The faint light of dawn seemed drained of its vitality, weakly spilling across the village. The sunlight, which should have been a symbol of hope, now appeared dimmed and gloomy, suppressed by the heavy gloom brought by the infectious disease. After a whole day of tense and busy epidemic prevention work, which felt like a battle, the village seemed shrouded in a thick fog of fatigue and unease, with every inch of air filled with this oppressive atmosphere.

In the makeshift clinic, Lin Yue and Chen Yu sat facing each other. Before them lay a worn-out table, its surface uneven and dented, bearing the deep marks of time. Piled up on the table were jumbled papers recording the village's usage and remaining supplies of epidemic prevention materials. Lin Yue's brows were furrowed, her eyebrows seemingly bound by threads of worry, her eyes filled with deep concern. She picked up the notebook recording supplies, her fingers trembling slightly as she looked at the numbers and murmured, "More than half of the disinfectant has been used; the rest won't last long. Masks are almost gone, and many are already badly torn. This is far from enough. We don't know how long the epidemic will last; we can't just stand by and watch the villagers without protection." Chen Yu sat silently beside her, his eyes grave, his lips pressed tightly together, nodding silently. He knew the situation was dire; they had to find a solution to the urgent shortage of supplies as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

“We can’t just sit here and wait to die. We need to think of how to make some simple protective gear.” Lin Yue suddenly raised her head, a resolute glint in her eyes—a light of hope in the face of darkness, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky. Chen Yu looked at her, his eyes filled with trust, a firm belief born from years of getting along and sharing experiences: “Yes, we can try. I’ve seen some methods in books before, maybe they can come in handy now. As long as we work together, we’ll definitely find a solution.”

Their first focus was on making their own disinfectant. Lin Yue and Chen Yu searched the village for materials to make the disinfectant. They arrived at a warehouse, a dark, damp place filled with a musty smell. The warehouse was piled high with all sorts of odds and ends, and they rummaged through it, dust flying in the light and making them cough. Suddenly, Chen Yu spotted several large jars in a corner. His eyes lit up, and he excitedly shouted, "Yue'er, look! These jars can be used to make disinfectant. They look pretty sturdy, perfect for this!" Lin Yue quickly went over, squatted down, and carefully examined the jars. She gently tapped them, listened to the sound, and checked for cracks in the rims, then nodded, "Hmm, the jars are pretty good. But we still need to find suitable raw materials; that's the key."

They asked the village elders, hoping to find clues from their experience. An elderly man with white hair recalled for a long time and told them that a plant called "bitter wormwood" had certain antibacterial properties. Upon receiving this information, Lin Yue and Chen Yu immediately led several educated youths towards the fields outside the village. The fields, once vibrant and lush, had become somewhat desolate. The autumn wind rustled the withered yellow grass, and amidst this desolation, the bitter wormwood they were looking for stood out conspicuously, its unique leaf shape and color seeming to beckon to them.

Lin Yue bent down, her eyes focused and serious as she carefully identified the artemisia. Her hands moved deftly as she picked the plants, constantly instructing the educated youth, "Everyone, please note that you should only pick the leaves and tender stems; this will make the disinfectant more effective. Don't pick the old leaves or the thick stems, as they will affect the quality." The educated youth nodded in agreement and then began picking as well. Soon, everyone's baskets were filled with lush green artemisia; the tender artemisia seemed like their most precious treasure at that moment.

Back in the village, they began making disinfectant. Lin Yue directed everyone to wash the wormwood thoroughly; the clear water turned a vibrant green during the process. Then, they placed the washed wormwood into a jar, added an appropriate amount of water and some salt they had found in the warehouse. As Lin Yue worked, she explained, "This salt enhances the disinfectant's effectiveness; it changes the osmotic pressure of the water, allowing the disinfectant to work better." Everyone listened attentively, each contributing their own effort to this hard-won homemade disinfectant.

While making disinfectant, the shortage of masks also urgently needed to be addressed. Lin Yue looked at the few remaining masks, already tattered and worn, and fell into deep thought. "We can make masks using cloth and cotton. There should be plenty of old clothes in the village that we can use," Lin Yue suggested, a glimmer of hope in her eyes, like a ray of dawn in the darkness.

The villagers responded enthusiastically to the idea, bringing out all their old clothes that they no longer needed. Soon, the open space in the center of the village was piled high with old clothes of various colors and materials. Several skillful women also joined the mask-making effort, with Aunt Liu being the most enthusiastic. Holding a piece of cloth, she sat on a stool, her eyes focused intently on cutting. Her gaze was full of seriousness, as if she were creating a priceless treasure: "These masks must be made carefully; they concern everyone's lives. We can't be careless at all; every stitch must be secure."

Lin Yue instructed everyone, "Aunt Liu, the mask needs to be made with multiple layers so that it can filter germs better. You can put some cotton in the middle to increase the filtering effect. Also, the shape needs to be right so that it fits the face tightly without any gaps, otherwise germs will get in." Aunt Liu nodded in agreement, and her hands became more serious. She picked up the needle and thread and began to carefully sew the mask.

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