Shelly and His Father after Bereavement
Shelley recognizes that his father is tied to the trauma of losing his wife. Shelley has taken care of his father from the age of eight. He recounts, "At night when I returned [from school], I made sure Father had eaten supper and gone to sleep in his bed. Often his dream woke him in the early hours and then I'd go out and buy him a bun and come back to make him tea and listen to his sorrow." Shelley becomes his father's companion. Apart from making sure that he is nourished, he listens to him. Taking on a partner's responsibility makes him mature and develop grit in the childhood phase.
Chinese Groove
While on his flight, Shelley comes across a man who epitomizes the Chinese Groove. The man is generous because he gives Shelley Sprite for free. Shelley narrates, “He handed me a can of Sprite. I tried to hand it back, telling him I couldn’t pay, but he insisted that it was free and I should take it.” The man gives him the Sprite out of sheer kindness. Shelley is embarrassed that he cannot afford to pay for it, but the man is not interested in the payment. The Chinese Groove endorses the values of open-handedness and benevolence.
Souvenirs
Shelley carries with him works of art that are made in his hometown. He intends to gift them to his uncle and other people. At the airport, he gifts a girl he encounters there with one. Shelley explains, "I'd brought ten of them, excellent for gifts as they showed off the magnificent talents of the artisans of the city of Gejiu." The gifts comprise innovatively-made tin frogs. They are unique and offer employment for numerous people in the town. Shelley is generous because he plans to give out the tin frogs free of charge. He is proud of the townspeople's artisan abilities. Gifting the tin frogs is an embodiment of the Chinese Groove.
