Chapter 8
After the first Christmas season, we are now approaching our first winter as the low season.
Shop owners are required to provide an additional bonus and close during the Chinese New Year holiday.Meanwhile, as the second wave of Covid returns to the streets, our cashflow has become tight once again.
The city government made the decision to isolate the Pudong area for 2 weeks, and then extended the isolation to the entire city for two months.
Over the past two months, I’ve been able to spend more quality time with my family, especially helping my daughter with her studies. And as I mentioned before, I’ve been keeping in touch with my partners Mathild and David. We’ve been discussing important matters like potential cash calls and other issues.
Soon after finishing isolating, David messaged me to invite me for a soccer game to celebrate. I asked him how there could be any soccer club open since we had just finished isolating. He explained that he had a private friend who owned the club. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go because my daughter’s mid-season exams are coming up.
That day, I was at home helping my daughter with her exercises when Mr. Xin called me. His voice sounded upset as he reminded me to be prepared for some important news. I felt confused as Mr. Xin continued to tell me that my partner David had suffered a heart attack during the soccer game on the rooftop field. It was an emergency situation and the rescue team needed to take the lift first and then climb the stairs to reach him, none of the soccer club members were trained in rescue skills and there was no AED available.
I was unsure of what to do, so I immediately called my partner Mathild. He was also surprised and told me he was at West Bund Grass with his family celebrating his son’s birthday.
Partner David has left us under this way,everyone got shocked inside his friends` circle and after only 3 weeks, Partner SB is already discussing the solution for David’s share and a promotion for the shop manager. I believe that this may be a tricky solution by Partner SB to ensure loyalty from the shop manager, and it seems rushed considering it has only been 3 weeks. Upon rechecking our investment contract, it is clear that in the event of a partner’s accident, their family has legal rights to their profit. I have sent an email to all partners to clarify this clause.
What`s the best solution for this situation?
Is life always so tough just like the words inside movie “Leon”?
Who got lesson about losing a partner?
After some time, David’s current wife expressed a desire to meet with Mr. Xin and me, and we arranged a meeting. Emotions ran high as his current wife inquired about any information regarding outstanding debts owed to him. I shared what I knew from previous conversations with David, particularly concerning an individual named Suma. They had previously collaborated on a business venture and he had borrowed money from David at one point. The issue of repayment was brought up by David in the presence of other friends.
Partner David’s funeral began, and I was the only one there to say goodbye. As tears welled up in my eyes, I looked around and saw many friends, including Suma. Suddenly, Suma asked me about how I had decided on David’s share of the restaurant. He hinted that he knew all the ins and outs of the business and could make things difficult for us. The other friends laughed and playfully pushed me as a joke. I was taken aback by this surprise in front of everyone, I calmly told him that he could take whatever action he liked. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how foolish it was to have mentioned to David’s wife that Suma owed money to David.
Since we have just finished isolating, the shop needs to do more promotion to increase revenue. The street policy doesn`t allow for parties at this time. Our neighbor’s hair salon, “White Rose Hair Salon,” has been shut down for 2 weeks, which is public news. Despite Mathild checking with me and giving advice, Partner SB did not listen and organized a party in the garden behind the shop.
Unfortunately, a domestic Ayi happened to pass by and saw the gathering on that Saturday, so she recorded partner SB and party.
On Sunday morning around 6am, I received a call from Ms. Claire, a government officer, expressing concern about the parties being held at our property during this sensitive time. I apologized and explained that as foreigners, we may not have been fully aware of the current regulations. Shortly after, the landlord also called to inquire about the situation. I continued to apologize and assured them that we would be more mindful in the future. It’s important to note that both Ms. Claire and the landlord are dedicated public servants whose jobs could be at risk if our actions continue to cause issues.
I called Mathild and he started to express her frustration about trying to convince partner SB to follow my advice for no party, but he assured me that he would continue to encourage them. I’ve been trying to reach The HK tailor multiple times, but it seems like he’s not a morning person and prefers to reply during lunch time. I’ll try to keep my tone more relaxed when calling him in the future. He or I don`t like loud voices.
I reached out to Mr. Xin to discuss potential solutions for saving the shop in our local area. We decided to approach Ms. Claire, a government officer, and the landlord together. I then updated my partners on this plan via email, but only Mathild responded with an okay. Operation partner SB remained quiet, showing a preference for good leadership without taking responsibility for any faults. Perhaps I saw a younger version of myself in his behavior.
Fortunately, we were rescued and the government did not penalize us or shut down like they did with that hair salon shop.Landlord send me a message about loss of David.I didn`t know what to say.She was so upset which I just realized that how much efforts David had put inside this concept.
Since left of partner David.The balance got broken inside our shareholder structure.
Because my bad communication skills impact leadership of operation partner during this party case.They do not care about saving shop at all or they don`t understand whats happened as their first restaurant investment in China.
More games of office politics start soon.