It was the Chinese New Year. The metal was light, shiny, and round. It was about inches across. It was perfect for burning paper. put the pan on the hardwood floor. She a package of paper money. It wasn’t real . “We burn the money for our ancestors,” she . “Then maybe money will come to us this .” She took out some paper bills. She lit . She dropped them into the pan. She lit bills and dropped them into the pan. The room got smoky. Finally she stopped lighting the . It finished burning in the pan. The pan ashes cooled. She picked it up. “Oh,” she . He looked at the floor. A dark ring burned into the wood. “Well, I hope your send us money this year,” he said. “We’ll it to pay for the floor.”