“This is your factory?”
Feng Yu looked at the surroundings. This was a junkyard. A rundown building with a courtyard full of trash. That noisy place is the workshop?
If this was Feng Yu’s previous life, even a junkyard had better conditions than this place. That rundown seems like it was about to collapse anytime. These people were not worried that this build will fall on their head?
“We do not have money to rent a workshop. This place is an abandon factory’s warehouse. We are just using this place temporarily.” Ou Debao said embarra.s.sedly.
Feng Yu became more interested. He thought that these people would at least have a workshop. But it turns out that they were so poor.
“What did all of you work as in the past?”
“Video Ca.s.sette players.”
Video Ca.s.sette Players? Although the sales of Video Ca.s.sette Players were dipping, it should not be so severe. Video Ca.s.sette Players were still making profits in the past few years. The profits were higher than television. Although the total sales were not as good, these people should not be so poor.
Feng Yu asked: “What is the brand of your Video Ca.s.sette Players?”
“Song Shang.”
Song Shang? d.a.m.n, this guy was also manufacturing imitation products in the past. Song Shang was the leading brand of Video Ca.s.sette Players in the market.
“Then why did you stop?” Feng Yu asked curiously.
“My factory was shut down by the authorities.”
G.o.dd.a.m.n. This guy was feigning ignorance all this while! Their factory had been shut down and should know what they had done was illegal. Why did he still ask what crimes he had committed just now? He looked honest, but everything about him was fake!
Now, Feng Yu had doubts about recruiting these people. They might have the skills, but they do not follow the rules. What if Jiang Wanmeng and the rest were led astray by these people?!
Feng Yu sneered at Ou Debao: “You think that using other people’s brand and technologies will be prosecuted and no one will do anything to you if you use our technologies?”
“We also have no choice. We have no money, and we cannot even pay the medical bills of our family members. If we have money, will we still remain in this place?” Ou Debao pointed to the rundown factory.
Feng Yu paused for a while: “Alright. Ask everyone to come out. I had made things clear to you in the car. If all of you pa.s.s my test, I will provide jobs for all of you. The salary will not be less than 200 RMB every month. Later, you are not allowed to say anything!”
In Beijing, the average annual salary was less than 2,000 RMB. Feng Yu offered 200 RMB monthly was considered very high! Of course, if these people were grade 7 or 8 workers, then their salaries will be higher.
But from the way they look, they should not be some high-grade workers in the past.
“Old Yao, ask them to stop for a while. There is a big boss visiting!” Ou Debao shouted.
The noise stopped, and 6 people walked out of the building. Every one of them was dirty and skinny. They looked malnutrition.
“Old Ou, which boss are you talking about? Wind and Rain’s boss or Aiwa’s boss?” One of them asked excitedly.
Feng Yu was curious as for why these people knew it was the boss of either Aiwa or Wind and Rain visiting?
“I am the big boss. How do you know my company manufactures VCD players?” Feng Yu asked that man.
“Hi. I am Yao Jinbo. We manufactured this VCD player is to meet you. Are you the leader of Wind and Rain or Aiwa? You better call your boss here. We only want to speak to the boss.”
d.a.m.n. He thought I am only a small fry in the company! But this Yao Jinbo was interesting. He just wants to speak with the boss? What does he want?
“The boss is my father, and I am running the company on his behalf. You can speak to me.” Feng Yu used his father as a shield.
“We have discovered the way to improve the VCD imaging compression. If we are successful, the pictures will be clearer and will even be better than Laserdisc. This will let your company’s products outshine your rivals!”
Yao Jinbo stopped. He was waiting for Feng Yu to ask questions. Feng Yu only smiled at him. I refused to answer you anything. I shall see if you want to carry on or not.
“Oh.”
Yao Jinbo was stunned. Oh? What’s the meaning of Oh? He thought that no matter which company’s boss heard what he said would be excited. This was because the technology they developed will let one company’s products beat their rivals, and might even monopolize the market. This was an important technology. The other party should be interested.
This person’s reply was only oh? What is the meaning of Oh? He knows this was different from what Yao Jinbo had imagined. How can he carry on this conversation?
“Brother Huang, Brother Su, these are the people who manufactured imitations. They are repeat offenders. Arrest them!”
Yao Jinbo and the rest were shocked. The rest of them looked at Yao Jinbo. You said that if we manufactured these things, and sell them under Feng Hua Brand, we will be about to attract the boss of Wind and Rain or Aiwa. Then we can sell this technology to him or even work for him.
But now? We had suffered for a few months and had not earned a single cent. Now, we are going to be arrested!
“Mr. Police man, please wait…. Sir, I think you did not hear what I said earlier. I said we have the technology to make the image clearer. You should know how important this technology is to your company.” Yao Jinbo said anxiously.
Feng Yu glanced at Yao Jinbo: “We are the ones who had invented this VCD player. You really think we do not know how to increase the quality of the images? We have the technologies to do what you just said and will even be better than what your technology. I am not interested in what you said!”
Huh?
Yao Jinbo was in a daze. He had devised this plan and hope to be able to attract one of the bosses over. But in the end, the other party was not interested in their technologies!
“Old Yao, what should we do now? You are the one who came up with this idea. Say something!”
“That’s right. Old Yao, we had said we do not want to do this. But you made us do it. We have just been released, and now we are going back to jail?”
These people were arrested last year for manufacturing counterfeit Song Shang Video Ca.s.sette Players. They were thrown to jail and were released earlier this year. They were workers from Beijing Television Factory in the past. They wanted to start their own business to earn some money. Even if they fail, they could still return to the factory to work.
But after they were arrested, they were fired by the factory. Although all of them had the skills, even if they set up a TV repair shop, no one dares to let them repair their TV. The customers said that they will surely replace the parts of their TV!
The smartest of these people came up with a plan. He led the rest to research on VCD technologies thinking they would be making profits or be invited to work in the VCD factories. But now, they do not have this chance and might even be jailed again!
If they were charged in courts again, they would be totally finished!
“Sir, we are able to develop this technology under such harsh conditions. This proved that we are skillful. Can we work for you for 150 RMB a month?”
Ou Debao was trying his best to make eye signals to him. He does not dare to say a word. This boss had said that if they pa.s.sed his test, he would give them 200 RMB a month to work for him. Now you are asking for 150 RMB. If this boss agrees, all of us will lose 50 RMB per month!
“Are you all willing to work in other provinces?” Feng Yu asked suddenly.
These people were really interesting. This was actually a plot to lure Feng Yu to meet them. Feng Yu also wanted to give these people a chance.
“No problem. As long as we have enough to feed our families, we will do it!” Before Yao Jinbo could answer, the rest shouted.
“Fine. There will be someone here to interview all of you three days later. If all of you pa.s.s his interview, then I will use you. The monthly salary will not be less than 200 RMB. Our engineers’ salaries are at least 980 RMB a month. If you perform well, all of you can also be getting that much. If he says, your skills are not to par, then…….”
When Feng Yu turned and was about to leave, he heard Yao Jinbo shouting: “Sir, we will definitely pa.s.s the test!”
Translator’s note: Panasonic’s Chinese name is ‘Song Xia’ and the ‘Xia’ means down or below. Yao Jinbo’s previous brand was named ‘Song Shang’ and ‘Shang’ means upwards or above in Chinese. It was obviously an imitation.