Chapter 54: An Enlightenment Movement Sparked by Toilets...
The joy of the harvest and the anticipation of their new home kept the residents of Hope Town intoxicated for only a couple of days before they were awakened by an increasingly undeniable, down-to-earth atmosphere.
"Director, Director, something terrible has happened!" The next morning, before dawn, Aunt Leah rushed into Lin Yue's office with huge dark circles under her eyes.
Lin Yue was lying on a huge stone slab, enthusiastically perfecting his grand Hope Town community plan version 1.0 with charcoal sticks and several pieces of mineral powder of different colors. The residential area was to be built like a water town in southern China, the production area was to be a German-style industrial park, and the agricultural area was to be built like a large North American farm... Although the finished product looked more like a pile of children's sketches trampled on by Xiao Fen, it did not stop him from immersing himself in his dream of being an infrastructure maniac.
"What's wrong, Aunt Leah? Who's been grinding their teeth too loudly this early in the morning and got yelled at by the old man next door?" Lin Yue teased without looking up, as he was trying to solve a water supply problem for the fountain in the community center square.
"Oh dear, my lord, this is a matter of life and death, and you still have the mind to joke?" Aunt Leah stamped her foot, almost crying with anxiety. "It's a hundred times worse than that, it's...it's the toilet, our public toilet...it's about to...about to overflow!"
She practically held her nose as she vividly described the scene: ever since nearly two hundred people moved in, the five-star eco-friendly luxury dry toilet, which Lin Yue had meticulously beautified and was so proud of, had been bearing an unprecedented burden for its age. Now, that area had practically become a no-go zone for living things. Not only was the stench overwhelming, but all sorts of unknown flies and mosquitoes, like colonists who had discovered a new continent, had set up camp there, swarming and buzzing in a show of defiance.
“This morning, the first ones to run into trouble were Uncle Turan and his group,” Aunt Leah said with a look of utter despair. “They had stomach problems and were in a hurry to relieve themselves, but as soon as they got to the toilet, they were stopped by a few young men from the Silent* group.”
"You stopped them?" Lin Yue finally raised his head, his brows furrowed slightly. "Why?"
"What else could it be!" Aunt Leah slapped her thigh. "Those Silent Ones, you know them, they'd rather run all the way into the woods to relieve themselves, getting their trousers soaked with dew, than take a single step near our precious toilet. They stopped Uncle Turan, and although they couldn't speak clearly, only managing a few words... 'dirty'... 'no good'... 'full'... 'their souls feel tainted'... but everyone understood what they meant. They thought our toilet was too dirty and wouldn't allow Uncle Turan and the others to go in and add any more bricks."
"You know Uncle Turan's temper. When the time comes, he can't hold it in. He started arguing with those Silent Men right there. One of them said, 'It's my right to take a dump,' while the other pointed at the toilet and gestured, 'This place is already a living hell.' They couldn't understand each other, but they were getting more and more agitated. If I hadn't run fast enough to call Amu and Li Ge over to break up the fight, we probably would have spent the whole day there."
Lin Yue's head buzzed, feeling even more overwhelmed than when he faced the mudslide last time.
This is the first direct conflict between people with different lifestyles and cultural backgrounds. It is an irreconcilable fundamental contradiction between the extensive survivalist school and the refined nature school.
The cleanliness-loving nature of the silent volunteers clashed sharply with the "just survive, who cares about anything else" pragmatism of the human refugees in this small, smelly public facility, sparking the most direct and intense conflict. If not handled properly, the newly formed bonds of solidarity could crumble instantly over this trivial matter.
“I understand.” Lin Yue put down the charcoal stick, his expression becoming unusually serious. “Auntie Leah, immediately go and summon everyone who is in charge and who has no urgent matters to attend to to the square, including Elder Farador and several representatives of the Silent Ones. We’ll put this work aside for today! We need to have a meeting first.”
