As everyone helped carry the luggage, they greeted each other warmly, "Oh, Old Chen is back, and Chen Hong's mom is here too."

Are you tired from the journey? Let me carry the child and come inside to rest.

The water's all boiled; we're just waiting for you to get home so we can make tea!

The village chief first shook hands with Chen Hong's father, then put his arm around his neck and put his arm around his shoulder and started chatting, as if they were old friends.

“Chen Hong’s mother, you should have come to see this sooner! Look, this is Chen Hong’s new house. Isn’t it much more spacious than before?”

You have a wonderful daughter! She's capable and honest! She gets along with all of us like family.

Chen Hong's mom, if you ask me, once you're here, don't leave. It's so good to stay with your daughter!

Here you'll find mountains and sea, and all-you-can-eat seafood! The air is fresh, winters are mild, and summers are cool—it's a perfect place to retire.

Aunt Guo held Chen Hong's mother's hand affectionately.

"Let me tell you, my husband and I are so envious of you, having raised such a wonderful daughter as Chen Hong."

We've wanted to adopt Chen Hong as our goddaughter for a long time, but we were afraid that we, these two old bones, would be a burden to the child.

As soon as Chen Hong's mother got out of the car, someone tried to take her daughter away from her. The old lady got anxious. Even if her daughter made her angry, she was still her own flesh and blood, and she couldn't give her away to someone else.

"That won't do! Chen Hong has a straightforward temper and can be incredibly sharp-tongued. It's a good thing you didn't acknowledge her, or you might lose twenty years of your life."

I'm her own mother, and I've gotten angry with her countless times. You're so gentle; if you get upset with her, you'll just sulk, which isn't good for your health.

Well, with just one sentence, you've reduced Aunt Guo's lifespan by twenty years. Who would dare to acknowledge your daughter after hearing that?

Chen Hong carried the luggage and led her eldest niece into the house first, muttering to herself as they went: "They're only praising the buyer! The closer they are, the worse they treat her. Now you can really tell they're her own flesh and blood!"

After entering the house and putting down my luggage, I first looked for tea leaves to prepare for brewing tea.

The water was already boiled. After rinsing the teapot, Chen Hong grabbed a handful of green tea and started brewing.

Her parents were used to brewing tea in a teapot, so Chen Hong didn't use a teacup either. After adding the tea leaves, Chen Hong poured the tea into separate teacups.

The seven adults each poured themselves more than half a bowl, and then gave the three children three bottles of mineral water.

As soon as the guests sat down, Black Tiger and Glasses rushed over, and the children shouted excitedly. Xiao Hao, Wang Xin, and Wang Yihan also arrived.

The two nieces were timid and clung tightly to their grandparents, afraid to get down.

"Yu Yang, take Black Tiger and Glasses to the backyard for a bath; the dogs smell bad."

The older and younger sisters were also afraid of the two dogs, so they washed them clean and decided not to let them into the house for the next couple of days.

Yu Yang agreed and cheered as he and his three friends, including Xiao Hao, took the dog to the backyard.

"Chen Hong, let's all eat lunch at the big restaurant up front. I'll cook a few of my signature dishes to treat your parents."

Aunt Guo and Chen Hong discussed lunch arrangements.

"Isn't it busy up front? It's May Day now, are there many tourists at the hotel?" Chen Hong asked.

The village chief said with a smile, "There are many more tourists this year than last year. We can't accommodate them all, so we've diverted a lot of them to the villagers."

However, some tourists still prefer to eat at our restaurant for lunch and dinner. Now it's so crowded that we can't find enough seats and they have to queue and share tables.

You haven't even been to the store yet, haha, when it's busy, it's like hosting a continuous banquet.

After one wave is finished, the next wave begins.

The hygiene conditions of the privately-run guesthouses in the village are not as good as ours; they'll need to be improved.

Upon hearing the village chief say that the shop was very busy, Chen Hong's father immediately got up and urged the village chief and the others to go to the shop to help.

