National Tide 1980.

"Not at all, it's all just what I should do."

Li Xiaojiang also picked up a can of beer, opened it, and responded, "Back when you were at Takadaobaba, you helped us Beijingers a lot. Now that we're all members of the mutual aid association, there's even less need to be polite. Shanghai or Beijing, we're all descendants of Yan and Huang, compatriots of the Chinese nation."

After finishing his drink, his tone turned serious. "It's just that there are always these scoundrels among our compatriots who scheme against their own people; it's disgusting. I want to investigate this Zhang Jinlong. If he wants to infiltrate our mutual aid association, we certainly can't let such a black sheep remain. Even if he's not a member, we have to warn him and not let him continue to cheat. Otherwise, it will not only damage the trust among our compatriots in Tokyo, but sooner or later it will also damage the overall reputation of Chinese people in Japan."

Chu Haoran's expression also darkened. "Yes, you're right. We can't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch. But I'd better handle this matter myself. After all, this Zhang Jinlong is from Shanghai. It will be easier for me to investigate."

And that wasn't all. After taking a big gulp of beer, Chu Haoran actually said even more things that made people feel uncomfortable.

"Now, more and more compatriots from the Republic are coming to Tokyo. Due to the mixed quality of people and selfishness, there are more and more instances of infighting among us. Many of these incidents are infuriating to hear about. If someone like Zhang Jinlong were just a purely bad person, it would be easier to deal with. But the worst situation is when it's difficult to clarify the responsibility and distinguish right from wrong."

"Like back in October, a Shanghai-based student named Xiao Wu came to me for help. I finally managed to get him a job as a cook at a noodle shop. The Japanese owner treated him well, hiring him to work eight hours every night, paying him 800 yen per hour, providing a meal, and even covering his transportation costs. Life was pretty good. But Xiao Wu got carried away and, to show off, told his classmate about it. He didn't mean anything by it, but his classmate pretended to visit him at the shop and, thanks to his good Japanese, struck up a conversation with the owner. After much pleading, the owner agreed to let him work there. But less than a month later, the owner complained about Xiao Wu's poor Japanese and fired him."

"This Xiao Wu is unemployed again. He came to me crying. But what should I do? Xiao Wu's classmate is certainly wrong, selfish to the point of being unscrupulous. But doesn't Xiao Wu himself have any problems? And even after things have come to this point, Xiao Wu actually wants me to tell the Japanese boss to fire the classmate who speaks better Japanese and keep him. Do you think he's out of his mind? How can he be so clueless? This is Japan, survival of the fittest, there is competition, not like in China where you can just ask a favor."

"There's another girl from Shanghai. Her surname is Han. She came to Tokyo this summer. Because she didn't have money, she worked for a few months before going to language school. Now the semester is almost over, and her attendance rate is definitely below 80%. Her visa is in trouble now. The head of the language school is from Taiwan. He took her to ask the principal, who said he could change the attendance rate, but he required the girl to sleep with him. The girl's roommate is one of our members, and she came to me for help. I suggested that the girl surnamed Han collect evidence and sue the principal and the head of the school, saying that the mutual aid society could help her and provide her with a lawyer, so she didn't have to be afraid of anything. However, she changed her mind at the last minute, felt that the chances of winning were slim, and refused. Someone even told me that she was actually considering whether to agree to such a condition. Isn't that infuriating?"

"Oh, how infuriating! I truly hate their lack of ambition and pity their misfortune!"

Li Xiaojiang's voice was a little distorted. He gulped down a can of beer, then crushed it with a "crunch".

"What you said really hurts to hear. I really want to beat up those two people you mentioned and wake them up. But I can't actually do it. Isn't that frustrating?"

"Absolutely. This also shows that the situations we will face in the future will definitely become more and more complicated. It is indeed a long and arduous task to truly improve the situation of our compatriots in Tokyo. Many things cannot be solved simply by expanding the size of the mutual aid association, letting everyone stick together for warmth, and trying their best to punish evil and promote good. At the same time, we must also pay attention to building the correct beliefs in our hearts. To put it bluntly, people must first learn to know themselves, love themselves, be confident, and be self-reliant. Otherwise, if you are not self-reliant, it will be useless even if others want to help you."

Li Xiaojiang genuinely agrees with this.

"Yes, in this foreign land, those bad people are certainly despicable, but if our people can develop a correct understanding of Japan as a country, and first learn how to love themselves, protect themselves, and maintain their dignity in this society, then these scoundrels won't have any opportunity to take advantage of us!"

"Yes, that's right, that's exactly the point. Our country is poor, and everyone comes here to make money or seek a better future. But we're not Japanese, after all. We can't come here to make money or seek a better future and willingly sell ourselves like Granny Azaki in the movie. We can't even sell our dignity or our conscience. If we did that, what would be the point of success at such a price? On the contrary, as long as everyone always remembers that they are descendants of Yan and Huang, and understands what kind of success we're here for, even if we're poor, we can stay true to our original aspirations and never reach that point."

