Old Hu and his companions walked out of the mine together and looked up at the sky, which was already darkening with dusk.
"Old Hu, how much did we dig today?" A companion next to Old Hu asked, inquiring about the day's labor results.
Not all of the dozen or so n went down into the mine; only eleven were actually working underground, while the other three were on the surface handling the ore they dug up.
"You'd better ask Xiao Tang and the others, but it should be over a hundred tons today, right?" Old Hu shook his head, only able to give an approximate estimate.
Before the disaster, a small iron mine of the scale they contracted could dig about 20-50 tons of ore a day.
Old Hu and the others, relying on the drills from the industrial ship and the mining exoskeletons provided by the state, have seen a significant increase in production efficiency.
Digging over a hundred tons of ore a day isn't considered too exaggerated.
"The state set our standard to dig a hundred tons a day, so the extra is ours. Looks like our hard work these days hasn't been in vain!" Another person beside him said with a joyful smile, not forgetting to ask Old Hu, "Old Hu, what should we exchange the ore for? How about we get a residential pod? The cabin on the ship is still a bit small; it's a bit cramped for a family living together."
"Why get a residential pod! I say we exchange it for a new set of mining equipnt instead. The area we contracted is quite large; we could open another sub-mine and dig more, that's sensible!" Another person clearly had a different opinion, hoping to have more equipnt to dig more ore, which would an more inco.
This is a very straightforward idea and can be considered sowhat insightful, but Old Hu just shook his head at this.
"I've thought it over, this month we'll exchange with the state for an ecological greenhouse, have the won grow vegetables and fruits, and improve the children's als during their growing years. They need better food," Old Hu's idea was simpler but more foresighted: "Isn't our hard work all about making life better for our wives and children? Moreover, I also asked Xiao Tang. He said the mineral reserves in this area are limited, and the geological structure isn't very stable. If we dig too fast, the mountain will collapse."
Upon hearing Old Hu say this, several people stopped talking and nodded in agreent.
After all, everyone indeed was working for their wives and children. As for mining more, these rough n didn't quite understand, except for Old Hu, who used to be a miner. Xiao Tang, ntioned by them, was the only one knowledgeable in geological exploration, and he was their confidence to contract the mine.
Previously, it was Xiao Tang who researched the distribution of the mineral veins, telling them how to dig to get more ore, enabling them to excavate over a hundred tons of ore a day.
Otherwise, relying solely on themselves, even with the mining equipnt provided by the state, mining eighty to ninety tons a day would have been the limit. The standard of a hundred tons would require the won to help in the mine.
So, when they heard Xiao Tang say not to dig more, everyone didn't have much to say.
As for Old Hu wanting to exchange ore for a greenhouse instead of a residential pod, everyone could understand. Improving the children's diet was indeed important.
They currently lived on the industrial ship, and although the rooms were indeed a bit narrow, and it was a bit cramped and inconvenient for living, it was still habitable. The heating and insulation of the industrial ship were quite good, and there wasn't much discomfort.
The desire for a residential pod was simply a wish to live a bit better.
Frankly, Old Hu himself actually quite wanted one of those residential pods provided by the state because they really looked comfortable.
The so-called residential pod was akin to a blend of mobile housing and container housing, ten ters long and six ters wide, divided into two levels. It was fully equipped and completely integrated as a housing unit, accommodating 3-5 people.
Old Hu's group could exchange for about ten residential pods, enough for everyone, considering the single young n could squeeze in together.
The ore they dug, aside from the state's portion, could be exchanged for a point per ton, and a residential pod would cost 100 points, while the deluxe version would be 20 points more expensive.
For Old Hu's group, they could afford one each with enough diligence to saving for two months.
But the ecological greenhouse Old Hu wanted to exchange for was much more expensive, at 500 points. It could grow vegetables and fruits, and with tanks and breeding boxes, they could raise so fish and poultry, serving the food needs of about 50 people.
However, the ecological greenhouse required additional heating and power supply, which couldn't be supported by the industrial ship equipnt alone, so they would have to spend more points on matching equipnt.
Everyone could understand this, as the heating and power equipnt were already part of their plans, previously discussed and agreed upon collectively.
Now, seeing they had accumulated so points, they thought they could live better, and naturally, so had new ideas, wanting to live a bit nicer.
This was understandable, as after all, everyone left the safety of the refuge to contract the mines, hoping to achieve a better life through their efforts.
With better days in sight, everyone naturally hoped to improve their living conditions, which was nothing to shy away from, including Old Hu, who had similar thoughts, but he thought a bit further ahead.
The group returned to the industrial ship, removed their mining exoskeletons and dust-covered protective suits, and then entered the living area of the ship, returning to their respective cabins.
There's no denying that the mining exoskeleton and protective suits are a huge boon for miners working underground.
In the past, the first thing they would do after coming up from the mine would have been to take a shower and clean away all the dust and debris.
But now, as long as they took off the protective suits, they were basically clean, a simple face wash was enough to join their families for dinner.
The n, back in their cabins, sat down at the dining table where the won had already prepared als for them. The families happily enjoyed dinner together. Although it was just simple als, for the n who had worked hard all day, being able to have dinner with their wives and children was a taste of happiness.
Fathers inquired about their children's schoolwork, while wives shared the day's mundane details with their husbands, filled with satisfaction and warmth in its simplicity.
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