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03/24/2005: "too much money"

There's this nice friendly lady at the Chinese supermarket. She likes to talk to me in broken English. "You go to your restaurant?" She asked me this morning. Yes. I replied. "Business good, your restaurant?" I said yes. "How many people in your restaurant?" I thought at first she was asking me how many employees I have, but she wanted to know how many partners I have. Chinese people like to ask questions. First time we started conversing, she asked me where I live and how much I pay for rent. Anyway, I told her I'm the sole owner. "Only you? Oh, too much money!" She smiled. I wasn't sure if it was good thing or not. Did she mean that I must've spent too much money to open a restaurant by myself, or she thinks I must be making too much money since I don't have to share? I shrugged and said I have to work too much. In the afternoon the amigo on delivery from a supplier walked in and saw the new counter. "Oh, it's new! Too much money!" I really wasn't sure if he meant, you must've spent too much money, or you will have too much money, or.. I thought about this young Spanish guy who worked for me one time, who didn't understand what I meant when I said "you're using too much soap" since everything was smelling like soap. He kept using more and more soap because "too much soap" meant "not enough soap." So I was pretty sure they meant something other than 'too much money' literally but I really wasn't sure what. For one thing I'm sure I don't have too much money. Not just yet.