Wads of cash and more KTV

On the way to get some breakfast I told Xiao Li I didn’t have enough money for the cab fare, at which he showed me the contents of his bum bag – a wad of 100 kuai notes that must have been at least 10000 kuai, or about £650+.

On the way back we stopped into the bank where he produced his id card and his sister’s id card, then withdrew 40,000 ren min bi (not much less than £3000) in £6.50 notes). He calmly put them in his wallet, except for the last 10000 which wouldn’t fit, which he put in his trouser pockets. As this was several years' salary for most people, I asked him why he needed so much cash.. Well, apparently he is going to buy a new car at the end of the month. And he wants as 4x4. Fair enough – obviously credit cards are not expected here….

Xiao Wei complained of a very painful neck in the morning, due, according to her, to the neck cracking at her massage yesterday (she and Tan went to the same place I went to yesterday). Just as I’d got over my fear of neck cracking I don’t need to hear this.

Incidentally , I read a worrying article in The Guardian online about the dangers of not drinking. It seemed to suggest that unless you have three units a day you stand a greater chance of having a heart attack. See the article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1929774,00.html

I had just one bottle yesterday and none the day before…oh dear.

In the evening, after having a couple of beers at the bbq place, I was invited out to “drink tea” again. This time there were about 15 blokes in the room and only two women. I wasn’t really in the mood, but did my best to be sociable and chat and sing songs with them. I managed to remain reasonably sober until I suggested that it was time to go, as we needed to get the girls some food.

As we were leaving, Xiao Li said we would just pop in to another room in the building to say Happy Birthday to one of his mates. We knocked and entered a room filled with drunk men (and two women who may or may not have been friends). I was forced to “gan bei” (drink a full glass) several beers with the men before I was allowed to leave, a good deal less sober than fifteen minutes previously. Well at least I caught up on consumption re the Guardian article.