6:30 am The noise of construction is the first sound I note as I awaken.
Breakfast!! Bokchoy Babies! Snow peas! Green beans! Watermelon! Millet in broth, milk with sugar warmed like a soup, steamed buns with spinach filling! Wood ears, rice and thick sweet coffee. So fine-
Nathan will find us a gym where we can work out together-
A mention was made of the "awful Chinese movies they showed on the plane". I had thought it was routine and typical fare but perhaps it's Nathan's Americanization that has skewed his view of things Chinese-(?).
We walked to Xiao Jing's aunt's apartment-an event of much excitement for all family members (us too!). The aunt (Xiao Jing's mother's sister) frail at age 83 always assisted by oldest cousin, a tiny little lady, stooped but smiling and effusively gracious to me (the mother of Michael), her husband, aunty's husband, hardy and vital at 80 with flawless tanned skin and a curious interest in everyone. We stayed 30 minutes - pleasant gracious conversation, oldest cousin providing glasses of hot water for us. The surroundings were simple. Chinese decorations hung above to mark the occasion. Tonight we will meet again for a Peking duck dinner.
We left Xiao Jing behind and were escorted by oldest cousin to the trolley where we bought our tickets and joined the crowd headed for Tienanmen Square. I noted that we were expected to return the tickets to the porter as we left but she chose not to collect them so I've saved them.
The family reception was wonderful. Cousin, Ling Ge' came for us. Sister, Da Ping (great peace) is second child, Xiao Mei is third child, fourth child is Xiao Wu, fifth child is Xiao Wu. I was lead to the place of honor next to Mu Nai (Xiao Jing's aunt) after we'd viewed fish swimming in tanks and had chosen which was to be cooked for the meal.
Such conversation ensued! A toast to family was made followed by a toast by Michael. The men smoked and there was lots of humor. Much was made of Nathan's size and his haircut.
The women were very solicitous of me and Peking Duck was made much of. It was sliced thin by the chef and served by spreading a dark sauce over a square of fresh bean curd skin, placing a few thin slices of the meat on it and topping with slivers of cucumber then closing it up and eating it. Very savory. Mu Nai says Queen Elisabeth wanted to bring a Chinese chef back to UK to prepare this dish for her. I wondered if the sauce dripped all over her hand as it had mine! I also thought it interesting that she was spoken of with such awe considering the history of England in China.
After dinner we went to our cars but were unable to leave till we coaxed two cars through a small corner space to the road. Vehicles are huge in Beijing, the result of prosperity, and parking is helter skelter. No lines have been laid down to keep things orderly. It's typical of the people to help drivers into and out of car-related jams. Lots of laughter, especially by me! Twenty minutes later we drove to Xiao Mei's apartment. Such affluence! A gated place. Elevator opened to her foyer. Slippers were given to those who wore heels to protect the tiled floors. Huge living room, state of the art treadmill there and nearby a massage chair similar to a Lazy Boy chair. TV, plasma type, the biggest I've seen.
I was fascinated by the kitchen. Xiao Me' has two servants. There is a non-cook kitchen with micro wave and blender etc on spacious counters, a table,chairs. Sliding doors of glass keep frying odors from escaping the cooking area with a gas fired stove top and below this an ovenlike appliance which heats dishes to "remove the bacteria". They do not have dish washers in China.
There is a game room in the apartment and two bedrooms.
Xiao Mei' is a businesswoman dealing in medical equipment. With offices in Europe, China and Canada. She made two billion dollars last year. She is very unaffected. Wears tasteful but not ostentatious clothes, a jade bracelet for good luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment