chapter 10 The first company of Jinxiu Group

With Fiona's help, Benjamin came to understand a saying: "Like a tiger with added wings."

Fiona was not only proficient in finance but also adept at various aspects of business. In just over a month, Jinxiu Company, with a registered capital of 500,000, was established.

This month, the pine nut market in Wu City was completely opened up. Merchants from all over, heading to Yun Port, flocked like vultures spotting carrion. The piled pine nuts in the factory never exceeded 3000 pounds. A few loaders even strained themselves, a testament to Benjamin's thriving business.

In Ertai Town, Lucas was already making money like crazy. Train cars and less-than-carload shipments were delivering goods to Wu City in an unending stream.

Michael and a few other conductors were not willing to be left behind. Wu and Feng Line's passenger cars, laden with goods, were so full that there was hardly any space to step.

6.75 million, plus nearly 120,000 pounds of pine nuts that hadn't made it onto the train in Ertai Town yet. That was Benjamin's income for the past two months.

Sitting in the lavishly decorated office chair, surrounded by an array of seals—company seal, financial seal, contract seal, business license, organization code certificate, and so on—Benjamin contemplated the thick stack in front of him.

These were the results of his month-and-a-half of hard work with Fiona. Today marked the day of the first company he had established since his rebirth.

The factory had long been cleaned spotlessly. On the door lintel outside, the signboard of Jinxiu Company, with white letters on a black background, had been carefully covered with red cloth by Fiona. It was waiting for the auspicious moment to set off firecrackers and reveal itself.

In the end, the current Benjamin was quietly amassing wealth, and with his henchmen in tow, he only had some reputation among the middle and lower classes of Wu City. So, he decided not to invite anyone and opted to hold the grand opening ceremony with his brothers. A lively celebration would suffice.

Benjamin sat calmly in the office, playing with the company seal in one hand while gazing at the group of brothers, including Simon who had rushed back from Ertai Town.

Fourteen people, including Fiona, looked at Benjamin with fervent eyes, silently waiting for him to speak. They had witnessed step by step how Benjamin had built the Jinxiu Company. They were completely convinced of Benjamin.

Among these people, except for one cashier hired by Fiona herself, all the others were hired through Benjamin's assessment and recruitment from the freight yard.

"Thump, thump!"

As was his habit, Benjamin tapped the table with his index and ring fingers. Immediately, everyone straightened up.

Benjamin himself wasn't entirely aware that he was a leader with a wolf-like demeanor, perfectly suited for modern enterprises. The fierceness, strength, calmness, wisdom, and extraordinary confidence he exuded would instill a strong sense of determination and tenacity in his team. With his personal vision and continuous business success, these people might even develop a personal admiration for him, willing to sacrifice everything for him.

Benjamin's calm face revealed a faint, contented smile. "Without rules, there's no order. From today onwards, we are no longer a makeshift team. So, the first thing we do is establish some rules." With that, he nodded, signaling Fiona to distribute the prepared financial system and company regulations to everyone.

Most of the people under him were rough men with low levels of education, and their faces turned somewhat bitter when they saw the thick stack in their hands.

Benjamin's gaze was steady as he began to speak. "I've had my fortune read, and the fortune-teller told me that I'm not a person who achieves greatness at the cost of thousands of lives."

He paused, and the densely packed crowd below maintained their silence, waiting for Benjamin to continue leading them.

"I've named it Jinxiu Company, to provide all of you a splendid future. My pace will only quicken from here, and you must keep up with me, adhere to the rules, and learn these things. Achieving this is just our first step towards being more formal." Benjamin picked up the charter document and gave it a slight shake in his hand.

"Now that I've finished speaking, you can speak."

To his surprise, everyone nodded resolutely, not a single person uttering a word of complaint.

Benjamin felt pleased and continued, "Starting this month, salaries will be handled through the financial system. I will have Sister Zhang inform you of the exact amounts."

The auspicious time had arrived, and the crackling firecrackers deafeningly announced the quiet opening of Benjamin's first company since his rebirth.

After a lively celebration, everyone began a busy day. With the high demand for pine nuts, none of these people had any idle time. In just a short while, three trucks were already lined up at the entrance.

Simon and the others were given the title of department manager, with salaries that were astounding for the time—2000 dollars. Fiona was the head of finance, earning the same.

As for Nicholas, Benjamin thought he was too young and unpredictable. He decided to have him work alongside himself, giving him an assistant role with a salary of 1500.

The rest, under Simon and his team, were each given a salary of 300 dollars. This was already a very generous wage, but these people did indeed work hard. The pine nuts typically arrived at night, and large shipments often required them to work through the night. Therefore, Benjamin generously set this rate, which was met with cheers from the group.

Benjamin called Simon and the others into his office. With his funds now quite substantial, he was ready to expand his influence further in Ertai Town and Wu City. He was no longer content with just occupying a small freight yard, and he was determined to show his teeth.