We needed SIM cards and Li Kun had kindly offered to sort us out as these days you need an ID to get one. In fact we needed three as Tan had already sorted hers out. This meant the best part of an hour in a China Mobile shop, including choosing our numbers. I chose one that ended in the year of my birth and then the date of my birth, while choosing the kids’ ones which would be next to each other. Not that it matters these days - almost everyone uses WeChat so numbers need not apply. The good thing is that apparently my number won’t change again so for those that do the old-fashioned thing of calling a number it should be more convenient. I noticed that for each of our new numbers Li Kun had to do a face ID in front of a screen while touching his ID card. It’s really happening, though I guess not too different from e-passports where they scan your face.
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| Happily we now have two lifts working in out building, but it means less time for taking pics of the view that I rather like... |
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| Li Kun showing his face ID to help us get SIM cards for this year (and hopefully the future) - who's the person in the background with the Bengals teeshirt? |
Happy to be online outside of wifi, I went to deliver a few presents from the UK while Leilei stayed inside. Yang Haiwei knew I was in town and video called me to drink tea so of course I said I would. And it genuinely was only tea, which was a good thing. On the way back I stopped at Lu Wen’s to say hello. Although I was only 30 seconds from home the heavens opened and I was “forced” to stay for a few beers with him. I did explain to Leilei and he was fine as he had food and A/C. But it was nice to get back an hour later and grab an hour’s shuteye even if Leilei didn’t.
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| Good to meet up with Lu Wen again but wasn't expecting a beer so early...at least it was to help a siesta |
I woke up at 5pm to a call from Xixi as they were in Hong Kong and about to board their flight to Nanning. They’d originally told me they would be arriving in Pingguo after 10pm but I worked out it would be nearer 8pm as A Heng was picking them up. So I made sure the house was reasonable but most of that had already been done. Just a question of washing some clothes from last year that smelled a bit really. Then I realised Leilei and I only really had a couple of hours of proper freedom left in Pingguo.
So I contacted Chuan Chuan about the dian dong che and she said it was sorted and was at Jiuma’s place (previously Waipo’s - a bit sad). So we walked over and picked it up and were not too surprised to find it had little dian, but it got us back home and our card still had space for the security to sign with the date and give us electricity. This is probably the longest running electricity card in Pingguo, having been going strong for three years now, but will run out after another 10 or so charges and I dread to think how much the next one will be.
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| Our dian dong che has an official number plate, and not a bad one IMO |
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| I'll have to work out how many km it's done since we've been away...hopefully it has been used... |
My friend Chen then pinged me to ask me to go out to eat. Well why not? We had nothing planned so went to the place not far from home, and thankfully Leilei ate very well. He is coming out of his shell a bit more this year and talking to people in Mandarin in a way he’s been very reluctant to in the last few years. But even he was bored after two hours so excused himself and I took him home.
Shortly afterwards I got a call from Er Jie. She invited me to drink alcohol, which I found slightly surprising, until I found out she really wanted to be with Leilei. So I explained the that he was not with me but I ended up needing to pick him up and walk to meet her at some bbq place where she was eating. On the way there we met Ghanian Steve, and promised to meet up soon for a drink. Almost as soon as we met Er Jie, we left with her and what may be her new boyfriend, and got the second san lun che this year to Tian Yang Po’s bbq place where we met Tan and Xixi, and A Heng, gouging themselves on delicious wares.
So much for being tired - we got home and the ladies showered and then annoyingly as three A/Cs were turned on the electricity went. It happened at 1am so I turned it back on, but had to go where the ladies were sleeping to turn on the A/C again, but it went again at nearly 3am too. This time I also turned the A/C back on. But when it went again at 5am I just accepted I would sleep in the beer bedroom and suffer the heat, but still went to turn on the A/C for Tan and Xixi (and Leilei’s room). Did I get any thanks for it? No, I got told off for waking them up! What justice is there when you do your utmost to make others comfortable and get criticised for it? I can imagine the criticism if I’d not bothered...you can’t win sometimes….
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