National Tide 1980.

After returning from paying respects at the scene of the crime, Ning Weimin still felt uneasy.

The words spoken by those overseas students in Shanghai were like shocking wounds, revealing the unsightly side of Tokyo to Ning Weimin.

He saw that behind the shadows of the bustling city with its bright lights and nightlife, there were countless desperate, dying faces and countless white bones.

Not everyone is as lucky as him, seeing only the smiling faces of Japanese people.

The people he met today made Ning Weimin understand that for most Chinese students studying abroad, the Japanese they faced usually had the same hypocritical, indifferent and cruel faces as the Kwantung Army back then.

Whether it was the landlord, the employer, or the Japanese colleagues who worked with them, the oppression, exploitation, and even discrimination against them were almost undisguised.

Even among foreign workers, Chinese are at the bottom of the list, just like when Ning Weimin saw Liu Yang working at high altitude at the construction site again.

Although in Ning Weimin's heart, he always believed that going abroad would inevitably lead to hardship, and if someone couldn't endure hardship, then he shouldn't come.

But enduring hardship does not mean unconditionally accepting bullying and oppression.

He had never imagined that the scale of unfairness in Japanese society was so great even in this extremely prosperous era, and that Chinese students studying abroad were treated like non-human beings.

Especially since he himself lived a life of luxury, compared with the precarious living conditions of his compatriots, it made him feel heartbroken, as if he was twitching.

On a day that should have been spent relaxing, eating and drinking, and enjoying the leisure time at the end of the year, he could not forget the sallow, tired faces of his compatriots, nor their helpless and negative complaints.

A feeling of resentment and irritability was bubbling in his heart like lava about to erupt, making it impossible for him to forget about it and focus on other things.

So on New Year's Eve, December 12, Ning Weimin did not choose to spend it with his family in Japan. Instead, he gathered all his compatriots in Tokyo to the Tan Gong Restaurant, including those he had just met at the Tan Gong dinner not long ago, and the few people from Shanghai he met when he went to pay tribute to Fang Ping.

To be honest, for this meeting, Ning Weimin's invitation to everyone to have a dinner to celebrate the New Year was secondary. It was just his excuse. His real intention was that he had a new idea that had gradually taken shape and wanted to discuss it with everyone in person.

"Excuse me, on this special day today, I want to talk to you about something not so pleasant. I wonder if you have read the newspaper on December 12th? I want to ask, is there anyone who doesn't know about the tragic death of Fang Ping, a female worker from Shanghai, who jumped to her death in Tokyo?"

When most people arrived, Ning Weimin went straight to the point and mentioned Fang Ping who had died in an accident.

All the people present who were from Shanghai nodded.

People from Hebei like Sun Wufu were all taciturn. They looked at Ning Weimin silently, waiting for his next words.

Only Li Xiaojiang, Wang Yan, Su Yue, An Wen and two other compatriots from Qingdao shook their heads and said they didn't know. They all looked very surprised.

This is not surprising. After all, everyone is more concerned about their own life, so Ning Weimin described the matter again in general.

Li Xiaojiang immediately misunderstood and said, "This girl from Shanghai is really miserable. Mr. Ning, you mean that everyone can help if they can, right? No problem, buddy, I support you. Let's put it this way, Wang Yan and I, we both have a decent life. Maybe better than most people, so let's donate 200,000 yen. What do you think?"

As he said this, he was about to take out his wallet.

With him taking the lead, others seemed to have no choice but to follow suit.

"Then I'll donate 10,000 yen."

Chen Song's life has been better recently. Besides, he had to support Ning Weimin in his efforts, so he was generous for once.

This is equivalent to setting an example for everyone. No one can make a number less than this.

"And me! I'll donate 10,000 yen too."

Su Yue followed suit and said that he had already written songs like "Blood-stained Style" in China and was considered a well-known musician.

Although I am not rich, I am not willing to lose face.

Especially when there are women around, he has to pretend to be the fat guy even if it means swells his face.

"Then Zhang Liling and I will donate 10,000 yen together."

An Wen is smart and knows that pulling someone along can reduce the pressure.

