By V Hu

我用过去的15年竭尽全力忘去过去的恩恩怨怨，集中注意力在正做着的工作上，过好当前的日子。但是就有些人过不去。

I had been spending last 15 years to forget all past gratitude and grudges, and tried so hard to focus on whatever I was working on and live peacefully in the current time. But some people just wouldn’t let it go.

很高兴于2006年在位于Cranbrook 购物中心练Bikram 瑜伽的地方碰到李玲。她来自辽宁沈阳，在华人生物医药科技协会（CCBA) 和 Sinova Inc.化学原料公司（生产吲哚类化合物 indoles 和 azaindoles 化学品）工作。她叔叔的公司进口化工原料到美国。通过她我遇到了其它人，Wenbing Song, Eric Nie, Jia Chen, Elena Zhang, Kaiing Duh.

I was happy to meet Maggie Li (李玲) in the Bikram Yoga practice place located at Cranbrook shopping center Cockeysville MD 21030 in 2006. She came from Shenyang, Liaoning. She works for Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association -USA (CCBA) and Sinova Inc. Her uncle’s company imports chemicals to USA. Through her I met other friends , Wenbing Song, Eric Nie, Jia Chen, Elena Zhang, Kaiing Duh,….etc.

她的中文名字让我想起我以前老板(Ali Akingilar)的女朋友李爱玲 (Lucy Li)。总公司叫 A.K. International. 在福建泉州投资了阿特肯工艺品有限公司(Artco Arts & Crafts Co. Ltd.).李爱玲原来在珠海发展，她跟珠海的许多政府领导很熟悉，包括珠海珠光公司的总裁。他们经常一起去澳门赌博。阿特肯公司是由珠光公司注册的。后来转给了A.K.International。

Maggie’s Chinese name(Ling Li) reminds me the girl friend, 李爱玲(AiLing Li , Lucy Li), of my previous boss Ali Akingilar of Artco Arts and Crafts Co. Ltd. (阿特肯公司)Quanzhou Fujian China and A.K. International Lancaster PA USA. There is only one word difference. She knows many officials in ZhuHai city Guangdong China including the CEO of Zhuguang company ( 珠海珠光公司), they went to gamble in Macao a lot through business trips. Artco in Quanzhou Fujian China was originally registered under ZhuGuang company and later transferred to A.K. International (USA).

李玲带来的女的看起来很像阿特肯公司的厨娘，章冬梅。她是李爱玲湖北的邻居。我们叫她 Wanda. 李玲的男朋友 (Bobby Li) 很像李爱玲的一个家里人。李爱玲的姐姐李玉玲的老公是湖北一家化工公司的总经理。李爱玲有一个弟弟叫李朝辉。李爱玲本想把公司里的一名员工叫Jenny (陈珊红）的泉州人嫁给他。

The woman came with Maggie to the yoga place reminded me the cooking lady (we called her Wanda) in Artco. She was from Hubei province and a neighbor of Lucy Li. But Maggie told me she is her relative in ShenYang Dongbei province. Maggie’s b/f Bobby Li reminds me Lucy’s family member， Li Chao Hui (李朝辉）too. Lucy has a elder sister named Li Yu Ling (李玉玲). Her husband is the general manager of a state owned chemical company in Hubei.

李玲喊我参加2008 年元宵节马里兰州华府于Gaithersburg New Fortune 中餐厅举行的广东雪灾拯灾捐款拍卖会。很巧，会上碰到华人生物医药科技协会临时主席李玉玲，与李玉玲的姐姐同样的名字，长相也一样。不过根据介绍她因该是广东人。只是没听到她和她在场的母亲讲广东话。她母亲也应该是广东人，板着脸，没有笑，没有说一句话。她的老公看起来比李玉玲的姐姐带到珠海的老公要年轻很多。她给了我她的名片,我把名片塞到了小提包里。同桌的还有一对做生意的夫妇，根据李玲，他们生意做的很大，他们买了拍卖的画，出了钱没拿画。还有一位女同胞。她告诉我们她老公是白人，在政府部门就职。映像深的是她戴了很大的玉项链。我还问她在哪里买的。白宫的官员和中国大使馆的工作人员也参加了这次拍卖会。拍卖会结尾时李玲说要去她男朋友住处。我们俩一起前往，在那里碰到了Bobby Li 和他从别州出差而来的白人朋友。我们把包和外套搁在客厅柜子上，去厨房吃元宵。吃完后我们就回家了。回到家，在包里找了一遍，没看到李玉玲给的名片。

