National Tide 1980.

Ning Weimin's success was never a matter of personal glory or self-satisfaction.

From the day he officially started doing business, he knew he was a Chinese businessman with integrity and humanity. He could not, and should not, become a mercenary like the Jews who only cared about money and not people.

Therefore, he has always adhered to the principle of "cultivating one's own virtue when poor, and benefiting all under heaven when successful" in his conduct and work.

He also benefited from this, expanding his network, accumulating goodwill, gaining fame, and strengthening his hidden power. It can be said that good deeds are rewarded, a win-win situation.

So far, although Ning Weimin has only personally initiated some things, provided others with an idea, and then invested a small amount of capital.

But as it turns out, the success of any great undertaking often doesn't depend on the people doing the work, but on a visionary, capable, and responsible leader.

Once you have such a person, many things will fall into place easily, without the leader having to do anything; many things will simply start working on their own.

…………

In early December 1990, at Tokyo's Narita Airport, a chilling wind swept across the leaden sky.

The howling wind sounded just like the groups of Shanghai residents outside the airport, full of resentment and complaints.

They were all people from China who came to Japan to "seek their fortune," and this was their first time in Tokyo.

This year marked both a significant economic downturn for Japan and an increasingly frenzied wave of Chinese people traveling abroad.

Because of widespread rumors in China that the government would restrict people from going abroad due to excessive brain drain, many people who wanted to go abroad became anxious, resulting in a sudden increase in the number of people waiting to complete exit procedures.

Despite the government's efforts to promote the message that national policies have not changed and that people should not believe the rumors.

But the congestion has already occurred.

That's just how people are in China; the more people there are, the more they like to push and shove, afraid of being left behind.

So even though it was known to be a "rumor," the demand that "emerged" from it still doubled, and as a result, the number of people going abroad expanded rapidly again. Many people were willing to sell their possessions and even take on debts with their entire families to go abroad through various channels.

Japan, being close to the People's Republic of China and possessing a developed economy, naturally became the top choice for many people.

Shanghai, in particular, has made Japan its primary destination for overseas travel due to its convenient geographical location, relaxed visa policies, and cultural similarities.

Unfortunately, the collapse of Japan's economy is still news that few people in Japan are aware of.

The lack of objective information has led to a lack of direction among many Chinese compatriots who have come to Japan to "seek their fortune" this year.

They had no idea what the situation was like in Japan at that time—it was no longer as easy to make money as it had been a few years ago, and now even Japanese people were looking for jobs.

Moreover, due to the surge in demand for going abroad, more people are making a living in this industry domestically, which inevitably leads to a mix of good and bad actors, including a large number of illegal operations and unscrupulous black market intermediaries.

People from Shanghai like these at the airport entrance are all unlucky and have fallen into a trap—the people who promised to pick them up today never showed up.

They just got off the plane today and arrived in a foreign country, only to be stranded here.

Some individuals have even been standing here waiting for three hours! How anxious they must be!

Wang Xiulian wrapped her old dark blue cotton-padded coat even tighter, her fingers, red from the cold, repeatedly rubbing the crumpled agency receipt in her pocket.

This was the "hope" she and her husband had earned through years of frugal living. The handwriting on it, which read "Responsible for arranging airport pickup and accommodation," was already blurred by her sweaty hands.

She felt uneasy, as if the blurry handwriting was a mocking face.

My stomach was burning with hunger, and I felt like my heart and lungs were on fire.

She now truly regrets it; she should have listened to her neighbor and not believed that nonsense about 'going abroad to strike it rich'!

The problem is, it's too late to regret it, and complaining is useless.

She knew that her immediate priority was to find a way to leave this place and settle down, and then find Zhang Jinlong, who had cheated her, and settle the score.

"It's almost dark! And still no one's come. That bastard Zhang Tizi must have run off with the money!"

Amin, wearing a leather jacket, spat a mouthful of bloody saliva on the ground. He and Wang Xiulian had both gotten their things done through the same person.

People in Shanghai like to call fat men "pig's trotters," and the "pig's trotters" he mentioned refers to Zhang Jinlong.

To raise the money for his trip abroad, Amin mortgaged his family's old house, which had been passed down for two generations. So at this moment, his voice was full of sobs, and he was so anxious that he was about to hang himself.

