National Tide 1980.

The Chinese community in Japan is relatively complex in composition.

In addition to the descendants of Chinese who settled here to start businesses in the early years, there are also laborers who were captured by Japan from China during World War II, as well as new Chinese immigrants from Southeast Asia and Hong Kong and Taiwan after the war.

Starting in the 1980s, in order to improve its international standing and replenish its workforce, Japan increased the number of trainees and international students coming to the Republic.

As a result, by the 1990s, Chinese people in Japan had become the largest foreign group among all immigrant groups in the country.

Given this, the group is bound to be a mix of good and bad, and they may even be unable to reach a consensus on a spiritual level.

For every person who hates Japan, there is someone who fawns over it.

Some people are deeply attached to the land of China and take pride in their bloodline.

Some people, on the other hand, hate that they are not Japanese and wish they could sever all ties with their past poverty and hardship.

For Ning Weimin, he could actually accurately gauge the closeness or distance between most people in this group.

scale.

He will treat all those who identify as descendants of Yan and Huang and who identify with Chinese culture with kindness and will do his best to help them.

If not, if they don't even acknowledge their own bloodline, then he will only show contempt and distance himself from them.

This is his principle and his bottom line.

He applied the same standard even when dealing with fellow townsmen from Beijing.

In Ning Weimin's worldview, it's okay to study in Japan, work in Japan, earn money from Japanese people, marry a Japanese woman, or even settle here long-term.

He believes that from a personal perspective, it is perfectly understandable to want to improve one's living conditions and strive for personal happiness.

However, those who come to Japan and begin to admire the powerful, believing that Japanese people are more noble than their Chinese compatriots, especially those who try every means to become Japanese and acquire Japanese citizenship.

Sorry, he will block and unfollow them all, refusing to acknowledge them as his compatriots.

Even those who have already joined the mutual aid society will be kicked out by him, their membership will be cancelled, and a rift will be drawn from then on.

Don't ever say that you're still Chinese even if you change your nationality; that's nonsense.

Does becoming Japanese mean I'll still have to pay taxes to the Republic?

Moreover, people born in peacetime are not caught up in war. If someone is willing to easily give up their nationality just to live a slightly better life, what is this if not being opportunistic and forgetting morality?
As for true traitors and collaborators, they were naturally seen as thorns in Ning Weimin's side.

Take, for example, Ishihira, who went to Japan to study in 1988. This guy was destined to become a notorious traitor.

From the day Ning Weimin discovered that this guy was studying in Japan and had submitted an application to join the mutual aid society, he had no intention of letting him go.

He first spent a small amount of money to hire someone to collect information on this guy's shameless words and deeds. When the information was enough to send this guy to prison with solid evidence, he made a formal report to Bian Gang and Zheng Qiang, two comrades from special departments who had always been by his side.

It's safe to say that soon, after verification by relevant domestic departments, Shi Ping will definitely be arrested and spend the rest of his life in jail as soon as he returns to China to visit relatives.

Let alone the fact that he will never have the chance to complete his studies, obtain a Japanese degree, and become like Taro Ishihei in this lifetime.

He'll probably be unable to find a decent job after he gets out of prison, and he's destined to spend the rest of his life in poverty to atone for his sins.

In conclusion, Ning Weimin has always maintained a clear and firm stance on his compatriots.

He can be like Guanyin Bodhisattva, offering a helping hand to his fellow countrymen who are struggling to make a living.

But when it comes to traitors who betray their country for personal gain, he can also be a fierce and unforgiving wrathful warrior.

However, despite this, there are still some special circumstances that make him feel quite conflicted about certain interpersonal relationships, and he is not quite able to grasp the right balance.

That is, how to deal with those Chinese compatriots who joined the Yakuza in Japan and made a living by engaging in illegal businesses.

Take Zhao Chunshu, for example.

From a legal perspective, this person, as a veteran of the Inagawa-kai and the second-in-command with a superior position, has spent half his life in Japanese yakuza groups and is considered a quintessential heretic by ordinary people.

Ning Weimin didn't need to think to know that there's no tiger that doesn't eat meat.

Behind Zhao Chunshu's current outward appearance of trying his best to hide his sharpness, he must have been involved in many illegal activities, and he probably has a lot of blood debts and cases on his hands.

For a legitimate businessman like him, getting too involved with this person would inevitably attract the attention of the Japanese police, and who knows how much trouble that would follow.

