Children's Day

It's Children's Day today in China.

His school held a Charity Bazaar ( flea market + food fair).

A couple of days ago, he asked me how much I would give him... I said RMB20. He asked for more. RMB35 was the number we eventually agreed on.

On Monday, he brought a note home from school. Each food coupon was RMB5 and could be pre-purchased. So I gave him RMB20 for 4 tickets.

This morning, we argued over how much money he could bring to school. I thought I'd give him RMB15 ( 35 - 20 = 15!) but he said it was not enough and wanted RMB100. "That's 50 Da Niang veggie buns!", I exclaimed. Finally, we agreed to settle for RMB50.

Putting RMB20 in his right pocket and RMB30 in his left pocket, I told him that he could spend the RMB30 and urged him to save the RMB 20. As an incentive, if he brought back the RMB20, I'd double it - money he could spend next time.

He asked me to go to his school. I did.

Oh what fun! I observe the boy examining a bow & arrow game set at his class booth. Then he put it down and went away. Came back later with a small Optimus Prime (RMB1) and Mitsubishi toy truck (RMB1), spiderman stickers and some origami paper. I left him to himself and got myself 3 food coupons and exchanged them for chocolate ice-cream, corn on the cob and prawn crackers. He found me and asked if he could buy the bow & arrow set which was priced at RMB40. ( I think he asked only because he knew we had a spend 30 save 20 deal ) I told him to go bargain the price down  but he said, "No" and ran off. Came back with a box of Japanese rice maki, a really delicious looking cupcake covered with white icing and a pack of cookies ( 3 coupons gone). He asked again if he could buy the bow & arrow set. I relented. He happily rushed off and came back balancing the loot on his head. Told him to go spend his last food coupon before the fair ended. He flew off and came back with our 2nd pack of prawn crackers. *Yum.

(Addendum: he bought incredibles stickers, not spiderman stickers, a spiderman marker that has a roller stamp on the top end, a bottle of water, gummy sweets in the shape of a pizza, look-alike/taste-alike Yakult!?!)

We ate and I laughed so hard at the kids' conversations. One boy started jeering a girl who had applied glittery eyeshadow on herself - she had bought it and was delighted that it was 'real'!!! Another one regretted her purchase and placed it on her classmate's desk, who wasn't very impressed with the 'gift' and wanted to throw it away. One kid was given too much - he said he had RMB130 in one wallet and yet more money in his 2nd wallet. He had already filled 3 bags with stuff and became visibly very exasperated and exhausted with still having money left over after his nth trip.

My boy told me he had fun. I would think so.

Happy Children's Day!