Rebirth 03: Starting a Business After Giving Up a Secure Job

Chapter 122 Building Trust

Chapter 122 Building Trust

That day, Zhao Yong rode his bicycle to the entrance of "Old Wharf" before lunchtime. He locked his bicycle by the roadside and lifted the plastic curtain.

Sister Liu was doing accounts behind the counter when she looked up and saw him. She greeted him with a smile, "Little Zhao is here? So early today."

"Just passing by, thought I'd drop by." Zhao Yong walked to the counter and glanced at the red job posting on the wall. The paper was a little curled at the edges, but the sign "Hiring a dishwasher" was still prominently displayed. He remembered seeing this notice almost a month ago.

"Sister Liu, have you still not found a dishwasher?"

"No, not yet." Sister Liu put down her calculator and sighed. "I have received calls, but they either complain that getting off work at 10 pm is too late or that the pay is too low. It's tough."

"Then I'll refresh the information for you later, making sure the working hours and salary are written more clearly, and I'll keep an eye on things for you," Zhao Yong said, taking out his notebook and making a note.

Now when he comes to the "Old Wharf," he no longer needs to explain his purpose every time. It's more like a neighbor visiting each other and casually asking if there's anything he can help with.

This change made him feel much more at ease.

"By the way, Xiao Zhao," Sister Liu suddenly asked, "does your local community website also post rental listings?"

"Sure, renting a place, hiring, or selling secondhand items are all fine. Do you have a place to rent, Sister Liu?"

"It's not me," Sister Liu waved her hand. "It's my cousin. She has a single room in Fumin New Village, and she rented it out last month."

Yesterday she told me that someone else called to ask about the apartment, saying they saw it on a local listing website. But the apartment was rented out a long time ago, so why is the listing still online?

Zhao Yong was a little puzzled, as Fumin New Village was the area that Sun Hao was in charge of.

"Sister Liu, was your cousin's apartment listed on our website? After it was rented out, did she tell our colleague in charge of the area?"

"I did tell you," Sister Liu said confidently. "It's your little Sun, he's quite a spirited young man."

The day after the apartment was rented out, my cousin told Xiao Sun to take the rental ad down from the internet. But how come someone still saw it?

Zhao Yong also found it strange, and first reassured her, "Sister Liu, I've noted this down and will go back to investigate immediately. There might have been some misunderstanding; I'll have Sun Hao handle it quickly. I'm truly sorry for causing your cousin so much trouble."

"It's not a big deal, it's just that people made a wasted trip, and my cousin has to explain to them, which is quite embarrassing." Sister Liu was very understanding.

"It's not easy for you young people to run this website. There's a lot to do, and it's inevitable that things will go wrong occasionally. You just have to make sure it's done well, otherwise people will think your information is inaccurate and won't believe it next time."

"You're right, we'll definitely handle this properly." Zhao Yong assured him a few more times, then left in a hurry, not wanting to stay any longer.

Zhao Yong rushed back to his office and immediately called Sun Hao on the way to inquire about the matter.

Outdated information means users waste their time and effort. This is no small matter.

As soon as I got downstairs at the office, I heard a loud argument coming from inside; it could be heard even through the glass door.

"The kid you introduced worked for three days, then complained about being tired and the dormitory conditions were bad, so he quit and left. He even came back to ask me for three days' wages!"

I told him there would be no pay during the probationary period, and he refused, causing a scene at the factory gate! You need to give me an explanation for this.

A gruff, angry male voice.

"Boss Li, Boss Li, please calm down and talk slowly." It was Zhang Ming's voice, trying to persuade him.

"Take your time! You're delaying my production! You were the one who introduced this person, and now you've caused this trouble; your website has to take responsibility!"

Zhao Yong pushed open the door and saw a man in his forties wearing work clothes, his face flushed red, yelling at Zhang Ming.

Zhang Ming stood opposite him, a forced smile on his face.

Wei Zejun stood to the side, arms crossed, his face also grim. Xu Xiaoming and two other sales promoters were also there to offer words of comfort.

Everyone else in the office area stopped what they were doing and looked this way.

"Boss Li, please have a seat and a drink of water." Zhang Ming gestured for the man to sit down on the plastic chairs next to the reception area.

"You said that person was introduced by us. Please tell me the details of the situation, and we will definitely cooperate to resolve it."

""

"It's that ad on your website! Hiring packaging workers, room and board included, monthly salary 1200! The job requirements clearly state that you need to be hardworking and physically strong!"

Then a young guy came, and after one day he complained of arm pain, complained that the dorm was too cramped with eight people in one room, and complained that the food wasn't oily enough! How can someone like him do any work?

Boss Li plopped down, still fuming.

"I told him I hadn't passed my probation period and wouldn't get paid, and he started yelling at the factory gate, saying our factory was a scam and that our website was promoting a shady factory! How am I supposed to do business like this?"

