Chapter 74 Cement Road and Floral Shirt When the Last Row of Starlight Fades...
When the last row of starlight wheat was carefully sown and the precious sun corn seedlings in the experimental field successfully sprouted tender green shoots, the first phase of the spring plowing mobilization in Hope Town finally came to an end.
Although there is still a long period of field management work ahead, at least the huge boulder of food security hanging over everyone's heads has been temporarily held aloft.
Freed from strenuous physical labor, the residents finally had time to catch their breath and enjoy the brief but precious spring. Lin Yue, the town mayor who was never idle, immediately shifted his attention from the vast farmland to details that could greatly improve their quality of life.
"Food is the most important thing for people, but it's not enough to just eat your fill. You also have to eat well and enjoy the flavors." Lin Yue said to the group of female logistics team members in Hope Town who were already very interested in food research and development, "Our seasonings can't always rely on collecting them from the wild. It's too unreliable. These must also be grown on a large scale and industrially."
Then, the agricultural and logistics teams set up a dedicated spice growing area on the slope near the No. 1 store and the warehouse.
They carefully transplanted various aromatic plants from the mountains and forests, roots and all, to the land.
Fragrant pine needles, exuding a blend of pine needle and pepper aromas, were planted in well-drained sandy soil.
The shrub that produces fiery red, incredibly spicy fire crystal peppers was placed in the sunniest and warmest corner.
The vines of the sour and refreshing prickly fruit were guided to climb on a wooden frame, and the lush green vines quickly covered the entire frame, full of vitality.
Even the exotic coriander, which is deeply hated by some people but is the soul of cold dishes and soups, has been given a small plot of land for trial planting.
These spice plants are native to this land and have long been adapted to the local climate. Once transplanted, they immediately demonstrated their tenacious vitality, quickly sprouting new buds, indicating that there will be more colorful choices on the tables of Hope Town in the future.
Just as Lin Yue was immersed in the joy of building his own spice empire in Hope Town, the long-absent system notification sound rang out again.
[Ding! Detection indicates that spring agricultural production in Hope Town is on track, the community is taking shape, and residents' basic survival needs have been largely met. The following community development task is now issued: [The Road to Civilization]]
[Task Objective: To conduct a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade and environmental beautification of Hope Town. Requirements: Pave all main roads in the town with cement and clearly demarcate vehicle lanes and sidewalks; set up standardized garbage collection points in public areas; improve the overall aesthetics and comfort of residential areas.]
[Task Rewards: System Points +3000, unlock the [Basic Textile Technology Blueprint Pack] (including manual spinning wheel and simple loom), significantly improve community livability index, increase resident happiness by 20, and unlock the achievement [The Infrastructure Maniac's Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder]]
Lin Yue's eyes lit up as he looked at the task list. He was just worrying about how to make this town, which still had a bit of a construction site vibe, more presentable, when the system delivered the perfect solution.
He immediately invited Li Ge, Lao Heli, Kailan, and other leaders of the relevant groups to the central square. Pointing to the square, which was still dirt ground, and the potholed main road, he got straight to the point: "Look at this, everyone. The dirt road under our feet becomes muddy and impassable when it rains, and dust flies everywhere when the wind blows. Can we tolerate this?"
"I can't stand it!" Li Ge was the first to respond. He had long been dissatisfied with himself pushing his wheelbarrow through the mud every day, trudging through the mud.
“So,” Lin Yue waved his hand and announced with great enthusiasm, “I want to launch the road hardening project in Hope Town. We will use cement produced by ourselves to pave all the main roads in the town into flat, clean, and sturdy cement roads.”
“Furthermore,” he picked up a stick and drew a “three”-shaped road cross-section on the ground, “the road cannot be laid haphazardly; we must plan it scientifically. In the middle is a wide carriageway, specifically for our Hope No. 1 heavy trucks, wheelbarrows, and other vehicles that may appear in the future. On both sides are sidewalks slightly higher than the carriageway, specifically for us to walk on. The middle is separated by curbs, separating pedestrians and vehicles, which is both safe and aesthetically pleasing.”