And she and Zhang Liling are both girls, so no one would bother with them.

"How about we each donate 10,000 yuan?" Sun Wufu was more honest and made the decision for all his people as soon as he opened his mouth.

His promise also made many people look at them with admiration. No one expected that these seemingly uneducated people could be so generous.

But after all, there are still real working people.

The two Qingdao people felt an embarrassment that was difficult to conceal. They said in a rather embarrassed voice, "Can we...donate 2,000 yen? Each...each person 2,000..."

To be honest, they were embarrassed to say this.

After all, they have come to eat several meals, and the money spent on the meals is more than their donations.

But the problem is, when people are poor, they have low aspirations and their hair grows thin. Only they themselves know their own difficulties, and they have to find ways to scrape together this little money.

However, what no one expected was that Ning Weimin called an emergency halt.

"Wait, wait, don't worry, don't get me wrong, I'm not asking you to donate. In fact, as far as I know, our embassy has already contacted the relatives of the deceased and is going through the normal procedures. I have also personally promised the embassy that I will bear all the expenses that are not covered by your donations. So you can rest assured about the aftermath of this incident. As for why I called you all here today, there is actually only one purpose, which is to have a good discussion with you about how we can prevent similar tragedies from happening again around us. I don't want to see or hear about our compatriots dying in a foreign land next year."

Ning Weimin's words were so powerful and forceful that they immediately stunned the crowd.

The people at the scene, including Li Xiaojiang who had just been showing off, all stared with their eyes wide open and their mouths wide open. For no other reason, no one had expected Ning Weimin to be so generous and magnanimous.

Just because a Chinese girl who had nothing to do with him died in Tokyo, he not only contacted the embassy and took the initiative to bear all subsequent expenses, but he also had such a saintly sentiment and such a grand goal.

But then again, although the idea is good, it is really unrealistic.

So soon, after recovering from the shock, everyone responded with frustration.

"What? Can such incidents really be completely avoided? Who doesn't want this? But... this... how is this possible?"

"Yes, Tokyo is not a paradise. Everyone here is responsible for their own actions. The mistake of that girl from Shanghai was that she trusted others too easily. Even if others wanted to save her, it would be impossible, right? It would be useless for us to feel sad for her. By the time we knew about this, it would be too late."

"Well, as the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are not determined by man, wealth and honor are determined by heaven. For things like this, only God has the final say..."

Some people even told Ning Weimin directly, "Mr. Ning, I don't mean to contradict you. I understand your feelings. Everyone here doesn't want something like this to happen to them, but the question is, what can we do? To be honest, most of us borrowed money to get here. We can't even survive on our own, so how can we have the energy to worry about others, let alone provide any help..."

Unexpectedly, after hearing these words, Ning Weimin neither showed any displeasure nor seemed embarrassed by being refuted by everyone. Instead, he nodded in agreement.

"I understand that it's not easy for everyone and everyone has their own troubles. This is true. But have you ever thought that it is precisely because of this that we need to unite. As the saying goes, one person's shortcomings are better than two people's strengths, and three useless generals can be as good as Zhuge Liang. As the saying goes, rely on your parents at home and rely on your friends when you go out. For Chinese people like us, the closest, most trustworthy, and most reliable people here are each other. I always believe that there is strength in numbers. If there is a difficulty, maybe one person really can't overcome it, but it doesn't mean that we can't overcome it together. What do you think?"

Yes, that is indeed the truth, but the problem is that Ning Weimin’s idea seems too idealistic.

According to him, if one side is in trouble, all sides will come to its aid. If this can really happen, it would of course be a good thing.

But the key is that everyone's life is not easy.

No one can really guarantee that they will be able to free up their hands to help others when they need help.

Time and money are both costs.

And even if you try your best to help, will you really be able to get help from others the next time you need help?

If you help others and then no one helps you, you would be the biggest fool.

So these words made everyone silent.

Even Chu Haoran, Liu Yang, Chen Song and others looked at each other, feeling it was difficult to respond.

After all, Ning Weimin didn't greet them in advance, so they were a little caught off guard.

