Chapter 52 The Blueprint for the New Home: A Nationwide Mobilization for Independent Bathrooms^...
The next morning, as the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and bathed the land soaked by rain and sweat, the entire Hope Town awoke from a deep, restful sleep. The Starlight Buns had an unusually strong sleep-inducing effect; even the usually vigilant Gray and Little Fen, who loved to sob at night, slept soundly, their snores rising and falling, adding a touch of peace and tranquility to the night on the edge of this cursed land of suffering.
However, for Lin Yue, this grand feast was merely the beginning, a temporary glue that brought people from different backgrounds and races together. To truly stabilize this newly formed, large community of over two hundred people, a single meal's emotional impact and a few grand pronouncements were far from sufficient.
As he stepped out of the main house and saw the scene before him, this sense of urgency intensified.
The Silent Ones, these refugees who had just been pulled out of the abyss of despair and who possessed an innate elegance and purity, created a stark cultural contrast with the rugged, practical, and even somewhat chaotic construction site atmosphere of Hope Town.
Some of the women had spontaneously drawn water from the stream in wooden basins and were carefully washing their own and their children's tattered but still carefully maintained clothes outside their makeshift shelter. Their movements were gentle and meticulous, as if performing some solemn ritual. Several young, silent ones were quietly cleaning up the mess left behind by the previous night's revelry, sorting and piling up animal bones and food scraps, and even trying to sweep the mud off the ground with branches.
They looked at the luxurious sheds built of red bricks and cement, sturdy yet crudely designed, their eyes reflecting both a longing for stability and a subtle, almost imperceptible, unease with the architectural aesthetics of straight lines and squares. Instinctively, they avoided the noisiest parts of the crowd, gathering in small groups in relatively quiet corners, conversing in hushed tones, their voices as soft as the wind in the forest.
Lin Yue keenly noticed these details.
The Silent Ones, or rather, their ancient heritage derived from elven blood, give them a latent need for nature, cleanliness, order, and personal privacy within a group that far exceeds that of ordinary human refugees. To have them crammed into a drafty, muddy dormitory with dozens of sweaty, strong men is torture in itself.
"It seems that upgrading the luxury shed is urgent," Lin Yue sighed inwardly. "Moreover, we can no longer just pursue sturdiness and durability like before. We have to take into account user experience and the development of spiritual civilization."
Just then, Uncle Shi Quan strode over from the blacksmith's shop, carrying his gleaming iron hammer. Behind him followed Ali Ge, who was equally spirited. The two were clearly ready to continue their hard work.
"Lin Yue, kid, what should we do first today? Should we get a few more logging axes, or replace all those hoes with iron tools? I thought of a new method last night that can remove impurities from molten iron more thoroughly." Uncle Shi Quan was full of energy, as if he had become twenty years younger.
“Don’t rush, Uncle Stone Fist.” Lin Yue stopped him, his expression more serious than ever before. “Before we start new production, we need to have a meeting. A top-level strategic planning meeting that concerns the future development direction of Hope Town.”
An hour later, the highest authority in Hope Town—the “Hope Town Community Development Planning Committee (makeshift version)”—officially convened its first plenary meeting in the curator’s office in the main building.
The attendees included:
Chief Planner, Technical Director, and Meeting Moderator: Lin Yue.
Chief Security Officer and Chief Infrastructure Engineer: Graeme Silent.
Chief Forging Master and Chief Quality Officer: Stone Fist.
Chief agricultural advisor and public opinion observer: Old Bard.
And the reserve cadre representatives who were present as observers: Amu, Mia, Aunt Lia, and Elder Farador.
Lin Yue cleared his throat, took out a newly polished stone slab, about a meter square, which was almost the largest blackboard he could find. He used a carefully sharpened charcoal pencil to draw a simple topographical map of Hope Town on it.
"Gentlemen," he pointed to the crooked circle on the stone slab representing their current residential area, "this is where we are now. Although we have basic shelter and defenses, everything is still chaotic and lacks planning. If we want to live here safely and comfortably in the long term, we must come up with a complete and scientific community plan!"
I call it "Hope Town Community Planning 1.0".
Lin Yue's gaze swept over the crowd, and then he solemnly wrote several large characters on the stone slab: [Safety], [Production], [Life], [Sustainable Development].