Chu Haoran patted Li Xiaojiang on the shoulder, his tone becoming more composed, "However, don't be too hasty. These things take time. In any case, at least we still have a mutual aid association, and it's rapidly growing, doubling in size and strength since last year. That's a good thing. Didn't someone get their owed wages back with the help of our mutual aid association? Didn't we rescue someone who was tricked into working in a sex bar? The mutual aid association isn't omnipotent, and its role is currently limited, but without it, things would be absolutely impossible."

At this point, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he took out his briefcase from the side, opened it, and pulled out a stack of manuscripts full of writing.

"After saying so much unpleasant stuff, I have some good news to share! Our president, although he hasn't visited the mutual aid society or met with everyone yet, has met with me at the 'Foggy Weekly.' We had a special discussion, and given the mutual aid society's smooth development and the fact that membership will soon exceed two thousand, the president plans to start a newspaper for the society, tentatively named 'Tokyo Life,' to be published monthly! The main content will be things closely related to the lives and studies of our fellow Chinese compatriots in Tokyo."

"In the future, all information related to our system, such as job postings, special offers, missing person notices, secondhand items for sale, money-saving tips, shops and restaurants with high cost-performance ratios, as well as the latest news in the Tokyo Chinese community, the Japanese government's attitude towards us outsiders, and newly promulgated laws and regulations, will be printed on the system. Every compatriot will be able to get it, and with information flowing smoothly, everyone's life will be more convenient."

"Of course, we will also promptly disclose good deeds and bad deeds within our community, based on the living conditions of our fellow Chinese. For Japanese businesses and institutions that we frequently deal with, we will provide trusted and untrusted lists, as well as tips on preventing fraud. This will at least greatly enhance everyone's vigilance and security awareness, and tell everyone how to deal with similar problems, so that fewer people will suffer losses!"

As expected, Li Xiaojiang and Sun Wufu perked up immediately after he said that.

"That's great! This is really wonderful!"

Li Xiaojiang jumped up and then crawled under the bed. "This deserves a good celebration! I have two bottles of Moutai here, which I brought back from China last time. They're my treasures. Let's take them out and have a few drinks today, and use these canned goods as snacks!"

"Don't use these!" Sun Wufu waved his hand, got up, grabbed his coat, and walked out. "I'm tired of these canned goods. I brought them here so you could try them. I still have some in my car, and some things I bought at the supermarket in the trunk. Those are for the people working overtime tonight as a late-night snack. Since everyone's so happy today and wants to have a drink, I'll call them to buy some more. I'll take out what's in my car and give everyone some to drink with!"

Ten minutes later, when Sun Wufu brought up the food—sushi, sea urchin rice, grilled eel, fried chicken nuggets, yakitori skewers—the table was filled with a dazzling array of dishes.

Both Chu Haoran and Li Xiaojiang stared in astonishment, their mouths agape.

Li Xiaojiang, in particular, almost bit his tongue after taking a bite of the food, because it was so delicious and plentiful.

"Old Sun, you still say you haven't struck it rich? Is this what you eat on a daily basis? You even have fried sea bream. If I didn't know you came to Tokyo to collect junk, I would have thought you were rich landlords. Your meal must cost at least 1,500 yen. That's equivalent to two days' worth of food for one person here."

"Hey, it's not as good as you say. I only bought this sea bream because it was on sale today. Besides, we're all manual laborers. Unlike you guys, we need to eat better, otherwise we won't have the energy."

"That's way too much of a difference. I've decided that from now on, whenever I pass by your Big Knife Industry, I'm definitely going to mooch a meal. Don't you dare kick me out."

"No, absolutely not. You're welcome anytime." Sun Wufu could only agree with a simple, honest smile.

Chu Haoran picked up a sea bream with his chopsticks, but couldn't help teasing, "Xiao Jiang, it seems you're really not good at being a 'human trafficker.' No wonder you envy Lao Sun so much. I understand now; just look at his food standards—he's already several levels above you. Aren't you feeling particularly resentful and inferior right now?"

This was, of course, a joke; Chu Haoran was only looking forward to the fun of teasing Li Xiaojiang.

However, Li Xiaojiang scratched his head, his gaze sweeping over the color TV and VCR on the table, then landing on the newspaper draft in Chu Haoran's hand and the insulated box that Sun Wufu had just brought up, and suddenly he became a little distracted.

It should be noted that Li Xiaojiang had never met Sun Wufu when he first came to Japan; they did not know each other at that time.

However, after the mutual aid association was established, Li Xiaojiang heard Sun Wufu talk about the situation at that time.

Back then, Sun Wufu and his men would push carts to the scrap yard every day, getting tanned like charcoal and wearing out several pairs of rubber shoes. Even with blisters on their feet from walking the streets of Tokyo, they couldn't afford even a bowl of hot ramen with the yen in their pockets, thinking it was too expensive.

Who would have thought that the Big Knife Industry would develop so quickly under Sun Wufu's leadership? He is now the president of a medium-sized company with over a hundred employees.

The company not only upgraded its equipment, owning five or six trucks specifically for hauling goods and dedicated drivers, but even Sun Wufu himself became a car owner.
Even though it's just a second-hand Suzuki, it's still quite remarkable.