“Furthermore,” he pointed to the roadside, “a standardized trash can must be set up every fifty meters, made of red bricks, with replaceable animal skin bags inside. From now on, all household waste must be thrown into the trash can, and the logistics team will clean it regularly. Littering will no longer be allowed.”
"Finally, all vehicles and pedestrians must abide by a basic traffic rule: keep to the right. When vehicles or pedestrians are coming from the opposite direction, they should each use the right side of the road so that no one gets in anyone's way."
This plan, brimming with modern civilization, left everyone present wide-eyed, as if listening to a wondrous story they'd never heard before. Roads can be built like this? And there are so many rules for walking?
But everyone quickly understood the benefits. Who wouldn't want a clean, tidy, and orderly community environment?
After a brief break from the busy farming season, the kilns in the firing workshops were once again ablaze, and large quantities of red bricks, blue bricks, and cement were produced in a steady stream.
The construction team then precisely measured and laid out the lines, excavated the roadbed, laid a layer of crushed stone, and finally poured precious cement on top.
Flat, straight gray cement roads with clear functional zones extend across Hope Town like arteries, connecting residential areas, production areas, agricultural areas, and the central park.
As living conditions improve, people's pursuit of quality of life has also begun to awaken spontaneously.
After the busy farming season ended, everyone finally had time to properly take care of their new homes.
The heavy, rough straw blinds that had previously been hung on the windows for warmth now appeared cumbersome and opaque. At Lin Yue's suggestion, Kailan's woodworking workshop began crafting wooden window frames with movable scrolls. Combined with hinges already prepared by the blacksmith, exquisite windows were installed in everyone's homes. Meanwhile, Aunt Lia's logistics team cut the linen fabric obtained from the previous trade with the caravan into suitable sizes, creating linen curtains that were both more translucent and aesthetically pleasing.
“White and linen are too monotonous.” Lin Yue looked at the curtains and started thinking of something else. “Ella, Norm, let’s figure out how to dye the fabric.”
They plunged back into Lin Yue's office. Lin Yue, with his rudimentary knowledge of chemistry, guided Norm and the others to grind brightly colored ores, such as red iron ochre and a yellowish orpiment, into the finest powder, then mix them with animal fat or the sap of a certain plant as a fixing agent. Ella, relying on her knowledge of plants, extracted vibrant plant dyes from various flowers, fruits, and bark.
After continuous trials, when the first piece of linen, dyed a soft, pale yellow and exuding a faint floral fragrance, was laid out to dry in the sun, all the women stared in amazement.
Soon, a fashion trend about "what color should my curtains be" swept through the entire Hope Town. Every household used their work points to exchange for fabrics of different colors according to their own preferences and hung up brand-new curtains.
The people's courtyards began to come alive. Led by the old hunter Barton and several silent men, the town's women and children went into the nearby, relatively safe mountains to seek the gifts of spring.
They carefully dug up some wild vegetables that were not yet widely cultivated in Hope Town, such as a kind of slippery grass with thick leaves and a smooth texture, or wild garlic chives with a faint garlic aroma.
They not only used the wild vegetables they picked for dinner that day, but also cleverly transplanted the plants with intact root systems back to their own small yard, creating a small vegetable garden in the corner of the wall and taking good care of it.
Others painstakingly dig up seedlings of wild berry bushes that produce sweet and sour berries from the forest and plant them at the entrance of their yards, hoping they will bear abundant fruit in the summer.
Some skillful people transplanted some unknown flowers with beautiful little blossoms from the mountains, decorating their courtyards like gardens.
Lin Yue watched all this with immense satisfaction.
He found Aunt Leah and Mia: "Auntie, Mia, the clothes in our town are still too monotonous. They're all made of animal skins and linen, and the styles are simple. Now that we have so many nice fabrics, can't we... make something fashionable?"
He took out his design sketches again, which depicted simplified versions of various modern garments from his memory. There were work pants for practical work, well-tailored shirts, and even dresses with pretty pleats.
“We can set up a clothing factory in Hope Town.” Lin Yue’s eyes gleamed with the shrewdness of a businessman. “We’ll first use the fabric we’ve acquired to make a batch of samples. Then, we’ll open a clothing section in Store No. 1. Prices will be clearly marked, and customers can purchase clothing using work points or common currency.”
