Two Yellows and bad karaoke

Finally, after nearly two weeks it seems there is becoming a semblance of normality to my sleeping patterns, as I was up around 9am again. So was Xixi - she came into our room thinking it was night time as Leilei had started to use her pillow. Later in the morning we went out to get some lunch for Tan and ask where we might buy goldfish from. As it was raining we went walking with umbrellas so we first came home to drop off lunch then, as it had stopped raining, we went to the place that Leilei had remembered from some time ago as selling fish and indeed he was right.

Xixi decided to help taking in the dry clothes first - nice!

We had to spend a few minutes doing a photo-shoot with the shop keeper and her son plus some other customer and her daughter, but finally got around to choosing a fish each for the kids; Leilei a blue one and Xixi a red one. Apparently they would fight if put together so we got them a small bowl each and bits and bobs to make it look less boring. 35 kuai for the lot seemed pretty good, and as is usual she gave us various discounts, none of which we asked for.

A photoshoot - a rather common occurrence here

On the way back we had our lunch in the bao zi place before filling up the bowls and freeing up the fish from their prison-like bags. They didn't seem that impressed with their new-found freedom but did seem interested in each other when we put the bowls together.

Red and Blue - no official names yet

I took the kids to stay at Waipo's for a bit with their fish, then went home when A Dong came around fix the electricity. It was only a change of three fuses and I was more interested in the root cause that caused them to blow in the first place but didn't want to sound ungrateful as now everything was working.

So Tan and I had a relaxing afternoon just chilling out for once, before going to Waipo's for tea later, after which Chuan Chuan took them swimming. I came back home as I needed to sort out tickets but stopped off on the way to have a cup of tea at our local tea shop, as I'd promised a couple of weeks ago I would when I had time. I didn't feel I ought to, but I did buy a thing for boiling tea in and it was only 35 kuai - I'd better not break it this time. The bloke then stuffed as many sachets of different teas as he could into the bag for good measure.

While we drank tea, his wife bagged it

I spent about an hour by myself at home, which was nice, but I thought I should be taking more advantage of my penultimate day of holiday. I realised I hadn't seen the Beihai seafood boss yet, so got on the dian dong che and drove down to see if he was around. Before I even managed to get off the bike he was shouting at me and looking very excited. By the number of beer bottles I could see that his party was somewhat the worse for wear, and very happy.

We shook hands heartily, and then he remembered his horrible trick of bending his middle finger so it stuck into your palm while shaking you. The food on the table was nearly finished but he insisted on ordering three new dishes. Around the table were a bloke and his wife, some other bloke, and a bloke from Guangzhou who apparently knew Tan, and was a friend of her friend Huang Chun. Well actually we had a really good time catching up. His hatred of the Japanese was as strong as ever, and I did yet again suggest that it was some time ago now, and other countries had patched up differences. It's something about booze that brings out this deep-rooted hatred of other races. It's basically the truth about how they feel and I know I won't change it. But his daughter probably won't feel the same, and I think it's a sort of acceptable reduction of racism by attrition. It's not like he's going to be doing anything other than spouting vitriol about the Japanese, as if any will hear him.

Beihai seafood boss's daughter and wife, surrounded by drunk bloke on right and understanding wife on left (wish she understood how to drive)

Uncle Yellow called me at about 10.30 to ask me to join him in the pub "where we watched the football". I thought this might be a good excuse. Huang Chun's friend was two gan bei's short of a pancake and the other bloke who was with his wife couldn't cai ma for toffee. His wife looked not at all unimpressed with him, in a way Tan could never do. They decided it was time to leave and walked over to their car and I was almost not surprised to see him, rather than her, get into the driver's seat.

So after another couple of gan bei's and various painful hand shakes with middle finger knuckles, I finally made my way at about 11 sir. I drove down to Jiang Bing Lu, and found the pub where we'd watched Germany - France until the satellite went down the other week, but Uncle Yellow was nowhere to be seen. I called him again so see where he was. As is customary when he answered I called him a disgusting pervert. Unfortunately I had called the Beihai seafood boss by mistake, as his surname is also Huang (Yellow). I had a slightly embarrassing time explaining why I called him a disgusting pervert and why I wasn't home in bed as I said I was going to do. Luckily he sounded so pissed and tired I don't think he computed what I said. I then called the proper Uncle Yellow and he said he was at the pub by the guang chang that he had been to in the past to watch football, not that I had gone to. As if I would have known that.

So five minutes later I got there and as soon as I walked in he and his mates saw me and accosted me and gan bei'd me. Luckily it was too loud to cai ma, but Uncle Yellow insisted on me singing a song - from the way he tried to sing it I guessed it was "No Matter What", by Boyzone. I don't mind it in a private room but this was a pub with a good 50 people in it, most of whom I guessed I'd never seen before. I didn't want to let him down, so said I'd need a couple more gan bei's, and he said no problem, I would sing it from our table, NOT from the dance floor.

And of course what happens? A minute later the music to "Scarborough Fair" starts, the microphone is thrust into my hands, and I am pushered onto the middle of the dance floor. What's worse is that the monitor is only showing the words in Chinese, and although I can read some of them it's clearly not what should be sung, so I have to remember the verses. I did what I could. "Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley Sage Rosemary and flipping Thyme". It's not exactly a pub song, but at least I got a fair few whoops from the ladies.

About the only amusing thing in the pub tonight

Back at the table Uncle Yellow was genuinely apologetic, for the wrong song and the fact I'd been put on stage. He thought he'd put this right by getting me to write "No Matter What" on his phone, and then going to the manager to rectify things. Ok so they found the bloody song, but at least this time although the words were still in characters and I couldn't remember beyond the second verse, I was allowed to stay at our table. And of course Tan called me half way through. As people were listening I cancelled the call but she tried again. I stuffed the mic in Uncle Yellow's hand before the end and went outside to answer lest she suspect I was in a pub. Not that it did much good. I suspect she just wanted to vent her spleen that I was out beyond midnight, and that she did well. I explained that I was (truthfully) going to be back in 10 minutes, and I had no objections from the blokes when I told them.

I still slept in Xixi's room though.