Chapter 58 The Shape of Home: A Civilizational Leap from Straw Mats to Bunk Beds...

The pottery workshop is now strictly divided into a tableware line and a bathroom line, separated by a thick red brick line personally built by Uncle Shi Quan to resolutely prevent the free exchange of artistic souls.

Then everyone's attention refocused on the mountains of red bricks and cement, looking at them as if they were tickets to heaven—toilet. Amidst everyone's longing gazes, the prototypes of houses, with sturdy foundations, pre-drilled doors and windows, and pipework, quickly took shape within the planned residential area.

That day, Lin Yue was squatting by the purification pool at the waterworks, observing the growth of those amazing Tranquil Mushrooms with Norm, and pondering whether they could build a mushroom cultivation greenhouse to achieve mass production of high-end ingredients. Suddenly, he felt a strange gaze on his back.

He turned around and saw a group of Silent Youths, led by Kailan, standing at a distance, pointing and gesturing at the empty red brick houses that had been built, their expressions complex, as if they wanted to say something but couldn't.

Lin Yue knew that a problem had arisen.

Since arriving in Hope Town, the Silent Ones, under Lin Yue's arrangement, have participated in some labor within their capabilities, such as helping to weed in the fields or washing food in the logistics team. However, their naturally taciturn nature, coupled with the long-term exposure to the polluted air, has greatly affected their communication abilities. Although most Silent Ones possess agility and stamina far exceeding that of ordinary humans due to their elven bloodline, their habitual silence has become the biggest obstacle in collaborative labor that requires extensive verbal communication and synchronized movements, such as mining, brickmaking, and wall construction.

This leads to a very real problem—their work points are accumulated extremely slowly.

As the first batch of red brick houses neared completion, and as model worker families were about to earn enough work points to move in, these proud yet sensitive individuals felt a surge of indescribable anxiety and a touch of inferiority. They didn't want to be treated as vulnerable people needing care; they longed to earn a truly decent and warm home for themselves and their families through their own hard work.

As their representative, Kailan hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up the courage to approach Lin Yue, who was inspecting the territory.

Kaylan pointed to the empty brick houses, then to the forest they once depended on for their livelihood: “A house… cannot just be an empty shell. It needs… objects with souls to fill it. Beds, tables, cabinets… we can make all of those. We Silent Ones… we know how to listen to the voice of plants, how to follow their textures, so that they can serve us without losing their vitality. Please… give us a chance to use our skills to earn the work points and shelter we deserve.”

Looking into Kailan's eyes, which were filled with sincerity and pride, Lin Yue felt a sudden sense of relief.

He had been thinking about how to solve the problem of interior design, but he overlooked the fact that there was a group of natural artists and master carpenters around him.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Enabling everyone to shine in their area of ​​expertise is the true path to sustainable community development.

“Kalan,” Lin Yue’s face lit up with a bright smile, and he patted Kalan’s shoulder hard, “You’re absolutely right, how come I didn’t think of that? I apologize for my oversight, and I hope the town needs your skills and your wisdom in communicating with nature.”

He didn't hold any grand appointment ceremony. Instead, he pulled Kaylan directly to the group of equally expectant Silent Ones and, in a tone more like a partnership, loudly proclaimed:

"Gentlemen, I've just reached a great cooperation agreement with Kalan. From today onwards, the furniture manufacturing of Hope Town will officially be handed over to you. I'll provide the blueprints and ideas, and you'll provide the technology and artistry. Together, we'll decorate these empty brick houses. As for work points, we'll calculate it by the piece. For every piece of furniture that meets the standards that is successfully made, the workshop will record the corresponding work points. The more you make, and the more exquisite it is, the more work points you'll get. By then, you won't have to worry about getting a house, let alone two or three."

Thus, a Silent Woodworking Expedition led by Kalan, accompanied by Gray and Amu, entered the forest surrounding Hope Town.

They no longer cut down trees aimlessly, but under Kailan's guidance, they searched precisely for the most suitable timber, as if strolling through their own backyard.

“Look, this ironwood,” Kalan stroked a thick tree, closing his eyes as if talking to the tree, “its heartwood… is as hard as iron, incredibly heavy, and is best suited… for making table legs and bed frames, guaranteeing… that it won’t warp for decades.”

He then pointed to a type of oak tree with smooth bark and straight branches not far away: "And this tree has fine wood... beautiful grain... and good toughness, making it suitable for... chair backs and cabinet panels, which are both beautiful and comfortable." When he said these things, Kailan's pronunciation was more fluent than usual.

They even found a type of camphor wood that emits a faint fragrance and is said to have insect-repelling properties. Kailan said that using it as the lining for the storage cabinets is the best choice.

The Silent Ones' innate affinity for and ability to identify plants left Lin Yue and Amu, who were following beside them, in awe. This was hardly logging; it was clearly an artistic exploration brimming with the wisdom of nature.

When the first batch of carefully selected high-quality timber was transported back to Hope Town, Lin Yue immediately took out his modern furniture blueprints.

Kalan and his people were intrigued by the modern design on the drawings, which was full of straight lines, right angles, and a focus on functionality, but they also raised questions—why make the table square? Why not follow the natural curves of the wood?

