#its basically just a polite friendly 'hi' but its direct translation is 'have you eaten yet?' but it's basically a 'how are you'

[hikariale]

你吃了吗？

When a stranger sits at your normal table, the adage that Fengjian Teahouse is a place of encounters rings true.

word count: 1,872

content warning: n/a, ask to tag

It was unreasonable to ask the server to save your seat, but you didn’t think that you would take so long to grab your wallet. In your race against the weekend dinner rush, the only thing you needed was the one thing that you left behind. Though you raced back home to grab it, you could already hear the typical raucous behind the doors of the Fengjian Teahouse by the time you got back. And at your favourite spot, though there were few other ones open anymore, sat another person, conversing with your server.  

Nobody was to blame, but you couldn’t help your annoyance. With the seasons turned cold, your snug corner spot was the most comfortable place to be. Due to the layout of the restaurant, your merry-weather spot would get blasted with cold air every time a person entered or left the building. The upper floor was far too cold for a party of one to ignore. 

As you tried to decide where to go from there, the server and the customer sitting in your spot noticed your blank stare. The way that the server jolted made you jolt as well, rushing to give a good-natured smile and wave to say, ‘It’s no big deal, don’t mind me!’ Truly, it was inconvenient, but it wouldn’t ruin your night or your meal. Still, the server looked between you and the other customer and waved you over.  

After another server gently pushed past you, balancing a tray holding a full tea set, you hesitantly walked over. Once you were within earshot, you tried to apologise for putting the other two in an awkward situation, but you cut yourself off when you got a closer look at the person taking your table.  

Though hooded, glowing eyes peered from the shadow cast over the stranger’s face. The occasional blue or green-eyed traveller would pass through at times, but glowing eyes was something out of mythology. Because it would be rude to gawk, you turned your face away and weakly ordered your normal beverage.  

“I have no problem moving to another table if you are uncomfortable,” the stranger said. Despite the polite tone, something about it was intimidating. You felt like a smuggler trying to converse with the border guard.  

“No, no, that’s fine—! I mean, you’re alright...” you trailed off again. The chatter of the surrounding tables kept the awkward silence from being suffocating, but you were still just standing at your seat with the wooden edge digging into the back of your legs. The stranger blinked up at you expectantly.  

“Ah,” after a quiet exclamation, the stranger’s hands lifted from the table to pull back the cloak’s hood. Beneath the heavy fabric was an ordinary looking individual, not nearly as intimidating once the shadow was gone. As a sign of respect, he gave you a slight bow, wrapped hands meeting in a salute that wasn’t uncommon to see in the area. “Apologies for my bad manners. My name is Liu Kang. Your waiter was telling me that this seat was reserved when you walked in. I did not mean to intrude.”  

He had a kind face. His expression was quite sincere, and your gut wasn’t screaming to run. Disgruntled, you finally sat down. The similarly proper greeting that you tried to give sounded off. Despite that, he smiled at you with relief, and you didn’t have the heart to turn around and say ‘Nevermind actually, I want to eat alone.’ 

“So, are you a martial artist?” trying to break the ice as quickly as possible so that you wouldn’t slip up any worse, you reached for the easiest question. Wrapped hands, strong figure, and that very particular greeting that you always saw from kung fu practitioners, of course you already knew the answer. Liu Kang’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but it was hard to tell if he was simply humouring you. Something gave you the sense that he was not very aware of his own demeanour.  

“You could say that, yes.” that slightly obtuse answer with no follow-up made you panic. Most of the people in Fengjian were familiar. It had been a staggeringly long time since you talked to a person who lacked the ability to carry on and on with some conversation about local happenings.  

“Oh, well,” you wracked your brain for something else to say. When the door of the restaurant opened again, you suddenly found a great segway. Though it wasn’t the pair you had in mind, just seeing two people amble through the doors reminded you. “There are two guys who might be planning to get into that. They’re pretty well known around here since they tend to get into scraps over silly things. You might get a show if they come in tonight!”  

