Spain/China 2023, continuing (35)

[aadler]

Twenty-first day in China – August 01 Tuesday

Up 8:30AM, Susan was already awake. Not immediately, but eventually, I went down to Baker & Spice to bring back rolls and coffee for her, and had noodles for my own breakfast.

Kevin came by in the early afternoon; he’d already delivered balloons to the place where Amber’s birthday party was to take place, and now we went back to the bank for the rest of the needed cash. No bobbles this time: we got to the right bank on the first try, and I withdrew the last ¥5,000 in two transactions.

Back where we started, we walked down to the corner, got three Whopper meals at Burger King, and had them with Susan in the apartment. Then he returned to his office to meet with suppliers.

Susan and I finished a movie we’d begun before he arrived, then readied ourselves for the evening.

Kevin returned about 6:15PM to get us, and we walked together (well, Susan was again in her wheelchair) down to a deluxe Japanese restaurant on the 46th floor of one of the huge buildings in downtown Shenzhen. Mei‑li was already there, and we turned over the main present we’d brought for Amber, the Samantha of the American Girls doll set. Other guests showed up over the next several minutes, and eventually Amber herself, along with her grandmother Laura, for a final count of 20 diners of whom six were children.

I’d already given Kevin the money to pay for the party, so I didn’t have to concern myself with anything except the dishes that were brought to our table. I found that fancy Japanese-style chopsticks are harder to use than the Chinese norm: more tapered, so that you have to hold them differently to keep the bulkier top parts from coming into contact and making it difficult to close the thinner ends. I found that — except for salmon, which I’ve had elsewhere but not here tonight — raw meats and fish don’t appeal to me; there just isn’t enough taste. Aside from that, different things kept coming till I was comfortably full, and stopped appearing just about the time I was ready for them to stop.

Amber got her birthday cake, and we all sang Happy Birthday to her. Susan wanted to get photos of Amber opening her birthday presents, but Kevin had to explain to her that it’s considered bad manners in China; you open them privately, or it looks like you’re weighing the value of the gift rather than the good wishes that went into giving it. Okay.

Kevin walked us back, visited with us for a few minutes, then left for his own home. I’d say it was around 9:30PM by then, maybe a bit later.

Susan went to bed pretty much immediately, I not too long afterward.