America: 50☆Stars (Vol. 4)

Episode 17: Lucky Red Lunar Rabbit

Winds on a warm day sway the bright red paper lanterns hanging above busy roads and local Chinese shops, wafting savory smells and filling the atmosphere with lots of celebratory noise. They draw in thousands of visitors from all walks of life. In the process, they discover sounds coming from beating drums, ringing gongs, crashing cymbals, crackling firecrackers, and loud cheers from long-awaited locals. Their noses then catch the fragrance of nearby food stands and family-owned eateries selling traditional Chinese foods like dumplings, longevity noodles, roast duck, and sweet sticky rice cakes called nian gao. Soon, their curious eyes become attracted to the arts & crafts stalls, calligraphy exhibitions, kung fu demonstrations, and lion dancers wandering around the Chinatown Cultural Plaza. All to celebrate the grand return of Lunar New Year celebrations in the Chinatown Historic District of Honolulu after two years of pandemic restrictions.

Though not as big as the festivals she has seen back home, California nevertheless welcomes this change in scenery. "In terms of size, it isn't as big as the ones in San Fran and L.A., which I totally know is a completely unfair comparison." The vlogger observes as she records herself and her surroundings with an iPhone 14 on a selfie stick while strolling down a street. "I still think bigger is better, though I do like how different it totally looks to me. Like, I get a sense of both upscale and quaint vibes. You know what I mean...?" She sighs. "Anyway, I like to believe I made the right call coming here. I totally deserve a vacay after the cold shitstorm that happened last year, but it's so hard for me to, like, relax when my home is getting wrecked hard by floods again. Like, fuck me and my wet-ass pussy, I guess..." The Californian then goes on a salty rant about climate change being a total issue until she gets distracted, spotting Hawaii walk out of a local market with bags of groceries. She promptly gets her attention after ending her recording, waving, "Dude, over here!"

Hawaii recognizes her voice immediately, turning toward her and waving back with a smile. "Hey! Have you finished shopping for new clothes for the new year?" She jogged on over to her.

"Yeah, dude!" California beams, lifting a couple of large shopping bags hanging off her left arm. "How about you? Did you manage to get enough food for dinner tomorrow?"

"W-Well, yeah..." She chuckles painfully, recalling the total cost on her receipt. "Inflation tore a giant hole in my sad empty wallet, b-but that's okay! I'm going to make up for my losses by eating lots of dumplings and spring rolls over the weekend until I become a multi-billionaire!'

"Oh my gosh! That's so freakin' adorable!" California squeals, imagining the Hawaiian girl stuffing her cheeks full of dumplings like a cute chubby hamster.

"T-Totally... Anyway, what did you buy while I was busy?"

"Oh, you know, I got pretty much whatever I liked since, even with inflation, I can afford anything except the monthly rent. Though to be honest, I sorta went overboard." She dug her hand into one of her shopping bags. "I wasn't planning on buying so many clothes, but I figured there was no harm in supporting the small businesses around here. Like, am I awesome or what?" The fashionista pulls out a short scarlet figure-fitting gown to show off one of the things she bought, impressing Hawaii who reacts in awe at the gorgeous cheongsam.

"Whoa! That's really pretty."

"I know, right!" California smirked as she pulled out another shorter Chinese dress. "I actually got two—one for me in my size and one for you in your size. That way, we'll be matching, even down to our panties!" She also out a pair of red lace lingerie.

"O-Oh, wow...!" She blushed in embarrassment. "You didn't have to spend money buying me clothes. Seriously, I doubt those panties would look good on me."

She laughed, "No worries, dude. We're gonna look so good together, especially with these cute bunny ears and cat ears to go along with our outfits."

"Uh, what?" Hawaii stares dumbfounded at the animal headbands in the Valley Girl's hands. "I get the bunny ears because it's going to be the Year of the Rabbit. Why cat ears though?"