M'sian man says S'porean GF feels 'slighted' his parents gave her only $10 in hongbao for CNY

The_King · February 1, 2023

Frustrated by his girlfriend's unhappiness over an “insufficient” hongbao from his parents, a Malaysian man took to Reddit to seek the opinions of others on the matter.

His Singaporean girlfriend was allegedly unhappy when she received a S$10 hongbao from her boyfriend’s parents, saying it “was the smallest amount she had ever received in a red packet”.

In the now-deleted post on the subreddit r/askSingapore, the man said he had brought her back to his hometown in Johor Bahru to spend CNY with his family.

There, his Singaporean girlfriend received a $10 hongbao from his mum. Every other family member, including himself, got the same amount.

However, he said his girlfriend felt “slighted” by the amount.

On top of that, she also expected the notes to be new instead of used.

The man went on to share his opinion on hongbao, saying that they are meant as a gesture, and that the amount does not really matter.

He added that he had tried to defend his parents, who are retired and therefore gave an amount that they were comfortable with.

But he said his girlfriend felt he was simply brushing her feelings aside.

At one point, she asked him how much he would give in an hongbao to his parents, to which he said $30 (RM100).

She then used his answer to further her point: “why not $10? Because you think it’s not appropriate right?”

The man disagreed, saying the amount was what he was “comfortable” with.

The post attracted a flurry of comments, with most calling out the girlfriend’s actions.

One Redditor pointed out that the greater impropriety is the girlfriend’s willingness to “sour the relationship” and stir trouble between the man and his parents over a hongbao.

Others simply cut to the chase; one simply warned the man not to “upgrade” his girlfriend to become his wife.