“Huan’er?” He sounded a bit excited.
“Could I ask you for a favor?” I asked.
“What is it?”
“You mentioned before that your brother-in-law is a partner at Macao Accounting Firm. Could you ask your sister to recommend someone to him?”
“Who?” he asked.
“His name is Ou Xiao Jue. He just graduated from the University of Bristol in the UK and has already sent in his application, but he hasn’t heard back.”
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said.
I had rejected him before, and now I was asking for his help. I didn’t expect much.
Two days later, Xiao Jue excitedly told me, “Macao Accounting Firm called me in for an interview.”
Gao Hai Ming had helped me after all.
That same day, Xiao Jue was informed that he had been hired.
“When do you start work?” I asked.
“On the first of next month,” he said.
“Then you’ll need a few decent suits,” I replied.
“I don’t have any money. I don’t even own a credit card. Wearing old clothes is fine,” Xiao Jue said.
“How could that be okay? Didn’t you say it’s a big accounting firm? You need to dress properly,” I insisted.
I accompanied Xiao Jue to buy suits. He chose two, and I paid for them.
“Where did you get the money?” he asked.
“I used a credit card. You don’t have to pay it back immediately,” I replied.
I slipped $2,000 into his wallet and said, “You’ll need money for work.”
Fortunately, his starting salary was higher than mine. I was already drowning in debt.
To thank Gao Hai Ming for his help, I decided to give him a gift. Since he loved fighter jet models so much, why not give him one?
I went to the model shop in Mong Kok where Gao Hai Ming used to have his models assembled and saw the same shop owner.
“It’s you again?” He recognized me. “Looking for someone to assemble another model?”
“What fighter jet models hasn’t the person who builds them assembled yet?” I asked.
“He’s done quite a lot.”
I browsed the shelves and found a model of an interesting-looking jet.
“What’s this fighter jet?” I asked the shop owner.
“EA-6A Wild Weasel. It’s not a new model.”
“Has he assembled it before?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“I’ll take this one. Please wrap it up for me.”
“Aren’t you going to have him assemble it?” the shop owner asked.
“I’ll take it as is.”
He looked a little puzzled.
“Do you know him?” he asked.
I smiled and shook my head.
The next day, I delivered the gift to Gao Hai Ming in person, but his secretary said he wasn’t in.
“Could you pass this to him for me?” I asked.
“Of course.”
The following day, I received a call from Gao Hai Ming while at work.
“Thank you for the gift,” he said.
“No, I should be thanking you for your help,” I replied.
“Have you ever seen a wild weasel?”
“You mean the jet?”
“No, I mean the animal.”
“I haven’t. Was the jet designed after its appearance? It must look like that, right?”
“When a wild weasel encounters an enemy, it sprays an unbearably foul liquid from its anus. Its aim is flawless, and even if the target soaks in scented water for three days and nights, they can barely wash away the stench.”
“No wonder the jet’s named Wild Weasel,” I said with a laugh.
“Actually, weasels are gentle by nature. They only retaliate when attacked. Even when two male weasels fight over a female, they have a gentleman’s agreement—they can slap each other with their paws and bite with their mouths, but they won’t use their stench against each other.”
“They’re quite gentlemanly.”
I wondered if Gao Hai Ming was implying a gentleman’s competition with Xiao Jue. His willingness to recommend Xiao Jue was already an act of gentlemanly grace.
“In any case, thank you for your help,” I said.
“There’s no need to thank me—never,” he said. “Even if you don’t love me, I will protect you for a lifetime.”
I was speechless.
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