However, from another perspective, Zhao Chunshu, as a Chinese, can be regarded as a model of patriotism among Chinese in Japan.

He has lived in Japan for so many years, yet he has always insisted on not changing his original name and is proud of his Chinese identity.

He also showed great care for overseas Chinese in Japan, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with his sense of patriotism.

This is more precious than gold, and truly admirable.

Not to mention, Zhao Chunshu had also helped Ning Weimin, personally stepping in to resolve a problem caused by Suo Ikuo.

Whether from a personal or moral standpoint, Ning Weimin couldn't bring himself to feel any ill will towards him; on the contrary, he always felt indebted to him.

That's why Ning Weimin felt so conflicted when Ah Xia from Hong Kong called, cautiously conveying that Zhao Chunshu had long admired his business acumen and wanted to meet him to learn some business advice.

See? Not only will it bring no benefit, but it could also lead to endless troubles.

Without a doubt, this is an act of creating trouble out of nothing and planting a landmine for oneself.

Regardless of Ning Weimin's current career plan, which is gradually taking shape and progressing smoothly step by step.

Based on his understanding of the future, he knew that Japan would soon pass legislation to use the full power of the nation to suppress the Japanese underworld in all aspects, until most Yakuza were forced to be abandoned by society and face the inevitable historical trend of social death.

He didn't want to associate with Japanese gangsters or get involved in their karma.

But if I don't meet with them, it would seem like I'm being ungrateful.

Ning Weimin really couldn't bring himself to do something like "using people when needed and discarding them when not needed."

Moreover, this matter also involves the face of his important business partner in the port city—Ah Xia.

Ning Weimin knew perfectly well why A-Xia wanted to ask him this question; he was well aware that A-Xia had been hiding in Japan for several years entirely under Zhao Chunshu's protection.

Therefore, he could easily imagine that if A-Xia couldn't arrange for Zhao Chunshu to meet with him, it would be a significant moral burden for her, and she wouldn't know what price she would have to pay to repay it in the future.

In conclusion, after much deliberation and weighing the pros and cons from all aspects,

Ning Weimin ultimately decided to give Xia face and go meet with Zhao Chunshu.

He believed that Zhao Chunshu wanted to see him not to cause him trouble. The most likely explanation was that Zhao Chunshu was genuinely facing business difficulties.

If this meeting is indeed, as the other party claims, merely an attempt to seek guidance, then for him, it might be the best opportunity to repay a favor.

Even considering the worst-case scenario, he believes that as long as he adheres to his bottom line and maintains a proper distance from the other party, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Even if the Japanese police take notice of him because of this, it's not a big deal.

To put it bluntly, do you mean that Japanese yakuza organizations don't do business anymore? Do they stop dealing with legitimate businessmen?
He could easily explain that he was coerced and tempted by the Inagawa-kai in a business deal, which forced him to meet them.

Japanese police can't just cause trouble for him without any real evidence, can they?
Having made up his mind, he sent a message to Zhao Chunshu through A-Xia.

He said he was willing to meet, but he would not go to the other party's organization headquarters, nor would he accept a welcome ceremony with a strong association affiliation.

He wanted to keep a low profile and avoid any ostentation. He preferred to meet in a semi-public setting, in a typical business setting, making it as ordinary and aboveboard as possible.

"learn."

Xia is very smart. With her understanding of Ning Weimin's temperament, she knows that he hates risks and trouble. He doesn't want to attract the attention of the Inagawa-kai's rivals, and he also hopes to avoid the Metropolitan Police Department's listening devices.

Having grasped the meaning, she relayed it to Zhao Chunshu without any deviation.

Zhao Chunshu readily agreed, and the next day he had A-Xia relay the meeting time and address to Ning Weimin.

He said he would be waiting for Ning Weimin's arrival at "Otake no Yu" in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture, in three days.

…………

As the name suggests, you can probably guess from the name that "Ōtake no Yu" is a hot spring inn.

On the afternoon of December 28, Ning Weimin got into a Toyota Crown driven by a driver. After a little over an hour's drive, braving the occasional light snow, they arrived at the meeting place.

Sure enough, even before we reached our destination, we could see the lanterns that marked the hot spring inn lit up in the twilight.

The soft, warm light shone through the snowflakes drifting in the wind, illuminating not only the "Otake no Yu" sign at the entrance but also casting dappled shadows on the road in front of the inn.

Ning Weimin got out of the car and stood at the door, quite satisfied with his initial impression of the meeting place.

