our family is gone

But now it is reported that the caravan is going to open channels outside. Who doesn't know that robbers and bandits are rampant in those places?

Even if the Walter business group next door has rich experience, they will be replaced one after another. They are all like this. Aren't they looking for death by opening up their own businesses?

They are also in this business, so they came together after hearing about this, hoping to take advantage of this opportunity to fight for their rights.

Exploitation and oppression are very common in this era. If they were not really desperate and unable to survive, they would not be standing here today.

"Hmph!" The steward scolded them with a cold face and shouted at them: "Go back immediately. I will notify you when it's time to pay your wages. What are you going to do now?"

The first reaction of those in charge was not to express their rights protection, but to show a hint of weakness. They subconsciously set their sights on some of them.

It's just that their focus is not on the leaders who have the ability to organize protests, nor on the old people who are prestigious enough to confront those in charge, but on some of them who have been forced to a desperate situation.

After a brief silence, one of them really couldn't wait any longer. The others could endure it a little longer, but if he couldn't get the money anymore, his family of six would starve to death, so he had to be the first to express his opinion.

"Master Steward, we agreed that we would pay wages once per trip, but the last time we paid wages was more than a month ago. When will the wages be paid?"

Even though it was already difficult to survive, when facing the manager at this moment, both his tone and demeanor still showed an unconcealable humility.

There are no brave men, there are only sons, husbands, and fathers who are driven to a dead end by reality.

He was not pushed out by other people, but a man pushed out by life...

When one person starts, the others seem to be emboldened and follow suit.

"That's it, why don't you get the wages you agreed upon?"

"I gave you money for the first two times. How do you expect us to survive now that food prices are so high outside?"

"If you don't have money, you can just give me some food."

"..."

Facing the workers, the manager had a straight face and waved his hands dissatisfied, trying to send them away.

"Go back and wait for notification. I will tell you if there is any news."

But his answer did not satisfy everyone, and even ignited their anger.

"Damn it, I won't leave until you pay me."

"Don't go!"

"Your mother will pay you back someday!"

"Pay back..."

The commotion here finally alerted Gene and a group of senior officials, and the steward was called in directly.

Along with them were several workers' representatives who were blindly elected.

"What's going on?" Gene glanced at the steward.

The manager who was so arrogant in front of those workers just now was like a dog in front of Jean. This sight almost scared the shit out of him, and he quickly explained the situation.

"There's nothing wrong, sir. It's just these guys making noise outside."

He can carry this responsibility, but he can only carry it a little bit, because the boss does not pay him wages, so he can only hold on to it.

But the workers' representatives disagreed and spoke out about the arrears of wages.

The senior executives present here were not surprised when they heard this reason, but they looked a little unnatural.

After listening to their words, Jean finally lost his previous casualness and looked a little gloomy.

After all, it is inevitable that this issue will be brought to the table.

You must know that only the first few trips made a lot of money. Later, under the secret control of Walter, the local food prices in Owendo were also raised, and the price difference was reduced in comparison.

As mentioned earlier, land transportation is difficult, with people eating horses chewing, and vehicle maintenance. If there is an accident on the road, it will be even more difficult. The profits will naturally decrease if various situations are combined.

In fact, what is more important is that in order to expand the transaction, he misappropriated those wages and invested them in the business.

To put it simply, you need to pay the workers one copper coin now, but as long as you use this copper coin to buy food and transport it, you can earn three to five coins. When the time comes, you will return one copper coin to the worker, and the rest will be yours.

And if you magnify this copper coin to the wages of so many workers, can you imagine how much you can earn in one trip?

If I don't pay wages for both trips and continue to invest, how much can I earn?

Who can refuse this kind of snowball?

Not only the wages of the workers, but also those of them here invested a lot of money, and Jean even lost all his money and invested heavily in it.

But the truth is definitely not that simple, because that is an ideal state, but the reality is that the price difference is decreasing, and the money actually cannot be earned so high after being invested.