Li Xiaojiang, on the other hand, was quite good at observing people's expressions and he saw that Ning Weimin probably already had a concrete idea in mind. He also believed that people like Ning Weimin would definitely do things in an orderly manner and would never act aimlessly.

So he tactfully handed Ning Weimin a ladder to help him with his next words.

"Boss Ning, we all understand the truth, but we have limited knowledge. If you ask us how to achieve this, we really can't think of it at the moment. If you have any specific measures or good ideas, just tell us directly. As long as it is feasible, I dare not say it to others, but I, Li Xiaojiang, will definitely support it with all my strength..."

As expected, he won Ning Weimin's favor as he wished, and Ning Weimin nodded at him with an obvious smile.

"Okay, let me get this straight. My idea is that we all form a formal social group, and then we can use this group to bring everyone together. If anyone encounters any difficulties in the future, this formal group will be something that each of us can rely on. If we can unite the power of the group, perhaps we can help individuals solve problems."

"Oh, you mean, we should form a hometown association?"

Li Xiaojiang felt that he seemed to understand a little bit.

Japan is a society that allows the existence of associations. Ning Weimin proposed such an idea, which clearly shows that he is not going to keep a low profile anymore. It seems that he wants to be the first to stand out among these compatriots and gain a certain degree of leadership.

However, this is just what he thinks.

In fact, he always has a mercenary cognition, which is still quite one-sided.

In fact, Ning Weimin immediately shook his head and corrected his wording, "No, it's not a hometown association, but a mutual aid association."

"Is there any difference between the two?" Li Xiaojiang asked.

"Of course, there are many hometown associations in Japan, and the old overseas Chinese who came to Japan early on were not idle. The Fujian Hometown Association and the Guangdong Hometown Association are both large social groups registered by Chinese, but hometown associations are mostly regional and a bit one-sided. The group I plan to register should be open to all mainland Chinese compatriots who come to Japan. And my original intention is to unite everyone and solve practical problems, so this group should also have some practical uses, and be able to provide resources or support to everyone when necessary, and really be able to help everyone. Otherwise, what's the point?"

Perhaps it was because his words became more and more exaggerated and exaggerated, and someone immediately asked him questions.

"What? Can it really solve practical problems? Then... can it solve my problem if I need money?"

However, the person who said this did not expect Ning Weimin to promise without hesitation, "Of course, if you have this group, you can certainly apply for a loan. As long as the reason is right, you will not be disappointed. In addition, in my design, this group should also provide everyone with legal aid, medical aid, information exchange, and material exchange services. I can even say that if any of you are bullied by your boss at work, you should come to our group, and someone will naturally help you get justice. Even if we have to go to court, we will fight to the end. If you want to change your residence and lack a guarantor, you should also come to our group, and someone will naturally come forward to guarantee you, and even help you find a house that better suits your needs. If you lose your job and need to find a job again, you can also contact our group, and we will definitely help you solve this problem. Even if the salary will not be very high, at least you will be guaranteed not to be cheated."

"No way, you're saying it so well, it's almost catching up with socialism, Mr. Ning, are you sure you're not kidding?"

"Of course not. I'm dead serious."

Having said this, Ning Weimin paused, then said solemnly,

"I don't know how you all feel, but after learning about Fang Ping's situation, I couldn't help wondering these past few days, what was the real reason why this girl decided to end her life? Was it just because she had no money? Couldn't stand the pressure of debt? Or was it because she was insulted and deceived by her compatriots and was too ashamed to face others?"

"No, I don't think so. In my opinion, all the dreams are replaced by cruel reality. Although it is bleak, people will only feel grief and regret, but not despair, and will not completely lose the desire to live. But the worst thing is that when a person needs help and rescue the most, she can't move forward because of language barriers, and no one can lend a helping hand to her. This will truly destroy all hope."

"In other words, it was the fear of having no one to turn to and the loneliness of having no one to rely on that made this girl no longer want to stay in the world and was determined to die. If she knew that there was a group in Tokyo that could provide her with help, if she only needed to make a phone call, our compatriots would call the police for her and come to rescue her? Would she still choose to die?..." (End of this chapter)