What Have You Been Up To?

Gavin stood at the front door, looking at the pile beside the steps. He fell silent for a moment.

A basket of oranges, two boxes of tea, a bottle of whiskey, a potted orchid, a ham wrapped with great ceremony, and a box of pastries printed with a red character for good fortune—

Professor Bill Roscoe stood amid the gifts, his scarf pulled up to his chin. A few dead leaves from the old oak by the door clung to his knitted hat.

He looked like an old man driven to the brink by his Christmas shopping list.

"Are you here to apologize, or to celebrate the New Year?"

Professor Roscoe tugged his scarf down, revealing his whole face so he could speak.

"I looked it up. Apparently, you shouldn't visit a Chinese family empty-handed. The post even gave me a list of gifts."

"I think you may have looked up Chinese New Year."

Gavin bent down and picked up the box of pastries with the red character on it. A line of small print ran across the back—

Wishing you prosperity, a happy New Year, and abundance every year.

He translated it for Professor Roscoe, who had leaned in to look.

Roscoe was quiet for a moment, then shrugged.

"The article must not have put the date in its title. I've always thought these posts should follow the formatting conventions of academic papers."

Gavin's mouth twitched. He put the box back.

Then he looked down at the ham—

It was wrapped tight in deep red wax paper, with a gold ribbon tied around it in a perfect bow.

"And this?"

"Oh, that has nothing to do with Chinese New Year. I bought it at a Spanish shop. I heard Chinese people like ham."

*Could it be they meant Jinhua