“They fight inside of the restaurant?” Liu Kang questioned. There was a twinge of disbelief in his voice that nearly made you laugh. By now, things like that had become so normal that it was easy to forget that most people would consider it a disruption of business.  

“They’re Madam Bo’s students, so she puts them in their place if they get too rowdy,” you reassured. “But hey, they’ve got a lot of potential. If you keep coming here, you’re bound to see it one day... Do you teach?”  

“These days, I find myself teaching more than I learn, but I would not call myself a master,” he chose his words carefully. Uptight wasn’t the right word, but it seemed like he was keeping his cards close to his chest. Whether that was some kind of personal creed or just the way he talked, you tried to avoid prying too hard. However, in trying not to step on his toes, you found yourself struggling to strike up casual conversation.  

“Is this your first time here?”  

“I like to visit occasionally.”  

“Do you have a favourite order?” 

“I let Madam Bo surprise me.”  

“That’s brave.” 

The conversation lulled again. Your server dropped your drinks off and you took note of the way that Liu Kang held his teacup. Even once it was filled, he held it at the sides as if it didn’t burn. Martial arts conditioning aside, you couldn’t help but wince as if it burned your fingertips instead.  

“Do you want to order dim sun?” you asked, “I can cover the bill.”  

“That may be more food than two people can eat,” Liu Kang warned. 

“You’re the first guy who’s said something like that. Most of the martial artists I meet could eat the whole pantry! Besides, I ran here from home twice after work, so I’m starving.” you were joking, but the image of Kung Lao flashed in your mind. For the first time, Liu Kang’s lips stretched beyond the courteous smile that he wore while waiting for you to decide on the next thing to say. Like the first drop of rain after a long drought, a quiet chuckle left him, barely audible over the sound of the other guests.  

“Then we can order dim sum,” he turned to the server and nodded. Liu Kang slid his teacup across the table to you. He hadn’t taken a sip, so you figured that he was trying to keep up etiquette. He looked younger than the kind of person who would care that much, and you felt a little bad receiving such special treatment, but such a benign quirk wasn’t worth interrupting the easy energy that had finally settled between you.  

“You said you like to visit occasionally, right? Are you here to see family?” you asked as he began to pour tea into his new cup. When you touched the sides of the one he gave to you, it was still too hot to grab. Gingerly holding it by the rim and placing it on your palm to drink, you were shocked by the strong flavour.  

“I didn’t expect to share tea with anybody, so I ordered pu'er. We can drink a different one,” Liu Kang offered upon seeing the way your expression scrunched up. Shaking your head, you put the cup back down.  

“It’s your tea order. I didn’t expect it, but it’s not bad!” with a dismissive wrist flick, you redirected, “I’m sure I would remember seeing someone like you around. I’ve never heard of you before. Normally, the whole town would be talking.”  

“I am checking in on some old friends of mine,” Liu Kang explained, “Otherwise, I try to stay out of peoples’ way.”  

“You’re not familiar with this kind of place, are you?” after hearing such a humble statement, you couldn’t help but ask. Liu Kang wasn’t someone with his head in the clouds. Rather, he gave off the impression of somebody who lived somewhere above them for some time. Not an airhead, but someone who was used to a different atmosphere.  

For just a moment, Liu Kang looked taken aback. He opened his mouth to respond, but his words took a while to come out. Words weighed down by some unknown thing, he responded, “I have not gotten to know the people well.”  

Was he sad about that? Ashamed? The way that his gaze scanned the room, like he was just made aware of where he was, made you worry that you said something upsetting. Wanting to avoid another impasse of apologies and write-offs, you cleared your throat.  

“Well, the only thing that bites here are the dogs sometimes, so there’s no need to be shy! This is a great place to meet new people, just like what we’re doing right now!” it was an unwieldy attempt to smooth out the wrinkles, but your clumsy words pulled him out of his heavy contemplation. The smile returned to his face, small but earnest, and he nodded towards you.  