Moreover, the high price of grain on the front line is to attract those merchants. When there are more merchants, the internal competition will be great. It is not only Jean of Owendo City who can harvest grain. If he wants to continue trading, he can only lower the price. .

Don't think that Jean's title of "knight" was picked up on the street. Only he knows the price to pay for holding someone's thigh.

So in order to maintain this situation, the money cannot be paid back, and the leverage can only be increased to have a chance to make up for the shortfall.

But since they can sit here, they must be able to make money, otherwise they would not be so active.

Who loses?There are only ordinary workers. They don’t get a share of the profits, and they have to bear the price increases caused by delayed wages and the risk of leverage.

So much so that today it is finally impossible to cover it up completely.

Doesn't Gene know this?

He knows better than anyone, but he can't take the blame.

"Didn't I already give out the money? Why would this happen again?"

The steward was stunned for a moment when he heard this. He immediately understood when he looked up at Jean, with a smile on his face.

"Yes, yes! The money has been distributed. I have been too busy recently and the account has not been completed yet, so I have not had time to distribute it."

The boss made it clear that he wanted someone to take the blame, and he had to take the blame even if he didn't want to. Otherwise, why would he be in charge, while those outside were just drivers?
"Pay the money. No matter how busy you are at work, don't let this misunderstanding happen again." Gene defined the problem as a misunderstanding in one sentence. After speaking, he turned to the workers' representatives and said, "The wages will be paid within today." It’s been given to you, now go out and tell them.”

Now was the time to prepare for a new round of action, and he didn't want to cause more trouble.

Are they really short of money?In fact, you can tell from Gene's attitude that these wages are just a matter of his words.

And even if it is given to them, it will be collected as soon as they change hands after eating.

That's it, those workers still have to thank you.

"Thank you sir!"

The few people who were still looking sad and reserved couldn't help but relax their eyebrows when they heard this. The resentment in their hearts quickly dissipated, and they turned to thank Boss Jean for upholding justice for them.

There are still many good people in this world!

Initially, the scene was relatively stable, but after the representatives left, strange voices sounded in the hall, and some of them couldn't help but yell.

"Look at how many jobs there are in the city now? It's already a blessing for them to stay."

"If our business group hadn't raised them, they would have starved to death long ago. I really don't know how to be grateful at all!"

"..."

Withholding the mortgage wages is something everyone has tacitly acknowledged, and everyone here has a share in the profits. Now that they have to spit it out, even if it’s just the capital, it’s very unpleasant.Because making less means losing money.

They didn't dare to offend Jean now that he was in full swing, so they could only vent their anger on the workers, blaming them for being greedy and ungrateful.

They have already provided jobs, so how can they still ask for wages?
As this situation extended, some people soon proposed cutting wages and laying off workers.

"Isn't he just a stinky driver? Not to mention such a high salary, even if he is given a mouthful of bread, it is done by someone else."

"We have an army, why do we need so many guards? Staying here is just a waste of food."

"..."

It was not that Jean had no ideas when he heard this, but he couldn't say it without someone else "proposing" it.

But now that the preparations have been completed, he will speak immediately.

“It is indeed very difficult for everyone now, and our business group is also under tremendous pressure to consume those hundred people.

It is time to adjust wages, streamline personnel, remove those who are incompetent, and keep some capable people. This is market behavior. "

The others just talked to vent, and the only one who could really decide was Jean.

Now that he has an army in hand, Jean is really not as afraid of problems as he was before.

Others didn't care, because as they said, there are many people in Owendo who are willing to work for a bite to eat.

And the remaining money naturally goes into their pockets.

"I need to attend the city lord's dinner tonight, and I'll leave the matters here to everyone." Jean didn't say how to deal with it, but stood up and left without saying a word. The disgust on his face was vaguely visible.

The way he held it up seemed to be inherently higher than those ordinary people, and somewhat similar to those nobles.

No, people are now raising the flag to raise the nobility. A serious aristocrat is called an authentic person!
Jean had no intention of wasting time on ordinary people, and it was impossible for him to come forward or take the blame for such a thing.

