After being expelled from the mansion, I changed the dynasty by writing novels.

Chapter 115 Abrupt

Ye Yuwu smiled mischievously: "Does being a woman preclude me from being friends with Boss Zhang?"

"Haha, I'm just afraid that you, Manager Ye, will think I'm being presumptuous. I, Zhang, have no other intentions."

"Of course I don't think it's abrupt. I would also like to get to know a friend as generous and straightforward as you, Mr. Zhang. Here, let me toast you."

Ye Yuwu was about to pick up the wine glass in front of her when Boss Zhang stopped her. Ye Yuwu looked at him in confusion.

"Hey, Manager Ye, you're a woman, so you should drink less. Since you consider me, Zhang, a friend, there's no reason for you to drink. Come on, waiter, bring a pot of tea!"

The waiter responded, and a pot of tea was brought over shortly afterward. Ye Yuwu blinked, still not quite understanding what was happening, and then Boss Zhang personally poured her a new cup of tea.

They clinked glasses and drank tea and wine.

Only at this moment did a warm feeling slowly flow through Ye Yuwu's heart.

Unlike in movies and TV dramas, where someone suddenly steps forward to stop her from drinking or drink for her, the person she was toasting with would take the initiative to stop her from drinking and ask her to drink tea instead of alcohol.

At that moment, she deeply felt the vibrancy of this dynasty, and that everyone there was flesh and blood.

After they each finished their drink, they put down their cups.

"To be honest, Manager Ye, I collected chili pepper plants from almost half the state to find them for you. I doubt these people will be able to find them again after they go to sea." Boss Zhang meant that for the next period of time, only Ye Yuwu would likely have a large quantity of chili peppers.

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Zhang."

The next day, she had the farmhands plant the chili pepper plants early in the morning. Planting them in December would mean harvesting new fruit around April or May. Then, in the spring, the dried chili pepper seeds would be sown again, and new plants would grow.

This is also the method Ye Yuwu came up with for large-scale planting of bell peppers; otherwise, he would have to keep going overseas to bring bell pepper plants, which would be both expensive and laborious.

Ye Yuwu specifically bought farmland with money to plant these exotic plants; the farmland was only 200 mu.

She had 24 acres of chili peppers, all of which were brought back to her by merchants who had gone to sea. She also hired several farmhands to take care of the fields.

Several farmhands who had spent most of their lives cultivating the land had never seen this foreign plant before.

However, it is said that it is a rare species that was brought back from overseas at a high price, and they somehow know that even the emperor has only a few of these plants.

So he was afraid of damaging the plant.

Therefore, they are very careful when planting bell peppers, afraid of damaging them, treating them like precious treasures.

They also take care of the bell peppers like precious treasures, handling them with utmost care.

Ye Yuwu didn't pay much attention to the affairs of the estate, but entrusted them to several farmhands.

She then spent the rest of her time working at the coal mine.

Lord Duan, the official in charge of salt and iron, personally took her to visit the coal mine.

There happened to be a coal mine on the outskirts of Bianjing, but it was in a remote location, deep in a forest.

It takes them about three hours to travel by carriage.

So they set off for the coal yard very early.

They passed through a dense forest and finally arrived deep in the mountains, where it was already covered by heavy snow. The entire forest was shrouded in white snow, and the white mist they exhaled obscured their vision.

When they were halfway through the journey, Ye Yuwu lifted the heavy curtain in the carriage and looked out. She saw that the ground outside was covered in white snow, and the trees were covered with glistening white snow. The snow scene was breathtaking.

The ground is covered in a blanket of white, which is when one can truly feel that winter has arrived.

After a while, they finally arrived at their destination.

Ye Yuwu got off the carriage, and Liang Suxin accompanied her to the coal yard this time.

Liang Suxin's task this time was to see if she could gather any useful information at the coal yard, which she could then write about in the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Lord Xue, the Salt and Iron Commissioner, and Guan Yan alighted from another carriage.

As soon as they got off the carriage, they saw two people standing in the wind and snow at the cave entrance to greet them.

One was the manager, in charge of the mine's underground affairs, and the other was the kiln foreman, the leader of the miners.

The two men walked over, and after exchanging pleasantries, the group entered the coal yard together.

Before entering the mine, Ye Yuwu secretly surveyed the mine.

From the outside, all you can see at this coal yard is a cave with its entrance supported by a wooden beam, as if to prevent heavy snow from collapsing and blocking the entrance. Even the snow near the entrance has been freshly cleared.

Only after entering the cave could Ye Yuwu truly appreciate the harsh conditions of the coal mine.

Not to mention that the cave is pitch black, because it is dark and cramped because they are afraid that torches will catch fire.

There were also many strange smells in the cave, and at first everyone wrinkled their noses.

After walking for a while, the group gradually adjusted to the visibility inside the mine.

Before long, we arrived at the mining area inside the mine. Despite the cold weather, they were all working shirtless. Perhaps because the mine was cramped and the air was not circulating, and the mining work was arduous, they soon became unbearably hot.

Upon seeing this scene, Liang Suxin immediately turned her back, not daring to look. If any other woman had seen this, she would have run away in fright.

Lord Xue slapped his forehead. "Oh dear! How could I forget that? I completely forgot to tell the kiln owner about the weather!"

Lord Xue was somewhat annoyed that he hadn't paid more attention and had almost forgotten that there were two women nearby.

Just then, the miners who heard the commotion were about to turn around to look at them when the kiln foreman shouted, "Put your clothes on! Can't you see there are important people here today? Hurry up!"

Perhaps because the kiln leader was usually very authoritative, his shout made the miners quickly put on their clothes and soon pick up their tools to work again.

Seeing that they had started working seriously, the kiln foreman stepped forward and became extremely obsequious to the salt and iron officials, showing none of his previous ferocity.

It was only then that Ye Yuwu realized that miners in Jinchao were at the bottom of society and were easily looked down upon. They usually had to do the hardest and dirtiest work, and the wages were not high.

These people usually come from extremely poor families and choose to become miners because they have no skills.

Although Ye Yuwu felt uncomfortable with this behavior, she refrained from speaking rashly. This was her flaw; she was too empathetic, perhaps due to the mindset of modern people.

"How much do these miners earn per month?"

"Our mine is the closest to Bianjing, and the wages are higher than those in other mines, at 300 wen per month."

The minimum wage for ordinary people in Bianjing was 500 wen per month, so it seems that the miners' wages were even lower than expected.

Even Lord Xue couldn't help but frown.

Ye Yuwu then asked a series of basic questions, such as the monthly coal production of the mine, which were answered one by one by the manager and the kiln foreman.

After asking about the questions, Lord Xue suddenly asked Ye Yuwu, "Manager Ye, do you have any ideas?"