usually it ends in tears when a drunk relative comes into your bedroom uninvited wearing nothing but his underwear and reeking of booze, but this time it turned out alright. my cousin came barging into my room sometime after midnight. he'd just gotten home after entertaining some bigwigs and smelled of alcohol. being drunk made him all apologetic, said he hadn't been able to take me out and show me around shenyang. i knew all of this, but it wasn't a big deal, and besides, he'd be free later in the week. but turns out some higher ups from beijing wants to come liaoning for a few days to visit some farmers, so he needs to spend the next 2-3 days acting as the local liaison, including wrangling up some mosquito netting.

...

my nephew was gently knocking on my door around 7:30 to tell me we were getting an early start this morning. after a poo and a shower, i got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast, another banquet feast, this time with more leftovers. i was in no mood to eat and noticed my bowl of rice porridge with millets was twice the size of everyone else.

it was an overcast day, with a light morning drizzle. we went downstairs by 9:00, my nephew's father meeting us, driving my cousin's nissan xterra SUV.