Locked out at the last storm before the last supper

I woke up at 9am in the study and realised I'd better get some more kip so did so till 10.30, still feeling a bit rough for the first time in ages (at least since Beihai). Lunch was starting to become the repetitive jiao zi but my condition called for something known and benign. Once again work beckoned and that took up some of my afternoon until nearly 5 when I went to Waipo's for a meal. Although there were only Tan, Waipo and Chuan Chuan it felt important to eat there as there wouldn't be much more time for family meals. After the meal Waipo insisted in giving us more moon cakes than we could feasibly carry but after giving some to Chuan Chuan we took them home anyway and I fitted what I could into our suitcases.

My insides have been behaving themselves this year more than most. Perhaps they're finally getting used to being here. But this evening was a bit of an exception and to my horror I found that I'd blocked our toilet (not the en suite one luckily). I saw a blue contraption that looked a little like a cross between an accordion and plunger and to my delight it was the latter. It was quite an ingenious design but would it work? Yes, so efficiently in fact that I felt gratitude and the need to take a picture of it in equal measures.

An accordion plunger that did the trick

I'd agreed that Tan could get a dou jiang maker so we said we'd meet at the supermarket near Waipo's. When I got there she wasn't there and it transpired she was at a different one. I could have argued that actually the one I was at was closer but I bit my lip and got a san lun che to where she was. We spent half an hour before we decided to buy a fancy looking dou jiang mixer for 400 kuai, before she got her eyes on some other kitchenware. I wasn't so interested but had noticed the very quick change of colour of the sky outside and the suddenly loud noise of the wind against advertising hoardings. I went outside and felt the change of climate within a couple of minutes as the midnight blue closed in on my last evening in Pingguo. But then it was back to reality as we bought some mini huoguo and bbq thing for another 300 kuai and I took delight in signing my name in Chinese on the receipt.

Another dusk storm brewing up

Packing these items turned out to be harder than I imagined but I got the stuff in, including two free gift glasses with the dou jiang mixer but there wasn't any space left. I decided I'd make this my mates' night out hence sorting out the packing first. By 8pm I was mainly done so started calling them. I'd decided to go the Beihai seafood place to see my friend Huang the cook I've known for about four years now but hardly seen this year. All my mates except for Boss Hu said they'd be able to make it at 9pm or some time later.

By now there really was a storm and it looked so good I opened up one of the few remaining Moutai beers that I don't like that much (but Lu Hai gave to me) and had a good watch from the balcony. I couldn't tell if the view was better from the front or the back of the house so I decided to see if I could get to the roof. I didn't expect to as last year I tried and it was locked, but to my pleasant surprise the handle moved down and I opened the door to what would be the 18th floor. It was the perfect time before the rain came but the lightning was performing all over. I stood taking videos, as if that would be anything like the real thing, when I felt the wind start up and the first heavy raindrops. Unfortunately there was little cover from the rain, and more unfortunately as I turned towards the door I noticed that the wind got there first and closed it for me. And yes, the handle on the outside didn't budge and I was locked out. Banging on the door was fruitless, so I looked around to find what I may make use of. But I wasn't going to be abseiling down so I didn't look much further than my phone and realised as I had to go out very soon I'd have to call the missus and admit to being a bit of a wally without a brolly.

I got the expected tuts, but I expected she was smiling behind them. She said she'd come to open the door but 10 minutes later I heard or saw no sign. Then it dawned on me that the staircase I had come up must have been one of up to four others dividing the five blocks. At least there had to be a chance that one of them was not locked. I didn't really expect it but in fact the first other door I came to was indeed not a door, it was ajar, so I got in, rather wet, and wished I'd tried that before calling Tan. I took the lift to the bottom floor, got out, walked 20 yards and got in our block's door to see Chuan Chuan and the kids ready to get in the lift too. So Tan had sent her and the kids to rescue me...how embarrassing - at least it would have been had I still been up there.

