biting his bottom lip

The oldest approaches me, biting his bottom lip.

Mom? Is everything different because Grandpa's sick, or are some things still the same?

I'm not sure what he's getting at, so ask what he means.

Mom? Like, are Daddy and I still going on our trip, or is that cancelled, too?

Ah. The trip. Long planned, long awaited. A few days of just Dad, all to himself.

No, baby, that's the same.

I smile to reassure him.

So, we're going then?

His voice is rising with excitement. And now I am grinning as I assure him he is.

And it's tomorrow? That isn't changed?

He's practically dancing now. I take his hands in mine and cha-cha with him as I reply,

not for all the tea in China
idiom
Not at any price, never. This term originated in Australia and alludes to the presumed huge quantity of tea in China. [Late 1800s]
"not for all the tea in China." The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. Answers.com 15 Jul. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/not-for-all-the-tea-in-china