2000幾年，廣州小北。Guangzhou, Xiaobei, sometime in the 2000s.
嗰陣我哋每個晚上都會派業務員去小北派傳單。有一晚，一個非洲女人拎住我哋張傳單，第二日就上嚟公司。Back then we sent salespeople out to Xiaobei every evening to hand out flyers. One night an African woman took one of our flyers, and the next day she turned up at the office.
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佢睇中咗一批手機，加埋六七萬蚊，即刻落單。She picked out a batch of phones, sixty or seventy thousand dollars' worth, and placed the order on the spot.
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我哋備好貨，佢錢都畀埋，當天就攞返酒店。我哋心諗：呢張單OK啦，順利。We got the goods ready, she paid in full, and took everything back to her hotel the same day. We thought: that's this order done, smooth as anything.
點知第二日，佢衝上嚟公司，大吵大鬧，話：「我啲手機喺酒店俾人偷咗！你要赔俾我！」Then the next day she stormed into the office, shouting and carrying on: “My phones were stolen at the hotel! You have to compensate me!”
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我一聽，笑咗。When I heard that, I laughed.
邊有呢個道理？貨你攞走咗，錢你畀咗，返到酒店唔見咗，關我咩事？Where is the logic in that? You took the goods, you paid, they vanished at your hotel — what has that got to do with me?
我本來想同佢死拗。但後來我諗深一層——I was ready to argue it out with her to the bitter end. But then I thought a bit harder —
佢一個女人，拎住嗰一點錢，過嚟買一批貨，返去再賣，賺少少生活費。唔容易。She was a woman on her own, with that little bit of money, coming here to buy a batch of goods to sell again back home and earn a little for living expenses. That is not easy.
我賣手機畀佢，都賺咗佢少少。如果呢單我同佢硬碰，我赢咗道理，但佢可能連命都冇。I had made a little money selling her those phones. If I dug my heels in on this one, I would win the argument — but she might lose everything she had.
我諗咗一陣，同自己講：算了，當做好人。I thought about it for a while and told myself: forget it. Just do a good turn.
我赔咗俾佢。I compensated her.
佢嗰陣仲係大吵大鬧，但錢攞到手之後，成個人静晒。She was still shouting when it started, but once the money was in her hand she went completely quiet.
我以為呢件事就咁完。I thought that was the end of it.
點知，故事先至開始Except That Was Only the Beginning
佢一路做一路做，越做越大。而家呢個人很不錯，經常同我來往，日日都多謝我。佢心入面知，當日係佢唔啱，但佢真係冇辦法，只能上嚟公司搵我。She kept trading, and her business kept growing. She is a good sort now, we are in touch often, and she thanks me every time. She knows in her heart that she was in the wrong that day, but she really had no other way — all she could do was come up to the office and look for me.
後來先知，佢屋企人喺非洲做咗好大嘅官，佢哥哥後來仲做咗非洲一個國家嘅總統，佢係總統嘅親人。Only later did I learn that her family held high office in Africa, and that her elder brother went on to become the president of an African country. She is the president's relative.
呢單嘢，影響我好深。That whole episode left a deep mark on me.
我成日同人講：做生意，唔係淨係睇錢。有時你幫人一把，俾條路佢行，佢翻身之後，會記你一世。I say it to people all the time: in business you don't only look at the money. Sometimes you give someone a hand and leave them a road to walk, and once they turn things around they remember you for life.
後來呢？And Later?
後來我唔做手機生意，將公司交咗俾以前嘅員工去經營。但呢個非洲女客，一直冇斷過聯絡。Later I got out of the phone business and handed the company over to my former staff to run. But that African client and I never lost touch.
每一屆廣交會，佢都一定過嚟搵我。就算我唔再做前線，佢都照樣落訂單，叫我交代落去畀我啲舊員工做。佢信我，多過信間公司。At every Canton Fair she comes to find me without fail. Even though I am no longer on the front line, she still places her orders and tells me to pass them on to my old staff. She trusts me more than she trusts the company.
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有時我去佢哋國家，都會約出嚟飲杯茶、傾下偈。佢過嚟廣州，亦一定會打俾我。Sometimes when I travel to her country we meet up for tea and a chat. And when she comes to Guangzhou, she always calls me.
呢種客，你搵唔返㗎。你對佢好一次，佢記你一世。You cannot go out and find a client like that. You do right by them once, and they remember it for life.
如果當日我同佢死拗，我赢咗道理，但输咗一個朋友，甚至输咗一個未來幾十年嘅老友。If I had argued it out with her back then, I would have won the point but lost a friend — possibly lost a good friend for the next few decades.
賺錢重要，但有時幫一個人企返起身，更加重要。Making money matters, but sometimes helping someone get back on their feet matters more.
我成日同後生講：做生意，唔好吓吓計到盡。有時蝕底，係俾條路自己行。I tell young people all the time: in business, don't calculate everything down to the last cent. Sometimes taking the loss leaves you a road to walk.
呢個就係我26年學返嚟嘅嘢。This is what twenty-six years in the trade taught me.
