Chapter 108 108. Salt Price

It’s noon time.

Ai Xin dined at the private dining room of Fulinbao.

The housekeeper Mo Sufei enthusiastically introduced the latest food, from steamed buns, steamed dumplings, to steamed seafood and steamed cuckoo eggs.

A wide variety of steamed dishes will satisfy your appetite.

Ai Xin regretted coming here alone. She should have brought a chef with her to learn. These dishes were really delicious.

"Lord Lovi, you haven't come back yet?"

"The young master is very busy. He is thinking about creating something new every day." Mosuofei said proudly, and told Ai Xin that these changes were all led by Lovey.

Ai Xin's face showed more and more interest. She picked up the soy milk with honey and drank it all in one gulp. She stood up with the help of the table and said, "Take me to find him now."

"Of course no problem." Mossoffie agreed readily.

Led by the guards, Ai Xin returned to Donggang City.

The news of her arrival had already been reported to Lovey by the messenger guard.

On the surface, Luo Wei didn't seem to care much and said lightly that he knew about it, but his mind was already active.

Before he met Suya, Ai Xin was the woman who could most arouse his impulses. They had a close relationship for a time, and he did many things secretly behind Lodel's back.

Not only that, the two of them also had a secret agreement. "My lord, this place is nice." Ponytail Girl Wen said from the side.

Luo Wei gathered his thoughts, glanced around, and nodded slightly: "Here it is."

In order to expand the capacity of brick and cement kilns, it is necessary to select new sites.

Considering the need for a large amount of clay and water, Lowe arranged the site next to the pottery workshop. It is located in the coastal area at the end of Xiaoqing River, about two kilometers away from Donggang City, and it takes 20 minutes to walk.

The arrival of more than a thousand stone workshop workers changed the deserted scene in one fell swoop.

Everywhere you look, you see a busy scene.

Under the leadership of experienced foremen, brick and cement kilns were built according to plan.

While the progress is encouraging, there is also a fatal problem facing us.

There is not enough coal! It is not because the mineral resources are exhausted, but because the mining capacity is simply insufficient.

There are as many as five coal mines near Donggang City. All of them are large-scale, high-quality and easy-to-mine coal mines. However, there are less than 200 miners working in these five mines.

Mining is never an easy job.

Many people would rather grind stones in a stone mill for the lowest salary than work in a mine.

Because it's too dangerous.

As they kept digging, they might be buried by a landslide at any time, and few people survived.

Experience is not as useful as luck in the mines. It is undeniable that some miners can detect abnormalities before a landslide.

Even so, the survival rate is only slightly higher.

To survive, you have to keep digging. You can't stop until the mine collapses. This is also destined to lead to the death of many people.

“Let’s raise the salary first.”

Lowe considered improving the treatment of the miners and raising their monthly salary from five silver dollars to six silver dollars.

"How stingy! Even if we double the number of miners now, it may not be enough!" Lordel shook his head.

"What do you think we should do?"

“Double your salary!”

"The industry environment is not good, and even if the price doubles, not many people will come. We should start from other directions."

Luo Wei is well aware that some people need more than just money. For example, household registration and housing are things that are easy for him to give, but he attaches great importance to them.

And then there is the degree of freedom.

No one wants to stay in the mine all the time, working day and night.

If we consider the piece-rate model, would it be better to recruit workers flexibly? As for safety, the mine can be reinforced with wooden frames. It is possible that he would have invented reinforced concrete and developed an advanced system of mine cars and rails in advance.

Someone needs to be responsible for the research, development and iteration of mining technology.

It's not just tools, it also includes explosives and detonators. To be honest, even in the technologically advanced 21st century, we cannot prevent mining accidents.

Therefore, in the future, if conditions permit, it is better to import coal.

Lowe was in a depressed mood. In the early stages of industrial development, it was difficult to avoid the loss of human lives.

Just like in land reclamation, countless people will die in the end. Life is too cheap in this era, and a snowfall can take away a group of lives.

"If it really doesn't work, you can go slower." Lodel advised.

"You have a point." Lowe murmured.

Some things cannot be rushed, just like population reproduction, it takes at least fifteen years for a person to reach adulthood.

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Death is just a moment.

At the coast, Ai Xin stopped panting and asked the guard who led the way: "Why did the lord go to such a remote place?"

"I don't know either. There should be a pottery workshop by the Xiaoqing River." The honest-looking guard scratched his head.

Ai Xin's question came again: "What is pottery?"

"This is a great thing invented by the lord. It's cheap and easy to use." The guard couldn't explain it.

The two continued to move forward. Pools of water filled with seawater attracted Ai Xin's attention. "What is this?"

The guard chuckled.

"You think I wouldn't know unless you told me?" Ai Xin quickened his pace, walked around to the crystal pool, bent down, stretched out his finger, and tapped it lightly.

As expected, a salty taste appeared on my fingertips.

Ai Xin's expression changed slightly, and he said to himself, "Will the output of sun-dried salt be higher? Impossible, with so much seawater washing up on the shore every day, and there is no salt to be taken. Mr. Lord is too whimsical and totally unreliable."

"It has already succeeded," the guard couldn't help but argue.

Ai Xin looked at the guard's expression. Under the mental lock, any slight change in the guard's body meant that he was not deceiving her.

No way. Ai Xin quickened his pace and walked forward.

Several salt workers were watching the site and shouted, "Why is someone walking this way?"

"I brought it." The guard stepped forward and said.

"It's Lady Naba." The salt worker recognized the guard who once followed the lord and allowed the two to pass.

The salt fields along the coast are continuous.

The blocks are almost the same size and the planning is very neat.

Finally, Ai Xin saw translucent crystals appear in the crystallization pool as she wished.

"This! Really works!" she exclaimed.

"You didn't ask about the price of salt before you came. It used to cost three silver dollars to buy one pound, but now it only costs thirty copper pennies. The lord also said that it will be even cheaper in the future." The guard's boastful tone was exactly the same as the butler's, and pride was almost written on his face.

"Well, Lowe really did a great job."

Ai Xin is not a blacksmith, so he is not sensitive to the significance of melting iron, which is far less simple and intuitive than a tenfold reduction in the price of salt.

In inland cities, salt is money! It is a fixed exchange commodity recognized by the people!

Endless salt equals endless wealth The red-haired beauty's eyes glowed with gold: "Why do you want to lower the price? Isn't it better to sell it at a high price?"

(End of this chapter)