It's been grey since I arrived in Shanghai, a few days ago. I've been immersed in office work, getting ready for the intense weeks of tour ahead.
In the middle of it all, I need to courier some documents to Hong Kong and I have no printer. Shanghai is huge, and my regular printing shop is closed. Armed with my very precarious Mandarin and my memory stick, I cross the road to ask the employees of a Real Estate office if they know where I can go.
There is no hesitation on their part. They have a printer. They offer to print my documents upstairs. I warn them that it is about 30 pages. They laugh it off. They double check with me to confirm that the layout is OK, then print away.
And they don't let me pay them. They won't tell me if they like Starbucks. They don't seem to be aware of how huge a favour this has been. Or maybe they are just happy to see me happy? Apart from saving me an hour and a certain dose of frustration, they have brightened this murky morning. Big time.
All this chubby, smiling friend asks in return is that I come and buy a big house from them some time, and we both laugh.
I love this world. Always ready to prove you wrong when you're feeling a bit negative.
