National Tide 1980.

That wasn't all. After the bus started moving, the Shanghai residents were surprised to find that the person in charge, who had taken their money and was wearing a raincoat, started distributing bottled water, bread, and tissues to each person on the bus.

"Raincoat" called someone to help him, and the two of them, each carrying a cardboard box, handed things to the people on the bus one by one.

The person in the "raincoat" walked in front and was in charge of distributing water, while the person behind him was in charge of distributing neatly sealed small bread rolls and printed tissues.

The young man with glasses and Amin both sat in front of Wang Xiulian.

One of them stared wide-eyed, while the other clung to her seat, urging her to go see with a look of envy.

"Look at them! They've thought of everything so thoroughly. The treatment on this bus is almost like that of an airplane."

"Sigh, we're both from the mainland, but look at them, they're welcomed and cared for, while we're like discarded junk. How can there be such a big difference between people?"

Before Wang Xiulian could respond, "Raincoat" and her men walked up to them.

To their surprise, the two people simply reached out their hands and handed the items to them.

For a moment, the three Shanghai residents were stunned.

For no other reason than that they were very clear that they were different from the other people in the car.

They weren't part of the group, and the money they paid was only enough for a seat ticket, so how could they dare to take advantage of such an "extra benefit"?
"We...we have them too?"

Amin couldn't believe it at all; his voice was trembling.

"We're all from the mainland, how could we leave you out?"

"Raincoat" smiled; this was the first time he had smiled at the three Shanghainese.

After her eyebrows and eyes relaxed, most of her previous coldness disappeared.

"No, no, I'm so sorry, how about... how about we just skip it?"

The young man wearing glasses pushed them up, appearing quite cautious.

Undoubtedly, he was afraid of being scammed; what if they wanted his money?
But the other party actually shoved the things into their hands without allowing them to refuse.

"Don't mention it, just take it."

Moreover, the other party seemed to have identified Wang Xiulian as the leader among them, and even went out of their way to explain a few things to her.

"Ma'am, my name is Li Xiaojiang. Although I just took your money, I don't charge for everything. These things are just to give you something to eat since we're all compatriots. You can eat and drink without worry. Besides, there are so many people watching. Even if I were a bad person, I wouldn't be so blatant as to cheat you."

How could a few Shanghainese possibly refuse?

They've already put it this way; if they don't appreciate it, then they'd be ungrateful.

So Wang Xiulian reached out and took it, and also gestured for Amin and the young man to take the things as well.

To be honest, after not having eaten or drunk anything for so long, they were really thirsty and hungry.

You don't feel it after you don't eat or drink, but once you start eating and drinking, you can't control your mouth and you end up wolfing down your food.

Wang Xiulian, in particular, had never been so hungry, thirsty, or anxious in her entire life.

The bread has a milky aroma and is soft and warm when you bite into it. It tastes much better than the sweet bread in China.

The water was clear and clean, and it seemed to have a sweeter taste than the boiled water we usually drink at home. It tasted like nectar.

That wasn't all. Seeing her like this, a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap sitting next to her simply handed over his own bread as well.

"Girl, I'm not hungry, but you look like you're really starving. You should eat more."

Wang Xiulian blushed immediately. "Brother, thank you. I'm not afraid you'll laugh at us. We haven't eaten or drunk anything since we arrived in Tokyo at noon."

"No need to thank me, just take it and don't be shy."

This gesture warmed Wang Xiulian's heart even more, as she was already somewhat touched.

She didn't know what happened, but as she ate and drank, tears welled up in her eyes, and she almost swallowed them along with the bread crumbs.

Amin was in the same boat; he choked a little before he had even finished his bread.

In a hurry, he gulped down all the water.

When the people sitting next to him saw this, one of them offered him his water.

Don't underestimate this kind of thing in ordinary times, but considering their current situation of being in a foreign land with no relatives or friends, it seems extremely precious.

In short, these Shanghai residents who hitchhiked now realized that their fellow countrymen on the bus were quite different from what they had originally imagined; they were genuinely kind and helpful.

They were treated much better than the fellow Shanghainese they had just encountered at the airport entrance.

