A single man checks into a couples' room; his life of ease and comfort begins.

Hao Aiguo thought for a moment and said, "By the way, your sister seems to be pregnant this month. If you come back, I'll go and pick her up to stay at home for a few days."

This surprised Hao Qiangzhuang somewhat; the boy her younger sister, Hao Meixia, married was named Liu Yaodong.

As Hao Aiguo spoke, he hurriedly grabbed a flashlight and left home.

Hao Qiangzhuang also took advantage of this time to move boxes of cigarettes and alcohol from the car into his parents' bedroom.

Elise watched, ready to help, but Hao Qiangzhuang said, "You can just sit here. If you're thirsty, we have drinks and bottled water in the car."

After moving everything, Hao Qiangzhuang, carrying a backpack full of cash, pulled Iris to sit on the bamboo bed.

Just then, Hao Qiangzhuang's mother, Mu Guihua, should have returned from the fields. When she got to the door, she found a car blocking her way and felt a little strange. She picked up her hoe and went inside, where she saw her son, Hao Qiangzhuang, sitting on a bamboo bed with a blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman beside him.

Mu Guihua was taken aback. Hao Qiangzhuang was a little sleepy at the time, but when he saw his mother return, he immediately pulled Mu Guihua to her feet and said, "Oh, you're back?"

The word "me" is pronounced in the first tone and is equivalent to "mama" in Hao Qiangzhuang's hometown. It's how people in Hao Qiangzhuang's hometown address their mother.

At this moment, Hao Qiangzhuang was dressed in a suit and tie, with his slicked-back hair shining and his leather shoes gleaming. He looked like a big boss returning home.

Elise, standing beside him, was dressed in a slightly noble manner, and her temperament was incomparable to that of ordinary people, giving people the illusion of being a rich heiress.

Mu Guihua carried a hoe for farm work on her shoulder, somewhat astonished, and even more so, unable to believe what she was seeing, because her son had changed so much that she felt she could hardly recognize him.

He used to be simple-minded, or as people in the countryside would say, a complete idiot or a simpleton, and the name "Hao Qiangzhuang" made him fit those descriptions even better.

Elise nudged Hao Qiangzhuang and asked, somewhat confused, "What? What do you mean?"

As Hao Qiangzhuang explained, he walked over, took the hoe from his mother, and said with a smile, "Elise, come here, this is my mother!"

Elise was indeed very ambitious. With a smile, she said to Mu Guihua, "Mom, I am your daughter-in-law, Elise Smith."

Mu Guihua finally came to her senses, took Miss Iris's hand, and said with a smile, "Good, good, you are so beautiful. Our family is strong and blessed to be able to marry such a beautiful girl as you."

Judging from Mu Guihua's expression, she seemed to particularly like Iris. Iris couldn't contain her excitement and looked at Hao Qiangzhuang, saying, "You've brought your wife home, where's your father?"

Hao Qiangzhuang scratched his head and said with a smile, "We just met a few hours ago. He was going to call my sister back. I was going to take him there, but he said it wasn't easy for the car to get into my sister's place, so I didn't go."

Mu Guihua took Elise's hand and walked towards the bedroom, saying, "Qiangzhuang, Elise and I will go to my room to talk. You stay outside and keep watch."

Back then, when people chatted, especially when guests came, they liked to invite them into their own bedrooms.

Hao Qiangzhuang nodded and said with a smile, "You guys chat! I'll go check on the chickens, ducks, and geese!"

Mu Guihua led Iris into the bedroom and was startled by the pile of boxes in front of her. She had always lived in the countryside and her family was poor. She had hardly ever watched TV and didn't know that these were liquor boxes and cigarettes.

Mu Guihua looked at Elise, pointed at the tobacco and alcohol, and said, "Why are you buying so much tobacco and alcohol?"

Miss Elise smiled, unsure how to answer. After a moment's thought, she said, "I don't know either. Maybe my father bought it because he likes to drink and smoke!"

Hao Qiangzhuang killed a chicken and a duck. He used half of the chicken to make soup and the other half to stir-fry with wood ear mushrooms.

The duck was prepared according to the method of "Yongzhou Blood Duck". He killed the chicken and duck, boiled water and plucked the feathers.

Having finished cooking, he brought out the dishes, just as Hao Aiguo led Hao Qiangzhuang's younger sister, Hao Meixia, across the threshold of the main room.

Hao Qiangzhuang had just finished washing the dishes and was waiting for his mother, Mu Guihua, and Miss Iris to come out for dinner when he saw his father and sister. He immediately went to greet them, "Dad, Meixia, I've finished cooking. Come and eat!"

Hao Meixia sniffed, tears welling in her eyes, and called out to Hao Qiangzhuang, "Brother!"

At this moment, Mu Guihua heard her daughter's voice and immediately pulled Miss Iris out of the bedroom.

Hao Meixia excitedly called out to Mu Guihua, "Mom!" She seemed to have a lot of grievances and was about to burst into tears; her red eyes looked like they might shed tears at any moment.

Mu Guihua led Miss Iris to Hao Meixia and introduced her: "Meixia, this is your sister-in-law, a beautiful Chinese woman, what's her name again?"

Mu Guihua had no idea what Elise's full name was, so she could only smile and look at her for help.

Elise looked slightly embarrassed, but smiled and said, "Hello, Meixia! My name is Elise Smith, and I'm your brother Hao Qiangzhuang's wife."

Hao Meixia, who had been feeling down, instantly brightened up. She chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law, you're so funny, but you're very beautiful."

During her time at the company, Elise had also learned a little about how Chinese people conduct themselves. She helped Hao Meixia to a seat in order to win the favor of the family.

After the food was served, Mu Guihua first put a duck leg on Elise's plate and said, "Elise, Qiangzhuang's blood duck is especially delicious, you should try it." Then she put a chicken leg on her daughter's chicken soup bowl and said, "Meixia, you're pregnant, eat the chicken leg."

You know what, this stuff is a bit bloody, and Elise especially loves to eat it.

Hao Qiangzhuang's cooking was strong in flavor and spicy, and Elise kept making slurping noises as she ate it: "So spicy, so spicy!"

Hao Qiangzhuang didn't want to drink today, but looking at his father sitting across from him, he seemed a little uncomfortable.

Hao Aiguo drinks alcohol with every meal, and he keeps rice wine at home, which has a very low alcohol content.

Before leaving home to work, Hao Qiangzhuang did not drink or smoke. He only started drinking and smoking because he had no other choice when he was away from home.

And what about his father?

Hao Aiguo was completely enduring and restraining himself. Hao Qiangzhuang could tell that he was not feeling well, as if he was experiencing alcohol withdrawal.

He immediately stood up and walked towards the bedroom.

Upon seeing this, Hao Aiguo would immediately ask, "Zhuangzi, everyone's eating, what are you doing?"

Hao Qiangzhuang said, "I brought back a lot of wine. We'll each have one of those two bottles so you can have a taste."

As soon as Hao Qiangzhuang entered the bedroom, his brother-in-law Liu Yaodong walked in, panting, with a flashlight in hand.