on the table.

The potatoes were steamed just right, with the skin slightly cracked, revealing the yellow, sandy flesh inside.

The eggplant was torn into strips and drizzled with sesame oil and minced garlic.

A bowl of pale yellow egg sauce was topped with specks of oil.

There was also a plate of stir-fried bok choy, bright green and fresh.

In the center is a bowl of tomato and egg drop soup, red and yellow in color, sprinkled with chopped cilantro.

In this day and age, this meal would be considered quite good in any household.

Wang Xiulan poured Su Jianguo a glass of bulk liquor. The clear liquid swayed in the glass, emitting the mellow aroma of fermented grains.

"Knowing you like it, I specially went to the supply and marketing cooperative to get it."

She said it softly, wiping her fingers on her apron.

Su Jianguo picked up his wine glass and took a sip. The burning sensation traveled from his throat to his stomach, but it made him feel comfortable all over.

This is the kind of life a human being should live!

There are hot meals and dishes, and a loving spouse to comfort you.

He picked up a piece of potato, dipped it in the egg sauce, and put it in his mouth. The soft texture and rich sauce made him squint his eyes in satisfaction.

"Eat up."

Su Jianguo took the first bite, and only then did the others dare to pick up their chopsticks.

The only sound at the dinner table was the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, as the children carefully observed their father's expression.

Su Yufen secretly put a piece of egg into her mother's bowl, but Wang Xiulan quietly put it back.

This detail brought a pang of sadness to Su Jianguo's heart.

In her past life, the eldest daughter suffered the most. Her husband died early, and she had to raise two children on her own, while she was always bullied by her older brother's family.

"dad."

The second son, Su Mingde, suddenly spoke, his voice barely audible.

He is now the only intellectual in his family.

Su Jianguo looked up at him.

"What's up?"

Su Mingde's Adam's apple bobbed as he stirred the contents of his bowl with his chopsticks.

"I...I'm dating someone."

The dinner table suddenly became even quieter.

Su Jianguo put down his wine glass, the bottom of which made a crisp sound as it tapped on the table.

He suddenly remembered this.

In his past life, the second son wanted to marry the daughter of the bureau chief, and he asked for a dowry of two thousand yuan, as well as three turns and a radio.

The money had all been given to the eldest brother at that time, so how could he possibly have any more?

They rejected it on the spot.

Later, the second son secretly took a family heirloom from the Qianlong era and sold it for three thousand yuan, which infuriated Su Jianguo.

You should know that bottle could be auctioned off in later generations.

“Go on.”

Su Jianguo's voice was calm, but it sent a cold sweat down Su Mingde's back.

"Yes. She's the daughter of Director Liu from the Industry and Commerce Bureau; she works as an accountant at the textile factory."

Su Mingde's voice grew softer and softer.

"Their family is demanding a bride price of two thousand yuan, plus three turns and a radio."

"Smack!"

The youngest daughter, Su Yuzhen, dropped her chopsticks on the table. She hurriedly picked them up, her face turning pale.

Two thousand yuan!

These days, the average worker's monthly salary is only thirty or forty yuan, so two thousand yuan is an astronomical figure.

Wang Xiulan also looked surprised.

She glanced at her husband furtively, then quickly lowered her head again.

Su Jianguo slowly picked up a piece of eggplant with his chopsticks, chewed it carefully, and then spoke.

"Now that you're working, how much do you earn a month?"

"Four. Forty-two dollars and fifty cents."

Su Mingde stammered in response.

"Two thousand yuan, it would take you four years to save it without eating or drinking."

Su Jianguo sneered.

"What do you have to offer to marry the bureau chief's daughter?"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Su Mingde's forehead.

"Dad, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If we can get in touch with Director Liu, our whole family will benefit. My eldest brother drives a truck, he needs a license, right? My third brother doesn't have a job, we can arrange that for him, and there's also my eldest sister."

"fart!"

Su Jianguo slammed his hand on the table, the bowls and plates bounced up and then fell back down, and soup splashed onto the tablecloth.

"I raised you all these years, and this is the result you've become, a freeloader?"

Su Mingde's face turned ashen, and he didn't even dare to straighten his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose.

"Dad, these days everyone values ​​marrying someone of equal social standing."

"A good match in terms of social standing?"

Su Jianguo scoffed.

"You, a lowly clerk in the neighborhood office, are you worthy of the bureau chief's daughter? What does she want from you? Your 42.5 yuan a month? Your good looks? Or your habit of not washing your feet?"

The dinner table was completely silent; even breathing became barely audible.

Wang Xiulan nervously twisted the hem of her apron, wanting to offer advice but not daring to speak.

"Dad, if you don't help me, I might..."

A sinister glint flashed in Su Mingde's eyes behind his glasses, and he abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

Su Jianguo slowly put down his chopsticks, and his cloudy old eyes suddenly became sharp as knives.

He knew his second son all too well.

This is how he was in his past life: outwardly refined, but ruthless to the core.

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