Francis and Michelle stroll past the glass doors of NBC and make their way around the dining hall. As they approach the rear wing of the restaurant, Francis spots 媽媽, 爸爸, Jae, and Grace already seated at a side table, chatting away, with a small curtain behind them. 媽媽 and 爸爸 see them and they all rise to greet the two of them.

「Hi 媽媽，爸爸。」

「喂，番薯，你噉甜嘅？」

「嘩，蕃市！你邊度求噉靚嘅女呀！」

「哈哈哈，謝謝阿姨，叔叔！不客氣！」

「Hi Grace, sup Jae. This is my girlfriend, Michelle.」

「Hi, nice to meet you guys!」

「Nice to meet you!」

Michelle sits next Grace and the two get acquainted while Francis looks at the arc of empty chairs between himself and 媽媽 for a moment before locking eyes with Jae. The two exchange a dry smirk for a closed-eyed nod and Francis sits down. He pours tea for Michelle and then himself.

The Kwan family chats as fifteen minutes pass. It is 11:16 before Amy and her white husband, Michael, are seen turning the corner into the rear wing. Michael holds his daughter’s hand, Xandria, as Amy strides towards the table with attitude. Their son, Ayden, lags behind a few steps and gazes in wonder at all the people, even in the rear of the restaurant. The family rises to greet them.

“Hi mom, hi dad…”

“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Kwan! Sorry we’re late!”

「A瞇,咪求！ How are you？」

“I’m good!”

“Say hi to po po and gung gung, kids!”, almost angrily.

“Hi po po, hi gung gung…”, chime Xandria and Ayden, to a dissonant tune.

“Mm goy, kay toy! Nay ho yee bring ga high chair lay ma?”

「得。」

Francis shakes Michael’s eager hand as everyone else says hello. He introduces Michelle to his 大姐 and her family. Amy and Michael hug Michelle. Michael, again, a bit too eagerly. Francis notices Michelle’s discomfort. He puts his arm around her and quickly invites her to bend down to get to know Ayden and Xandria. Xandria’s disinterested affect, untrained at concealing mood, contrasts with Ayden’s wide-eyed gaze. Michael has a seat two empty seats away from Francis while Amy waits for the waiter to bring the high chair. Xandria sits beside her father.

The waiter arrives with the high chair and Amy helps her son into it, seated between 婆婆 and herself. The adults chat. Francis finishes his tea and scans the table for the teapot and empty teacups. He refills those near him before refilling his own. Another ten minutes pass, the tea is poured several more times by several other people, and the children grow hungry and impatient.

「唔好等佢哋啦！No sense in waiting!」declares 爸爸.

「快啲叫啦！Less order!」says 媽媽.

Just as the words leave their mouths, Grace spots Constance and her white boyfriend, Brad. Brad approaches the table with a blank, emotionless expression and Constance appears more a haughty valleygirl than a clever mouse, the animal of her birthyear. No one rises but brisk greetings are exchanged as everyone is hungry. The youngest couple sit down, Constance beside her 哥哥 and the two 鬼佬 together.

Constance turns to Francis: “Francis, can you ask them for some forks?”

“Get some for our kids too.” says Amy.

“Oh, and some glasses of iced water!”

「You know they speak English, right?」

“Excuse me, can we have four forks and four glasses of iced water, please?”

“Make it eight glasses of iced water.”

“Eight glasses of iced water, please.”

「一份乾炒牛河，唔該」 says 媽媽.

The waiter nods firmly and walks away. “Why are asian people always so rude?” Michelle’s eyes narrow on Constance with a curious glance but she quickly sets the thought aside. The first 點心 girl in her mid-40s arrives and the table is soon swamped with 蝦餃 and 燒賣 — a couple orders too many — as well as 排骨, 糯米雞, and 鮮竹卷. The family digs in. The waiter returns with the ice water and forks and places them on the susan. He places a slip of receipt paper on the table. As he leaves, he takes the teapot with overturned lid and departs again. Constance takes two forks for herself and Brad, and Amy grabs two for her kids. The ice waters all end up opposite the curtain.