“I am glad that you were willing to share a meal with me,” he thanked. You weren’t sure why he was thanking you, but you accepted it as gracefully as you could.  

“One of the village uncles used to tell me that food tastes better with good company,” some kind of dread creeps up on you when you meet his eyes. It felt like, if you blinked, he would suddenly disappear. A stray dog that walked into a kennel and then went missing without a trace the next week. The idea didn’t sit well with you, so you continued to say, “So you should come by more often!”  

Not wanting to stare at him with a plastered-on grin, you took another sip of the pu’er tea. Its bitterness was grounding. Liu Kang considered your words, gazing into his teacup like it was a divining tool. His head turned towards the entrance when he heard the door open, and he sighed like he just stepped out of a shrine and into a night market.  

“I am curious about those students that you mentioned earlier,” his smile reached his eyes this time. You wondered if the idea of watching some kind of restaurant brawl for entertainment would seem juvenile from his point of view, but there was a playfulness in his statement. That being said, Kung Lao and Raiden didn’t usually come to Fengjian Teahouse this night of the week. 

#mortal kombat #mk1 #liu kang x reader #liu kang #i'll linguisticssplain in the tags just a little bit. for those who dont know “你吃了吗” is a common standard chinese greeting #its basically just a polite friendly 'hi' but its direct translation is 'have you eaten yet?' but it's basically a 'how are you' #so that's why the title is what it is. i really love food scenes and food themes. <3

[derrickdent]

BBHMM, OR HOW TO DEAL WITH THE DEADBEAT CLIENT

You’re a fucking freelancin’ badass, with a semi-steady flow of work, and you’re living the dream of doing **insert best/fave thing here** , and getting the money from your biggest fans. Can’t be better, right? Well, one of things you were probably not informed about is what happens when the dream sometimes becomes a financial nightmare. 30 day waits for payment. Invoices and reminders. Anxiety waiting for that check. Clients that don’t seem to care that you’re eating peanut butter for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while your payday is delayed in a death spiral of perpetuity. Getting stiffed sucks, and you gotta keep the lights on. How can you keep this bullshit at a minimum? I’m not a financial expert, but I’ve eaten a fair amount of shit trying to get money from clients that have a sense of urgency about everything except paying me. There’s a ton of info about this online, but hopefully my lewd voice in the choir is helpful. (Samuel L. Jackson voice) LET’S GET YOU YOUR MONEY, MUTHAFUCKA. FROM THE BEGINNING

Make sure that you get everything down in writing. Have a statement of work or a contract that states your scope of work, your fee, deadlines, usage restrictions, deliverables, and any notes about late fees, payment timetables, and billable expenses. (Example of a statement of work).

Make sure that a client knows that you can’t begin work without acknowledging these terms. They should return a signed copy of this document, or acknowledge its terms via email. Sometimes there’s a rush situation and you may be pressured to dive in. It’s still a clients responsibility to make sure everything is taken care of on paper, to protect you and to ensure that they are also in the best position to get the best from you. 

If they “politely” ignore the contract, then reiterate the terms in a follow up email, with a polite call to action (ex: “Hi! I’m just making sure that we’re on the same page about what the scope of this project is all about. I going to be [**rates, usage, time, deliverables, expected expenses, payment expectations here**]. Is that correct?). It’s important to get this down on the front end. Depending on your state, this counts as a legally binding statement.