After all, parking fees in Tokyo are not cheap. Sun Wufu's ability to drive around so freely is more extravagant than most Japanese people, something Li Xiaojiang can only envy.

Moreover, whenever they mention a get-together, they bring out so much delicious food from their car that they don't even want to eat canned tuna and canned beef.

No matter how you look at it, it's clear that his life is much more comfortable than Li Xiaojiang's; that's a fact.

And then there's Chu Haoran.

Before the mutual aid association was established, in order to help his fellow villagers find jobs, he had to run to Takadababa in the early morning and eat cold steamed buns by the campfire of oil drums in the cold wind.

When he met Japanese bosses who needed temporary workers, he could only rely on his excellent Japanese to nod and bow and say nice things to them.

He was powerless against his Japanese boss's deliberate withholding of wages and his discriminatory attitude towards Chinese people.

But now?

He became the vice president of the Mainland Compatriots Mutual Aid Association, where he held absolute power in the Takadanobaba circle. He united many Chinese from the mainland into one, and with the help of the association, he helped many people get justice.

As a result, not only do Japanese bosses who hire odd jobs no longer dare to treat Chinese people harshly, but some people also specifically contact Chu Haoran because of his prestige in Takadanobaba and his position as vice president of the mutual aid association. They ask him to hire Chinese people to work for them, thus forming a stable and friendly cooperative relationship.

Furthermore, he would soon be setting up his own publication for the mutual aid society, becoming a true editor-in-chief.

This earth-shattering change seems unreal, like a dream.

So much so that Li Xiaojiang forgot to argue with Chu Haoran for a moment.

Coming to his senses, he gave a wry smile, his tone surprisingly magnanimous.

"You're wrong about that. It's a good thing that everyone is doing better than me. Why would I be resentful? I'm just happy for everyone. Not just Old Sun, but you too. Have you heard that song? 'As long as you're doing better than me, doing better than me, nothing can defeat you, until you're old...'"

Well, as he was talking, he actually sang a bit, which not only amused Sun Wufu, but also left Chu Haoran a little speechless.

"No, Xiao Jiang, are you... are you alright today? When did you become so magnanimous? Did something happen to you?"

"Hey, you're mistaken. I've never been stingy."

Li Xiaojiang not only took the opportunity to express his gratitude for the good fortune he had brought upon himself, but also couldn't help but reveal a bit of emotion, "As for being stimulated, you know what, I really am a little bit. Looking at how we are today, I couldn't help but think about how we used to be. Things have changed so much. Every one of us is much better off than before."

“That’s right!” Sun Wufu couldn’t help but chime in, his hand pausing as he turned on the TV.

Her eyes shone like stars as she turned around. "When I first came here, I never imagined I'd have such a wonderful day. The chairman once told me, 'The Japanese throw away trash, but we're picking up wealth.' I still remember those words. It's so great! Now we're not only making money, but we can also help others. Just thinking about this makes me so excited. Coming to Japan with the chairman was totally worth it. I feel like I've lived a worthwhile life."

Chu Haoran put down his chopsticks, leaned against the table, and nodded with a sigh. "Yes, especially the president's decision to establish a mutual aid association, which has united everyone. This is truly meaningful. At least from now on, we mainland compatriots in Tokyo are no longer a disorganized mess being bullied. Look at us now, we have dormitories, a meeting place, funds, our own legal department, and in the future, we'll even have our own newspaper. In another two years, we might even be able to open branches in other parts of Japan, benefiting even more compatriots. I wonder what it will be like then."

He raised his glass, saying, "To be honest, we owe everything we have today to Chairman Ning's promotion. I originally came to Tokyo just to make some money, but now I've found a more meaningful life. This glass should be a toast to the chairman first, even though he's not here."

A warm feeling welled up inside Li Xiaojiang, and he remembered Ning Weimin's promise to cooperate with him.

"Xiao Jiang, you're energetic and have a good eye. Running an overseas employment agency is perfect for you; you're sure to make a lot of money. But I have to remind you, the money we're making comes with the hopes of other families. So I support you, no problem. When the company is established, I'm fine with you taking the lion's share of the profits. I just hope you don't treat this business as just a business; try to consider the survival of our compatriots in Japan and make as many arrangements as possible, okay?"

Now he finally understood that Ning Weimin wasn't just making empty promises or putting on an act; he genuinely hoped that Chinese people in Japan could gain a foothold in Tokyo and achieve dignity and meaningful lives.

"Respectfully, Chairman!" Li Xiaojiang readily agreed.

Looking at his two brothers, the food and drinks on the table, and the television that was on, he suddenly felt a surge of anticipation for the future.

He picked up a bottle of Moutai he had just brought from his dormitory to join in the fun, saying, "Let's toast ourselves too! From now on, let's follow Chairman Ning and make the mutual aid association bigger and bigger, so that our compatriots in Japan know that we have our own support here!"

At this moment, the wind outside is blowing even harder, and it has even started to snow.

But the atmosphere in the room was scorching hot.

The three of them took a sip of Moutai together; the pungent liquor slid down their throats, warming each of them and sending shivers down their spines. (End of Chapter)