Soon, a large crowd had gathered in the temporary square in the center of Hope Town. People whispered and murmured among themselves, creating a tense and awkward atmosphere. The human residents, in small groups, pointed and pointed at the Silent Ones not far away, whispering amongst themselves. The Silent Ones, however, kept their distance; though silent, their furrowed brows and clearly uncomfortable expressions spoke volumes about their attitude.
Lin Yue stood on the designated podium, looking at the two distinct groups of people below, their atmosphere subtly tense, and took a deep breath. He knew that what he was about to say might overturn everyone's understanding here, but it was a necessary step.
"Everyone! I know you're all thinking, 'It's just a toilet, what's the big deal? Is it really necessary to call everyone here for a meeting?'" Lin Yue got straight to the point, his voice loud and clear enough to reach everyone's ears. "Let me tell you! This is more important than building houses or growing crops! Because it concerns the health and lives of every single one of us."
He picked up a huge stone slab that had been prepared beforehand, on which several magnified, grotesque, otherworldly monster-like patterns were drawn in charcoal.
"Does anyone know what these are?" Lin Yue asked, pointing to the patterns.
The people below looked at each other and shook their heads. Some children were even frightened by the grotesque pattern and shrank back into their mothers' arms.
“I call them ‘germs’!” Lin Yue’s tone became mysterious and solemn, as if he were telling an ancient and terrifying legend. “They are very, very small, so small that we can’t see them with our eyes at all, like dust in the air. But they are everywhere, on our hands, on our food, in the water we drink, and in our already overburdened toilets.”
"These invisible little insects can take advantage of various ways. For example, flies can land on your baked potato right after dancing on a pile of dung; we can eat steamed buns with unwashed hands right after relieving ourselves; or polluted water can quietly crawl into our food and enter our stomachs. Then, they can settle down in our bodies, multiply, and cause all sorts of trouble. They can make us have diarrhea, high fever, feel unwell, or even take our lives like a silent plague."
His vivid explanation of germs, coupled with the grotesque patterns on the stone slab, sounded like a fantastical tale, leaving the people below stunned. Many subconsciously looked at their hands, their faces showing disgust and lingering fear. They didn't quite understand the others, but they knew all too well about plagues—disasters, demonic entities.
"Sir, are you saying that we used to have stomach aches because we ate these invisible little bugs?" Old Bud asked with some doubt. He remembered that in the village, every summer, many people would vomit and have diarrhea, and some weak children would even die.
“That’s right,” Lin Yue answered confidently. “Why do I keep emphasizing washing hands with soap before meals and after using the toilet? Why do I insist that everyone drink filtered water, preferably boiled water? It’s to wash away, filter out, and kill these harmful germs!”
Just then, from among the Silent Ones, a tall, thin young man with a pale face and unusually bright eyes raised his hand. He seemed a bit neurotic, but had a strong thirst for knowledge.
“Lord Lin… Lord Lin Yue,” he began, his speech not quite fluent, but thankfully clear. “My name is Norm. May I ask… these germs you mentioned, since we… cannot see them, how… do you know… they exist? Can they… fly? Can fire… kill them? And how… are they different from… the foul air in our valley?”
A series of sharp and logical questions made Lin Yue secretly admire him: Goodness, this is a talent, a natural-born scientific research prospect.
“Good question, Norm,” Lin Yue looked at him approvingly. “The reason I know this is because my hometown has had a very painful lesson! Countless people have lost their lives to these invisible little insects because of poor hygiene. As for whether they can fly, most of them cannot, but they can spread by attaching to dust in the air and droplets we exhale when we talk or cough! Fire… of course, can burn most of them to death. High temperature is their greatest nemesis.”
He paused, then answered the most crucial question: "As for the difference between them and the foul air... I believe that the foul air is a more powerful environmental virus that can fundamentally erode our life energy, while these germs are like petty thieves who take advantage of our weakness. If we can keep our bodies strong and pay attention to hygiene, we can greatly reduce the harm these petty thieves cause us."