Maggie asked me to attend a dinner party hosted in New Furtune Chinese restaurant at Gaithersburg MD by Chinese community to collect relief fund for the snowstorm victims in Guangdong in 2008 lantern festival. Participants either donated money directly or bid for arts & crafts auctioned. How coincidence was that, I met the temporary Chairman of CCBA, who has the same name as Lucy’s sister, Yuling Li, and looks exactly same as well. But she claimed she was from Canton. But she didn’t talk with her mother in Cantonese. Her mother supposed to be Cantonese, but seemed very intimidated and didn’t smile and say a word in Cantonese. Her husband sitting at the dinner table looked much younger than the husband that Lucy’s elder sister brought from Hubei to Zhuhai. She gave me her name card. I put it into my handbag. At the same table, there was a couple who, according to Maggie, had been running a big business. The guy was lanky with triangle face and the woman was short and stout. The woman time by time stared at Maggie and I with hostile attitude. They bit successfully for a painting, but returned it back for 2nd round bidding. Also there was a woman. She told us her husband was a white government official. The necklace on her neck was extremely eye catching, which contains a huge piece of jade pendant. I asked her where she bought that. Officials from white house and Chinese embassy also attended the party. At the end of party, Maggie told me she needed to visit her boy friend Bobby Li. So we went together to Bobby Li’s residency, where we met Bobby’s friend, a white guy, traveled from other state to here for the business. We left the coats and bags on the cabinet and went into the kitchen to have sweet rice dumplings. After finished the food, we left for home. After arrived home, I looked inside the bag and couldn’t find the name card that YuLing Li handed to me.

位于Lancaster PA 的A.K. International是一家业务稳定的中型公司。我可以确认它是第一家西方国家的公司在福建泉州开发和采购树脂工艺品。那时候很多西方公司都是从台湾和香港买货因为国内基础设施还跟不上（很少的高速公路，很少的国际机场，很少人说英文等等）。西方人都不敢来中国大陆。

A.K. International located in Lancaster PA used to be a middle size company with stable business. I would say it was the first company from the west that developed and bought Polyresin nick knacks from Quanzhou Fujian China. Most western companies that time bought all their products from Taiwan and HK rather from mainland China due to lack of infrastructure (few highways, few right size airports, few people speaking English….). Westerners were scared to visit China.

我仍然觉得很幸运能在 A.K. International工作，因为在职期间我学了很多东西。老板和在美国的秘书 Nancy Ord 是我文件书写的导师，比如传真，出口发票等等。那时还没有电子邮件。

I still felt lucky to work with A.K. International because I learned a lot of business knowledge while working for this company. The boss and the secretary, Nancy Ord ( a lady with a good heart lives at Landisville Lancaster PA ) in USA are my mentors for writing proper documents like faxes (no emails then ), shipping invoices…

泉州阿特肯公司一开始叫珠光（兴业），珠光公司的分公司，生意还挺不错的。我第一个从南京派到泉州安排老板与所有泉州的树脂工艺品厂老板的聚会。那时当地人蔡子强帮助了我，后来他也在阿特肯工作。后来老板和Jasmine Zhang 以起从珠海来了。张小姐是李爱玲的朋友。我们先租了三个房间的私人房子二楼。老板离开后，我和Jasmine 一个一个参观了泉州的树脂工艺品厂，定广交会的样品和曾强生意上的纽带，还有准备公司的注册。后来老板和Lucy一起带了很多美国的样品回泉州。我们参加了广交会，取得了很多订单。我们招凭会计，老板的秘书，办公室职员，和很多雕塑员，样品彩绘员。我们搬到了街另一头的高楼里在出口贸易的基础上开始了产品制造。一楼和四楼是车间，五楼是办公室，样品间，样品开发室，和宿舍，厨房。老板还请了台湾的风水先生改善办公室布置，为此，通向阳台的门被封了，办公室中间砌了半人高的墙。

Artco Quanzhou originally named as ZhuGuang ( Xin Ye) , and had very smooth start. I 1st moved from Nanjing to Quanzhou and organized the meeting for the boss with all polyresin crafts factory owners in Quanzhou with the help from Eric Cai, a local polyresin crafts factory owner who later worked for Artco. Boss Ali and Jasmine Zhang came to Quanzhou later. Jasmine Zhang was one friend of Lucy Li’s from Zhuhai city. With the help of Eric, we first rent 3 rooms floor of a private building and set up the office and sample room. After boss Ali left, Jasmine and I started visiting all factories one by one to collect samples for Canton fair and tight business relationship and preparing the registration of Artco. Then both boss Ali and Lucy came with many samples from USA. Step by step, the company was registered, accountant was hired, Ali’s sectary was hired, other office clerks were hired, then many sculptors and sample painters were hired. We attended the Canton fair and received many orders. We moved to a tall building on the other end of the same street and started the manufacturing beside trading. The 5th floor was remolded for office, sample displaying, sample developing, kitchen, and dormitories. 4th floor was molding/casting workshop, and 1st floor was refining and painting workshop. Boss Ali hired one Taiwanese geomancer to rearrange the office setting. The door leads to the balcony was closed and a low break partition wall was built in the middle of office.