"The bus ticket from the airport to the city costs 2,700 yen, and I only have 2,000 yen left in my pocket. I don't even know where I'll sleep tonight! Am I supposed to sleep in this open square? That bastard made me wait for so long for nothing. I'm going to catch him and give him a good beating."

There was another young man wearing glasses next to them, who was also in charge of the matter, and he was just as annoyed and couldn't help but complain.

"Me too, I won't let him get away with this. Before we left, this piece of trash clearly promised to pick us up from the airport and arrange accommodation. But when we got here, we didn't see him or his car. What a load of crap. If he wasn't capable, he shouldn't have promised us in the first place. Why did he lie to us?"

He glanced at the darkening sky, his voice trembling, "This awful weather, if we stay any longer we'll definitely catch a cold. Doesn't he care if something happens to us...?"

A car horn suddenly sounded in the chilling wind.

Just then, a string of bright car lights pierced the darkness, drawing everyone's attention.

It turned out that several more airport shuttle buses had arrived and were waiting here to pick up passengers.

Undoubtedly, it won't be long before these cars are filled with people coming out of the airport and then head towards downtown Tokyo.

This scene directly provoked Wang Xiulian.

Now that she had given up, she broke the silence and suggested to the other two, "I think we shouldn't wait any longer. No one's definitely not coming today. If we keep waiting, we'll really be fools. Let's figure something out ourselves..."

"Find a way ourselves?" the bespectacled young man asked. "We're unfamiliar with this place, and our Japanese isn't good enough. What can we possibly do?"

"There's a shuttle bus, right? Let's buy a ticket and go. We'll figure something out once we get to the city center, otherwise we'll really have to sleep on the streets tonight."

"But sister, I don't have enough money."

Before the bespectacled young man could make a decision, Amin said with a worried look, "I really only have two thousand yen left. Why don't you guys go ahead, and I'll stay here and keep waiting? I can sleep at the airport if necessary. I don't believe he would really dare to leave me here..."

Just then, a bus that was already full drove away.

What caught Wang Xiulian and her group's attention was that several fellow Shanghainese who had been waiting next to them had boarded the bus. Unlike their previous anxiety, looking around anxiously and beating their chests in frustration, these people, now that they had a place to stay, felt a surge of pride that made them hold their heads high, stand tall, and even cast disdainful glances at their fellow Shanghainese who were still at the airport, showing off their good fortune.

This was the most exciting part; Wang Xiulian decided she couldn't wait any longer.

Unable to bear being stuck there like a discarded object any longer, she said, "Then you can take your time to think it over. I'm leaving now."

He picked up his luggage and turned to walk towards the airport.

There's nothing we can do about it. We're in a different place, and we just met. What's wrong with being from the same hometown?

That's just how people from Shanghai are; there's nothing strange about it.

Unexpectedly, she had only taken two steps when Ah Ming called her back, "Sister, don't rush to buy tickets. Look over there, isn't that bus ours? I think their buses might not be full either, why don't we go ask them if they'd be willing to help?"

When Wang Xiulian turned around again, she was surprised to find that Amin really had sharp eyes.

He pointed in the direction that was about 20 meters away from them, where there were more than 20 people boarding a bus one after another behind the airport shuttle buses.

Looking at their clothes and luggage, they really do resemble their compatriots back home.

That's not all. The key point is that someone who looks like he's in charge of picking people up at the airport is holding up a sign that reads "Mainland Compatriots Mutual Aid Association".

He was counting heads one by one, his voice booming.

"Everyone, please make sure you check your luggage carefully. Don't forget anything! Line up to board the train. Everyone has a seat, and no one is allowed to push or shove. This isn't China, and it's certainly not Beijing. Cutting in line and not following the rules will get you disliked and glared at. Everyone needs to start adapting now. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, especially abroad. We can't let those Japanese look down on us."

That's right, it's absolutely certain that those people are our compatriots in China.

Moreover, the bus was very high-end, with its body polished to a shine, no less impressive than an airport shuttle bus.

These people seem to be from some official group or organization.

Wang Xiulian gritted her teeth, her cheeks taut, and suddenly she made up her mind.

While pulling his suitcase toward the group of people, he called out to Amin and the young man.

"Come on, hurry up, let's give it a try! We can't just freeze and starve to death here! Even if we get rejected, it's better than waiting to die here."