“First and foremost, there is security,” Lin Yue said in a deep voice. “Our existing fence is full of holes and must be torn down and rebuilt. My idea is to build a real city wall, three meters high and one meter thick, with a mixed structure of stone and red bricks, and to set up four corner towers as watchtowers and defensive strongpoints.”
"The walls should have a granite foundation, a red brick main structure, and be grouted inside and out with our newly invented cement mortar," Shi Quan immediately added, his eyes gleaming with professionalism. "The top of the walls should have a passageway for people to walk through and firing ports. The main gate must be made of the hardest ironwood covered with iron sheets, and there should be two gates, one outer and one inner, forming a barbican structure. This way, even if the enemy breaks through the first gate, we will surround them like dumplings."
Gray also offered his opinion: "The location of the city wall should not be a straight line. We should follow the terrain and use natural cliffs and streams as barriers. This will save materials and manpower, better integrate into the environment, and reduce damage to the land."
Lin Yue's eyes lit up, and he quickly drew both of their suggestions on a diagram. The dwarves' fierce and practical approach, combined with the Silent Ones' natural harmony, was practically a perfect defensive concept.
“Okay! The safety issue is settled then,” Lin Yue ticked a box. “Next is the production area. The blacksmith shop, brick kiln, and lime kiln are all high-pollution and high-noise areas. They must be planned in a unified manner and relocated downwind of the residential area. Sufficient space must be reserved to facilitate future expansion of production.”
Old Bard, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but speak up. With the simplicity and pragmatism of a peasant, he asked, "Sir, if we move these workshops to such a far place, won't we have to travel much more distance to transport bricks, charcoal, and forged ironware? It's such a waste of our strength and time."
Lin Yue gave Old Bud an approving look; the question had hit the nail on the head. He smiled and explained, "Uncle Bud, you're right. Elsewhere, that would certainly be a problem. But in Hope Town, it's precisely our greatest advantage!"
He drew a large circle on the map with a charcoal pencil, enclosing everyone inside: "This cursed land we are in now, though dangerous, also means it's unclaimed land! We have unimaginably vast land to utilize. Unlike those crowded villages and cities, where every inch of land has to be carefully calculated, we have the luxury of making the most rational plans."
Pointing to different areas on the map, his voice was filled with passion: "We can build the residential area in the best and safest core area. We can move the noisy production area downwind, a mile away, and connect it with a specially built, wide road. We can even reserve enough open space in advance for future smelting centers, woodworking workshops, and breweries. We are not repairing a crowded village, but planning a brand new city on a blank sheet of paper."
These words sent a collective gasp through everyone present. They had never imagined that this cursed land, which everyone avoided like the plague, was such a precious canvas for Lin Yue to paint on at will. Stone Fist's eyes lit up; he could almost picture a giant blacksmith's workshop covering several acres and boasting over a dozen forging furnaces. Old Bard also seemed to understand. Yes, more land meant they could cultivate more farmland and never have to worry about food shortages again.
“The same goes for the agricultural area!” Lin Yue continued, looking at Old Bard. “We need to re-divide the area into potato planting zones, wheat planting zones, and vegetable planting zones based on water sources and soil conditions. We even need to set aside a piece of land specifically for cultivating those magical plants we brought back from the Valley of Tears, such as Tranquil Mushrooms and Moonlight Moss!”
Old Bard nodded excitedly: "What you say is true, sir! Different crops have different habits. Planting them separately and managing them uniformly will result in a good harvest! Moreover, it would be best to build a few irrigation canals to bring the stream water to the fields, so we won't have to carry water every day."
“That’s right, an irrigation canal is a must,” Lin Yue excitedly drew a few blue lines on the map. “We can even use the difference in water level to build a waterwheel for grinding flour or for blowing air into bellows.”
"Waterwheel?" Everyone present, including the well-informed Stone Fist and Elder Farador, looked puzzled. This word was completely foreign to them.
Lin Yue knew his chance to explain the concept had come. He cleared his throat and described it in the simplest terms: "Think about it, doesn't Uncle Stone Fist's blacksmith shop require Gray and Amu to take turns operating the bellows to keep the fire burning? When we grind Starlight Wheat, don't we need two people pushing a heavy stone millstone around all day?"
Everyone nodded in agreement; this was one of the most arduous tasks they witnessed every day.