Those people at the airport entrance claimed to be from the same hometown, but they wouldn't offer any assistance whatsoever. They were all struggling to survive themselves and didn't care about others.

"You lot are from Shanghai, right? I can tell from your accents."

The man in the baseball cap next to Wang Xiulian was not only kind-hearted, but also chatty and quite outgoing.

Seeing that Wang Xiulian was only focused on eating and drinking, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"Hey, young lady, if I may ask, I just heard you say you were scammed. What exactly happened?"

These words, once brought up, gave Wang Xiulian someone to confide in, revealing all the grievances she had been holding back. She stopped hiding her story and recounted how she had borrowed money, spent over 30,000 yuan to go abroad, and come to Tokyo to "strike it rich."

She recounted how she believed Zhang Jinlong's lies and only realized she had been tricked when she arrived in Tokyo.

Amin, who was sitting in front of her, and the young man with glasses added fuel to the fire, recounting their own experiences as well.

In short, they all said that Zhang Jinlong was a low-quality, unscrupulous real estate agent.

Aside from finding them a language school and a guarantor in Japan and completing their paperwork for going abroad, almost all other promises were not kept.

The girl in the baseball cap couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "That guy Zhang Jinlong is really heartless. And he's so ruthless. He's been so cruel to you, taking so much money from you and then ignoring you completely. If I were you, I would definitely fight him too. Girl, if you can find him, listen to me, you have to make him refund at least half of your money before he'll forgive you."

"What? You want him to give up that much?! He'd never agree to that!"

Wang Xiulian completely believed that the baseball cap was joking with him.

Unexpectedly, the other party's next sentence completely broke down her defenses.

"Giving him half back is already letting him off easy? Do you know how much we all paid? It's less than half the price you paid."

"What! How is that possible?" Even Amin in the front seat was alarmed when he heard this.

"It really is 15,000. Some people have 16,000, but it's about the same for everyone."

"So little?" Wang Xiulian's eyes widened in surprise.

"Is this too little? Japan isn't exactly a great place. If it cost 30,000 yuan, I wouldn't have come here. Wouldn't it be better to go to a developed Western country?"

"What? Brother, you mean Tokyo is bad? Why do you say that?" The bespectacled young man was very perceptive and immediately picked up on the meaning behind the words.

The man in the baseball cap didn't keep anyone in suspense, saying, "It goes without saying, it's because the Japanese economy is in a slump, and jobs are harder to find. Now even Japanese people are starting to lose their jobs, so of course it's harder to make money here than before."

This immediately enraged almost all three Shanghai residents.

"Brother, are you serious? What are we going to do then?!" The young man with glasses panicked immediately.

"That Zhang Tizi, he didn't say a word! If I had known, I wouldn't have sold the house, I'd rather die than come!" Amin gritted his teeth in hatred.

Wang Xiulian was now even more alarmed and uncertain, saying repeatedly, "Brother, don't scare me. I borrowed so much money just to come out and earn money so that I can raise a good future for my child. If I come here and can't earn money, then everything will be over."

"What, you guys really don't know? Didn't you check the situation in Japan before you came out?"

Seeing that the three of them were speechless and looked distressed and on the verge of tears, the man in the baseball cap felt that he couldn't say anything more.

There was nothing he could do; the situation was beyond his control.

If he continued talking, he was really afraid that some of the Shanghainese might be intent on committing suicide and would jump into the river as soon as they got off the bus.

He is now worried about them and regrets his loose tongue, so he can only ask others for help.

"Xiao Jiang, Xiao Jiang, come here for a second. I see that these guys don't know anything about Tokyo. And it's so cold here. Can you give them some pointers? Otherwise, they might not even survive two days, let alone sleep on the streets."

Then he said to Wang Xiulian, "He can definitely help you. He took care of all the people on this bus and helped us get out."

And so, when the person in the raincoat who was originally sitting in the passenger seat, namely Li Xiaojiang, came over from the front of the car, he still seemed to have that domineering attitude.

But clearly, in the eyes of several Shanghai residents, his image became more approachable.

