ang pow tells on you

during the chinese new year…

mrs x: here, a red packet for you.

lucia: aiya. no need lah. big already.

mrs x: big also must take. what lah, you not married right?.

lucia: ayoh. but i working already. shy lah.

mrs x: don’t care work or no work. no marry, i give.

lucia: er… thank you.

another scene…..

lucia’s aunty: nah, angpow for you, wishing you happiness and prosperity.

lucia: thank you. wish is enough. no need angpow.

lucia’s mum: ayo! don’t give her angpow lah. ‘lau si gu’ liao, you still give her ah.

(translation: ‘lau si gu’ in hokkien means very old cow! ok, don’t laugh, please. ‘lau si gu’ is a favourite hokkien expression used by many people to denote that a person is too big (old?) for something. example accepting sweets from santa claus… if an adult goes to accept the sweets, people will say “see lah, he so ‘lau si gu’ liao, still take sweets from santa.”)

aunty: no no. she must accept. she no married mah.

lucia: but i working already. can earn money already. (and silently “and i don’t need angpow to earn money” but another voice also saying “good. gimme! gimme!).

aunty: take lah, never mind lah. it’s the new year mah. only once a year.

smiling and thanking her aunty, lucia accept the angpow while her mum shakes her head at her ‘lau si gu’ daughter.

—————————————-

well those were the scenes that happened few years back. after going through all those, i realised that the more i resisted (decline the accept the angpow), the more embarrassed i will feel. when i resisted, i only serve to draw attention to myself that i’m not married or that i am really a ‘lau si gu’!

therefore from that few years back, i made up my mind that whoever give me angpow, i will accept it at once with a firm thank you and get it over and done with. if i go, “no lah”, “no need lah”, “working oledi you know”, “shy only”, blah blah blah… beside drawing attention to myself, isn’t this sort of being hypocritical? i mean like since i do know that this giving of angpow is a tradition, and not only given to children but to unmarried adults as well, if people wants to give me angpow, i should be delighted, right, instead of saying “no need lah” but knowing very well i will end up taking it anyway. so i guess even if i’m earning a 5 figure income, i’ll still accept angpow. ok and even if i’m a very lau si gu (thanks for reminding me), i’ll accept the angpow too.

thank god the CNY will be over after today. no more reminder of my marital status and my age. phew!