"Brother Guangfu, we're not outsiders either. The shop is so busy, please don't just keep us company."

It's finally a holiday, so hurry up and get busy! We're all just ordinary people, there's no need to be so fussy, making money is the most important thing!

You all go about your business at noon. Xiaohong's house has everything you need. We can just eat something simple at home.

"Wait until tonight. When you're almost done with your work, come to the backyard and have Xiao Hong cook some dishes. Invite Erhu and his brothers and a few nephews over, and we'll all have a good drink."

Chen Hong also said, "Uncle, my dad is right. We're all family, you don't need to accompany us. You should go back and help out; I'm afraid Xiao Feng and the others won't be able to handle it."

It was my mom's first time flying, and she was traveling with two children. After lunch, I let her rest for a while.

In the afternoon, I took them to the beach. In the evening, I cooked extra food, and everyone took turns eating in the backyard.

Aunt Guo stood up and said to Chen Hong, "Okay, let your parents rest first, we'll go get to work."

To be honest, the shop has been really busy these past few days; Xiaofeng and Wang Xin's mother are simply overwhelmed.

Chen Hong, if you're not free this afternoon, call Xiao Hao's mom and ask her to take your mom to the beach.

She's a pro at beachcombing; let her take your mom beachcombing. There are quite a few people on the beach now, and with her there, they're sure to have a good haul.

After seeing off the village chief and his entourage, Chen Hong's parents quickly washed up and were then sent back to their room to rest by Chen Hong.

Erni was still young, and after being up for most of the day, she was exhausted and sleepy. Chen Hong's mother took her back to her room to sleep.

Da Ni, however, was very energetic. It was her first time on an airplane and her first time in Rongcheng, and she was curious about everything.

Chen Hong was preparing lunch, so she went to the backyard to call Yu Yang and asked him to bring his cousin to play together.

She first went to the kitchen and prepared all kinds of grains, rice, and flour, and then went to the backyard to pick some vegetables.

After washing the rice, Chen Hong first cooked it in the rice cooker, then went to the front yard to get the ingredients.

By this time, some diners had already taken their seats in the restaurant. On the village chief's recommendation, Chen Hong scooped a bag of octopus from the live fish box and then scooped out more than a dozen mantis shrimps.

He took another piece of pork from the refrigerator, chatted with Aunt Guo and the others for a few minutes, and then leisurely returned to the backyard.

The meat of the eight bags is fine and firm, and its collagen content is more than five times that of ordinary fish meat.

Springtime is the best time to eat octopus in Jiaodong. In Yujia Village, there is a family of villagers who are experts at catching octopus.

Their family uses an ancient fishing and hunting method, using a long rope to tie together a string of large snail shells with drilled holes, and then releasing them into open water without any bait.

Octopus are caught by taking advantage of their tendency to burrow into bottles and jars. This ancient and traditional fishing method causes minimal damage to the marine environment.

Spring is the peak season for these mollusks, and they often have a good harvest.

Scallion and octopus salad is a dish that fishermen in Jiaodong love to eat, especially in April and May.

Although the octopus is small, it is currently in its spawning season, and its belly is full of seeds.

Boil quickly for five minutes, then remove and chill in ice water to enhance the chewy texture.

Then cut it into sections, wash it, and toss it with chopped scallions. Add only a little soy sauce, a little vinegar, and a few drops of sesame oil; no salt is needed.

The octopus, glistening white, and the scallions, bright green, create an enticing contrast of colors.

One bite is refreshing and crisp, each bite is a packet of seeds, and your mouth is full of the taste of spring.

Mantis shrimp, also known as mantis shrimp, shrimp cricket, or mantis tiger, are spawning in spring. After cleaning them and trimming off the sides and tail, simply steam them for eight minutes.

Peel off the shrimp shell, take a big bite, and you'll find the shrimp meat is white and chewy, with a sweet and juicy texture. The orange-red shrimp roe is crystal clear and plump, making it irresistible.