National Tide 1980.

Ning Weimin's suggestion is a strategic-level analysis.

He spoke eloquently, his tone and expression were sincere, and he tried his best to be gentle, which made him appear very elegant.

Out of politeness, Zhao Chunshu and Nakamura Go listened patiently and tried their best to control their emotions.

However, Ning Weimin's remarks were so important that they directly affected the master and apprentice's plans for the future and the correctness of the direction they chose.

Therefore, due to the reasons of "concern leads to confusion" and "once the arrow is released, there is no turning back," no matter how hard the master and apprentice tried to hide it, their faces and expressions still revealed the violent emotional turmoil and the huge changes that had occurred in their hearts.

At first, they were filled with resistance and displeasure.

Zhao Chunshu frowned, but managed to feign composure.

Nakamura Go clenched his fists under the table, his eyes burning with fury.

But gradually their attitude changed.

As Ning Weimin explained the pros and cons, Zhao Chunshu held his breath, his gaze gradually focusing on Ning Weimin's face, becoming unusually reluctant to even blink.

Nakamura Go's eyes widened, his breathing became increasingly rapid, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, but he couldn't make a sound.

In the end, Ning Weimin used the abacus beads to analyze the accounts for them, and the master and apprentice were once again in complete agreement.

Both of them became completely lost and fell into utter silence, as if they had lost their souls.

For no other reason than that Ning Weimin almost completely punctured their false vanity and sense of security, revealing their vulnerability as outwardly strong but inwardly weak, making their last resort and original plan seem so ridiculous.

What kind of box house is this?
What independent family?
It's nothing more than a stray dog ​​that has voluntarily exiled itself.

Do they think that by passively defending themselves and persevering, they can finally reap the rewards?
Only now do I realize that I was just deceiving myself, it was all just wishful thinking.

Nothing is more embarrassing than the actual business situation and the amount of money they actually receive; they know best what kind of life they are living.

Ning Weimin is right. They have always believed that a reasonable way of life has no future and that the future will only be darker and more hopeless.

Without breaking free from preconceived notions, one can only sink deeper into difficulties and be ravaged by life at every turn.

Zhao Chunshu was scared.

Ning Weimin's words made him realize that he would face a bleak future in his later years.

From now on, he will most likely be worrying about the organization's financial difficulties every day, and his subordinates and brothers will go hungry and become depressed.

Even if he dies of old age, he might still be worrying about his debts and the future of the organization until his dying breath...

Nakamura Go was also scared.

From Ning Weimin's analysis, he saw a future where he was inadequate in his abilities, and with his master growing old, he would be unable to support the family alone and maintain the status quo.

The family he was entrusted with the box house by his master would be swallowed up by another place, and he might end up in prison or even die a violent death on the street...

But then again, this is the first time someone has so clearly analyzed where the long-standing imbalance between income and expenditure lies.

This allowed them to see so clearly where the huge hole in their organization's financial losses lay.

As the saying goes, "No destruction, no construction," after experiencing a profound and painful awakening, and discovering that people's habitual thinking is the prison that traps them, it also means that they are about to have a complete enlightenment.

Without a doubt, if someone knows perfectly well that this path is a dead end, who would be foolish enough to deliberately bang their head against a brick wall?

For them, there is only one question now—what should they do?
The answer to this question is actually quite obvious.

Only by breaking down the wall of perception can we truly gain hope and find a new way out in the midst of change.

The person who could help them do this was naturally Ning Weimin, who helped them see their own problems clearly; and it could only be the exceptionally intelligent Ning Weimin.

So when Zhao Chunshu looked up at Ning Weimin again, his eyes already showed a firm determination.

“Mr. Ning, I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. What you just said was thought-provoking and hit the nail on the head. I’ve made up my mind. I really don’t want everyone to be fighting and killing anymore. If there really is another way to go, I’m willing to give up everything I have now and choose to return to mainstream society. It’s just that with our current conditions, I really don’t know what kind of legitimate business we can do. So I’ll have to trouble you to help me think of a specific solution.”

