Chapter 21: Be united when you are away from home

'Mr. Yan, what are you doing? Get up quickly. We have actually been trying to find a solution to your problem. After all, we are fellow countrymen, and you are older than us. You are humbling us by doing this!'

Chen Shuyin, Li Yang and the other two young students had never seen anything like this before. They panicked and tried to help Master Yan up, one after the other. After all, kneeling is the highest form of respect for people, both in the past and in the present, in China and abroad. These students from the finance class were very kind people. Although they were furious at Master Yan's wife's actions, they felt bad when they saw that Master Yan had knelt down for them.

Only Zhou Ming remained calm. It wasn't that he was cold-blooded, but that he had seen more of the world in two lives. Yan Shi obviously saw Zhou Ming's calmness too, and he immediately pulled his son's hands. Yan Xu followed suit and knelt down, saying, 'Brother and sister, I know that this time I know that my mother has wronged you, but I only have one mother, and I apologise to you for her no matter what her fault is. I beg you to help my mother. As long as you help, I will do whatever you want, I promise. I will give you my autograph when I grow up and turn 18!'

Yan Xu's innocent words made Zhou Ming laugh. Then he said to Yan Xu, 'Your name is Yan Xu, right? Since your father hasn't taught you, I'll teach you. A man's knees have gold. Never kneel casually, got it?'

Facing Zhou Ming's explanation, Yan Xu nodded blankly and replied, "Got it." Zhou Ming suddenly turned his face and said, 'If you know, then why don't you get up?'

When Zhou Ming said this, Yan Xu subconsciously stood up. The imposing manner that Zhou Ming had cultivated through so much experience was very obvious when it was applied to him. Even Yan Shi was stunned for the first time. Then Yan Shi turned around to say something, but Zhou Ming was already prepared and said to him, 'Mr. Yan, and you too, please stand up as well. Your trick of forcing me to comply by kneeling is not very clever.'

'Zhou Ming, I didn't mean it...'

Yan Shi was flustered and about to explain, but Zhou Ming interrupted him: 'Mr Yan, you don't need to explain. Your eyes just now have betrayed your true thoughts.'

Yan Shi looked at Zhou Ming in horror, because Zhou Ming's words were like a knife stuck into his heart. He couldn't imagine how Zhou Ming had guessed this. He was so young and yet so calm, which was truly terrifying!

Yan Shi's expression made Chen Yexu, Li Yang and the others look at him with great contempt: 'What kind of person is this? Obviously, you did something wrong, and now you're coming here and trying to play the moral high ground. You're just as shameless as your wife. Birds of a feather flock together.'

Zhou Ming didn't mock Yan Shi anymore, but just calmly looked at him and said, 'Mr. Yan, can you get up and speak now?'

Only then did Master Yan stand up, sitting carefully in front of Zhou Ming, not even daring to sit with more than half his bottom on the chair. He was even more scared by Zhou Ming's current calmness, and he simply couldn't figure out what Zhou Ming was going to do.

After Master Yan was seated, Zhou Ming asked him, 'Master Yan, I'm actually very curious as to why you've come to see me. First of all, this has nothing to do with me, and secondly, it's not up to me to handle it or anything. Huang Yi's association is only called the Chinese Students Association, and I think you must understand, Master Yan.'

'Of course I understand, but I have no choice,' Master Yan sighed. 'The police station said that bail is not allowed for a major case and a special person. I wanted to go to the embassy, but they said that since we have become American citizens, we are no longer under their jurisdiction. I have gone to the community, the district council, the city government, and all the relevant departments I can find, but none of them can help me, so I have no choice but to come to you.'

'I heard Yan Xu say that you once went to the Weida community to promote it, that you are running for councilor, and that you also have a mutual aid association, so I think you must be very capable, which is why I thought of coming to you,' said Master Yan.

'So you are once again grasping at straws in your desperation,' said Zhou Ming.

Facing Zhou Ming's words, Master Yan could only bow his head, because he had come here with his last hope.

Zhou Ming did not delve into this issue, but calmly said to Master Yan, 'Master Yan, I have a question for you. You said that once upon a time there were two brothers, one diligent and one clever. The clever brother spent his days reciting poetry and enjoying himself, while the diligent brother stayed at home farming and raising chickens, ducks and pigs. One day, the diligent brother asked the clever brother to help him farm, but the clever brother refused.'

Zhou Ming continued, 'The clever brother thought that farming and raising livestock was troublesome. He didn't want to do it, and even felt that his brother was doing these things in particular shame. Even the sky had a stench, or was it that he was up to no good? So the clever brother began to deliberately trample the crops in the field, or let the neighbours come in and steal the family's livestock. The hardworking brother knew about it all, but he didn't say anything.'

