Chapter 14 The Revolution Sparked by Defecation! On the Importance of Toilets! ...

The bumper potato harvest was undoubtedly a significant milestone in the development history of Lin's Restaurant.

It not only solved the pressing problem of food and clothing, but also greatly boosted morale, especially among foodies, and strengthened Lin Yue's great ideal of scientific farming and saving the world through food.

However, reality... always has something new to offer.

As everyone was able to eat and drink their fill and Uncle Stone Fist's injuries gradually improved, an issue that had been temporarily overshadowed by the pressure of survival began to emerge: personal and public hygiene.

Simply put, it refers to bad habits such as urinating and defecating anywhere and not liking to wash hands.

Lin Yue, as a well-educated young man with all the qualities of a civilized person, deeply abhorred this, even though he also had the experience of his university dormitory being as dirty as a pigsty.

Back when it was just him and Gray, things were alright. Everyone would relieve themselves in the wild, find a secluded corner, finish quickly, and avoid seeing each other.

But things are different now! They have a fixed place to live, a wounded soldier named Stone Fist who needs special care, and a lively, active cub named Little Fen who relieves himself anywhere.

The number of minefields within the camp area was increasing, and the air was beginning to fill with a... well, indescribable, mixed odor of various biological metabolites.

What drove Lin Yue even more crazy was that Gray and Stone Fist seemed completely accustomed to this and utterly oblivious. Washing hands before meals and after using the toilet? Forget about it! Grabbing food directly with hands that had just touched mud, stones, or even Xiao Fen's poop was their daily routine.

Every time Lin Yue saw it, he felt his blood pressure soar, as if he were seeing countless bacteria, viruses, and parasite eggs having a party on their hands.

"No! Absolutely not! If this continues, a large-scale infectious disease outbreak will occur sooner or later!" Lin Yue exclaimed in anguish. "We finally solved the problem of food; we can't let the problem of relieving ourselves wipe us out, can we?!"

Thus, a vigorous patriotic... oh no, hygienic campaign for Lin's Restaurant was launched with great difficulty, strongly promoted by Lin Yue.

The first core project of the movement, and also the one that encountered the greatest resistance, was the construction of public toilets.

Lin Yue excitedly approached Gray and Stone Fist with the "Basic Dry Toilet Design Drawing," a product of his system that included a simplified diagram of its odor-proof and ventilation structure, and announced this grand plan.

"Comrades! For our common health! For the sustainable development of our small restaurant! We must build a clean, hygienic toilet that is far away from water sources and living areas!" Lin Yue said passionately.

However, he was met with two pairs of eyes that seemed to say, "Are you kidding me?"

“...Toilet?” Gray frowned, seemingly trying to understand the unfamiliar word. “...Waste...time.”

[System translation: The other party believes that building toilets is a waste of time.]

Shi Quan scoffed, shouting in his loud voice, "Why build a special house just to poop and pee? You're just wasting your time."

System friendly reminder: The word "ball ache" in Dwarven language may not be literally what it sounds like, but it expresses a similar emotion.

Lin Yue: "..." He knew this would happen!

"This isn't just idle talk! This is science! This is civilization!" Lin Yue tried to explain to them, "Did you know? There are a lot of... well, dirty things in feces! They can spread diseases! Like diarrhea! Fever! Even more serious illnesses! By collecting and disposing of feces away from living areas, we can greatly reduce the risk of getting sick!"

He pointed at Xiaofen: "Do you see Xiaofen sometimes having diarrhea before? Maybe it's because she drank unclean water or ate food that was contaminated with dirt."

He then pointed to Stone Fist's still-recovering leg: "And you, Uncle Stone Fist, wound infection is very dangerous. If you don't pay attention to hygiene, bacteria will get in, and you might really lose your leg."

Lin Yue spoke earnestly and patiently until his throat was dry, almost as if he were about to place a magnified model of bacteria in front of them.

Gray seemed to be swayed by the idea of ​​reducing illness. After all, in this environment of scarce medical resources, illness often meant death.

Stone Fist, however, still held his neck straight, looking disdainful: "We dwarves are tough and thick-skinned, not that delicate! We've lived like this for thousands of years, and we haven't been wiped out."

Lin Yue: "...That's because only those whose clans weren't wiped out survived to brag to you, uncle."

Seeing that the science education was not effective, Lin Yue decided to take tough measures.

"Whether you understand or not, this toilet must be built!" Lin Yue asserted his authority as "curator," though it was ultimately ineffective. "This is for the health of all of us! Anyone who doesn't cooperate... will have half the salt in their food from now on."

"What?!" Stone Fist was the first to jump up, almost forgetting that his leg was still injured. "You dare to withhold my salt?!"

Gray also suddenly raised his head, looking at Lin Yue with hostility.

