Ye Feng could see that the man in his fifties seemed to hold considerable prestige among these people.
The man looked at Ye Feng and stepped forward, saying, "Boss Ye, hello! I am the representative recommended by everyone. My name is Jiang Sheng!"
Ye Feng sized him up and replied, "Jiang Sheng, is it? Hello!"
After they shook hands, Ye Feng continued, "I have a few questions for you now! You must answer them truthfully!"
"Alright! Please ask!" Jiang Sheng said, nodding seriously at Ye Feng.
Ye Feng organized his thoughts and asked, "Before and after the appearance of the Sea God Company, how much did you usually earn per month from fishing and selling?"
Jiang Sheng replied, "Before the Sea God Company appeared, on average, it was around three to four thousand yuan per month! After the Sea God Company appeared, it dropped to only two to three thousand!"
Ye Feng nodded upon hearing this. He found Jiang Sheng's words to be quite reliable, aligning with his own estimations.
At this point, Jiang Sheng continued, "Actually, we also know that we shouldn't blame the Sea God Company! But recently, the buyers have been offering even lower prices! Our monthly income is less than two to three thousand yuan!"
"We have elders above and children below. With less than three thousand, we can't afford to send our children to school or see a doctor! We are truly desperate!" As Jiang Sheng spoke, tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes.
Ye Feng quickly said, "Don't worry, since I said I would help you, I will definitely help you!"
"Thank you, thank you! I will thank you on behalf of everyone first!" Jiang Sheng said emotionally.
Ye Feng then continued, "The solution I've thought of for you is to help you find a job. Are you willing?"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately frowned.
"What? Find a job?"
"We haven't been to school; we don't know how to work!"
"That's right! We only know how to fish; we can't do any other kind of work!"
Seeing their reaction, Ye Feng said, "Hear me out first!"
The crowd then quieted down.
Ye Feng continued, "I believe you have all felt it yourselves. The sea is severely polluted now, and fishing is becoming increasingly difficult! Even without the appearance of our Sea God Company, fishing would not be enough to sustain your livelihoods!"
Although some were initially unconvinced, they all nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
This was because what Ye Feng said was the truth.
The sea was severely polluted, and to fish, one had to travel to much farther waters.
Moreover, fishing was dependent on providence. A slight mishap like encountering a storm or large waves could even lead to the loss of their boats and lives.
"Therefore, we can only seek alternative paths and find work! You fish for only three to four thousand a month. I can offer you five thousand yuan per month each. Do you want it?" Ye Feng asked loudly.
Initially, the crowd was dismissive and dissatisfied upon hearing that Ye Feng would find them jobs.
However, when they heard the latter half of his statement, they were all stunned.
Jiang Sheng loudly asked, "Boss Ye! How much did you say per month?"
Ye Feng repeated, "Five thousand!"
"Five, five thousand? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Jiang Sheng asked, his face filled with shock.
Ye Feng nodded. "No, I'm not."
Jiang Sheng still seemed skeptical and continued, "We are uneducated and lack skills. Are you sure you can give everyone five thousand?"
Ye Feng nodded again. "That's right. Starting from the first month, everyone will receive five thousand!"
"My goodness! Is this real?"
"Wow, five, five thousand! He's actually giving each of us five thousand a month!"
"Did I hear that wrong? Or am I dreaming? Five thousand a month for everyone!"
Seeing their shock and doubt, Ye Feng said, "You haven't misheard. It is indeed five thousand a month for each of you!"
Jiang Sheng asked excitedly, "Then, what exactly is the job?"
Ye Feng smiled, looked at everyone present, and said, "It's work in a food processing plant! As for the specific tasks, it will depend on individual choices later!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with surprise and joy.
This was because work in a food processing plant did not require much knowledge or education, something they could manage.
The reason they hadn't chosen to work in factories before was that the easy jobs paid too little, and the high-paying ones were too difficult or dangerous.
"Food processing work! As long as we learn diligently, it's indeed not difficult!"
"Yes! The most important thing is the salary of five thousand, and we get it from the very first month!"
"Haha! That's wonderful! If we get five thousand a month, it will be enough for our expenses, and we'll even have some left over!"
The group of fishermen became instantly excited and overjoyed.
At this moment, Ye Feng continued, "I know you lack knowledge and skills! However, we will find people to guide you in your work. All you need to do is learn diligently! Are you willing?"
Hearing this, everyone nodded repeatedly, "Willing, willing!"
Ye Feng smiled with satisfaction.
However, the next second, he said, "But I must be upfront: if anyone is not serious, tries to be cunning, or engages in opportunistic behavior, don't blame me if you get fired!"
Jiang Sheng immediately replied, "Don't worry, Boss Ye, we promise not to be lazy!"
"Good! I will immediately find people to handle your onboarding! Oh, and call any other fishermen you know who are between eighteen and sixty years old. This offer is only valid for today! No exceptions!" Ye Feng said.
Upon hearing this, everyone picked up their phones to call friends and acquaintances.
Originally only a dozen or twenty of them, the number soon reached sixty to seventy people.
Seeing this, Ye Feng immediately notified the foreman.
When the foreman saw that Ye Feng had gathered sixty to seventy people, he was greatly surprised.
But when he learned that he had to pay each of them five thousand yuan a month, he was utterly dumbfounded.
He pulled Ye Feng aside and said, "Brother! You want me to pay them five thousand yuan each? Are you serious?"
Ye Feng replied, "No! What's wrong with paying everyone five thousand?"
"Damn it, Brother! Do you think I'm running a bank? My company is still losing money every year! How can I afford to pay everyone five thousand a month?" The foreman was almost in tears.
However, Ye Feng chuckled and said, "Haha! Don't worry! Do you think I would do this without considering that?"
"What do you mean?" the foreman asked, confused.
Ye Feng smiled, "I know your company has been losing money, but I can make it profitable starting today!"
"Uh, how is that possible?" the foreman did not believe him at all.
Although Ye Feng had lent him ten million yuan, invested fifty million yuan, and also improved his formulas and raw materials, it was impossible for the company to become profitable in less than half a year.
"Don't believe me? Then I'll show you later! You take these people down first!" Ye Feng said with a mysterious smile.
Seeing this, the foreman reluctantly agreed and took the group to settle them.
Next, Ye Feng spoke to Chen Xiaoyue, and then sat with the foreman in the office.
However, the foreman couldn't sit still. After all, his company was still losing money, and Ye Feng was asking him to pay employees five thousand yuan a month. How could he sit at ease?
Two hours later, the foreman couldn't hold back anymore. He stood up, about to say something.
But at that moment, Chen Xiaoyue suddenly entered and said, "Boss! The reporters have arrived..."