Clarification: My Beijing Family

One Father (ShuShu)

Business man of unknown variety, enjoys smoking, sitting on couch (shirtless) and yelling. If our interests were compared by Venn Diagram, the two circles would have enough space between to pass a dragon boat, sideways. When we met I said, "what do you do for a living?"
He replied, "Business!" and turned back to the television. That was day one.

One Mother (AiYi)
Very kind but also busy with the kids. Hails from near the SiChuan province, famous throughout China for its spicy cuisine. Red peppers are her native tongue. I'm concerned that she works to hard around the house, but my offers to help are generally refused.

Paul, age 8
The son, my "little brother" (DiDi). My efforts to further his English education are beleaguered by his short attention span, approximately equivalent to a small Chihuahua. He has the most animated face I've ever seen, straight from the pages of his Tom and Jerry collection. He also plays a mean fiddle.

Mona, age 8
Not related by blood, as far as I know, but still Big-Little Sis. When I got the gig, I was never told there were two kids. Mona's reasons for living here are unclear- though I've met Mona's real mother, she comes and goes, but her child remains. Slightly mysterious. Mona is much easier to teach than Paul, but she's still excitable, and has the most pitiful expressions when upset. Her face just melts.

Bella, age 5?
A little girl cloaked in mystery. About two weeks ago I woke-up to find a third child living along. I think she's actually related to AiYi, but still... where did she come from all of a sudden? She's certifiably insane, normal at this age I think, and is REALLY happy ALL the time. And laughing all the while. She's actually very cute, but the only thing I can understand is her, "GeGe, how AWWE yooooo? tehehehee!" seven times each morning. In my defense, Mona and Paul can't understand her either- she speaks a southern dialect with a lisp. Also, I gave her the name "Bella"! I've named about 8-9 people since I've been here.

Penthouse- Ok, our building only has six floors, but our flat is at the top, and it's pretty dern nice. We live in a place called LongZeYuan or "Dragon Swamp Garden." I took some liberties with that translation.