Lin Yue then tried his best to explain to them what space utilization and ergonomics were.

Finally, after countless debates, gestures, and compromises, they reached a perfect consensus—to create an epic fusion of the practical structure of modern design with the natural aesthetics of the Silent Witness.

They replaced precious iron nails with sturdy mortise and tenon joints, connecting the ironwood table legs and bed frame with unwavering stability. Using the exquisite carving skills of the Silent Ones, they sculpted simple yet beautiful patterns of vines, stars, and moonlight on the oak cabinet doors and headboard.

The first set of Hope Town brand furniture—a sturdy square table with a flat tabletop and four corners fixed with mortise and tenon joints, four chairs with backrests that provide both stable support and beautiful natural curves, and a storage cabinet with partitions and exquisite vine patterns—was officially born.

This set of furniture combines the elegance and naturalness of the Silent Whisperer style with the modern practicality brought by Lin Yue. Its quality and aesthetics far exceed Lin Yue's initial imagination.

Meanwhile, another technological innovation was also quietly underway.

Looking at the red brick houses that were about to be completed, Lin Yue felt that the thick layer of thatch on top looked rather out of place. It was not only unsightly, but its fireproof and waterproof performance was also questionable.

“Ella, Stonefist Uncle,” he found the two masters of mud and fire, “we can make bricks, we can make ceramic pipes, so…can we make tiles that look like fish scales, that can be laid out piece by piece on the roof…?”

"Tiles?" Ella and Stonefist exchanged a glance; the concept was equally novel to them.

Lin Yue quickly drew the shape of the tiles and the laying method on the stone slab.

Shi Quan stroked his beard and pondered, "...Making curved sheets of clay? Theoretically, it's feasible. However, this requires even higher standards than brick making; it has to be much thinner, can't deform, and the control of the firing temperature has to be extremely precise!"

Ella offered a suggestion from a pottery perspective: "If we mix some crushed, fired pottery powder into the clay, it might increase its strength and reduce shrinkage and cracking during the firing process."

After several failed attempts, they finally succeeded in firing the first batch of tiles with uniform color and beautiful curvature.

When the first model house, equipped with a full set of furniture, a private bathroom, and brand-new red terracotta tiles, with three bedrooms, a living room, and a small courtyard, was officially opened to the town's residents for a tour, everyone was completely amazed.

It was no longer a simple dwelling, but a truly modern, natural, warm and comfortable home.

Shiny ceramic cups and fruit bowls sat atop a newly made wooden cabinet, adorned even with a few dewy wildflowers. A brand-new table and chairs filled the center of the room, exuding a faint woody fragrance. In the corner stood a raised wooden bed covered with thick hay and clean animal hides, along with a bunk bed that provided each child with their own sleeping space.

What shocked them the most was the small, separate bathroom separated by a wooden door! Inside, a clean, smooth ceramic toilet stood quietly, and next to it was a ceramic pipe faucet connected to the waterworks. Although there was no hot water system yet, being able to use clean, purified water at any time was already a luxury.

As representatives of model workers in the town, Old Bad and his family of three were solemnly invited by Lin Yue to be the first to experience it. Sitting in the wooden chair with its beautiful backrest, Old Bad used his rough, calloused hands to stroke the smooth tabletop and the sturdy chair back again and again, his eyes filled with tears of happiness.

Several young children watching excitedly climbed onto the bunk beds adorned with vine carvings, rolling around happily and imagining the blissful scene of sleeping there in the future.

To further motivate everyone, Lin Yue specifically designated this three-bedroom, one-living-room model house with a private courtyard as the highest reward. Over the next month, regardless of their job type, the top three families accumulating the most work points will have priority in selecting and moving into this newly built, fully furnished, and luxurious courtyard house. Although the courtyard is currently vacant, it can be cultivated later to grow vegetables or flowers, creating a completely private space of one's own.

"I want the room with the closet, and nobody can take it from me!"

"A private bathroom, waiting for me."

The entire Hope Town was in an uproar.

Just as the first batch of such luxury model homes was about to be completed, and the interior and exterior walls were beginning to be finished with cement mortar, a sharp and urgent gong suddenly came from the newly built lookout post, which was made of bricks and stones.

"Enemy attack—! No! It's not an enemy attack! It's...it's a huge caravan!!"

Hope Town instantly went into a state of high alert. All the young and middle-aged people who were working stopped what they were doing and looked nervously into the distance.

Lin Yue's heart skipped a beat. He quickly dropped the blueprints in his hand and climbed up to the lookout post in three quick steps.

On the distant horizon, a massive caravan, consisting of more than a dozen giant covered wagons pulled by enormous lizard-like beasts with rock-like skin and unusually docile appearance, was slowly making its way toward Hope Town.

The entire group appeared well-equipped and highly trained. Dozens of guards stood on either side of the caravan, dressed in uniform leather armor, their eyes alert, and the leaders even carried exquisitely crafted longswords.

At the very front of the procession, a huge banner made of fine silk fluttered in the wind. On the banner, an intricately embroidered, balanced scale pattern, made of dazzling gold thread, shimmered with an irresistible, blinding light of power and wealth against the slightly desolate backdrop of the cursed land.