Staggered Kidnapping

"No... no money?" Looking at the honest worker with some surprise, he stretched out his little finger and picked at his ear. "You're not kidding me, are you, sir?"

Calling foreigners "Mr." has become a very common phenomenon, and in some more extreme areas, it is said that they have started calling them "Master." The atmosphere here is not so tense, and Lin Qi does not want anyone to do that.

"Sir" is a respectful term, but "Master" is not.

So if a local calls Lin Qi's employees "Master", Lin Qi will ask his employees to correct the locals, saying that they are just "Mr.", not "Master."

Seeing the honest local pointing at the small iron pot and asking, "Can I pick it up and take a look?", he even took out his work ID hanging around his neck, saying, "I'm a worker here, and I'm about to be promoted to Level Two Worker. I can earn money!"

He seemed afraid the foreign gentleman selling things wouldn't believe him, so he opened his work ID, which showed the date of his job posting.

Nagaril and the Federal now share some strange similarities on certain issues, such as people sneaking into construction sites to work, so work permits need to be issued to workers here as well.

They must show their work ID every day to enter the factory, and each ID is assigned to a specific person, which effectively prevents those who want to get a job without working.

The foreign man selling the items nodded. "Of course, you can pick them up and take a look; that's the customers' right."

Watching the honest local pick up the small iron pot, a very exquisite cooking pot that could hold quite a lot of things, he realized he had never seen such a beautiful iron pot before in the area.

He tapped the iron pot with his fingers, and the lingering sound as it vibrated had a unique charm.

It's solid, aesthetically pleasing, and feels quite heavy; even honest locals wouldn't believe it's free.

He put it back, with a hint of longing.

He has been working here for almost 100 days. He has improved his family's living conditions, brought some color back to his family members' faces, and even saved up some money.

The recent appreciation of the Galil has made him, and many others like him who have a habit of saving money, suddenly "rich".

They all exchanged their Galil for Federal Sol, or even Fura, through various means, so he was indeed very rich.

He wanted to do something more for his family, like buying a small iron pot.

So far, his family uses a broken tin pot, the kind of thin tin pot that can be dented if you press it hard with your hand.

The pot, with its uneven surface and numerous repairs, should be retired.

As a "rich man" with a stable job, his desire to consume had already been subtly awakened. When he saw what he wanted, his desire to shop began to spread uncontrollably.

"Sir, you just said it... is free?" he asked the honest local.

The foreign man selling the goods nodded, picked up the small iron pot and tapped it, "There are two ways you can get it..." He looked at the honest local man and nodded repeatedly, indicating that he was listening attentively.

"The first method is that you can buy it with money. It only costs nineteen dollars and ninety-eight cents of Federal Sol, which is equivalent to your wages for twenty days of work..."

Upon hearing that it would cost twenty Federal Sol, the honest locals hesitated, thinking it was too much.

He didn't think the small iron pot was worth that much. He could have spent less money to buy a decent iron pot instead of such a high-end one.

Unbeknownst to him, the iron pot had become a "high-end" product due to its price. In reality, however, many households in the Federal had one; it was just an ordinary cooking pot.

"The second method doesn't require you to spend that much money to buy him all at once. I heard you're going to upgrade to level two?"

Seeing the honest local nod repeatedly, he said, "Yes, I'll be Level Two Worker next week."

The foreign man selling the items continued, "You can take it now, but we will deduct a portion from your daily wage. We call this payment method 'installment' payment."

After writing and drawing in a notebook, he said, "Because you're about to be promoted to Level Two Worker, I can give you a 100-day installment plan. You only need to pay 28 Federal Sol per day, and you can take it away."

"After one hundred days, you will have complete ownership of it. If, before that time, you lose your ability to pay and stop making payments for any reason, we will take this iron pot back."

The seemingly honest local was immediately intrigued upon learning about the concept of "installment payments" for the first time. "Just twenty-eight Federal Sol a day, and I can take it back with me?"

