Introduction to "Notarization of Los Angeles"
The sunshine in Los Angeles is blazing all year round, and the traffic in the San Gabriel Valley is endless. Ding Wenren, a Chinese notary, holds the official stamp of California in his hand and witnesses countless immigrants standing at a fork in the road of destiny in a small office.
Real estate transfer deeds, cross-border power of attorney, durable medical directives, inheritance relinquishment statements, cohabitation property agreements, a piece of paper carries a myriad of concerns. The law only requires him to verify his identity and witness his signature, but it cannot distinguish between lies and sincerity.
For three years, he traveled to Rowland Heights shops, Irvine mansions, community hospitals and nursing homes. All kinds of Chinese people come one after another: couples who secretly divide their assets, siblings competing for overseas inheritance, young people who go to foreign countries to find a way out, Shen Muyang, a wealthy businessman who arranges cross-border assets, frequently visits. Under layers of sensitive documents, a secret cross-border transaction network slowly emerges. Favors, lobbying, and large sums of money came one after another, forcing him to break through the bottom line of his practice.
Once the steel seal falls, the contract becomes legally binding. But the homesickness, desires and secrets of strangers will always be difficult to unify. The sunshine on the West Coast never changes. Generations of wanderers have struggled to find a place of peace. They finally understand that there are many choices in this world without standard answers.