Nakamura Go was suddenly startled; he hadn't been able to complete the shift in mindset as quickly as his master.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after a long pause, he finally shook his head.

He was a self-aware person, and honesty and straightforwardness were the core of his character. So he simply chose to trust his master's judgment.

So, just like a student who lost points in class under the teacher's test, Nakamura Go humbly bowed his head to Ning Weimin.

“Mr. Ning, I have a bad temper and know nothing but fighting and collecting protection money. Please forgive me if I offended you earlier. However, I trust my master's judgment and am willing to follow his arrangements. So please don't hesitate to teach me, and please help us roughnecks out of consideration for our shared Chinese heritage.” No one dislikes dealing with sensible people, and seeing how cooperative the master and apprentice were, Ning Weimin naturally wouldn't deliberately try to take advantage of them.

"What are you saying? I've already said that Mr. Zhao has helped me a lot, and I should repay him. Besides, you two have been so kind to me today. Moreover, we have mutual friends. No matter which reason you take, I will certainly do my best to help you. Please don't be so polite."

Without waiting for further pleasantries, Ning Weimin continued to elaborate on his ideas, helping the master and apprentice to broaden their understanding and expand their thinking.

"Actually, you two don't need to belittle yourselves. While I did mention the many disadvantages of the Yakuza, conversely, every life experience has its advantages. Take you two, for example. If you were to form a company, even if you had given up your Yakuza identity and stopped engaging in the shady business, your team would still maintain its cohesion, with clear hierarchical relationships. Strict discipline and unity would lead to high efficiency. It's somewhat like being in the military. Isn't that your competitive advantage? Furthermore, compared to ordinary people, you certainly have more social experience. Your methods will be more flexible, adaptable, pragmatic, and courageous. These are abilities that ordinary people don't possess. Am I right?"

If Ning Weimin's analysis just now severely damaged the confidence of the master and apprentice...

These words undoubtedly made Zhao Chunshu and Nakamura Go realize their own value again.

Their hearts throbbed again, and their eyes blazed with intense heat.

Indeed, they are not entirely without merit. What Ning Weimin pointed out is precisely the key difference between them and ordinary people.

People in their line of work may include many scoundrels and scumbags, most of whom have bad habits such as greed, lust, troublemaking, and a liking for violence.

But there are absolutely no cowards, and no underlings who dare to disobey their bosses. The foundation of the survival of Japanese community organizations is obedience.

“Mr. Ning, I can’t speak for other things. But my men are absolutely unquestionable in terms of loyalty and obedience. Even if you ask them to jump off a building or cut off their fingers, they will do it without question.”

Nakamura Go made such a confident statement, yet his tone betrayed the chivalrous spirit he had cultivated over the years.

But he really couldn't think of any use this would have for Zhengxing. He leaned forward slightly and couldn't help but ask respectfully, "Mr. Ning, what can we do with these skills? Whether it's opening a restaurant, a shop, a hotel, or a bathhouse, it seems like we don't need these abilities, do we?"

Nakamura Go's linear thinking, which lacked any flexibility, made Ning Weimin laugh.

He had just mentioned the drawbacks of Yakuza opening stores directly, but Nakamura Go acted as if he hadn't heard a word of it.

This only shows that Nakamura Gou lacks shrewdness and is still somewhat lacking in ability to become Zhao Chunshu's successor.

However, when he met Zhao Chunshu's equally puzzled gaze, Ning Weimin knew better than to be too frivolous.

He composed himself, then became serious and said earnestly, "Working in a legitimate industry doesn't necessarily mean the kind of business Nakamura-san just mentioned. What you want to do and what you're capable of doing are two different things; it depends on the specific circumstances. Ordinary industries are too competitive. If it's not a business that allows you to fully utilize your strengths and earn high profits, then everything you do might be meaningless. It might even worsen your future survival difficulties. Actually, everyone knows the law of survival: endure what others cannot endure, and do what others cannot do. Endurance is one line, capability is another; the gap between the two is not only the opportunity for survival but also the profit margin. Therefore, we must find an industry where you can best endure and leverage your strengths."

