Seaside City
Lin Jiang quickly became good friends with these gangsters, but they mostly saw him as a generous person who liked to treat them to food and drinks. To them, Lin Jiang was more like a fool than a true friend, because he freely spent money on barbecue and beer. They saw him as a friend who was only interested in enjoying food and drinks.
So, Lin Jiang added another part to his filming content, which was about a small gang called the Evil Tiger Gang. This gang was really small, only about twenty or thirty people, with a few experienced members who had been in trouble with the law before, and the rest were young followers from different rural areas.
They didn’t have much business, just a nightclub, a karaoke bar, and some low-grade activities like collecting protection money.
Lin Jiang mainly followed and filmed a person named Ahu, who was the top fighter of the Evil Tiger Gang. Ahu came from a rural area in Hexi Province. It was said that his ancestors were skilled warriors, but their martial arts had declined over the years. Ahu started working when he was fourteen, first in a factory. However, he ended up in a gang after facing mistreatment and not being paid for months.
One day, after getting drunk, Ahu opened up to Lin Jiang about his past. He shared that their village used to be prosperous and strong, but it slowly declined, and the once wealthy family was now poor and scattered.
Ahu once told Lin Jiang, "I know that being in a gang is not a good thing, especially for someone with education like me. But I have to do it. Many people from our village work here, and they are all honest and kind. I have to stand up for them; otherwise, they will be bullied."
After a drinking session, Ahu shared with Lin Jiang the story of his village, which used to be flourishing but eventually fell into decline, leaving the once wealthy families impoverished.
Lin Jiang also got to know a few other villagers of Ahu and started filming from the perspective of migrant workers. He wanted to capture something meaningful and shed light on how the lower class people survived in that era.
Day by day, as time passed, Lin Jiang took more and more pictures, and learned more about the hardships of the people at the bottom, such as factory workers. Although there have been many labor movements in the past few decades, the Huaxia Federation has also started to improve labor laws and increase workers’ benefits.However, it must be said that there are too many people in the Huaxia Federation, and there is no shortage of labor. Therefore, there are various illegal factories everywhere, where labor laws are disregarded. Not only are the wages low, but they are often delayed or even unpaid, and the working environment is extremely poor.
The prosperity of Haigang City is built on the blood and tears of these people.
After getting familiar with each other, Ahu took Lin Jiang to film gatherings among their fellow villagers. Most of Ahu’s fellow villagers are simple and honest people, with average education and skills.
They fit into the mindset of most ordinary people. Faced with the bustling Haigang City, they are ambitious and have many ideas. For example, many of them talk about resigning and starting their own businesses, but they are ultimately afraid to take that step. Some have financial burdens in their families, while others are afraid of losing the money they have saved after working hard for years. Of course, there are also some who just talk big without taking action.
"Mr. Lin, you are a college student, educated. Can you tell us why, despite our hard work, we are still so poor?"
"Yes, you are a college student, smart. Can you explain why we are still so poor?"
"Sure, let me analyze it for you. Here’s what I think, you can listen casually."
Lin Jiang smiled, then proceeded to analyze and summarize for them seriously.
The first thing is that your village or family lacks a person with a broad vision, like someone who does business or is involved in politics, someone who has many sources of information. The older generation cannot plan for the next generation, including yourselves, and cannot elevate the situation. They spend their whole lives working for others.
The second thing is that you siblings are all doing your own things. For example, there are ten of you and each of you works in a different field. Resources are not accumulated, and there is not enough unity.
The third thing is about mutual encouragement and help. Have you noticed that some products on the market all come from the same place? For example, clothes that are famous come from a small county near the Yun River, and daily necessities are all wholesale from a certain region.
I really admire them for this. They dare to take risks and are willing to help their own people. Once they have a successful path in a certain area, they immediately bring in their relatives, family, or fellow villagers to work together.
Their scope is wide. When their relatives and fellow villagers join in, they don’t compete with each other but cooperate to expand to other cities or regions, forming a monopoly in the same industry. As a result, the whole family and region become prosperous.
Lin Jiang’s words made everyone silent. After years of working, they are no longer naive villagers and understand the meaning behind these words, hitting them deep in their hearts.
"I understand what you mean, college student. You’re saying that I can’t achieve much alone in the Black Tiger Gang, right? I know what to do. I will call home tomorrow and bring in dozens or even hundreds of young men. We dare to fight, and sooner or later we will defeat those old folks and take their place.
In the future, we will become strong and successful. We will definitely become the strongest gang in Haigang City."
Ahu was filled with excitement at this moment, as if he had discovered the key to wealth. Making money is actually simple: have many people in the same industry, form a monopoly, and that’s it. Their village has many capable young men who are all poor. If he takes them out and shows them, shouldn’t they be grateful?
"·····"
Lin Jiang looked confused after listening. He thought they were doing legitimate business, but now he was unsure. Ahu, my brother, be careful not to drive all the young people in your village away like this.
········
"What is the purpose of mixing with them like this, sir?"
Two months later, after Lin Jiang returned home, Li Chang said to him.
"As I said, make a documentary to capture this era."
"If you need it, with a single command, a million directors can come and shoot it personally."
"What others shoot is different from what you shoot yourself."
"Sir, do you really have no other intention?"
Li Chang still doubted how much influence Lin Jiang had. He could guess that such a character wouldn’t bother with small matters.
"It’s true, just for a change of life."
"Okay, Sir, continue your game of life."
"This isn’t a game of life, it’s real life. You are all flesh and blood."
"Since the teacher thinks we are living people with kindness, why not help them?"
"A noble person keeps striving for self-improvement. Help from outsiders is not reliable, what is needed is for them to work hard on their own."
Lin Jiang shook his head, he could indeed help them. With a command, he could help them reach the peak of life. But it would be meaningless. The population of the Huaxia Federation is close to two billion now, he can’t help so many people. They still need to strive on their own, and also need the development of the times.
Li Chang immediately fell silent, he was also helpless. Besides his martial arts skills, he had nothing else. But what use are martial arts? Can they block bullets, cannons, or nuclear weapons?
In the end, it was just a sigh.
Lin Jiang didn’t understand Li Chang’s thoughts, he was just adjusting his mentality. Maybe in the face of those people, Lin Jiang appeared aloof and detached, but it didn’t stop him from continuing his life.
He needed the warmth of human life to soothe his mortal heart, this was something Li Chang would never understand.