Zhang Ming's face darkened. He remembered this Boss Li; he was the owner of a small hardware factory in the area that Sun Hao was in charge of, and the information about hiring packaging workers was collected by Sun Hao last week.

At the time, Sun Hao also told him that although the factory was small, it had stable orders and the treatment was quite good compared to similar factories.

"Mr. Li, please rest assured, if there is indeed a problem with the information on our website, or if our sales representatives misrepresented the information, we will definitely take responsibility for communication." Zhang Ming's attitude was very sincere.

"How about this? You can go back first, and I'll find out more about this from the colleague who was in contact with you. I'll give you a reply by the end of the day at the latest. We'll do everything we can to coordinate what needs to be coordinated."

"Before you leave work today?" Boss Li glanced at Zhang Ming, his anger seemingly subsided a bit.

"Okay, I'll wait for your news. If you don't handle this well, don't send any of your people to our factory again, and I won't use that website anymore!"

After seeing Boss Li off, the atmosphere in the office became a little awkward.

A while later, Sun Hao rushed back to the office from outside.

Zhang Ming asked him, "Has the information for that rented-out house in Fumin New Village not been released yet?"

Sun Hao's face paled, and he lowered his head: "Brother Ming, the landlord told me it was rented out, and I wrote it down in my notebook, but maybe—maybe I forgot when I got back. I've been running around a lot these past two days—"

"Running around a lot is no excuse," Zhang Ming interrupted him. "We haven't even sent a single message, and someone has already gone all that way for nothing. They traveled all that way, and the place was already rented. How do you feel? Will they trust us again?"

Sun Hao lowered his head even further.

"And then there's the matter at Boss Li's factory. He's hiring packaging workers, with a monthly salary of 1,200 yuan, including room and board. The pay sounds good. But the people who come can't do it, complaining about the hard work and poor conditions, and they're demanding their wages. What's the problem?"

Sun Hao remained silent.

Zhang Ming continued, "The problem is that we only sent messages, but we didn't ask all the questions or follow up on the details."

"Boss Li needs able-bodied workers who can carry boxes and work through the night. Did our sales representatives ask that clearly when they went to collect information?"

What are the conditions like in his factory dormitory? How many hours a day does he work?

How is overtime paid? Is there any salary during the probationary period?

Have we figured out these details? Have we explained them clearly to the job seekers?

Zhang Ming's gaze swept over the several sales representatives: "Or do you think that as long as we post the information, get people to call, and people to come for interviews, our task is complete?"

Xu Xiaoming whispered, "Brother Ming, some bosses—they might not be willing to go into so much detail. If we ask too many questions, they'll just get annoyed."

"You have to ask, even if it's annoying!" Zhang Ming raised his voice.

"Otherwise, this would have happened! The boss thinks the people we recommended are no good, and the job seekers think the places we introduced are shady factories. We're pleasing neither side, and we've even ruined the website's reputation!"

Lin Feng then came out of the office, patted Zhang Ming on the shoulder to signal him not to get too excited, and then turned to several sales representatives: "Zhang Ming is right. Our job looks simple, just running errands, asking questions, and recording information. But there's a lot to it. Whether the information is true or not, whether it's comprehensive or not, whether there are any pitfalls or not, directly affects whether people trust us."

"From today onwards, everyone who sends out information must be responsible for it. If you receive information, you must try your best to ask questions and write it down clearly."

Sun Hao sat at his workstation, his face flushed. He had indeed forgotten about the incident at Fumin New Village.

When the landlord called, he was busy running to another store. He jotted down some notes on a piece of paper, intending to deal with it when he got back, but he got so busy that things got delayed. Now that he has caused trouble for the landlord, he can only apologize.

He picked up the phone, found the landlord's number in Fumin New Village, and dialed. The phone rang seven or eight times before being answered by an impatient female voice: "Hey? Who is it?"

"Hello, is this Aunt Wang? I'm Xiao Sun from the local life website. I helped you post your rental information earlier —"

"Oh, Xiao Sun." The other person's tone softened a bit. "What is it? Wasn't the house rented out a while ago?"

"Yes, Aunt Wang, I'm sorry, it was my fault." Sun Hao took a breath.

"You told me that after the rental was completed, I didn't remove the online listing in time, which resulted in people calling and bothering you. I'm so sorry. I removed the listing immediately and will definitely be more careful in the future. I'm truly sorry for the trouble I've caused you."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then a voice said, "Alright, it's good that you know you were wrong. Just be more careful next time and don't make this mistake again."

"Definitely, thank you Aunt Wang."

After settling the rental issue, Sun Hao went directly to the hardware factory where the recruitment dispute had occurred.

When Boss Li saw Sun Hao in the workshop, his face turned grim.

