I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 583 Fang Qingye's Approachable Actions
Fang Qingye didn't answer but instead asked, "So, in your personal opinion, is it better to merge or not?"

"Of course, merging is good. If we merge, we'll be one family with them, and we won't have to compete to the point of bickering or even fighting."

The delivery guy with the short hair's words made the other riders around him laugh.

"Fighting is bad, harmony brings wealth," Fang Qingye replied. "As for a merger, it's not possible right now, but who knows what the future holds."

Fang Qingye then inquired in detail about their work.

"Can you tell me how much you earn in a month?"

"I work full-time as a food delivery driver. I can take about 40 orders a day and earn more than 4000 yuan a month. Of course, I earn less than that, but I want to make it easy."

The delivery guy with the short hair pointed to the middle-aged delivery rider next to him who was almost 40 years old and said, "That guy is really reckless. He runs for more than 10 hours a day, takes more than 80 orders a day, and can earn seven or eight thousand yuan."

"Nonsense! Zhang Jun, you're single and have no family to worry about, but I have a family to support, and my kids don't have to pay for school! How could I be as lazy as you?!" the older rider retorted.

It seems the two know each other and are quite familiar with each other.

Everyone laughed again.

Fang Qingye then asked about the difficulties encountered while delivering food.

The riders also complained about the long working hours, the lack of fixed working hours, the unstable income, the high workload and stress, and the difficulty in handling customer complaints and disputes.
Fang Qingye listened attentively.

Even without listening to these delivery riders' complaints, he knew that in this life, and especially in the previous life, the working environment and pressure of delivery riders had always been a hot topic in society.

But now that he is the top leader of a food delivery company, he still needs to maintain a friendly image.

Although he knew that the problems they were talking about could not be solved in the short term.

At this moment, the older delivery rider suddenly said, "After talking about so many issues, to be honest, I'm quite satisfied with my current income. I make seven or eight thousand yuan a month, which is more than what college students earn. But what I'm worried about is: what will happen when I get too old to run the delivery in a few years or ten years?"

His words silenced the riders, who all stared at Fang Qingye.

Why.
This is a problem that has not been completely solved even in later generations.

Fang Qingye thought for a moment and said, "I can understand this man's concerns. Neither Ele.me nor Meituan provides social security for their riders."

"This is an objective problem that cannot be avoided. What I want to say is that this problem must eventually be solved! Of course, the issues involved are very complex, including rider identification, cost control for food delivery companies, and so on. It takes time, so please give me some time!"

"Clap clap clap!" The older delivery riders led the applause.

It's good to have hope.

Zhang Jun, however, felt that this matter was unimportant.

I'm not from Shanghai. After working here for a few years, I'll eventually go back to my hometown. If I pay social security to the local government, will the local government still recognize it when I return?

Furthermore, the riders themselves have to pay a portion of the social security contributions, so they receive less cash in hand!

That's not good.

Retirement. I'm only 25 this year, and I'm still more than 30 years away from retirement. Who knows what the future holds?
Of course, Zhang Jun wouldn't say these things in front of the chairman; he was thinking about something else.

I bumped into the chairman while delivering food! I can brag about this to my friends when I get back!

Thinking of this, he grinned and said to Fang Qingye, "Chairman Fang, shall we take a picture together?"

“Sure,” Fang Qingye said with a smile as she stood up.

"Everyone, come on over," Fang Qingye called to the other three Ele.me delivery riders. The three immediately smiled and stood with Fang Qingye.

"Would you two like to take a picture together?" Fang Qingye then called out to two Meituan delivery riders in orange uniforms.

The two glanced at each other and joined in taking photos.

"I'll take the photos for you!"

Bai Ou immediately took out her phone, saw everyone smiling and raising their V-signs, and snapped a picture. She also took pictures with the phones of several food delivery riders.

On Xu Yunyun's side, the takeout meals were being cooked one after another, and the delivery riders left with their orders.

Fang Qingye and Bai Ou ordered a plate of shredded pork with garlic sauce and twice-cooked pork, rice, and egg and tomato soup, and they ate with great relish.

After finishing his meal, he said goodbye to Xu Yunyun before leaving.

Thankfully, people now pay with WeChat or Alipay by scanning a QR code, which is very convenient.

The two strolled along the Bund again.

Enjoying the gentle breeze along the riverbank, admiring the beautiful picture created by the dazzling lights on the opposite bank and the magnificent sunset on the horizon.

Bai Ou linked arms with Fang Qingye and said, "Now I finally understand what you said when you invested in Ele.me four years ago."

"What did you say?" Fang Qingye looked at her.

"You asked me whether delivery riders are considered company employees? If so, should social security be paid? If so, which company can easily afford the social security expenses for tens or even hundreds of thousands of riders? This is a very complex issue, and it is gradually emerging in front of you now."

"Yes, how will the increased social security costs be shared? Third-party companies partnered with the platform may be required to give up some of their profits to pay social security for riders. On the other hand, merchants on the platform may also have to accept slightly lower subsidies or slightly higher commissions, which may also result in consumers bearing slightly higher delivery fees."

"Another thing is that some delivery riders are worried that the out-of-pocket portion of social security contributions will reduce their income, and they will not see a return on their hard-earned money. Have you noticed that the middle-aged rider is very concerned about this issue, while the young rider named Zhang Jun is indifferent to it?"

Hearing Fang Qingye say these words, Bai Ou also chimed in, "Looking at the current national pension insurance system, there are also many shortcomings."

"Yes. Many food delivery riders are from other places, and there are objective obstacles such as fragmented policy implementation and cross-regional continuation of social security. It's a headache to think about all of this."

"Alright, stop thinking about it." Fang Qingye knew that Bai Ou was a woman with a strong sense of social responsibility, perhaps due to her education and two years of experience working in the court.

He affectionately put his arm around his wife's shoulder and said, "You have to eat one bite at a time. For Ele.me, the most important thing right now is to beat Meituan! Let's go see a movie later."

"Ah."

Today's screening is "The Golden Era," directed by Ann Hui, an art film reflecting the lives of writers during the Republican era.

Bai Ou likes watching these kinds of movies with a touch of bourgeois sentimentality.

Back at the villa that evening, the two took a shower and lay in bed scrolling through their phones. Bai Ou took out the photos that Fang Qingye and the food delivery rider had taken that afternoon and admired them.

"Great shot, Yezi! I'm posting it on my WeChat Moments! You have to like it!"

While enthusiastically uploading the video, he also made sure to advertise Xu Yunyun's small restaurant.

"This photo was taken inside a small restaurant called Gesanghua on Wuyuan Road near the Bund. The environment inside is nice, and the food is good too."

What struck her was that the photo had sparked another heated discussion online.

(End of this chapter)