aadler | Ireland/China 2025, continuing (14)

Fourth day in China – June 24 Tuesday

Up before 6:30AM to shower and shave. Light breakfast, since we were supposed to meet Mei-li for brunch later in the morning. Susan got up about 8:00, likewise had only a small bit to eat.

I went out for the first of my two daily walks. Shenzhen in the summer is … not really hot, but yesterday’s high was 90°F, and today’s was supposed to be 91°F, so it was easier to do even casual exercise in the morning than toward the middle of the day.

(I also noticed — which somehow I hadn’t during my previous visits to Shenzhen — that women here are very likely to wear dresses in public, and when it’s pants, those are usually loose and flowing, rather than close-fitting. Stylish and feminine, and I approve.)

At 10:30 Mei-li picked us up downstairs, with her mother Laura driving the family car. We went for brunch at a fine restaurant that appeared to be called Gold (not sure, that was just the only word I could read, and it was on the plates as well as the menu). They served dim sum style, a series of small dishes that just kept coming. During the meal, Mei-li got a call from Kevin that he was about to take his lunch, so we just stretched out the meal till he could come join us. With one thing and another, we spent two hours there, and ate till there was no room for anything more.

Back in our apartment (close to 1:30PM by this point), Susan and I really couldn’t do much except try to sleep off that enormous meal. Susan got up just before 6:00PM, and I genuinely can’t remember if I was already up myself or if her rising triggered mine. Mei-li had left messages, and about 6:20 we messaged her that we were starting over to the Yins’ (her parents’) apartment.

Logan served us shortly after we arrived. I wouldn’t have been surprised if we hadn’t been able to eat at all after that HUGE mid-day meal, but we did okay. Afterward, while we were still awaiting Kevin’s arrival from work, Susan and I did a Rosary together, and he came in as we were finishing.

There was some talk about getting Susan and me a mobile hotspot, so that we could use our phones for connectivity (and Messenger/WeChat texts and messages) while we were outside the apartment. I’ll have to see what comes of that. Kevin walked us back to our own apartment, visited for a few minutes. Susan went to bed almost immediately (continuing pain in her back), and I occupied myself till 11:00 before preparing for bed myself.