NOTE: Try to get an upfront deposit if you can. 30-50% is normal, and this is also a test of whether the client will be good for it after all is said and done. This is also an incentive to put your best foot forward. Some clients will balk at this, but if the early “what is your rate?” convo suggests this is a possibility, go for it. This also depends on the industry. This is almost impossible with editorial, and though I’ve heard mixed stories in publishing, it’s hard to get an advance or deposit unless you’re doing a full book. Large corporations often have a convoluted accounts payable system that pretty much guarantees money will be slower than human evolution. The best results I’ve had are with small, dynamic businesses and individual clients. Once they confirm the terms, then you can begin scheduling and first steps in a project. FAST FORWARD TO PROJECT COMPLETION

INVOICE IMMEDIATELY. Seriously. Do NOT delay this. Most clients are not going to remind you to send one after you’ve finished a project, and you are ultimately responsible for this. (example invoice). Include the basics: your business name your contact info and address the client’s info and address an invoice number total due  

Don’t forget an invoice number- accounts payable folks have a hard time placing your invoice in their system without one, and you don’t want to delay things because of a technicality. You can use a simple numbering convention: I use my initials and a double digit combo (ex: DD01). Also, if you haven’t gotten an EIN, get one from the IRS. WHEN YOU APPLY, ONLY GO TO THE .GOV IRS LINK. SCAMS ARE A-PLENTY AND I WANT YOU TO AVOID TEARS THO. An EIN is great, because it can be very compromising to keep putting your SSN out there, and in some cases an EIN can get you paid faster. You should itemize your work in the invoice, similarly to how you would find items on a receipt (ex: 1- Illustration for “client and application”, **brief description** = $THIS AMOUNT.00) Write amounts in dollars and cents. Instead of “$3000”, write “$3000.00”. Again, this helps your client or client’s accountants process your payment a touch faster, and saved time counts. Include a line with a total of your billable expenses. These are items that you HAD TO purchase to finish your work. Make sure you keep your receipts, and make a PDF slideshow with scans of those items for transparency’s sake. Send that PDF with your invoice. Finally, include a line that is the grand total of EVERYTHING. Put that total in BOLD PRINT just to make sure that it’s clear what the client owes. If necessary, you can include direct deposit info. This includes your routing and account number. This way, you give the client another way to pay you, and you can fight off the delay of waiting for a paper check. Even though it’s assumed in many places, make it clear that payment is due NOW. From the moment you send the final invoice out, the onus is on the client to pay up. They should confirm receipt of this, but if they’re slow after a day or two, give them a quick email reminder. NOTE: If you have a client’s phone number, keep it handy. This will come in handy later. FAST FORWARD TO A FEW WEEKS LATER AND YOU HAVEN’T BEEN PAID YET

Either way, you’re waiting (and hopefully pursuing other work!) for money that you need. The timeframe for a reminder varies. Some people will drop a friendly note after 15 days. I tend to be a bit generous, and will wait until 10 days before the invoice is late. The email is friendly, and assumes good faith. Something like: “Hi! I just wanted to touch base about the payment for this invoice. Is there any progress on this? Is there anything I can do to assist with this? Please note that you will be 30 days late on (date here). If so, then a (late fee percentage) will be added to the final amount due.” The key is to emphasize some kind of fiscal penalty. People don’t like to spend more money, so you’ll, at the very least, get a response to let you know that things are being processed. You may also get redirected to an accounting department. If you get a number or an email to them, HOLD ON TO THIS INFO. Hopefully, at this point, the client gets the push to make good on payment. FAST FORWARD TO 30 DAYS AND NO PAYMENT

At this point, you are apprehensive because no one wants to wait to be able to pay bills, eat pizza, and enjoy their own Netflix account. The dynamic changes now, because this is the day that the client has to pay you before it’s late. Tomorrow is late. In some states, you have legal recourse to pursue payment (In NYC, the default timetable for freelance payment is 30 days). You should email your client reminding them that payment is due today. If you have their number, call them as well to reinforce this message, but emails are important now. Each email you send is a recorded effort to receive payment, and they are timestamped for posterity. Note that a client may have already sent a payment out, but the check is transit. Also, calling/emailing an accounts payable department will reveal that a payment has been made and it will be in your bank account in a few business days. Get confirmation of this before you continue. AFTER THE INVOICE IS 30 DAYS LATE

