"Boss, these people are just being unreasonable! We don't need to pay them any mind!"
"Exactly! Their own fish aren't selling, and they're blaming us! It's outrageous!"
"That's right! If they keep causing trouble, we'll call the police and have them all arrested. Let's see who dares to make a scene here!"
The security guards said indignantly to the group of fishermen in front of them.
Ye Feng felt a mix of amusement and frustration upon hearing this.
It was the first time he felt that being too outstanding could be a crime; it was truly ironic.
However, he also understood their predicament, as he himself had once been a fisherman.
The overwhelming success of the Sea God Company's fish, coupled with their low prices, had created industry competition.
Furthermore, the increasing amount of Sea God Power emanating from the Sea God Hall over the past six months had attracted more fish and accelerated their harvesting speed.
Initially, they could only bring in a batch of fish a week, but now they could harvest two to three batches.
Each batch was around a hundred tons, several times more than before.
Under the impact of this unparalleled deliciousness and massive output, fishermen who used to sell their fish for over a hundred yuan per jin were now only getting thirty to forty yuan.
Fish that were originally fifty to sixty yuan per jin were now selling for just over ten yuan. As for those that were originally ten yuan, they had dropped to three to four yuan with no buyers.
Fishermen made their living from fishing. With the severe pollution in the nearby waters, the catch was already scarce. Under the impact of the Sea God Company's massive output, their income became even more meager.
Before the Sea God Company existed, although they didn't earn much, they could at least make a living.
Now, after being impacted by the market, they struggled to even support their families.
Moreover, these people were clearly uneducated and only knew how to fish. If this continued, they would starve.
Therefore, even though they knew it was wrong to cause trouble for the Sea God Company, they had no other choice.
At this moment, Chen Xiaoyue received another text message.
Upon seeing the content, she suddenly understood and exclaimed, "So that's how it is!"
The next second, she quickly handed the message to Ye Feng to read.
After reading it, Ye Feng finally understood the real reason.
It turned out that the real force compelling these fishermen to cause trouble was the manipulation by the merchants.
Ever since the Qin family and those merchants joined forces to target the Sea God Company, the Sea God Company's seafood had stopped being sold to them.
Later, Qin Hao was imprisoned by Ye Feng, and these merchants no longer dared to provoke the Sea God Company.
They then turned their attention to the ordinary fishermen. Using the excuse of the Sea God Company's superior fish, they colluded to aggressively drive down prices, buying the fishermen's catch and then selling it at exorbitant prices to the inland northwestern regions.
Although Ye Feng's fish were popular, they had only penetrated the southeastern coastal regions and had not yet truly reached the northwestern areas.
The prices of these fish had already been significantly reduced due to the impact of the Sea God Company, and with the exploitation by these merchants, the situation was truly dire.
Due to the merchants' animosity towards the Sea God Company, they deliberately sowed discord, diverting blame. This forced the fishermen into a corner, leading them to cause trouble at the Sea God Company.
Understanding the entire situation, Ye Feng frowned.
Although legally, Ye Feng and his company had done nothing wrong, Ye Feng, as a former fisherman, decided to find a way to address the issue.
However, he couldn't think of a good solution immediately.
"How about this! You all go back first, and give me one day. I will find a way to solve your current difficulties!" Ye Feng said.
But as soon as he finished speaking, the fishermen started discussing amongst themselves.
"You're not trying to trick us, are you?"
"Yeah! Are you trying to trick us into leaving so you can run away?"
"That's right! You have to solve it now, or we won't leave, no matter what. We'll just live at your company..."
The group spoke stubbornly, refusing to listen.
Ye Feng chuckled, "My company is right here. Where could I possibly run?"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt it made perfect sense.
Ye Feng continued, "Besides, this matter has little to do with us. My willingness to help you is a favor, and not helping is my right! If you continue to be unreasonable and belligerent, I will have to call the police!"
Hearing this, the fishermen immediately restrained themselves.
They knew they were in the wrong, and if the police were called, they would gain nothing.
Finally, an older man, around fifty years old, spoke up, "Boss Ye! Is what you're saying true? We have a large catch waiting to be dealt with! If we wait too long, they'll just become dead fish and rotten shrimp!"
"Since you're worried I'll run away, I'll buy your fish at the normal price right now! For the rest, give me one day to think it over carefully! I will definitely help you solve it!" Ye Feng said.
The man heard this and replied, "Alright! Everyone, since Boss Ye is so straightforward, let's trust him this once!"
The others nodded in agreement.
In their hearts, they were simple fishermen, but they had been so exploited that they had no other way out, which led them to cause trouble.
Otherwise, who would willingly do such a thing? After all, if the Sea God Company called the police, they would be taken in for questioning.
Soon, all the fishermen left.
However, after they left, Chen Xiaoyue asked with confusion, "Boss, they were just being unreasonable! Why did you agree to help them?"
Ye Feng smiled and replied, "Because I was once a fisherman too. One should not forget their roots!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaoyue was stunned and then fell silent.
Chen Xiaoyue and Ye Feng were junior high school classmates, and she knew about Ye Feng's family background when he was young.
Therefore, when she heard Ye Feng's words, her initial urge to retort immediately subsided, and she fell silent.
After a while, she finally spoke, "Alright! But what about that batch of fish? Are we selling them at a loss, or throwing them away? Also, there are so many fishermen; if we help this batch, what about the next?"
"Well, I'll think of a way for that batch of fish! As for the fishermen, my ability is limited, but I'll help one by one if I can!" Ye Feng said with a smile.
In fact, for Ye Feng, money was something that couldn't be brought to life or taken to death. Enough was enough.
Moreover, money was just a string of numbers to him now.
"Alright!" Chen Xiaoyue replied helplessly.
Back at the company, Ye Feng kept thinking about how to deal with that batch of fish first.
But after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't come up with a satisfactory idea.
Just then, Ye Feng's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and frowned.
The phone number was unfamiliar, with no saved contact.
Ye Feng hesitated for two seconds before answering.
"Hello, hello! Who is this?"
As soon as Ye Feng finished speaking, a familiar voice came from the other end.
"Ye Feng, do you still remember me?" the voice said.
Although the person on the other end didn't mention their name, Ye Feng quickly recognized it and softly asked, "Class monitor?"
That's right!
The call was from Ye Feng's junior high classmate, the class monitor who had bravely supported him at the last class reunion, defying the powerful.
The next second, Ye Feng suddenly exclaimed with excitement, "Oh, right! Didn't the class monitor start a food processing business? How could I have forgotten about the class monitor! I have an idea, I have an idea..."