“What if,” Lin Yue’s tone became mysterious and alluring, “there were something that could make the stream pump the bellows for us, push the millstone for us by itself? All day long, tirelessly, as long as the stream is flowing, it will never stop,”
These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.
"What?!" Stone Fist was the first to exclaim, his beard trembling with excitement. He grabbed Lin Yue's arm, "Kid! Are you kidding me? Making water pump the bellows by itself? This... what kind of magic is this?"
“This isn’t magic, it’s science,” Lin Yue explained proudly. “We can build a huge wooden wheel by the stream, with many planks attached to it. When the water flows by, it pushes these planks, making the whole wheel keep turning! That’s a waterwheel! Then, we can use some clever wooden linkages and gears to transfer the power of the wheel’s rotation to the bellows or the millstone! That way, when the waterwheel turns, the bellows pulls! As long as the waterwheel keeps turning, the bellows will never stop! And the millstone will grind flour round and round on its own.”
Lin Yue's description opened a door to a completely new world for everyone.
Stone Fist's breathing became heavy. He seemed to see a super forging center with an ever-burning furnace, operating at full power. That meant he could challenge himself with more difficult forging and create legendary alloys and weapons.
Old Bud and Aunt Leah gaped, imagining the millstone turning on its own, white flour flowing out like a stream—a scene that meant no one in Hope Town would ever go hungry again.
Gray and Elder Falador were also filled with shock and admiration. They marveled at the wisdom of being able to cleverly utilize the power of nature without causing harm to it.
“This…this is simply…a creation of the gods,” Elder Farador murmured to himself.
“No, Elder, this is not a creation of the gods. It is something we can create with our own hands and wisdom!” Lin Yue concluded.
"Finally, and most importantly, is our living area," Lin Yue pointed to the center of the map, his expression becoming extremely solemn. "We must completely abandon the current dormitory-style housing and build an independent, sturdy red brick house for each family, with at least two rooms, preferably a standard three-bedroom, one-living-room house."
“Furthermore,” he emphasized, “each household must be equipped with a separate, private, clean and hygienic washroom.”
"A washroom?" Aunt Leah asked doubtfully. "Sir, do you mean like those wealthy families in the city, with a wooden basin for washing one's face and a chamber pot for emptying chamber pots?"
“No, no, no,” Lin Yue shook his finger, a mysterious smile on his face, “I’m talking about something more advanced, a toilet that lets you sit comfortably on it to take care of your business, and then flush it clean with water. A shower that lets you stand on it and have warm water poured over your head to wash away your fatigue, and a faucet that provides clean water at any time.”
His description sounded like something out of a fairy tale.
Everyone present was stunned.
You can use the toilet indoors without having to empty it yourself? And it's clean with just a flush? And you can even have hot water poured over your head for a shower?
This must be a life only gods can enjoy.
The first to react were Aunt Leah and Mia. As women, they had the most instinctive and intense desire for such facilities that could greatly improve their quality of life and personal hygiene.
"Sir, are you... are you telling the truth? Can you really make something like that?" Aunt Leah's voice trembled with excitement. She could even imagine how wonderful it would be to have a private space after a long day of work, and to wash her body with clean, hot water.
“Of course it’s true,” Lin Yue said confidently. “Although the technology is a bit complicated and we need to solve the problems of water supply and drainage, I understand the principles. As long as we can fire qualified ceramic pipes, and combine them with water towers and purification pools, it is entirely possible.”
The concept of independent bathrooms has garnered unprecedented support, especially from women and young people who are filled with longing for this new lifestyle that represents civilization, cleanliness, and comfort.
Of course, some conservative elderly people expressed doubt and incomprehension: "Why dig ditches and bury pipes on perfectly good land, and even build a special house for defecating and urinating? Isn't this just making a mess of things?"
But these weak dissenting voices were quickly drowned out by the overwhelming enthusiasm of the majority.
However, while the blueprint was promising, the reality was far from ideal.
Such a massive project requires astronomical amounts of manpower, material resources, and financial resources. And right now, that's exactly what they lack most.
"If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass." Lin Yue understands this principle very well. "If you want everyone to be willing to devote themselves to this arduous and extraordinary infrastructure project, you must have a more scientific, fairer, and more motivating management system."
While the existing work-point system is effective, it is still too crude. Using pebbles to record work points is not only prone to loss and confusion, but also fails to accurately record each person's labor contribution.