He couldn't quite understand it, considering that his daily wage was one Federal Sol, and even after paying that, he would still have seventy-two cents left each day, enough to support his family and cover any possible extra expenses.

The little iron pot became more and more adorable in his eyes. He hesitated for a while, and after discussing why it was "twenty-eight cents", he finally decided to buy the little iron pot. It would only reduce his daily income a little, but he could enjoy the changes that such high-end products would bring to his life in advance.

Just as he was about to leave, the foreigner selling his wares asked with a smile, "Aren't you going to take this exquisite steel ladle with you?"

"It's still one hundred days, but by paying just six cents more each day, you can take them all away..."

A few minutes later, the honest local man happily entered the construction site with an iron pot and a soup ladle, repeatedly washing them amidst envious and jealous glances from others.

If those two things weren't made of steel, their surfaces might have lost their shine from being rubbed so much that their internal structure was damaged (scratched).

After some curious people inquired, the small shop at the entrance of the construction site became crowded after get off work. To prevent anyone from taking things they shouldn't, the construction site also arranged for two armed security guards to keep a close watch.

People have a very strong desire to shop, and even if they have money in an environment of material scarcity, they may not be able to find a way to release this desire.

However, these problems are no longer problems. Lin Qi helped them find a solution that also meets their consumption needs.

They don't find it unacceptable to have a small amount of money deducted each day, and then bring back a brand new, expensive item all at once; on the contrary, they think it's actually quite good.

Although some people felt that paying in installments would cost more than paying all at once, they ultimately chose to accept this method because it didn't hurt them, and they didn't even feel it was a loss, especially as some people started to actively request to use Federal Sol to settle their wages.

Surprisingly, a large quantity of goods were sold in just one day. Everyone found it hard to believe that this was still the impoverished Nagaril. "I really don't understand, Mr. Lin Qi, why do people have such a terrifying desire to buy?"

In the evening, some merchants gathered at Lin Qi's place, and they also sold these goods to their workers, doing so according to Lin Qi's methods and practices.

They quickly sold a large quantity of goods, completely shattering their impression of poverty in the area.

Lin Qi sat in a chair with his legs crossed, a cigarette between his right fingers, and all eyes were on him.

His right elbow rested on the armrest of the chair, his forearm pointing almost vertically upwards. He flicked his wrist and said with a half-smile, "Gentlemen, what would you do if you made a fortune?"

The businessman who had asked the question earlier immediately replied, "I'll go out and have some fun, find some girls, or do something else."

Lin Qi pointed at him, "You're absolutely right. The purpose of making money is to enjoy life better. Beyond that, I have another personal opinion that might differ from the mainstream view..."

He looked at the others, and everyone made a gesture of listening attentively. Lin Qi flicked his cigarette ash and continued, "After receiving their salary, people actually have a subconscious tendency to engage in 'revenge spending' to relieve the stress that work brings them."

"This kind of 'revenge spending' is very capricious. The more tired and stressed people are, the stronger their desire for revenge becomes, and the easier it is for them to lose their rationality."

"These people didn't show their consumption desires before because there was nothing that matched their consumption psychology."

"But when something comes along that fits their consumer psychology, they become irrational, just like you all, like those housewives in the Federal."

"Goods, entertainment, and culture are all things that can be consumed, and these things can be sold afterward."

"We could even lower the total installment amount to allow more people to participate. This way, we can sell our products and retain these workers more firmly around us."

"When their lives are controlled by installments, they cannot leave the jobs we provide, because if they lose their jobs, even for just one month!"

Lin Qi raised a finger, his tone carrying a clear sense of confidence, as if everything was under control, "They will fall from heaven to hell. Even if you don't treat them well, deduct some of their wages, or make their food worse, they won't end up like those working-class gentlemen in the Federal."

"They won't stage a major strike, they won't hold demonstrations, and no Labor Union will stand up for them in court to bankrupt you."

"Here, there's nothing, and they will beg and thank you for giving them a job."

"For us, this is heaven!"