Sunday, December 6, 2009

Seeing Red

Saturday, December 5 - In Chinese culture, guests at celebrations like weddings and birthdays usually offer the hosts a small gift of cash in a red envelope. The extra cash can be used to offset expenses associated with organizing this type of event. This wedding was no different and, by the end of the evening on Saturday, Junkii’s father had a mitt full of envelopes to deal with.

After the guests left, the immediate family grabbed some space in the restaurant and opened up the envelopes to count the take. Amidst a sea of red, they settled the restaurant bill and had a substantial amount left over. But what to do with it?

By this time it was late at night and the entire family was concerned that someone might either break into the house to steal the money (if we left it at home) or rob us on the street (if we chose to deposit it in the bank). We chose the bank option, and Junkii, his brothers, and I all trundled off to the nearest bank to make the transaction. I’ve never felt more like a bodyguard!

That’s the end of the story. The deposit went off without a hitch. No shady characters were encountered. Sorry. We’ll try to make the narratives more exciting next time.

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