Chapter 8
Let’s go back to the business story with Oliva.
Oliva and I still have the best part of us to look forward to.
Oliva’s finance book has really helped me improve my understanding of accounting. It’s interesting to see the differences between his book and the government declaration reports from my accountant, Jimmy. We use the landlord’s license for our revenue, which means it goes through Sushi U’s accountant. If a client requests an invoice with the title matching Le Petit Canard’s license, we have to ask the landlord for help. Luckily, his wife is always helpful as she is also their accountant.
The only thing I’m unsure about is how to determine if the cost of the purchase is fairly split since I’m not a shareholder in the first store. The key takeaway here is that it’s important for businesses to have some financial knowledge. It takes time to learn.
After a while.Eddie introduced me to Victor, his roommate.a wine guy who needed help with his visa during a job change. Unfortunately, his last boss sued him in labor court for allegedly taking away clients. I spent 9 months supporting Victor through the legal process and representing him in court for free because I couldn’t let Eddie down and had to return the favor.
During the first round of speech in court, we had to face their professional lawyer. When the judge asked Victor to explain the situation from his perspective, he was so nervous that I had to hold his shaking hands while he spoke. Their lawyer then began questioning us one after another and taking notes in his small notebook. I cooperated with the first two questions but stopped when I sensed danger. I requested not to answer any more questions because their lawyer is very skilled at manipulating words and as a volunteer, it was extremely stressful for me and my French friend. The judge was understanding and we ended up winning the first round. Everone
Got tough time in life. Victor did great job to speak out truth in a foreign court.
Later, his former boss took legal action against us in both junior and senior courts. This prompted us to seek the assistance of lawyers. Fortunately, the judge ultimately supported Victor in his new job in Shanghai instead of imposing any punishment. This is a significant turning point for us, as we have a deep love for China, including myself as a local. Victor can now move forward with his new life. Additionally, Eddie and Victor, who are roommates, kindly gave my family a one-night stay at a 5-star hotel in Hangzhou as a gesture of gratitude. It was incredibly thoughtful of them. I will share more stories about them later on.
After this case with chef Eddie, Oliva and I grew closer. I tried to learn some French from him, but he didn’t have time and believed that English was sufficient for business communication. He was right, because years later when I started learning French, I realized what a beautiful language it is. He also visited my home and brought his family to meet mine. While it seemed friendly at first, I soon realized that the closer you are with people, the more challenges you may encounter.
I also asked Oliva to be part of my wedding ceremony. He questions if I’m truly ready this time, considering my previous marriage at age 25. I acknowledge that my past failure means taking responsibility for the first marriage. I explained that I had to pay 400k for legal rights to have custody of my daughter. He insists it’s not enough, saying it has nothing to do with China’s single child policy - implying that I am a spoiled, selfish only child lacking in responsibility and education. People will gossip about me forever. There are no training and lessons before you get into a marriage. In particular, you are terrible about love relationships because your constellation is Scorpio.
Don`t blame your parents because they will lead you to life from their understanding. You need to be aware of your life by yourself. Even if you are a single kid from your country’s policy. In response, I defend myself by pointing out the injustice we’ve faced as a nation over the years. His words really hit home and make me question everything about life and myself.
He emphasizes that married life is different from dating, and it’s important to understand why women are interested in us or our successful business. He has a wealth of experience with dating women, over 50 girls, including a particularly wild one where he dated a married woman in Cambodia and they made love in the rain before her family arrived. Oliva has to jump over the fence and grab his scooter to run away. He claims that the woman’s husband actually invited him because this husband no longer likes women.
I couldn’t help but laugh at him because I don’t find him charming at all. Oliva showed me a picture of him when he still had some hair. My goodness, he was so handsome before, and even now. I don’t know what happened to his hair, but he was really handsome. Is he really safe after so many dates? Does he count his kidgarden mate in these stories? It blows my mind.
He mentioned that he once dated a waitress from the restaurant next door on Yong Kang road, and she was inexperienced in relationships. A virgin. Coming from Chongming island of Shanghai, I’m not used to such romantic encounters. I’m not sure if he was joking or just trying to impress me with his stories. He felt overwhelmed after spending one night together because the Chinese girl started talking about love and marriage. Oliva doesn’t feel comfortable staying in touch with that girl anymore. He also believes that maybe this young girl loves his shop more than anything, which could be a part of her cultural freedom.
It’s clear that there are cultural differences at play here - for me, love is simply about love, without any added pressure or expectations. If you start overthinking things in a relationship, it can easily fall apart. He thinks it’s better for a man to get married around the age of 40, after he has seen the world and understands himself. Now I understand that he was right when I turned 40. Life needs to be slow or you rush to leave the world.
Our business partnership provides ample opportunities for sharing cultural knowledge. As I continue to learn, I’ve come to understand the importance of maintaining a respectful distance in all relationships, particularly in business partnerships.