Under the intense gazes of two menacing menacing eyes, Lin Yue forced a smile and said, "That's right! It's worth it for your health! Once the toilets are built and hygiene habits are established, not only will the salt supply be restored, but I can also consider... making you some other, even tastier dishes." He was giving you a slap followed by a sweet treat.

Under the threat of salt and the temptation of delicious food, Gray and Stonefist finally agreed to the plan to build a toilet, albeit with great reluctance.

Location is crucial. Lin Yue specifically chose an open space that was far from water sources, far from residential areas, and downwind.

Although the design drawings were simple, the actual construction was still fraught with difficulties.

Digging the pit was hard work, with Gray as the main damage dealer and Lin Yue as support. Building the main structure of the toilet required wood and thatch, which involved another round of chopping and gathering.

The most troublesome part was the odor-proof ventilation structure, which required leaving a ventilation opening above the latrine and guiding the airflow upwards. It took Lin Yue a lot of effort to explain the principle to Gray.

Throughout the construction process, Stone Fist, unable to do heavy work due to his leg injury, stood by on crutches to supervise the work, occasionally making sarcastic remarks such as "This wall is crooked," "That wood is not sturdy," and "Even the dwarves' toilets are more luxurious than this." Although he probably had never even seen a dwarf toilet, Lin Yue was so angry that he almost wanted to break Stone Fist's newly reattached leg again.

Xiao Fen was filled with curiosity about this novel building and always wanted to go inside to take a look, but Lin Yue grabbed her by the back of the neck and threw her out several times.

After several days of hard work and internal struggle, an extremely simple but complete dry toilet, with a pit, walls, a roof, and ventilation openings, finally stood in the corner of the small restaurant.

[System Notification: Construction of the Basic Public Health Facility: Dry Toilet completed. Community Health Index +10. Disease Incidence Slightly Reduced. New Achievement Unlocked: "A Small Step Towards Civilization"]

"Done!" Lin Yue looked at his masterpiece, wiped his sweat, and felt a great sense of accomplishment despite being tired.

However, building the toilets was only the first step. The more difficult part was changing everyone's deeply ingrained habits.

Lin Yue formulated strict regulations for toilet use:

First: Urinating or defecating indiscriminately is strictly prohibited! Violators will have their salt confiscated!

Second: You must wash your hands after using the toilet! Use a plant that Lin Yue found that can produce lather—an otherworldly version of soapberry—to wash your hands! No eating without washing your hands!

Third: Wash your hands before meals! Same as above!

Lin Yue was extremely worried about supervising the implementation.

Gray is alright; he's quite obedient, or rather, he's averse to trouble. Although he wasn't used to it at first, under Lin Yue's repeated emphasis and supervision, he was basically able to use the toilet at designated locations and wash his hands before and after meals.

Shi Quan was the biggest holdout. He complained about the "trouble" and "unnecessary steps," but his body betrayed him. For that salty stew, he would still obediently go to the toilet to relieve himself, and then reluctantly rub his hands with soap under Lin Yue's watchful gaze.

Xiao Fen... Xiao Fen's training was the most difficult. Lin Yue tried all sorts of methods, including coercion and bribery, using food as bait, and even taking her to the toilet for on-site discipline after she had relieved herself indiscriminately, but the results were inconsistent.

In the end, Lin Yue could only resort to the most rudimentary method—keeping a close eye on it and immediately taking it to the designated "pet convenience area" near the toilet if he noticed any signs of it "committing a crime."

This hygiene revolution sparked some minor frictions and complaints within the small restaurant. But the results were also obvious.

The most noticeable change is that the air around the campsite is much fresher, thank goodness!

Secondly, the frequency of minor illnesses has indeed decreased. In the past, Gray would occasionally get an upset stomach from eating unclean food, and Xiao Fen would have diarrhea from time to time, but now these situations almost never occur.

Even Shi Quan's wound, which had initially shown signs of infection, healed much faster thanks to the combined effects of good hygiene and herbal remedies.

[System notification: Community hygiene habits are beginning to take shape. Residents' health is slowly improving. The incidence of disease continues to decrease.]

Seeing these positive changes, Lin Yue felt extremely gratified.

Although the process was difficult and fraught with obstacles, the seeds of civilization ultimately took root and sprouted tenaciously on this land.

With the completion of the toilets and the main structure of the shelter, the basic infrastructure of the small facility is now basically complete.

Although still rudimentary, at least there was a safe place to live, a kitchen where one could cook, a toilet to meet one's physiological needs, and even a small experimental field.

Lin Yue wondered if he could consider... expanding the space a bit? For example, adding two more rooms? After all, the three of them and the dog were currently crammed into one large dormitory room, and Uncle Shi Quan's earth-shattering snoring was really affecting their sleep quality.

Moreover, what if we need to take in other visitors like Stone Fist in the future? We need a place to house them, right?

Yes, the expansion plan can be put on the agenda. It's always good to prepare accommodations in advance for potential new partners or guests!