Please don't rush to generalize from an individual incident. There are Chinese who lead extravagant life and those who are overly thrifty, each of which cases has its own rational behind it. I used to have a colleague of european background who were so careful about money. He brought lunch almost everyday, and on rare occasions when he didn't, he would always insist, when going to lunch together with everyone else, going to one particular restaurant simply because it is the most inexpensive one. I was bothered initially, but managed to convince myself that everyone's case is unique, and respect if not full understanding is due to other's choices. Couldn't this turn out to be a great story of a great father and hu*****and?