但是老板（Ali)因货款的纠分被福州外贸(陈伟龙经理）告上了法庭。李爱玲和老板在泉州法院与福州外贸达成了协议。他们后来决定把公司搬到珠海，转给了李爱玲。但是在搬离那几天，很多工人和供应商前来讨债，公司的现金短缺。李爱玲和Ali问我借用存款。我和Ali，Wanda一起于1995年1月25日到泉州中国银行把我所有的好几年工作，省吃俭用积存的钱全部取了出来。10,000.00 人民币借给了他们零时急用。因为我很信任他们会还给我。珠海阿特肯公司生意营销管理很糟糕。我离开前问李爱玲和Ali要回借款。但是他们不给，即使公司账户上有足够的款项。我当时才20多岁，跟Ali的小孩差不多大，我拼命的工作，从来没欺骗过他们。直到现在，我任然不明白为什么他们要从一个无辜的人骗取这些钱。是不是太贪婪了？

But Boss Ali was sued by Fuzhou Foreign Trade company （manager WeiLong Chen) for the payment dispute on shipments to A.K. International. Lucy and Ali settled the case in the Quanzhou court. Later they decided to move the company to ZhuHai and transferred it to Lucy Li. While many workers and suppliers in Quanzhou asked for payments from Ali and Lucy during the move, the company went into cash shortage. Ali and Lucy asked me if I had any saving. On January 25th, 1995 Wanda, Ali, and I went to Bank of China Quanzhou branch located on the Zhongshan Rd. to withdraw all my saving saved by 4 years’ hard working and tight spending. I lent them my personal saving of RMB10,000 for the emergency as I trusted them. The management of Artco in Zhuhai went into chaos. Before I left Artco in Zhuhai, I asked Lucy and Ali to return the money I lent them while there was fund in the company‘s bank accounts. Lucy and Ali denied. That RMB10,000 was about all my personal saving from all those years’ working and tight spending. I was 21 years old, probably same age as Ali’s kids, worked my ass off, never cheated them, to this day I’m still not sure why they kept my money. Is it too greedy?

许多泉州和珠海的供应商的货款也还欠着。

Many suppliers in both Quanzhou and Zhuhai didn’t get their payments.

一个尽职尽责地工作，把公司当作自己的员工总希望公司持续不断的扩大，能为之而感到自豪。但是很多事都不经如意的。李爱玲和 Ali 欠了很多泉州商家的货款情况下把阿特肯公司搬到珠海。即使李爱玲聘用了她湖北的很多亲戚朋友做管理，公司的财务状况日趋渐衰。搬到珠海的第一个新年，Lucy的姐姐，李玉玲和姐夫，湖北化工公司的总经理来珠海拜访。当时的讨论意向是让湖北化工公司收购阿特肯。具体有没有达成我就不知道了。

One works heart and soul for a company and treats it as one’s own, expects the company to grow and last forever, then feels proud to be part of it. But things don’t go always the way a person expects. Lucy and Ali moved Artco from Quanzhou to Zhuhai while owing so much payments to the suppliers in Quanzhou. The financial situation got worse after Artco was moved to Zhuhai even though Lucy brought many of her relatives from Hubei to manage the company. During the first Chinese New Year holiday, Lucy’s elder sister, LiYuLing and brother in law, the general manager of Hubei Chemical Company visited Artco in Zhuhai. Their intention was to let Hubei Chemical Company to buy Artco of Zhuhai. Whether it was finalized is unknown to me.

我提出离开公司回南京，跟李爱玲和Ali说把借的一万块钱还给我。当时公司帐户上有足够的款项，但是他们就是不答应。我还是离开了。一年后在没有正式关闭公司的情况下他们也离开了珠海。具体就只有陈珊红，章冬梅，苏师傅和其它员工知道了。

I told them I had to return home in Nanjing, and asked them to return RMB10000.00 back to me. They didn’t approve even though the company’s bank account did have enough fund. I left Zhuhai anyway. One year later, they left Zhuhai without proper closing up the business as well. Jenny, Wanda, Soo, and other employees probably know the details.

阿特肯拖垮了美国A.K.国际礼品公司。A.K. International 缩小到了原来的一半。症断为癌症去世前Trish 把A.K. International留给了她走的很近的员工，Dalia。后来Ali取了一个越南女人做老婆。

Artco dragged A.K. International down. A.K. International’s business shrunk into the half size of the original. Before passing away after had been diagnosed with cancer, Trish passed A.K. International to Dalia, one of her close employee. Later Ali married with an Vietnamese woman.