Zhao Chunshu, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, saying, "The logic is correct, but does such an industry really exist? To be honest, I also feel that our skills are only useful for lending money, guarding brothels, and collecting protection money; they're completely useless in other areas. Besides, if such a good thing really existed, the Yakuza would have already taken notice of it."

Ning Weimin remained calm, displaying a confident and well-thought-out plan in the face of questions.

"Nothing is absolute. Our biggest opportunity lies in the changes brought about by societal shifts. What's the biggest change right now? The Japanese economy has collapsed, money is harder to earn, and a large number of Japanese people are getting old. What I can see is that as the economy continues to decline, the pressure to survive will increase. The rising suicide rate indicates that Japan as a whole is entering an aging society and is beginning to experience a mass death wave. So my advice might sound unusual to you—you should go into the funeral industry. This is a new demand that is destined to grow the fastest in the future."

He picked up the wine glass on the table, took a sip, glanced at the sudden change in the expressions of the master and apprentice, and added in a calm tone, "Don't rush to resist. The special nature of this industry can perfectly match your strengths. What others avoid is actually a benefit that no one can take away from you as you start over."

Funeral industry!
Making money off dead people!
This is indeed quite special.

In particular, Ning Weimin defined this matter as a business need, and he listened to it so casually and indifferently.

Upon hearing this, both Zhao Chunshu and Nakamura Gou showed expressions of disbelief and a touch of horror.

One said, "But...but this is something we've never done before..."

Another person said, "And isn't this a bit unlucky...?"

Ning Weimin had anticipated their concerns and reservations, but he was not discouraged. Instead, he continued to provide in-depth analysis for the two of them.

"As I just said, you have to do things based on your own conditions. You can't blindly follow others' advantages and compete head-on. You have to play to your strengths and abandon your weaknesses, fill in the gaps, learn to survive in the cracks, and make a fortune quietly. I know that everyone is quite averse to this industry and feels it's unlucky. But on the other hand, we also have to see that birth, aging, illness, and death are basic human needs. It is precisely because most people are unwilling to do this that this industry has become extremely profitable."

"As far as I know, the overall profit margin of Japan's funeral industry can reach 50%, far exceeding that of ordinary service industries. For core services such as altars, the price difference can be hundreds of thousands of yen, making it one of the important sources of high profits. The average price of a funeral is nearly one million yen, and the profit is not much different from that of a wedding. The price per square meter of a cemetery plot is much more expensive than the price per square meter of a house for the living. And even with the current real estate crash, it remains strong. It is said that even the job of carrying the dead down from apartment buildings is quite lucrative."

"To put it bluntly, this industry is incredibly lucrative, and its profits will only continue to grow due to increasing demand. Isn't that worth it for you? The reason this industry wasn't noticed by the Yakuza in the past is probably because being a Yakuza is a high-risk profession, and Japanese society is very superstitious. People are inherently averse to death, which is why they avoid it like the plague. Also, the industry isn't very large, and making money is done discreetly. But now, I think it's the best choice for you. Anyway, you won't be risking your lives anymore, so why worry about these taboos? Besides, making money isn't shameful. Enduring what others cannot endure is the first principle; it's up to you to decide..."

Ning Weimin's words completely refreshed the master and apprentice's understanding of the funeral industry.

Zhao Chunshu nodded and said, "Now that you've explained it, it does seem a bit more insightful. But... is this line of work really that easy? If I were to actually get started, I wouldn't have a single clue."

Nakamura Goya seemed to have a lot of hope, "If the profits are really that high, then it's definitely worth it. But opening a cemetery and funeral home isn't that easy, is it? I heard it requires a lot of money. We only have so little money..."

"If you truly believe in this path and can overcome the hurdle of enduring what others cannot, then don't worry about what comes next. I've already figured out the specifics of how to do it for you. Let me explain how you can achieve what others cannot."

Ning Weimin then began to discuss specific operations, as this was the part he was most interested in and that could potentially benefit him.

He finally showed a hint of smugness, a commanding air about him. (End of Chapter)