It’s Kenric’s first Chinese New Year, and it’s my first with my family in 21 years. We (including my mother) went to my uncle’s house for the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner. As usual, my aunt’s cooking is superb. It was a very lively evening. My cousins are just as mischievous as I remembered. One of the most important customs during Chinese New Year is the giving of “lai xi” (lucky money) by married people to unmarried people. In Malaysia, we use the term “ang pau” (red envelope).
After dinner, Kenric got his first Chinese New Year envelope from my cousin. When I was young, we had to wait until it’s actual New Year’s Day. It was really funny to see my young cousin give Kenric an ang pau. Then, came my aunt and uncle’s ang pau.
Then, Kenric helped my aunt make dumplings. Everyone was impressed by his dumpling-sealing skills. My uncle says he gets “full mark” as in “perfect score”. They were delicious too, but that has nothing to do with Kenric’s skills. We sat outside drinking champagne and mimosas while waiting for my cousin who lives in Klang to arrive with her family. Like many people, my cousin got the ang pau giving out of the way immediately after arriving. I’m so glad she was one of the two people who liked the champagne we got because no one else did, and her two girls like the dolls we got for them in Phuket, Thailand.
Kenric is still not used to receiving money from someone so much younger, and I’m quite embarrassed that I’m taking my little cousins’, but we’re a few hundred Ringgit richer! The year has been good to us so far. Gong Hey Fatt Choy!
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