Clients need the benefit of the doubt, but it’s their responsibility to pay you now. After 30 days, you have “permission” to increase the frequency of your correspondence. During the first 10 days of being late, I will email and call every other business day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday was my model, but it may differ for you).  Afterwards, I will check in once a day. This may seem excessive, but persistence goes a long way. You may get an exasperated response, but don’t stop until you get a confirmation of payment or a layout and timeline of the payment. If you have a contact within a company, use them as your ally within an organization. It’s easier to get things moving with someone on the inside, and pressure on them will translate to pressure elsewhere to get you to stop asking for your money. Be professional, but direct. They owe you, and any further delay will result in additional fees, and possible collection action (including legal action to collect). If you have a number for accounts payable, hammer them hard. They will be probably be your last line of communication, and you’ll need to get an email to reach them again, an employee name to refer to, and a timeline for payment. 

SIDEBAR>>> NYC CREATIVE PROS AND THE FIFA ACT

If you live in NYC, you have an additional resource: the city government. The NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), and The Office of Labor Policy and Standards (OLPS) have a complaint form that you should fill out as soon as the client is over 30 days late. The Freelance Isn’t Free Act (FIFA, passed in 2017) is very clear that what your client is doing is ILLEGAL, and the city will assist you in gathering materials to make a case for nonpayment. Fill the complaint form out, be very specific about your client and any related contacts. Note, they are not legal representation as much as they’re navigators who will help you find legal counsel and resources needed to file a claim in court. Remember when I said to get everything in writing? That’s important. It may be a bit of work, but find every email thread related to your freelance gig. If you’re doing this on your mobile, open the thread. Go to the first message. Find where the “print” option is. You’ll be taken to a preview window. Look for the “download” button. This is really easy with Gmail. You can basically save the entire thread as an organized PDF, with messages in chronological order

Do this with every gig-related email attached to the overdue payment. Save these PDFs to a folder. Create sub folders that can put this correspondence in context, like chapters (ex: one folder is “Beginning of Job”, another “Job in Progress”, another “Invoice/Payment Requests”). This will make it easier to navigate everything. Include the PDF folder (zipped) with your complaint folder. OLPS will take a sec to get back to you, since you’re not the only person in NYC that gets stiffed. After about 5 biz days, give them a call. This can help you get ahead of the pack. You will receive a call from an OLPS office case manager who will confirm your info. They will ask if you’ve been paid. If yes, then you can thank them and call everything off. If not, they will send a certified letter (WITH AN OFFICIAL ASS LETTERHEAD) to your client, reminding them that they’re late. They have 20 days to respond to this- if they don’t, then they will basically be on the hook to go to court for a nonpayment case. You’ll have to either get a lawyer to rep you, or you can rep yourself, but the client is on the hook to prove they don’t owe you. Since you already have a record of your interactions, this will be very difficult for them. It should be noted that clients tend to get reallll antsy when the government says that they owe money. They’ll probably contact you directly. Keep up with these responses. Each email builds out the timeline of your case, and is fodder for the cannon. At this point, they usually pay up. DISCLOSURE: I’ve never had to go to court, so you may need to look elsewhere for advice. This may be a good place to start. SPEAKING OF DOCUMENTATION- I forgot to add that you should record your calls when speaking to clients that are late. ACR is a free app that allows you to record your calls. Make sure recording is legal in your state, and always let clients know that the call is being recorded. You can borrow the “for quality control purposes” line if you’d like. Sometimes people will try to circumvent documentation by using the phone. Don’t let them weasel out of that. LASTLY, this is specifically related to NY. The parts about documenting your correspondence are universal, though. Wherever you are, a vital part of making a civil case is piling on the material against a deadbeat. Be vigilant and persistent. I would suggest looking into whether there is a state govt. entity that you can go to about civil cases, and also look up if there are any local volunteer/low cost lawyers in your area. 

