Chapter 110 From Garbage Sorting to Waterworks: Ambition...
Looking at this young mother who still maintains kindness and resilience despite suffering, Lin Yue seemed to see countless figures struggling to survive on this land but never giving up hope.
“Okay.” He nodded solemnly. “As long as you want to learn, Mr. Herman’s medical training course is always open to you. I believe you will become an excellent physician.”
That day, Lin Yue was tasting the golden cornbread made from a mixture of millet and corn, a new invention developed by Mia and her team, in the cafeteria kitchen, when a strong stench of swill and rotten matter wafted in through the window, almost making him spit out the cornbread in his mouth.
"What's that smell?!" He pinched his nose sharply. "Did someone's outhouse explode?"
“Mayor, you’ll see for yourself if you go outside.” Mia’s face also showed a helpless expression. She pointed to the narrow alley behind the canteen, “Our canteen is clean inside, but the outside… it’s simply unbearable to look at.”
Lin Yue walked out with some skepticism. He was immediately shocked by the scene before him, which made his stomach churn.
The alley behind the cafeteria, already piled high with garbage, had become a massive open-air dump. Food scraps, broken pottery jars, and even some unidentifiable filth were piled up like mountains, emitting a nauseating stench. Swarms of mutated flying insects buzzed and hovered over the garbage heaps, and every now and then, one or two bold ones would attempt to fly into the cafeteria's kitchen window.
"What...what's going on?!"
"What else could it be? Our cafeteria is so popular, with a constant stream of people coming to eat every day, which naturally generates a lot of garbage. Our own staff is already overwhelmed just maintaining the cleanliness inside the cafeteria, so we simply don't have time to deal with the outside. In addition, the residents around here see that our place is popular, so they have a habit of throwing their garbage here. Over time... it has become like this."
Lin Yue watched the tireless swarms of insects flitting between the cafeteria and the garbage heap, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. The hygiene defenses he had painstakingly built were facing a severe test. What good was simply having everyone wash their hands before meals? These insects were the most efficient carriers of germs. They could easily bring filth from the garbage heap into the cafeteria, into everyone's bowls. If this huge hygiene hazard wasn't addressed quickly, all his previous efforts would be in vain.
The black fur ball, with its little hands tucked into its shoulder as if it were dozing, lazily opened its eyes.
[Ding! A major security vulnerability has been detected in the community public health system, triggering an emergency task in the [Daily Update Menu]!]
[Task Name: A Feast for Flies]
[Task Objective: Within three days, thoroughly clean up the sources of garbage pollution around the canteen and establish a preliminary and effective community waste management mechanism.]
[Task Rewards: 1000 System Points, Unlock the [Ecological Composting Technology (Beginner)] blueprint, Community Hygiene Index +20.]
[Failure Penalty: Community disease outbreak risk increased by 50%. Friendly reminder: Your medical training course may need to start earlier than scheduled, with the main subject being "Prevention and Treatment of Large-Scale Acute Gastroenteritis."]
Lin Yue remained silent, but made a quick decision and immediately posted a brand-new recruitment notice at the entrance of the cafeteria.
[Hope Town/City Lord's Mansion, in conjunction with the Urban Beautification Team, is urgently recruiting!]
We are seeking physically strong individuals who are not afraid of getting dirty or tired to clean up public garbage in the city.
[Compensation: Daily pay, an extra recovery lunch provided daily, and priority given to receiving the latest waterproof work shoes and protective gloves from Hope Town!]
This high-paying job attracted a lot of attention.
However, upon seeing the words "clean up the garbage," most people still looked disgusted and shook their heads.
"Are you kidding me? You want me to go rummage through those filthy, stinking garbage dumps?"
"Exactly, how embarrassing. You might as well go work on a construction site and carry bricks."
"But what's so shameful about that?"
"Uh, we didn't mean any harm, we just don't know why, we just feel like doing this is a bit..."
Just as the crowd was buzzing with discussion and no one stepped forward, a figure leaning on a cane limped out.
It's old lame Tom.
He walked to the job posting and carefully examined the words (someone was reading it aloud nearby). Then he looked up, his bloodshot eyes gleaming with a complex light.
He walked up to the shop assistant who was recruiting on site, his voice hoarse: "This...this foreman...can I...can I do this job?"
The shop assistant looked him up and down, then frowned: "Your legs aren't very nimble, how can you work?"
“I…I can do it,” old lame Tom said urgently. “Although my leg is lame, I still have strength in my hands. I can sweep, I can pick up trash, I can do all those chores. Please, give me a chance. I…I don’t want to be a beggar anymore…”
Lin Yue's voice came from behind him.