After all, with the added aura of being their lifeline, he had become the only one making decisions for them in this situation.

"We've seen plenty of these shady agencies you're talking about. They say whatever sounds good, exaggerate without paying taxes, and only sing the good stories. They make it sound like you can find gold anywhere in Japan, and that anyone who comes here, regardless of their status or education, can live in a mansion, make a fortune, and live a life of luxury with endless money. They're just preying on people's eagerness to go abroad to swindle money. Once they've got your money, they don't care if you live or die. But don't worry, I can tell you that while this isn't heaven, it's not hell either. You have to pay an equal price for what you want. The Japanese economy is indeed not good right now, but as long as you're willing to work, you can still earn money. Don't panic too much. Even if you waste your money, given Japan's economic level, you can earn it all back in six months if you find a job. The most important thing is whether you can adapt to the lifestyle and work intensity here. Throw away your pride first. Japanese bosses are generous with pay, but they're also very demanding. You must be prepared to suffer for survival."

When Li Xiaojiang heard about the experiences of these people and learned about their situation, he immediately offered them advice.

Although they spoke bluntly and directly addressed their sore spots, no one cared anymore.

"We are not afraid of hardship..."

"Yes, we have plenty of strength..."

The two young men from Shanghai said nonchalantly that all they cared about was finding a job.

"But this guy just said that even Japanese people are unemployed. Under these circumstances, is it really possible for us to find jobs?"

"Of course we can find it."

Li Xiaojiang stated confidently, “Objectively speaking, the Japanese job market is different from ours. As outsiders, we are doing jobs that Japanese people don't like to do. Even if Japanese people are unemployed, they are unlikely to do jobs like washing dishes, carrying bricks on construction sites, or cleaning sewers. These jobs are our opportunities to earn money. So when I say 'enduring hardship,' I don't mean whether you are willing to put in the effort. You will face situations far beyond your imagination. Construction sites are strenuous and dangerous. Cleaning sewers can make you so disgusted that you can't eat for three days. Even washing dishes requires you to adapt to hot water of 50 or 60 degrees Celsius, and your hands will be soaked in chemicals. When you first arrive in Tokyo, no matter what you do, after work you just want to sleep and don't want to do anything else. Is this the same as you imagined?”

The three Shanghai residents fell silent again. As newcomers, they had never imagined that the situation here would be so dire.

This is no ordinary way of working; it sounds like the capitalists' ruthless exploitation.

At this moment, Li Xiaojiang took out several booklets from his bag and distributed them to the three of them.

"This is a 'Tokyo Living Guide' compiled by our mutual aid association. It includes the process of registering for a language school in Tokyo, the proper channels for finding a job, things to note when renting an apartment, which hotels are the most cost-effective for temporary accommodation, how to buy things cheaply, and how to eat a meal on a budget. It also includes commonly used Japanese phrases and a Tokyo transportation map. You will definitely need it now. I'm giving it to you. Take a good look when you have time."

"If you ask me, your most pressing need right now is to settle down in Tokyo as soon as possible. I know the language school you're going to register at. I'll draw you a map in a bit. After you get off at Shinjuku, take a bus and find a cheap hotel to stay in. We'll talk about it after tonight. When you register at the language school tomorrow, the school should arrange dormitories for you. You can see if the price is reasonable then."

"Don't rush into finding a job, or you'll be more likely to be scammed. If you're really in a hurry to make money, head to Takadanobaba before 5 a.m. I'll show you; it's in the brochure. There are no horses there, only laborers. It's Tokyo's largest short-term labor market. Every morning, small businesses that need temporary workers come to recruit. Depending on the nature of the job, you can earn between 5,000 and 10,000 yen a day. That should be enough for your short-term living expenses."

"However, I must remind you that even if you encounter Chinese people there and need their help, you must be discerning. While you shouldn't be malicious, you must be wary. There are many people in Tokyo who prey on fellow Chinese. Therefore, I only suggest that you trust members of our Mainland Compatriots Mutual Aid Association. If you encounter someone claiming to be from the association, remember their membership number and call us to verify. As long as it's genuine, there shouldn't be any major problems." (End of Chapter)