Upon arriving at the north of the town, Er Zhu first headed to the largest recruitment market.
Seeing the throng of job seekers, Li Mei grew anxious.
"So many people, how are we going to hire anyone?"
As Li Mei fretted, a plump woman with a red armband approached Er Zhu and Li Mei.
"Job seekers, wait over there. This is where the recruiters sit."
The woman pointed to a small stool not far away, her eyes filled with disdain and impatience.
"Youngsters, they don't even learn a proper skill, just work for money. Truly useless!"
The woman muttered as she jotted something in her notebook, glancing at Er Zhu and Li Mei.
A flash of anger crossed Li Mei's eyes. She was about to step forward to argue, but Er Zhu pulled her behind him.
"We are here to recruit."
The woman was about to leave when she heard Er Zhu's words and burst into laughter.
"You poor beggars are here to recruit? Let me tell you, you can fool others, but you can't fool me!"
The woman put her hands on her hips and yelled at Er Zhu and Li Mei like a shrew.
"Hah, if you're here to recruit, I'll give you all the people I hire!"
"Damn it, acting tough in front of us, you're really bold!"
"Who's this idiot, don't they value their life!"
Hearing the woman's voice, several nearby recruiters also gathered around. They sized up Er Zhu and Li Mei, their eyes full of mockery.
Li Mei's face turned red with anger, but seeing so many people, she didn't dare say anything.
After all, this was the town, and she didn't want to cause trouble for Er Zhu.
*Slap!*
Er Zhu didn't say a word. As the crowd's taunts grew more intense, he directly took a red bill out of his pocket.
"Here's the money, now get lost!"
After saying this, Er Zhu sat down. The crowd was stunned and then looked at the notice board behind them.
Fifty yuan per stall, and this guy actually gave a hundred. He was truly wealthy and generous!
Seeing that the situation was not in their favor, the recruiters quietly returned to their stalls.
The recruiter who had promised to give all the hired people to Er Zhu looked even more unpleasant than if she had eaten a dead fly!
They were here to recruit, not to offend people. Moreover, the people who came for recruitment here were a mixed bag. If they offended someone important, their small factory would be finished!
Seeing everyone disperse, and then looking at the money on the table, a hint of surprise flashed in the woman's eyes.
"Damn, they really are here to recruit!"
After taking the money from the table, the woman disappeared into the crowd sheepishly. Li Mei, however, pushed Er Zhu with a hint of complaint.
"Didn't you know it was fifty yuan per stall, why did you give her a hundred?"
Li Mei frowned slightly, looking at the direction the woman had gone with a hint of heartache.
"A hundred yuan is nothing, not even a drop in the ocean. What's important is the business at hand."
Er Zhu said dismissively as he watched the people coming and going.
Li Mei opened her mouth to say something but ultimately said nothing. She suddenly had a feeling:
Compared to Er Zhu, her vision was truly too narrow...
Shaking off her thoughts, no one lingered on this small interlude. A woman dressed in revealing clothing stopped in front of Er Zhu.
"Are you here to recruit?"
The woman looked at Er Zhu curiously, her gaze wary.
"Yes, our village's traditional Chinese medicine factory needs staff. Are you interested, miss? Eight hours a day, with food and lodging provided!"
Er Zhu didn't respond to her, but Li Mei enthusiastically began to introduce them.
"Hahaha, with your shabby appearance, you're recruiting? You're not even dressed as well as I am!"
"Exactly, and you're from the countryside. Who knows if it's true or not?"
"Oh, I heard that recently there are traffickers who pretend to be recruiters to deceive people."
Several job seekers, hearing the commotion, crowded around, and soon Er Zhu was surrounded three layers deep.
"No, we're not traffickers, we're villagers from Shiliu Village!"
Seeing everyone's mockery, Li Mei was both anxious and angry, repeatedly explaining.
"Look, they're still scammers. That Shiliu Village is a well-known poor village. I heard they can barely afford to eat, so how could they possibly be recruiting here!"
"Everyone, stop talking. These two are traffickers, call the police quickly!"
Li Mei's explanation did not clarify the situation but instead made everyone more convinced that they were traffickers. Li Mei was on the verge of tears, but Er Zhu remained calm, only his eyes had a cold glint.
"No wonder they were so generous with their money. So they're traffickers!"
"Pah, being young, why do something so wicked!"
The recruiters who had left earlier heard the commotion and returned, angrily cursing.
"Traffickers? Where are the traffickers, where?"
As the voices here grew louder, the woman who had just taken the money ran back, shouting loudly as she scanned the crowd.
She was responsible for security at this recruitment center. If anything happened, she would be in serious trouble!
"It's them! This guy is recruiting people under the guise of hiring, but he's actually a trafficker. It's all over the internet!"
"Yes, I've already called the police. We need to keep an eye on them and don't let them escape!"
As soon as the woman arrived, the beautiful woman who had been mocking Er Zhu angrily reported them.
"You'd all best step aside. Mayor Liu will be here soon."
Just as the woman was about to speak again, Er Zhu glanced at a message on his phone and said coldly.
Liu Changfa knew he was coming to town to recruit and had voluntarily offered to help. He was already on his way.
"That's right, Mayor Liu will certainly come. For a brazen trafficker like you, Mayor Liu will naturally come to see!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense, he just wants to distract us and then escape!"
"Exactly, and he says the mayor is coming. Why doesn't he say the governor is coming too! This kind of scum is detestable!"
Er Zhu's words did not calm the crowd but instead made them even more furious. The anger in their eyes seemed ready to ignite Er Zhu and Li Mei.
"Kid, your plan is quite clever, but let me tell you, in the past twenty years, no one has ever escaped my sister Gui's notice!"
Sister Gui's eyes narrowed, looking as if she had seen through Er Zhu, and she gritted her teeth.
"Well, believe it or not."
Er Zhu nodded calmly and sat leisurely on the chair, closing his eyes to rest.
Seeing Er Zhu ignore her so completely, Sister Gui felt like she was hitting cotton, and her anger intensified!
Not only Sister Gui, but the surrounding crowd was also furious. The atmosphere at the scene grew increasingly tense!
"Er Zhu!"
A few minutes later, a man's voice came from outside. Everyone froze and quickly turned around.
Sister Gui's face turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead!
"Damn, it really is Mayor Liu!"