Footy in the street and horrid disco

Yet another dozy morning...I really should have taken up Zhangwen's invitation to go swimming between 9-10am but just wasn't up for it. So at lunchtime I heated up the cha siu we took back from A Hua's yesterday plus some jiaozi that Leilei hadn't eaten last night, and that was more than sufficient for the ladies and me, as the boys had already left to go to Li Kun's again.

I'm so aware that there's little more than a week to go. I tried ringing BA last night to see what options I might have about changing flights but they rudely said they were busy and didn't even put me in a queue. So at 1pm I called again as I knew they opened at 6am UK time. I'd even put some credit in Skype for the first time in years as wasn't sure of a better way of calling a UK number from here. Well it took getting on for half an hour before the bloke said he'd have to call back office and they'd email me with a quote. It wasn't his fault; I guess because I booked via BA but it was a China Southern flight we weren't able to do this online. But anyway I'd already booked the train tickets, Nezha would not be able to change his flight, and we'd been here for six weeks already. I suppose in some way it was getting time to leave.

I chilled in the house most of the day, and the girls went out shopping soon after 3pm again. I needed to get out so left around 4.30pm and happened upon Huang's Beihai place and found him eating tea - I guess you need to eat so early when you'll be cooking all evening. We sat outside for a few minutes and he told me to come back for a beer later in the evening, and I made my excuses to go, which really just meant it was too hot. On the walk back I noticed the road that Boss Zhou's restaurant used to be on and it brought back nice memories. It was a dead end road and as I walked up I heard "wai guo ren!" from some five year-old kid on the street who ran into his house and came out with two other kids and a football. They were all smiles of course and asked me where I was from, so we had a little conversation. It was that age where they haven't yet learnt to be shy and were just curious. I told one of them to kick me the ball and we spent a cool five minutes kicking it about in the street and it could have been anywhere. Except it was Pingguo in the late afternoon and I'd broken into a sweat after managing not to up to now by walking at a Pingguo pace. Oh well I'd not showered yet, and this was more fun than I thought it would be.

Playing footy in the street with some local kids

I managed a quick chat with Awl on Zoom as I picked up some more 0% sugar soft drinks, and noticed there was a lighting shop next door. As the bulbs in Leilei's room and the front room have both gone I got home and removed one and took it to the lighting shop, where the lady explained that these were very old bulbs and hard to find these days as people were using LEDs. Of course, it made perfect sense, as we'd done 10 years ago in our flat. But I'd need to change the housing for the bulb and as it was getting on for teatime didn't feel like doing it just then.

My mail from BA hadn't arrived within the two hours they said, but at getting on for 5pm I finally saw something in my inbox. £690 to change dates! Ha, I was entertaining the thought of staying another 10 days if it was going to be maximum £100 more but for £690 I could practically get a return flight again. So now we're definitely leaving Pingguo next Thursday. In a way days like today are good as it wasn't action-packed and as I don't have a study anymore I can't really do much productive stuff during the day. But I'll miss here awfully, and if it's possible to sort Leilei's university application/clearing later in August I might well see if I can sneak back here before I search for work.

Xixi pinged me to say they'd be eating at A Hua's again, and I thought it was a bit far to walk, but as the boys had taken my black dian dong che and Jiuma's one I thought I'd risk taking the large red one with the crappy batteries. Well it got me there at 20kph max and we had another delightfully family meal with lots of raw fish. Even Xixi had two bowls of rice before we were both full. I asked Tan if she planned to chat for the foreseeably future and she said "dui" so I dared take Xixi back on the bike. She was a little embarrassed as it would almost have been faster to walk, but at least it wasn't sweaty and we just made it back to be put on charge for probably only a couple of hours.

At 8.45pm Huang pinged me to say they had "started", so I told him I'd grab a shower and got there 25 minutes later to find him with just a couple of blokes who also work there. Normally I don't mind, but tonight I was sober and could have done with more company. I managed a few beers till 11pm when I said I'd promised to be with my daughter as indeed I'd said I'd help her learn to drive the dian dong che. He let me go but the boys hadn't got back so there wasn't much I could teach her. Not wanting to waste the night too much I went for a wander and picked up a couple of cold beers for the evening.

Then, unexpectedly, at 1am I got a text to go to a bar. My "why not?" reaction didn't arise though and I thought logically that it would not be a good idea. But a few more texts provoked "why not?" and as Leilei said there was still some dian in the dian dong che I went the rather long route to the south of town. Bar my arse, it was a full-blown disco with music so loud I hadn't felt since student days. And the amount of young women dressed so skimpily made me feel uncomfortable to be there, and at least a generation out of place. But I obligingly engaged in some gan beis that tasted like weak Ribena (and were the usual 2.8%). After a short while bright yellow covers were brought out to cover the tables with the glasses before a load of confetti came from the ceiling. This happened on more than one occasion. 

Our table had its own server who ensured glasses were filled and accompanied me when I went to the loo, and even pulled tissues for me to dry my hands. I'd only gone to the loo to get away from the music for a while, but he asked me for 200 kuai - something to do with women or lap dancers or something similar. I told him I had no interest in such a thing and was married etc., so somehow we "settled" on 100 kuai. In terms of "entertainment" and drinks I suppose it was fair in a way but had I known what sort of place this was I'd never have come in the first place.

I didn't really care if I was being rude and made my excuses and left very soon after. For once I was really worried about whether the bike would get me back as it was a good 5-6 kilometres from home, but it just made it and I realised it was getting on for 4am yet again. Sleep beckoned but I'd realised I'd forgotten to put the bike on charge. It took a lot of logicking to get me out of bed to go down and put it on but I knew I wouldn't regret it.