She walked quickly and hurriedly, with only one thought in her mind—she could not just die at Narita Airport; she couldn't let her compatriots die without helping her.

The person in charge of the bus was a young man wearing a raincoat. He was a little chubby and not very tall.

His attire was very refined, especially with a work badge with his photo hanging on his chest, making him look much more presentable than other mainland compatriots. However, his attitude was quite disheartening.

After listening to Wang Xiulian explain her purpose, he frowned immediately and directly refused.

"I'm really sorry, this car is specifically for picking up people from our hometown in Beijing. It's a dedicated car, and although there are empty seats, we can't just let anyone hitch a ride. If you want to go to downtown Tokyo, it's easy; just buy a shuttle bus ticket at the airport. Otherwise, you can use the airport phone to call your contact person and see what the situation is."

Wang Xiulian blushed with anxiety and stepped forward to grab his arm.

"Comrade, please have mercy! We've been scammed by a heartless person. We can't reach him by phone no matter what we do. We don't speak Japanese, so even buying tickets will be a huge hassle. Since you have empty seats, please take us with you. We'll even squeeze in and sit in the aisle! Seriously, we've been waiting for almost four hours, we're freezing, and we really can't take any more of this."

Perhaps because her story was so tragic, the other party could hardly remain unmoved and finally turned to the driver and whispered a few words to him.

The driver was clearly Japanese, and he was speaking Japanese.

He then peeked out and looked at them, who were huddled up and shivering, before finally nodding.

So the person in charge of picking you up readily agreed, "Alright, if you insist on getting on the bus, we'll give you a ride and take you to Shinjuku Station in the city. But let's make it clear, there are still seats on the bus, but you'll have to pay for the gas and fare yourself, 2,700 yen per person, that's the price for the airport bus. Is that okay?"

"Brother, do you still want money?"

Upon hearing that money was required, Amin almost cried. "I only have two thousand yen on me. Is that alright?"

However, the other party refused to compromise at all and was very cold and ruthless.

"What? Otherwise, it's a public bus, and if you don't pay, how are we supposed to explain it when we get back? Besides, I didn't ask you for much. Do you think you don't pay for the airport shuttle? Don't try to play the victim with me. You think you can get a free ride from me? No way! Let me tell you, there's no such thing as a free lunch in Tokyo. Either you pay, or you stay here."

He then turned to Wang Xiulian and the other young man and asked, "Hey, he said he doesn't have enough money. Do you know him? Otherwise, could any of you lend him some?"

Amin sighed and could only turn to Wang Xiulian and the young man with glasses and say something.

"Sigh. It seems I have no choice but to stay. You guys go ahead."

Logically speaking, since they were in Japan, they were just people they had met on the plane, and they didn't know each other's backgrounds or anything, so there was no need for them to feel embarrassed.

At this point, Wang Xiulian and the young man could get on the bus if they were willing to pay their own money.

But the problem was that Wang Xiulian felt a little guilty when she thought about how it was Amin who discovered this opportunity and called her over.

She reached into the inside pocket of her cotton-padded coat and touched the stack of money wrapped in a handkerchief. She was torn between two conflicting emotions—she had only brought these 20,000 yen with her when she went abroad, and that was all the money she had.

Although 700 yen is not much in Japan, it is a third of her monthly salary in China. If she lends it to someone so easily, whether she can get it back or when she can get it back is completely unknown.

But looking at Amin's lips, which were turning purple from the cold, and thinking about the good things he had done by calling her back, she couldn't really harden her heart and watch him stay behind alone.

Ultimately, it was kindness and generosity that led her to make the decision.

“Okay! Let’s pay and get on the bus! As for the 700 yen that Amin is short, I can lend it to him.”

These words immediately moved Amin. He tugged at Wang Xiulian's sleeve, took out his only two thousand yen, his eyes reddened, and whispered, "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely pay back the money you borrowed from me."

At this point, Wang Xiulian said no more, nodded, and resolutely took out the money and handed it over, saying, "Get in the car, let's go."

The three of them quickly paid the fare, put their luggage away, and got into the car.

As soon as the car door closed, they were enveloped in warmth. The car actually had air conditioning, and everyone couldn't help but sniff.

Even though they secretly felt these Beijingers were more cunning than Shanghainese, they had to admit this car was truly fantastic; it had saved their lives. (End of Chapter)