The FIFA Act has been a gamechanger in giving freelancers more power to get what is owed to them, and my hope is that other cities follow suit, or organize to get similar legislation for this purpose. SIDEBAR AGAIN>>> LAWYERS

Another way to get a client to pay up faster is to lawyer up earlier. After 30 days, you should see what your options are. If you can afford it, you can consult with a lawyer and get a pro opinion about your case. They may be able to send a stern letter to your deadbeat client (WITH AN OFFICIAL ASS LETTERHEAD) prompting them to pay or else. Like with a government agency, people don’t like surprises from legal. They will probably pay up quick, but if they stick it out, then you can file a claim and take them to civil court. This will be costly for you and your client, so nonpayment usually gets resolved before this happens. If not, know that if a court rules in your favor, the client will have to pay you and cover your legal fees. My experience with lawyers is limited, and I would suggest looking elsewhere for particulars. Also, keep in mind how much you’re owed. A $300 case may not be worth as much squeeze as a $3000 or $30000 one. If it’s a low ball sum you’re owed. You may have an easier time calling it a loss and moving on. 

EDIT: I’ve been told that contingency fee lawyers are out there that don’t collect fees until after an event (like you winning or losing a judgment for example), but they’re kinda like unicorns for freelancers and tend to take on bigger cases. It doesn’t hurt to see if any are out there anyway!

NEW!>>> COLLECTION AGENCIES

So, you may want to seek help through a collection agency. They have the time and resources to call, mail, and chase money when you’re trying to focus on good clients that pay on time and are depending on your A game.

The good news is that most are contingency fee based. That is, they won’t collect anything from you until they get the money from your client.

The down side? They can take anywhere between 18-40% of what your client’s debt is. Note that I didn’t say WHAT THEY COLLECT. If your client owes $100, and the contingency based fee is $30, an agency will take $30 even if they only get $60.

Also, based on a lawyer friend’s input, if your collection agency is legally shady, you may be indirectly on the line if your deadbeat client decides to sue said agency. Also your payment, connected to the collection agency and your client’s legal battle, will be held in indefinite limbo. 

So do your homework and weigh your options before taking this route.

FAST FORWARD TO 60 DAYS Fortunately, I haven’t had to do this, but you can start pursuing legal action to get your money. Check on state laws to make sure this is the case, as well as the particulars about filing a claim. By this time, you should hopefully have a lawyer or some legal counsel at your disposal. If you don’t, then look up the laws of your state and local area to see where you stand if you have to rep yourself. Remember that as long as you have written acknowledgment of your terms of work and written acknowledgment of your invoice, things should lean in your favor. THE END

HOPEFULLY this has been helpful. The best parts of freelance (independence, flexibility, control, and self-prescribed wages) are often at odds with the pitfalls (feast-or-famine dynamics, wearing of all of the hats, taking all of the risks). It can feel like robbery when you put your blood, sweat, and tears into a project only to have an empty bank account as thanks. Some of this info is boilerplate, and some is from direct experience. If any of this relates to you, and you were able to get closer to your hard earned scrill because of this, I can die happy(er).

GOD SPEED AND GET PAID, GODDAMMIT!

ADDENDUM: One of the things that I didn’t emphasize enough is that doing this will be emotionally draining. Unless you are a robot or a stone cold Type A business beast, it will strain you. Make sure that you’re taking care of yourself mentally.

If you have a partner or family, make sure to take the help and support they provide and don’t turn your money issues into a personal issue with them.

  Also, doing this requires energy. It will feel like a part time job, and even if there are late fees that factor into what you get paid, this will largely be unpaid labor. 

Persistence is key, but I’m not going to pretend that it’s not hard or that you won’t have other obligations that make keeping up the effort difficult. I’m lucky in that my girlfriend and I have a relatively low-expense lifestyle, and no dependents, and we’re both fairly flexible because we both freelance full time, and that we had a bit of financial padding saved to weather the storm. Mileage will certainly vary.

Edit: Tumblr is weird about making links visible, so I put them in bold body font for you to find them easier.

#Illustration #invoices #payment #business #deadbeats