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Chapter 1199: Chapter 156 High Wages (Please Subscribe!)
Chu Sheng departed.
Xia Yuxing and Sha Li exchanged glances.
"Did we all just hit the jackpot?"
"This is so nice, so clean, just like a hotel. Is this really a dormitory? The best room I’ve seen in the capital of Kinshasa is just about this," Sha Li plopped down on the bed.
Just as he was about to lie down and rest,
Xia Yuxing said, "Let’s go, we need to get our daily necessities from the car."
"Oh."
Their guide, Fielding, lived elsewhere, not due to discrimination, but because Chu Sheng said the cultural differences and lifestyle habits meant it was better for everyone to live separately.
In the next half hour,
they moved their personal items into the room.
As for the office, they didn’t visit again since it was already late. They planned to sort it out tomorrow. After returning to the dormitory, Xia Yuxing connected to the internet and reported the situation here to his superiors.
They each took a shower.
Changed into clean clothes.
Checked the time.
It was getting late.
The sun was about to set, and they were ready to go for dinner. Xia Yuxing just opened the door when he saw the one opposite also opening, and out came a twenty-something Chinese man, with hair that also looked freshly washed.
"Are you the new arrivals?" The man asked enthusiastically.
"Yes."
"Which department are you in?"
Xia Yuxing knew there had been a misunderstanding and quickly clarified, "We’re from Huawei Company, here to fix base stations, not employees of your company. We just arrived this afternoon and are about to head to the cafeteria."
"Oh, I see. Welcome, I was about to go to the cafeteria myself. Let’s go together. My name is Lu Chang." As soon as Lu Chang heard they were from Huawei Company, a company he respected, his enthusiasm grew.
"Thanks. I’m Xia Yuxing, and these are my colleagues."
While Xia Yuxing was talking to Lu Chang, other colleagues from neighboring rooms also came out.
Lu Chang laughed, "No need to thank me. When you’re away from home, we should help each other. Unity is what gives us strength, just like our security department. In this area, no one dares to mess with our company."
"Your company is really impressive," Xia Yuxing genuinely agreed.
"Of course, you should know who our company’s boss is," Lu Chang said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"I actually don’t. Please enlighten me," Xia Yuxing said modestly, sensing from Lu Chang’s tone that the boss must be somebody significant. Could it be one of the domestic ’Zhong’s or a giant like...?
Baosteel?
Shougang?
Ansteel?
Or maybe Ma...
"Do you know about Tang Qing, the richest man in the country?"
Xia Yuxing was taken aback and said in surprise, "You mean Tang Qing? The one from Comet Group?"
"That’s him. This entire mining field is his, as well as the steel factory. In other African mining enterprises, you’d never see such generous dormitories. I couldn’t believe it when I first came here either."
Lu Chang had nothing but praise for the office environment here.
"It’s a bit unbelievable," Xia Yuxing nodded.
Along the way,
Lu Chang kept commenting on how this place was different from other places.
Before long,
they arrived at a large building with ’Wanqing Life Center’ written in huge Chinese characters on it.
"We’re at the cafeteria. You brought your cards, right?" Lu Chang asked.
"Yes," Xia Yuxing took out his card.
"That’s good, the first floor’s cafeteria has many choices. You can even find steamed dumplings in the evening if you want."
Entering the cafeteria,
following where Lu Chang pointed,
Xia Yuxing indeed saw steamed dumplings. Not only that, there were many other stalls, beef noodles, ramen, home-cooked stir-fries... What shocked him the most were the pastry shops.
"You guys, this is just... too..." Sha Li stammered, almost unable to speak.
Lu Chang looked pleased with Sha Li’s reaction.
"Comprehensive, right? As long as it’s not extremely niche, you’ll find it here. And this is just the first floor. On the second floor, there’s hot pot, buffet, coffee shops, bubble tea shops, and the like."
"The third floor has a supermarket, gym, KTV, and movie theater, very interesting. And the cost is not high, similar to back in China. Our Chairman subsidizes a lot of the costs for these facilities."
Xia Yuxing: "..."
This was essentially a small commercial center.
Eating, drinking, enjoying themselves.