Then, Lin Yue changed the subject, pointing to that embarrassing public toilet: "And that place is the paradise where these germs and petty thieves love to party. We're living next to a huge germ breeding ground every day, it's too dangerous! The Silent Ones' friends don't want to go near it, and that's right, because they're naturally more sensitive to these filthy things! It's not being pretentious, it's self-protection."
These words instantly silenced the previously dissatisfied human refugees.
"Of course, simply eliminating germs isn't enough; we can also turn waste into treasure," Lin Yue proposed a new concept. "This excrement, though dirty, can be a treasure that fertilizes the land after processing. So, I'm thinking of building an ecological composting plantation downwind of a water source to collect all the excrement, mix it with wood ash and soil, and then seal it for fermentation. The high temperatures generated during fermentation will kill most germs and insect eggs. Once fermented, it will become the highest quality fertilizer. Theoretically, using it to grow crops will allow our Shifu potatoes to grow larger and our Starlight wheat to yield more."
This theory of turning waste into treasure immediately aroused the strong interest of Old Bad and other farmers. They had been using manure as fertilizer for generations, but they had never heard of such a scientific method as Lin Yue described, involving fermentation and sterilization. If it could really increase yields, it would be a great thing.
“Therefore,” Lin Yue concluded, his voice full of strength, “establishing a clean, hygienic, and efficient waste disposal system is imperative. This is not only to resolve the immediate contradictions, but also for our health, for increased food production, for the long-term future of our town, and for us to live with dignity and respect.”
"I've decided," Lin Yue announced loudly, looking around at everyone, "that I'll start with myself, starting with the core area of our little restaurant. Let's launch the [Independent Bathroom 1.0] project."
He gave a detailed presentation to everyone of the plans that had been discussed at the previous meeting of the four leaders. When they heard futuristic and enticing terms like "flushing toilet," "independent shower room," and "being able to take a hot shower anytime," everyone's eyes lit up. Before, it had only been talked about, but this time they had actually heard detailed information about the facilities and plans, as well as their convenience, which made them even more excited.
“Now,” Lin Yue waved his hand, “I need apprentices, people who are interested in civil engineering and piping technology, patient, and willing to study. Who is willing to work with me to create this miracle?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Amu was the first to stand up, scratching his head sheepishly: "Sir, I, I'm willing to learn!"
Immediately afterward, Li Ge's seemingly more meticulous younger brother, a burly young man named Tie Niu, also stepped forward, his face flushed: "Sir... I'd like to try too..."
To Lin Yue's surprise, the silent youth Norm who had asked the question also stepped forward and said earnestly, "Sir, I am very interested in what you said about those invisible little bugs and the pipe system. Please allow me to join in. I want to witness and record all of this firsthand."
“Great, that’s wonderful,” Lin Yue said with delight. “Norm, I hereby officially appoint you as the first public health supervisor trainee in Hope Town. From now on, you will be responsible for the sanitation of all public areas and the management of the composting site.”
He then looked at Amu and Tie Niu: "You two, from now on you will also learn from me and get ready to meet the challenges."
Amidst the curious, skeptical, or expectant gazes of the crowd, Lin Yue walked to the pile of newly fired red bricks, picked up a brick, and then grabbed a handful of cement.
"To achieve all this, we still face a huge technical challenge!"
He raised the red brick high in his hand, pointed it towards the distant brick kiln, and declared in a tone full of challenge and passion:
“Those are the pipes. We need to fire a large number of sturdy ceramic pipes that can be connected to form a complete sewage system!”
"A new round of technological breakthroughs is about to begin."
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Author's Note: [Uncle Turan clutched his stomach and rushed to the toilet, but the Silent Youth blocked his way.]
"Dirty! Full!"
"I can't hold it in anymore! Get out of the way!"
"The soul is crying!" — Both sides are crying, but your crying and my crying seem to be different.
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