“Of course.” He stepped forward, patted old, lame Tom on the shoulder, and said gently, “Uncle Tom, welcome to the team. This job isn’t strenuous; it mainly requires patience and a sense of responsibility. If you can’t do it alone, we have other people.”
He then turned to the hesitant poor people around him and said loudly, "I know you may think that sweeping garbage is a dirty and shameful thing. But I want to tell you that in Hope Town, any work that earns a living with your own hands deserves respect."
“Moreover,” he added, “this role of city beautifier isn’t one that just anyone can take on. I only recruit those who are truly willing to work hard to make this city a better place. There are limited spots available, so it’s first-come, first-served.”
Old lame Tom's eyes welled up with tears when he heard he had been hired.
“However…” he rubbed his hands, somewhat embarrassed, and said, “Mayor… I… I have a few friends… They… they are all in good health, but they are young, and no one wants to hire them. They've also lost their parents, so they come with me… to earn a living on the streets…”
"They're all kids, right?" Lin Yue nodded. "No problem. Take all the kids you know to our base on the outskirts of the city. The older ones can come and work with you for now. The younger ones can be put in the canteen to help clear plates and do odd jobs. I've already spoken with Young Master Ryan. The second floor of the canteen is still empty, so let them settle down there first. At least we can't let them be homeless anymore."
Old Tom was completely struck by this kindness.
Under his leadership, a dozen or so other destitute people soon joined the newly formed "city beautifier" team.
Donning matching gray vests, pushing brand-new wheelbarrows, and carrying brooms and fire tongs, they began their work of cleaning the city amidst the curious, mocking, or admiring gazes of the crowd.
At first, some people did talk behind my back.
"Paying a bunch of beggars to sweep up garbage? The owner of Hope Trading Company must have too much money to burn."
But as those mountains of stinking garbage were gradually cleared away, and as the filthy streets became clean and tidy, and the nauseating stench in the air gradually dissipated, everyone personally experienced the benefits of change.
Lin Yue then had the construction team build several enclosed garbage collection points with flip-top covers at key intersections. He stipulated that anyone caught littering by the children's sanitation inspection team would be punished with a full day of community cleaning service.
Once, a daring mercenary, after finishing his drink, casually tossed the bottle on the ground. He was immediately surrounded by several kids wearing red armbands.
"Uncle, you're littering! That's against the rules!"
"Come sweep the streets with us!"
The mercenary looked at the few serious-looking kids who were holding small wooden signs ready to give him a demerit, and was both amused and exasperated. In the end, he could only obediently pick up the broom amidst the good-natured laughter of the crowd.
The environmental sanitation problem has been initially resolved.
The influence of the "demon-revealing mirror" continues to grow.
More and more residents felt nauseous and fearful before drinking well water and river water. They began to spontaneously bring all sorts of containers to the entrance of Hope No. 1 Store, willing to take out their only copper coins to exchange for a small ladle of purified clean water.
The demand for water is increasing daily. The lines for water changes outside the shops have even grown longer than the lines for buying soup in the past.
The young mother Eileen's child, because he insisted on drinking only purified water, was significantly healthier and stronger than the children around him who were still drinking dirty water, and he almost never got sick.
This vivid example caused a sensation among mothers. Their yearning for clean water reached an unprecedented peak.
That day, the herbalist Herman once again took the initiative to find Lin Yue.
He was initially excited, reporting to Lin Yue that since everyone started paying attention to hygiene, the number of patients coming to his clinic had plummeted. Then he raised new concerns.
“Mr. Lin,” his face was full of worry, “the water sources in the city are really too dirty. Just relying on everyone to pay attention to hygiene is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Many children’s illnesses are caused by this water. Do you see any way… to let more people drink your kind of clean water?”
Lin Yue looked at the growing water-changing team and then at Old Herman's expectant eyes.
The time has finally come.
“Mr. Herman, I do have a solution that addresses the root of the problem. But it requires the efforts of the entire city; I can’t do it alone.”
"I need your help."
Three days later, a heavy report detailing the hundreds of families suffering from diarrhea, fever, skin ulcers, and even the death of children due to drinking unclean water was presented to the Lord's mansion in Ryan by Old Herman and several mothers who volunteered to help (including Eileen).
As Ryan looked at the shocking names and numbers on the report, his usually gentle and smiling face turned unusually ugly.
Just then, Lin Yue appeared in his study at just the right moment, carrying a detailed draft of a plan titled "Blackstone City Public Water Supply System Renovation Plan," which depicted huge water diversion channels, sedimentation tanks, filtration tanks, and purification tanks.
“Lord City Lord,” Lin Yue pushed the draft in front of him, “now, we can talk about the true future of this city.”
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