I called Huang the cook to say I'd be coming over at 9pm and he was very excited. By 8.50 he called me back to ask where I was and I told him not to worry. In China, if you are the inviter you typically get there well before everyone else but as I knew this place and its boss I didn't feel the need. When I got there Huang was indeed very excited to see me and led me to a table and ordered some beer and sat down with me. I realised he was rather drunk when he kept calling me xiong di...like a close brother. He kept going on about how we were xiong di and kept shaking my hand in a rather annoying manner by curling up his index finger as he did so and clasping our hands together with his left hand. I said I was happy to be his xiong di and he asked me if I knew what it meant. Of course I did but he insisted on pointing out a table with some men on it who I knew were his friends as he'd been drinking with them when I arrived. He pointed at them and said they were not his xiong di, but I was his xiong di. I was not quite sure how to react so shook his hand in gratitude and immediately regretted it as his index knuckle once more nearly pierced my palm.

My xiong di Huang with his annoying curly index finger but charming daughter

Huang did need to get back to cooking but not before the first guests arrived. A Dong came and as he reached my table was immediately shouted at by some mates at another table and went there for the next 45 minutes. Then the bloke who used to assist Huang here at the seafood place turned up and I was quite glad as I hadn't seen him this or last year. Then every couple of minutes someone else turned up till we had to start getting new chairs to fit around the table. I ordered about four dishes and gratefully saw them gobbled up - two plates of prawns, some razor things and some fish. Lu Hai came and brought some of his own fried fish which were delicious and I ordered some greens too. Li Kun turned up with a mate, looking like he'd already had a skinful but insisted in gan bei'ing everyone there. After a little while he looked like he could barely focus and aimed his glance at the floor. I thought he was going to paint it with vomit but then he got his head up again and did a few more gan bei's and said he had a present for Awl and for me and he would definitely get it. With that he disappeared in the car with his mate.

Li Kun looking slightly like he might have had one too many and me with one too few

Jiefu turned up and I experienced one of the few times I was genuinely happy to have my Nokia N8. He had brought some of his professional photographs of Pingguo (one of which was exploded and hanging on Bak Sec Zhai's living room wall). They were on one of those old style compact flash cards that are about an inch and a half square but luckily he had a card reader. But when he realised I didn't have a laptop he was concerned. He needn't have been; I got out my mini-usb to usb cable plugged it into my phone and into his card reader cable and within seconds was copying his photos onto my phone's SD card. Oh geeky heaven! Try doing that with an iphone (it's not straightforward with an Android either).

Others were interested in the photos when I showed them on my phone and I said I'd send copies to them via QQ. But a minute later Jiefu, slightly embarrassedly, said to me privately that these were his work and were generally for sale rather than giveaway. I felt very embarrassed myself as I realised he was giving me something both unique and quite valuable, but I think everyone understood, and he said I could send out copies of one of the photos to my friends.

Pingguo by dusk by Jiefu - Bak Sec Zhai has an 8' by 2' print on his wall at home

Guang chang by day - taken from the top of our building by Jiefu...at least he didn't lock himself out

At about 11pm A Wu and A Da turned up and straight away ordered a number of plates as they were hungry, but I didn't mind as long as people ate them. However, I didn't want a late night, or a particularly boozy one. Then Ling Ming rang and asked if we were still there so I said of course he and his fiancée could come over. Then, to my complete surprise, Li Kun pulled up again (with his mate driving again) and got out and produced a gold and a red bag. Inside each bag was a tin of the same colour containing expensive tea. He said the gold one was a bit better quality and that was for Awl. I thanked him very much and genuinely look forward to seeing him again next time. But where will I put the tea?

Me, Xiao Nong (blocking Ling Ming), Jiefu, A Da, A Wu, Huang's ex-assistant, Lu Hai

By now it was gone midnight and I needed to make tracks so but I wasn't the only one; Haiwei was still feeling the effects from yesterday...he said he couldn't even remember taking me to A Wu's office last night which is a bit worrying.

I went to pay the bill and it came to 940 kuai so a tad over 100 quid. But for three and a half hours of up to 12 blokes drinking and eating quality stuff it was worth several times that. We said our annual farewells and I got into A Wu's car and started driving them back. We hadn't got 300 yards when we saw a bloke on crutches sitting at a table that I recognised from the last time Venky was around. He was some sort of boss - Tan reckons from the mafia. I stopped the car and we got out and had the usual couple of gan bei's but I insisted on getting back as it was late and I had a "matter" to attend to, as the Chinese say when they don't want to be too specific about something. Finally home at getting on for one but it was a great evening in many ways.