"Digital reform is a must," Lin Yue decided.
He recruited Mia, Old Bud, Aunt Leah, and several young people selected from the Silent Ones who seemed intelligent and had recovered well, to start the first crash course in financial accounting and statistics in Hope Town.
Instead of teaching complex Chinese characters, he directly introduced one of the simplest, most intuitive, and greatest inventions on Earth—Arabic numerals.
"Everyone, look carefully," Lin Yue wrote the ten magical symbols "0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9" on the stone slab with charcoal.
"These ten symbols can represent all the numbers in the world. It's a million times more convenient than drawing lines or using pebbles!"
He began to patiently teach everyone how to recognize and write these ten numbers, and how to use them to perform the simplest addition and subtraction operations.
This process was filled with all sorts of hilarious and absurd scenes.
Some people write "6" and "9" backwards, some confuse "2" and "5", and some people struggle to understand two-digit addition even after counting on their fingers for a long time.
But Mia and the other young Silent Ones showed amazing learning talent. They quickly grasped the patterns in the numbers and were even able to apply what they learned to other situations, performing simple multiplication and division mental calculations!
[System Notification: You have spread [Arabic numerals and the decimal counting system] to another world. Civilization Contribution +100. Unlocked achievement [The Cornerstone of Civilization]. Management/Education Skills Proficiency greatly increased.]
After teaching everyone the basic counting methods, Lin Yue officially launched the "Hope Town Infrastructure Contribution Points 2.0".
He had a large number of small wooden plaques made, with each person's name engraved on them using simplified symbols. Then, a team of accountants, consisting of Mia and several young Silent Ones, went to each construction site every day with slates and charcoal pencils to record the amount of work completed and the work points earned by each person who participated in the labor.
The calculation of work points has also become more detailed and fair:
Heavy physical labor, such as quarrying stones and carrying red bricks and cement, earns the highest basic work points.
Technical jobs, such as bricklaying, kiln firing, and blacksmithing, not only award basic work points but also extra technical bonus points! Uncle Shi Quan's work points even have a glittering "Special Expert Subsidy" suffix, although it was just something Lin Yue applied with some kind of yellow plant juice.
Auxiliary work, such as mixing mud, making brick blanks, processing food, and mending clothes, may not have high basic work points, but it is still guaranteed.
Even seemingly insignificant contributions, such as caring for the sick, teaching children to read, and cleaning public areas, can earn corresponding community service points.
Every evening, the accounting team would post everyone's work points earned that day on the bulletin board in the central square. Those densely packed numbers became the best proof of everyone's hard work that day, and also the greatest motivation to continue striving the next day!
For a time, the entire Hope Town was engulfed in a frenzied atmosphere of "comparing, learning, catching up, helping, and surpassing"!
Today you moved ten more bricks than me and earned two more work points. Tomorrow I'll get up half an hour earlier and try to surpass you!
The wall built by that silent guy was straight and beautiful, earning him a skill bonus. I need to learn from him and try to get it next time!
Aunt Leah's logistics team received a collective contribution award for ensuring everyone's food and water supply. Each person was awarded an extra 10 work points, which drew everyone's envy!
This healthy competition greatly stimulates everyone's potential!
Even those who were initially hesitant and resistant gradually let go of their reserve and actively integrated into this vibrant community after seeing that they could also earn food and respect through labor, and even gain extra points based on their knowledge of plants or their more delicate mind.
They would teach the human refugees how to identify edible mushrooms and how to weave stronger ropes from special vines. The human refugees, in turn, would teach them how to use those heavy but efficient iron tools and how to move heavy objects in a more effortless way.
The barriers between different races are gradually being dissolved through shared labor and a shared aspiration for a better life.
Looking at the thriving and bustling scene before him, and at the constantly changing numbers on the bulletin board that represented hope and hard work, Lin Yue felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Although the foundation of the red brick house has only just been laid and the pipes for the independent bathroom still only exist on blueprints, the road to the future is still long and tortuous.
But at least, the seeds of hope have already taken deep root in this land.
"Comrades! Let's give it our all! To get flush toilets sooner, let's go!" Lin Yue shouted his distinctive rallying cry once again.
This time, however, he was met with a powerful and joyful roar from more than two hundred people in unison.
"Charge—ah—!"
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