Our friends tried to buy bus tickets the day before we were to go, but it was not allowed. We had to get them the very day we wanted to go. We got up around 8 am and proceeded directly to the station where thousands of people were already in line to buy tickets. We kept saying, “Should we get in line?” but the girls said, “Not yet.” After about 10 minutes, Dear Husband and Cousin got in line, while I proceeded with our hostess to a point in the line where a policeman was guarding the crowd and keeping order. I do not know what she said to him, he said, “NO.” There were several exchanges, but she stood there in front of him. He tried to ignore her, but eventually he waved us on, into the actual building where the tickets were sold. Now we went right up, almost to the ticket window. Our girl tried sweet talking a few people who resisted her charm, but finally, an older gentleman let her cut in line ahead of him. And thus we got our tickets for the 10:00 am bus. We had to go back out the door to motion to Husband and Cousin to come forward, they had made considerable progress in line, I thought. I learned that they had received “cuts” to get started.
Having arrived at the station around 9 am, we had done well to get those tickets by 9:40. We went out to the bus loading place and found our bus and got on. But, when the driver checked the tickets, we learned that this was the 9:50, not the 10 o’clock bus. So, we got off and waited some more. Our bus finally left at 11:00 am. Our hostess went along with us, in case there would be any problems at the other end. Truly, she went the extra mile.
We arrived RongChang at 1:00 pm. and our next host was there at the station, ticket in hand for our girl, so she could proceed to her destination for the day. These former students with their cell phones kept the trip smooth for us–the three of them were in continual communication. We proceeded to our hotel — just for one night, we can change tomorrow — and to lunch with the extended family. We met the baby born last year at this time, grandma and grandpa, whom we had met at the wedding, and some uncles, aunts and cousins. It was a delicious meal in a restaurant near their home.
Grandpa and Grandma purchased this home about 10 years ago, we were told, when their daughter was in late high school. She knows this apartment as the house for the holidays. The family gathers there every New Year. The extended family lives in that town. Grandma lives with our friend and takes care of the baby. Grandpa lives near the coal mine where he works. His brother owns the mine. No one lives in the apartment full time.
Our friend invited us to come to the family gathering at this home of his in-laws. We asked if he was sure that was acceptable to the family, and he said he was certain. He cited a precedent when he had another foreign guest there for the celebration. And so we arrived and were received. We wanted to play with the baby, and converse with the adults. The baby was scared and the adults weren’t interested. It was cold in the apartment; we wore our coats, hats and scarves and left our shoes on, but these did not warm the atmosphere. On the third day, the baby warmed to us enough to let us hold her.
On the day before the actual New Year Eve celebration dinner, our host informed us with anger, frustration, and tears, that we were not welcome to attend the dinner, or to go to the apartment any more. He wanted to flee that city and take us to his own home to celebrate properly. We said that he belonged with his wife and child, and that since it was not our holiday anyway, we would be fine on our own.
Our host brought food over for us and sometimes took us to noodle houses. There was an Englishman staying in the same hotel, the one we changed to on the second day. We had some interesting conversations with him. We walked a little bit around the neighborhood, and then stayed in the hotel watching the New Year’s Gala on tv. This is a “big deal” in China. It has been broadcast for 30 years on New Year’s Eve. Everyone talks about it. I watched for 2 hours, and there was not a single ad in that time. It is an extravaganza of dance, singing, skits, comedy, and family sentiment. It started at 8 and went on and on. The next day, it was rebroadcast, in case anyone missed any of it. Fireworks exploded all through that night, and are still going on. Our host and his wife were able to visit us a little at a time, so we had some satisfying conversations.
Although the hotel boasted three stars, there was mold on the walls and the carpet was dirty. We didn’t see any vacuum cleaners with the maids on duty. The blanket was a feather bed, a fact which escaped my notice until the last day. It has rained every day in that territory all winter. It was dark, cold, and dreary. All this combined for some asthma events, and a continual congestion. I’m still not fully recovered, but our air filter, vacuum cleaner and heater are all helpful. Our weather here in Hubei is often sunny and bright, so I’m happy to be here and not there.