Is this really Africa?
Don’t you care about costs?
But once you think about Tang Qing’s property, it seems... he does have the means to be this generous.
"We should go eat hot pot, I haven’t had it in three months," said Sha Li, his eyes lighting up at the mention.
"Sure, let’s do it. We’ll treat you," Xia Yuxing told Lu Chang as they prepared to leave. He had brought plenty of RMB and dollars, thinking it should be enough for a nice meal here.
"Then, thank you," Lu Chang didn’t hold back.
They went up to the second floor.
Indeed.
There were coffee shops and milk tea stores, and they even saw an Internet cafe with only a few scattered customers... But is this really Africa?
Entering the hot pot area.
A beautiful Chinese waitress caught their attention; it had been a while since the group of men had seen such an attractive Chinese woman, and they all seemed a bit shy. Sha Li, in particular, couldn’t stop staring at her.
Good thing the waitress was very professional.
She politely asked, "Welcome, how many of you?"
"Nineteen," Xia Yuxing responded, Fielding didn’t come.
"Right this way, please."
Since there were many of them, the waitress arranged for them to sit at two large tables. 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
After they ordered.
And after the tea was served.
The waitress left.
Sha Li, unable to wait any longer, asked, "What’s going on here, why would girls be willing to come to Africa?"
Lu Chang explained with a smile, "They are family members of employees from the factory. After visiting once, they found this place very safe. Coupled with high waitress wages, some brought over or referred their families."
"That’s daring."
"They wouldn’t dare go to other mining sites, but here, just the Chinese armed security guards exceed three hundred, with over three hundred African security guards on the outskirts as well. As long as you don’t wander off, nothing will happen."
Lu Chang was most pleased with the area’s security.
"I see. How’s their treatment?" Sha Li inquired.
"Five thousand RMB a month," Lu Chang gestured with his hand.
"Pfft..." Sha Li spat out his tea in shock. "What? Five thousand RMB?"
Two thousand would already be a high salary for such waitresses in domestic China.
"Here in Africa, the salaries have to be higher, of course. Deducting insurance and housing provident fund, each can take home over four thousand a month. And if they do well, the company also gives a year-end bonus."
"However, it’s not easy to get that bonus. The company has strict regulations for service staff in the mining area. They must always smile at customers, and if there are too many complaints, they’ll lose the bonus."
"In this respect, the company enforces very strict management, preferring to leave spots empty rather than hire unqualified employees. Even if it means shutting down, they won’t use employees who fail to improve and can’t recognize their place."
Sha Li was astonished.
He thought that being a monopoly meant poor service, but surprisingly, they followed industry service standards here, not renting out to external businesses, but instead staffing directly for the mining employees.
"Big brother Lu, how much do you earn each month?" Sha Li curiously asked.
Lu Chang waved his hand and smiled, "Not much, I’m just a truck driver, all together making over eight thousand, of course, that’s not including the year-end bonus."
"That’s a lot."
"Not really. Here, it’s only considered medium. I’ve applied for mining truck driving; after passing, I can increase my earnings by about fifty percent. However, what I really want is to join the security department; there, everyone starts at ten thousand," Lu Chang said enviously.
"Is it difficult?" Sha Li asked.
Lu Chang nodded, "Very. The security here are all former soldiers, skilled in weapons and combat, training every day. They don’t recruit ordinary people. It’s a shame."
"That’s good," Xia Yuxing said.
"Yes, at least we feel secure. If you are going out on business, it’s best to request a security detail from the company. I don’t know if there’s a fee, but no one nearby would dare mess with you then," Lu Chang advised.
"Thank you."
Xia Yuxing already had this in mind; if there were a fee, he’d definitely discuss it with the company, but even if the company didn’t cover it and it wasn’t too expensive, they could pay out of pocket, as their own safety was at stake.
They could add it to later expense claims.
In this region, the allowable expenses were quite generous.
Soon.
All the dishes were served.
The familiar spicy aroma captivated them, and with the air conditioning turned up high, it was the perfect setting for hot pot.
At this time.
The small hot pot restaurant began to fill up.
This meal was thoroughly enjoyed by Xia Yuxing and his companions.