Another 點心 lady pushes her cart by and they order 蝦腸, 牛腸, and 牛肉丸. Michelle catches the waiter with the still-steaming 芥蘭 and, after a little back and forth, orders the freshest plate. 二姐 pours a round of tea with the remaining teapot, serving her fiancé first. The empty teapot returns full and the 乾炒牛河 arrives and 婆婆 serves some to her grandson. She smiles a warm smile at Ayden. 「He look like a little Mexican boy now!」 Ayden smiles at the aging woman who carried him as a baby.

“That’s racist, mom.” says Constance, as she tosses her bleach blond hair over her shoulder, reaching for the tea. A small crease appears between Amy’s eyebrows. Constance pours Brad’s tea as he serves himself a load of 炒粉. Amy rises to serve Xandria but Xandria screams “Stop it, Amy! Stop being such a bitch!”. She huffs in her seat and crosses her arms. Amy quietly serves her husband instead and sits back down while Michael sits by in silence and continues eating. Another tantrum is successfully avoided.

The human symbol for marriage, gender equality, and good parenting.

A golden 囍, the double happiness, peers out from behind the thin curtain while the Dragon and the Phoenix glare on in disapproval.

Jae pours tea for 媽媽 and 爸爸 and the glass cart of fried 點心 rolls by. The family orders 鹹水角, 芋頭角, and two plates of those 炸蝦丸 with the sugarcane. 媽媽 and 爸爸 hold back a little but everyone else enjoys some, especially the kids and the 鬼佬. The tall, young floor captain with eyebrows fiercer than those of 關公 walks near the table and 婆婆 teases Xandria playfully.

「嘩, Sandia, see, isn’t he a handsome boy? We find you one like him!」

“He reminds me of our brother or cousin Phil.” Constance interjects.

Amy sighs: “You know how asian people are…”, her voice trailing off.

Francis and the floor captain have little in common, aside from both being Cantonese men. Michelle gives them side-eye, Grace rolls hers, and Francis and Jae carry on eating. Michael awkwardly shovels 炒粉 into his mouth from off of his plate. Michelle pours tea and the dessert cart arrives. 蛋撻, 雞尾包, 椰汁紅豆糕, and 雪山包 are served. Xandria and Ayden are overjoyed.

The Kwan family has finished eating and every glass is empty. Francis calls for the bill and treats, as this is the first time Michelle is meeting the entire family. “I always like the mayo with the fried shrimp balls! It’s a nice touch!” Michael pats his large, round belly with a satisfied look on his face. Brad nods and Michael continues: “The honey walnut shrimp that we have at banquets is really good too!” Brad says his first words at 飲茶 as the two delve into the merits and subtleties of the use of mayonnaise in Eastern cuisine. Amy lifts Ayden from the high chair and a toy gun appears from her purse. She hands it to her son who begins to prance around his parents, pointing the brightly colored firearm at them. “Pew pew, pew pew!” he says.

Francis turns to Michelle with a sly smile and whispers, 「Do you wanna see something interesting?」

「I hate when you ask me that…」, looking concerned.

「Alright, everyone! Let’s take a family photo! 唔該，你可以幫我哋影相嗎？」

「好 … one, two, sree, 黐線！」

A bright flash illuminates the Kwan family as the waiter takes a photo. A brief moment of silence hangs over them in the boisterous dining hall. Amy and Constance rub their eyes in a daze before refocusing. Their camera-ready smiles leave their faces. Constance looks up to Brad who appears to be focusing on someone in the distance. She crosses her arms, remains seated for a split second, then rises with a look of scorn and fury. Grace and Jae return to their banter and Grace coyly holds up her thumb and index finger in a heart shape. Jae rolls his eyes with a smirk and Grace bursts out in laughter and squeezes him. Little Ayden hops off his mother’s lap and crawls under the table, followed soon after by Xandria. In a piercing voice, Amy shrieks 「What are you two doing under there!? Michael, aren’t you going to do something?! Get out, get out, GET OUT!」

「What the heck is going on?! Why is Grace the only one of your sisters who’s normal!?」

「Welcome to 飲茶.」