After leaving Kobe and his family, we took a 21 hour train (sleeper car again) to Sichuan where another student lives, this one with his grandparents. Here's a video of some of the scenery along the way, a different country once again from Heilingjiang Province where I'm located.
Arrival time was 4:40 AM and there waiting was my student, Super. Upon our arrival at their apartment, his grandparents were at the door to welcome us. In contrast to Kobe's family, they live in the city next to the Zhou River.
In spite of the fact that grandfather was a medical doctor for 40 years, they live in a sparely furnished home. As I understand, it's quite true that doctors in China don't make the salaries American doctors do (or at least didn't). I think there's quite a contrast. Here's a scene from the living room where we would sit around an electric plate (dubbed "the campfire") to warm ourselves (in this part of the China there's no heat in buildings). We had to wear our coats in the house all the time. But the hospitality was warm and generous.