Just from the faint music emanating from inside, the boisterous sounds of guests laughing and drinking, and the faint mist rising from the sky above the backyard, he knew that the business here must be very good and there must be quite a few customers.

Meeting in such a public business setting is just like most business interactions, and probably no one would think that his contact with Zhao Chunshu this time was abnormal.

He only came to the appointment to take a shower, have a meal, and casually discuss business.

Besides, it's the end of the year now, a time when businessmen love to build relationships, so no one can really say anything wrong with it.

Therefore, Ning Weimin felt quite at ease and entered the hot spring hotel with his bodyguard Bian Gang, while the driver went to settle in on his own.

What happened next fully demonstrated the thoroughness and appropriateness of Zhao Chunshu's arrangements today.

Ning Weimin had no worries at all. As soon as he gave his name, he was led directly to the east corridor of the hotel by a hotel maid.

The inn is laid out in a traditional Japanese style, with each room's sliding door covered with washi paper depicting pine branches, and a faint scent of sandalwood wafting through the corridors.

This atmosphere not only relaxed Ning Weimin, but also pleased him that the direction the maid led him to was becoming quieter and quieter, gradually isolating him from the noise.

Soon, the noise and commotion that could be heard when we first came in disappeared, and even the sound of footsteps on the tatami mats became softer.

As for their final destination, it was undoubtedly the relatively private large room at the end of the corridor.

The reason Ning Weimin was so certain was because he saw it from a distance; there were several young men who were clearly sentries standing there.

This is not surprising. After all, Zhao Chunshu is a veteran of the Inagawa-kai. It would be inappropriate for him not to have a few subordinates with him for security. It would be tantamount to not valuing his own life.

These guards were clearly not to be underestimated.

Although they were just wearing sweaters and jackets, unlike in the movies where everyone is a pretentious show-off in a black suit.

But they all had arrogant eyes, and they would wave away any bystanders with a wave of their hands, showing that they were used to being arrogant.

But that's precisely why the contrast that follows is so striking.

It seems that Zhao Chunshu had given prior instructions, because these people, who looked somewhat intimidating, were actually quite polite to Ning Weimin and Bian Gang, bowing to them upon meeting.

What's particularly surprising is that these people can also speak Chinese, although not very well, but they can understand it.

In particular, a man who looked like a minor leader, after confirming Ning Weimin's identity as a guest, did not even conduct a body search, but personally opened the sliding door of the private room for them.

As a result, Ning Weimin's slight nervousness vanished instantly.

He now only feels that Zhao Chunshu respects him very much and trusts him quite a bit, so he can't help but feel more favorably toward him.

As for everything inside the private room, the other party had clearly put more effort into the preparations.

Upon opening the door, Ning Weimin immediately saw a thick, soft crimson velvet cushion on the tatami mat, and exquisite kaiseki cuisine laid out on a lacquered tray on the low table.

The tuna sushi adorned with gold leaf, the grilled Wagyu beef smoked with pine needles, the steaming matsutake mushroom dobinmushi, and a large bottle of twelve-year-old Gekkeikan sake all had incredibly enticing aromas.

Most importantly, Zhao Chunshu, the host of today's dinner, had already arrived.

Moreover, when the door was opened, Zhao Chunshu and another person were sitting on the tatami mats inside the room, drinking tea and playing chess at a low table.

Judging from their appearance, it's clear they've been in the room for quite some time.

Even so, upon hearing the door open and seeing Ning Weimin, Zhao Chunshu immediately stood up, eagerly and with a beaming smile, to greet the guest.

"Mr. Ning, we've been waiting for you! I'm really sorry to have asked you to do something difficult today and caused you trouble."

He doesn't have the slightest air of authority; where is the aura of a triad boss?

Such an attitude demonstrates their sincerity.

Ning Weimin felt even more pleased with himself. When Zhao Chunshu extended his hand, he smiled and replied, "Mr. Zhao, you are too kind. I am honored to have you think so highly of me and to have received your invitation."

However, there was one thing that Ning Weimin hadn't anticipated.

He thought today was just a one-on-one meeting between himself and Zhao Chunshu, but he didn't expect that there was another person with Zhao Chunshu.

This person, who looks to be in his thirties, has a faint scar at the corner of his eye that extends from his brow bone to his cheekbone. Both his temperament and his rugged appearance exude a sharp and aggressive aura.

This inevitably made Ning Weimin somewhat wary and uneasy, and he couldn't help but ask, "Who is this?" (End of this chapter)