人的感情真是很复杂，老板与李爱玲发生婚外恋时，他没有忘记他的家人。他让公司的样品设计师素描了他老婆和三个孩子的照片，然后配了相框作为礼物送给家人。他也把自己的和李爱玲的照片也放大素描了，配上镶框送给了李爱玲。我还记得1994年12月24日圣诞夜前，顶着雨骑着摩托车搜遍泉州市大街小巷找适合的像框装Ali的素描，包装好送给李爱玲作为圣诞礼物。很多店里只销售装大尺寸挂墙画的粗像框或花花绿绿的台式小像框。我要找的是中型尺寸，设计简单，适合成人的像框。总算在一家小礼品店的橱窗里看到的了一个，通过把画装到像框里我确认了像框尺寸。小店老板喊高价100人民币，一点不松口。天都黑了，而且下着雨，我只好按价买了下来。

Human feeling is indeed complex. While my boss having a fair with Lucy Li, he didn’t totally forgot his family. He brought his wife and three kids’ wallet size color pictures to our sample designer to sketch on large paper and framed them, then sent them back home as Christmas gifts. He asked the designer draw pictures of himself and Lucy and presented them to Lucy as well. I still remembered that before 24th December 1994 Christmas eve, I had to ride motorcycle all over the city in rain to find the right size frame for one Ali’s portrait and packed it as Christmas gift to Lucy. Many stores had only thick frames for huge wall paintings or overly decorated small table picture frames. I was looking for one in middle size, simple design for adults. Finally saw one displayed in the window of a small gift store，I verified the size by fitting the drawing into the frame. The store owner hiked price to ￥100 and had no sign of giving up. It was evening and raining outside, I had to take the deal.

所有阿特肯公司的员工都知道，老板很爱李爱玲。他叫我们把李爱玲的彩色照片镶在树脂样品像框内陈列在样品间。不知为什么他们后来会分道扬路即使老板跟美国的老婆离了婚，两人也有了女儿。

All employees in Artco knew that Boss loves Lucy Li dearly that he asked us to put Lucy’s color pictures into the sample polyresin photo frames and displayed them in our sample room. Not sure how they ended splitting up after they had a daughter together and Ali divorced his wife.

李爱玲跟我的老板有一个女儿。很奇怪的是李爱玲怀着孕的时候跟另一个美国男人结了婚到美国。李爱玲那断婚姻很快就结束了。如果我没记错的话，她状告那个叫Jim的家伙强奸她，所以就离婚了。她嫁给了加利福尼亚的一个有钱老男人。有一个生意上的朋友在一些高层社交活动中见过李爱玲。有钱能使鬼推磨。

Lucy and Ali had a daughter together. Somehow she married with someone else in USA while was pregnant and immigrated to USA long before I came to USA. Lucy’s marriage to that guy didn’t last long. She claimed that the guy (if I didn’t remember wrong, his name is Jim) raped her and they got divorced. She remarried with a California rich guy. One of our business friends saw Lucy Li attending up-class gatherings.

后来我了解到Ali与Lucy好之前就有一个来自香港的女朋友叫Peggy. 他把Peggy带到美国后，她却跟Ali的一个老朋友，加利佛尼亚的一个老头结了婚。Lucy现今的老公也是加利佛尼亚的一个老头，也是Ali的朋友。我感觉非常奇怪，所有Ali的女朋友都变成了他美国老头朋友的老婆。

Later I knew that Ali had another girl friend from H.K., named Peggy before Lucy. He brought Peggy to USA one time. She married with his old friend, an old man in California. Lucy’s 2nd husband is also an old man from California and friend of Ali’s. Very strange to me, all his Chinese girl friends became his friends’ wives.

离开阿特肯后，B和我开始做自己的生意，先是从泉州厂家买货出口，然后在无锡开了正式的公司。在无锡的时候我曾经发给Ali传真讨要借给他和李爱玲的一万元钱。2000年5月我来到了美国。在Lancaster Staple 办公用品店做临时复印服务中心服务员期间见过一次Ali。他来店里自我服务复印机上复印了几份文件。这以后就没有跟他联系了。我于2001年进大学上学，于2004年毕业，继续我自己的生活。

After left Artco, B and I started our own business, first buying goods from Quanzhou factory, then opening the company. From Wuxi I had sent fax to Ali asking him about that RMB10000.00 I lent to him and Lucy. In May 2000, I arrived in USA. I worked as part time copy center associate in the Lancaster Staple store and met Ali once while he came to make some copies of documents through self-service. I didn’t contact with him anymore. I enrolled in the college in 2001, graduated in 2004, and went on my life.