Sun Hao didn't beat around the bush; he first apologized for his previous oversight: "Boss Li, the problem last time was that I didn't ask clearly enough, and the information from both sides didn't match. I apologize to you!"

Then, Sun Hao took out a notebook and pen: "I came today to ask you for a little more time so I can go over the job requirements again carefully from beginning to end. In the future, I'll let applicants read your factory's requirements carefully before coming, so as not to waste your time or make them come for nothing."

Boss Li looked at him for a few seconds, then took off his gloves: "Okay, go ahead and ask."

Sun Hao asked very detailed questions.

How many hours do you work per day? How much do the boxes you pack weigh? How many boxes do you need to pack per day? How is overtime paid—by piecework or by the hour?

In addition, they also inquired about the food and accommodation conditions that workers care about.

How is probationary period salary calculated? If I work for three days and am retained, from which day will my salary start to be calculated?

There were some issues that Boss Li hadn't thought about in detail before, so Sun Hao confirmed them with him one by one.

Sun Hao filled two pages with notes, then read them aloud to Boss Li. Boss Li nodded after listening: "That's about it."

"There's something else," Sun Hao said, closing his notebook. "Do you still have the phone number or address of that young man from last time, Chen Xiaojun? I'd like to talk to him."

Boss Li frowned: "Why are you looking for him? He's already gone."

"I apologized to him and explained the situation clearly," Sun Hao said frankly.

Boss Li glanced at him, pulled a crumpled number book from his office drawer, and pointed to a pager number: "He only kept this one."

"Thank you, Mr. Li." Sun Hao wrote down the number and added a sentence.

"I'll re-enter your packaging worker position based on what I just wrote down. I'll call you again to confirm before I do. In the future, if anyone inquires, I'll explain everything clearly over the phone first, and if they find it acceptable, I'll have them come for an interview. Is that alright with you?"

"Okay, that's good." Boss Li's expression softened. "If you had done it this way earlier, you wouldn't have had all this trouble."

After leaving the hardware factory, Sun Hao found a public phone on the roadside and dialed the number.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the phone rang back; it was Chen Xiaojun.

Sun Hao first apologized for the misunderstanding caused by the unclear information, and then briefly explained the rules of the hardware factory. Chen Xiaojun was silent for a while on the other end of the phone.

"I'm not trying to cause trouble, I just feel frustrated because I've worked for three days and haven't received a single penny."

"I understand," Sun Hao comforted him, "but that's the factory rule: no pay if you don't pass the probation period. I didn't explain this clearly to you at the beginning, so the responsibility is mine. What are your plans now?"

"What else can I do but keep looking for a new job?" Chen Xiaojun said dejectedly.

"What kind of work are you looking for? Factory work, or something else?"

"A factory job is fine, but nothing too heavy, and the dorms shouldn't be too crowded. A lower salary is acceptable, as long as I can get myself settled."

Sun Hao flipped through his notebook. Of the companies he visited that morning, one electronics factory was hiring a materials handler—a lighter job than packaging. The dormitory was for six people, with a fan, and the salary was 1,000 yuan, including room and board.

He explained the situation and asked Chen Xiaojun if he wanted to go and take a look.

Chen Xiaojun was a little surprised: "You—you really asked for me?"

"Really. If you think it's okay, I'll take you to see it. If it's good, great; if not, we'll talk about it later. It won't take long."

Chen Xiaojun agreed.

The next afternoon, Sun Hao arrived at the electronics factory gate ahead of time. Chen Xiaojun also arrived on time.

Sun Hao took him into the factory and found the contact person. The interview was simple; they looked at his ID card, asked a few questions, and then let him try out in the workshop.

Chen Xiaojun spent half an hour learning material sorting from the workers, and his hands and feet were quite nimble. The supervisor nodded and said it was okay, he could come to work tomorrow and try it out for three days.

As Chen Xiaojun left the factory, he clutched the temporary registration slip. Reaching the factory gate, he turned to Sun Hao and loudly thanked him, "Brother Sun, thanks!"

"Don't mention it," Sun Hao finally smiled. "Come on time tomorrow and do a good job. This factory is alright; if you work a full month, you'll get paid on time."

Sun Hao returned to the company and first went to see Zhou Bin. He compiled the detailed information he had obtained from Boss Li and suggested adding several permanent sections to the job posting page:

Job duties, working hours, overtime situation, dormitory conditions, and probationary period regulations.

A month later, Mr. Li, the owner of the hardware factory, called Sun Hao, saying that the newly hired person was reliable. The factory also needed him to post job openings for several other positions.

After working at the new electronics factory for a month, Chen Xiaojun received his first paycheck and sent Sun Hao a text message: "Brother Hao, I got a permanent position and started earning a salary. Thanks! Are you free tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner."

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