Sunday 18^th October, 2020 1540

Third day of doing absolutely bugger all (including shopping) other than making a simplified bubble and squeak of spuds, cabbage and poached eggs last night – which as it happens was the most substantial and satisfying meal I have had for over a week. I am gearing up to bake a load of sausage rolls now and praying they will taste as good as the last lot I made which were absolutely fabulous. I will probably shop after school on Tuesday and again on Friday, just to keep ahead of the wine situation – six bottles in a box leaves a deficit of one a week!

Alice (from Baiyin, not Wuhu) called yesterday. She is coming for a flying visit on Saturday at lunchtime “so she can tell me what has happened”. I am not sure whether I am expecting good news or a tale of misfortune, time will tell. She will leave here in the evening to go and see Mum so I will probably treat her to dinner, maybe at Charlie's Burger. If I do then we will eat downstairs, those stairs with no bannister terrify me now and I think there's a public loo close by if I need to go.

Now, you remember Jody was going for a family get-together? She was going from lunchtime Friday and wasn't going to be back here until tonight. The Friday meeting which was sprung at the eleventh hour? She couldn't duck it because in true Chinese fashion, sixteen of her students needed to submit applications for scholarships and the deadline is tomorrow. So, she turned up unexpectedly after nine on Friday night.

Those in China will undoubtedly know what I am talking about when I refer to “left-over women” but for my readers elsewhere, please allow me to elaborate. I believe 27 is the age after which, if a girl remains unmarried, she becomes one of the tainted. Same thing happens to boys but not to such an extent. There is a whole industry now where those afflicted can actually hire a boyfriend or girlfriend over the spring festival gathering just to shut the families' traps up and I find that immensely sad.

So, back to Jody, and I hope she doesn't read this. She hadn't seen her family since spring festival (so nine months) and she thought her niece's birthday when the family were converging on Lanzhou was as good a time as any to have a reunion.

Jody is well into her thirties and by all accounts her parents married simply to please their families and then did nothing but bicker from thereon in. she does not wish the same life to befall her and I don't blame her. She is a strong-willed woman – she certainly wastes no time in scolding me on the odd occasion, justified or otherwise.

Imagine my surprise when she returned last night after less than a day, saying she had a terrible time with her family pressuring her to marry. Almost immediately she started sweeping the floor and when I asked if she was hungry (there was and still is bubble and squeak sitting in the fridge) I suddenly realised she was crying.

I did what blokes do and held her and then it all came out. They had turned all their 18” guns on her (and I don't think just the parents) about her being single. For her to cry came as a shock, she never does.

And do you know what? She told me she couldn't wait to get on a study abroad programme to do a PhD and she came back here because it was her home now and I was her family. She said I understood and was the only one. It broke my heart. I tried to lighten her mood by telling her to inform her parents we were marrying today and she would have a 64 year old fat foreigner as a husband to keep them quiet but that didn't work. If she gets on that foreign programme I have a suspicion she may just leave China without even informing her family, and quite right too.

Until then, I am her Grandpa. So far today she hasn't left her bed. Not sure she likes sausage rolls......