As he listened to Zhou Ming's story, Master Yan's head dropped lower and lower. Zhou Ming continued, 'Then the weather got colder and colder. The industrious brother built a fire in his house and cooked a pot of hot soup, while the clever brother shivered in his house. Later, the clever brother couldn't stand the cold anymore and went to the industrious brother to ask for a mouthful of hot soup, hoping to let him come in and warm up.'

After saying this, Zhou Ming paused for a moment before finally asking, 'Mr. Yan, if you were the hardworking brother, would you help the clever brother?'

Master Yan buried his head almost to his knees and replied in a barely audible voice, "No.'

Zhou Ming laughed and asked him, "Then do you want to know my answer?'

Master Yan didn't know how to answer this question, but Zhou Ming didn't need him to. Zhou Ming first gave him the answer: 'If it were me, I would.'

Upon hearing Zhou Ming's answer, Master Yan slowly raised his head, his eyes full of disbelief. He knew exactly what Zhou Ming's answer meant, but precisely because of that, he could not believe it any more.

'Zhou Ming, you really mean it, you really will help?' Master Yan muttered. Because in his opinion, that clever brother had simply brought this upon himself, and he deserved to freeze to death. It was already a great restraint not to laugh, so how could he expect to be saved by the hardworking brother he had bullied?

But Zhou Ming nodded calmly: 'Of course it's true. Because we are brothers. There's an old Chinese saying: 'At home, you rely on your parents; abroad, you rely on your friends. But now that we're both abroad, I think we have to rely on our fellow countrymen. Mr. Yan, if two brothers are abroad together, and if they don't even support each other, let alone their fellow countrymen, then who else can you expect to help you?'

Teacher Yan's tears instantly flowed out of his eyes. He choked and said, 'Zhou Ming, you are a very great person. Thank you, really thank you very much!'

Teacher Yan's gratitude came from the bottom of his heart. He knew that the so-called clever brother in Zhou Ming's words was actually his wife.

When Zhou Ming and the others came to the Vidda community to campaign for election and become councillors, wasn't the whole point to give all Chinese people a say in the decisions made by the city government and council? But his stupid wife, that short-sighted woman, actually drove them away for ridiculous reasons like trouble and the worry of being cheated out of money, as well as the impact on the children's studies, and it even ended up with a police report.

This approach is no different from that of the so-called clever brother, who trampled the crops and let the neighbours steal the poultry.

As you can imagine, Zhou Ming and his wife were facing their wife's difficulties and resistance, and they felt so much pain and helplessness inside. If a Chinese person wants to run for parliament, not only will their own compatriots not lend a helping hand, they will even become the biggest obstacle. What is this?

As a result, both themselves and their wives are now suffering the consequences. The city government and council have specifically targeted the Chinese community by raising taxes and other living expenses. They have realised that they have no right to decide their own lives. They have to petition the council and government, but they are beaten up by the police. Not a single person in the media or the council has come forward to speak for them, and they are even smeared one after the other, smearing all Chinese people.

This is ultimately because they have no political power and can only be at the mercy of others. At this time, they came back to them, which was a very shameless and cheeky approach. However, Zhou Ming did not hold a grudge and promised to help.

What a great personality this is, which made Master Yan respect Zhou Ming. He suddenly discovered how small he was in front of the other party, and how despicable his own thoughts were compared to his wife's.

'But Mr Yan, there is something I need to remind you,' Zhou Ming suddenly said to Mr Yan, "because the law is very strict here in the United States, all I can do is hire a team of lawyers for you. Firstly, to protest for your wife's bail, and secondly, to sue the government and all the media, to make them responsible for you.'

'I know, Zhou Ming, you have already done your best for me by doing this, I will not make any more excessive demands," Mr Yan said.

After Yan Shi finished speaking, Yan Xu behind him immediately nudged him and reminded him, 'Dad, there are also their signatures. They are also running for parliament.'

After this reminder, Yan Shi suddenly reacted and said, 'That's right, Zhou Ming, I heard that you need signatures from legitimate voters if you want to run for parliament, right? I can do that. I am a legitimate voter.'

Zhou Ming nodded and said, 'That's right, but this voter also needs to be certified by the parliamentary elections committee before they can sign, not just anyone who is at least 18 years old. In other words, if you, Mr. Yan, are not certified, you must first go to the elections committee to get certified, otherwise your signature will have no legal effect. I think this is also where your wife finds it troublesome, after all, it will delay your normal work schedule.'

Yan Shi waved his hand forcefully and said, 'No need. You can rest assured, Zhou Ming. No matter what the final result of this matter is, I will immediately go to the council to get certified. And not only me, I will also get all my fellow Viddians to get certified and come to support your signature!'

Yan Shi finally said very solemnly, 'Because I believe that nothing is more important than the solidarity and support of fellow citizens.'

  'On behalf of our team, we would like to thank you very much.' Zhou Ming smiled and nodded to Yan Shi, "But I feel that I need to remind Mr Yan that this election is for Huang Yi. I have only just arrived in the United States less than six months ago and I am not yet qualified."