Even if something happens by then, he will be able to take action like before and earn a good reputation.

The fact is that he still has to prepare for tonight's party.

However, the real target of this dinner organized by the city owner may not be himself, but Captain Michel.

He is the son of a big shot on the front line. Jean's success was due to an accidental acquaintance with Michelle.

As for why you came back with him?
Of course it's just for safety. You don't think that the son of a big shot will go to the battlefield like the sons of ordinary people, right?
With the order to ensure logistics, he was specifically asked to leave the front line and come to a remote place like Owendo, but far away from the front line.

Even so, they are equipped with a force of a hundred people, and they are all private soldiers who have been on the battlefield.

They say it's for food security, but in fact everyone knows who they are protecting.

It's just that what gives Jean a headache is not the cost of supplying this army. This matter can only be said in one sentence.

What really bothers him is... Michelle is a completely crazy dude, especially after breaking away from the restraints of his parents, he becomes even more unruly, and he has to be careful to serve him.

Just a little closer to the room specially set aside by the station, he heard the sharp screams and wails of a woman, which made Jean's face even more ugly.

Jean didn't like it very much, not because of the trivial matter of women, but because she looked very humble in front of him.

But his status is not something that he can offend at all, and he can only satisfy him as much as possible.

At this time, he walked over bravely, but after taking a few steps, he was stopped.

At the business group station, he, the boss, was stopped.

But Jean didn't find it strange. Instead, he took out the invitation and handed it over.

"The city lord invited Captain Michel to the banquet tonight."

Seeing that his face was full of smiles at this time, he was not as indifferent as he was to other people just now, but more or less ingratiating.

This scene is a bit funny compared to the arrogance just now...

On the other side, a box of coins was carried out. Sometimes their mobility was very strong.

"Get in line! Come one by one."

When the workers saw this, they lost all their previous anger. They didn't care about the previous conflicts, and instead queued up to receive their wages.

When they hold the money in their hands, the heavy feeling brings them a sense of security.

You can even detect a sense of relief on their faces, and smiles begin to appear on their faces.

With this money, the family can survive...

That's right, what they want is not even enough to eat, but just to survive.

For Jean, it is just a casual betting chip, but it is the hope of survival for these workers.

Just when everyone thought the situation was getting better, the manager was pushed out again.

But this time he came out not to announce a new task, but to announce a salary cut.

This cut not only cut off the previously added share, but also cut him one more time on top of the original salary, directly to the neck.

Once this decision was announced, it caused a huge sensation among the workers.

Now that food prices are skyrocketing, it is very difficult for people to earn a living. If they drop this much again, it will completely push them into a dead end.

"It's not like you don't know now that even the business group doesn't have any food left~"

The manager didn't panic. He was the one who took the blame. Anyway, he wasn't the one who got a pay cut, and he wasn't the one who got fired.

This attitude once again aroused the anger of the workers.

"No! We can't pay this price."

"That's right, I quit."

"Strike! We all quit!"

Seeing that these guys still refused to leave and instead dared to challenge their authority, the manager roared instantly.

"Owendo is full of nothing but people. If you don't do it, people will do it! Those who are willing to accept it can stay, and those who don't want to get out."

This sound calmed the workers, but the manager didn't forget to add fuel to the fire.

"You can't stay if you want, because the number of places is limited."

As soon as these words were said, the workers fell into silence. Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Everyone knows what the environment is like outside. No matter how low the salary here is, it is still a little income. If you lose your job here, it will be even more difficult to find another one. No one is willing to take the gamble.

"I accept."

The appearance of a crack in the dam means the emergence of a second one. In an instant, it is like the dam bursting. More and more people choose to accept this condition, for fear that they will not get a spot.

Add more (8/5)

Because the plot is so coherent that it’s difficult to break it apart, in order to make it enjoyable for everyone to watch, I had to give the author a hard time and make additional updates with tears in my eyes.