This idea immediately received a warm response from all the female members.
"Mayor, I never expected that you, a grown man, would understand us women's thoughts so well." Aunt Leah covered her mouth and chuckled jokingly, "Not only do you know how to build houses and forge iron, but you're also so particular about what clothes you make. You really love beauty."
The women around them laughed along, creating a joyful atmosphere.
Lin Yue touched his nose and coughed lightly: "Ahem, this is called pursuing a quality of life, do you understand what a quality of life is?!"
He prioritized offering this new job to the town's older humans and Silent Women. They might no longer have the strength to clear land or build walls, but they all possessed skillful hands and decades of sewing experience. In the impoverished past, every piece of clothing in their homes was sewn by them, stitch by stitch.
The establishment of this garment factory has allowed these elderly women, who originally thought they could only help take care of children and cook, to rediscover their value, contribute to their community, and earn their own work points and respect.
Thus, the tailoring team of the Hope Town No. 1 Garment Factory was officially formed. They studied Lin Yue's unique drawings and, using newly dyed fabric, stitch by stitch, sewed out one stylish and well-fitting new spring garment after another.
When the first group of construction workers, dressed in new overalls, and the Silent Girl, in a light green dress, appeared in town, they immediately attracted everyone's attention and envy.
New consumer demands have been successfully created.
After teaching everyone the basic cutting and sewing methods, Lin Yue encountered another problem. He wanted to promote more comfortable and hygienic underwear, but how could he, a grown man, explain this to a group of young women?
After much deliberation, he could only blush and secretly seek out the highly respected former village chief's wife—Aunt Leah's mother. He invited this kind old lady into his office, closed the door, and then, like a thief, took out several extremely abstract but barely understandable structural sketches of men's and women's underwear and even women's bras.
"Cough...cough cough...um...Madam," Lin Yue's face flushed red as he stammered, "this...this thing, it's called...underwear...it's worn inside, it...it protects our bodies better, and it's more hygienic...especially this, it's called a bra...a bra, it has...it's very beneficial to women's health..."
The old lady was initially puzzled, but being a worldly woman, she quickly grasped the purpose and benefits of these novel garments from Lin Yue's halting explanations and drawings. Looking at the young town mayor, blushing with embarrassment for the sake of everyone's decent life, she paused for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle, her wrinkled face filled with loving and good-natured teasing.
This matter quickly became an open secret among the women in town. During those days, Lin Yue could always sense that when some women saw him, they would wink at each other and then cover their mouths to giggle, making him feel extremely uncomfortable and causing him to walk awkwardly.
Before long, some strange little clothes made of the softest cotton fabric, neatly folded, quietly appeared on the shelves of Yihaodian.
At first, the men didn't know what it was and asked their wives. The women would blush and whisper explanations in their ears with smiles. The single men, however, only understood its benefits after being half-explained and half-urged by their elders, like Aunt Leah. Soon, exchanging work points for a comfortable set of underwear became a new fashion trend in Hope Town.
That night, Amu looked at his wife, Mia, who had just finished washing up. She was wearing a simple pale yellow linen nightgown; although the style was simple, the close-fitting underwear accentuated her youthful and beautiful figure. Amu's face instantly turned red. He scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Mia...you...you look so beautiful today..."
Mia's face flushed as red as a ripe apple. She lowered her head shyly, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. A new and closer warmth quietly flowed between them because of a new outfit.
A warm afternoon.
The spring sunshine lazily spilled onto the brand-new cement roads of Hope Town. Along the roadsides and in the central park, newly transplanted trees had already sprouted tender green buds, and some early spring flowers, unable to bear the loneliness, were blooming freely in the breeze.
Two rock-walking lizards pulled the "Hope No. 1" heavy truck steadily along the wide, flat road. The wheels rolled, but the sound of bumps was almost inaudible.
Pedestrians strolled leisurely along the sidewalks on both sides, greeting each other with relaxed smiles on their faces.
Looking around, rows of small courtyards with red bricks and green tiles are scattered in a pleasing manner. From each window, curtains of different colors peek out, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. In the courtyards of each household, there are touches of greenery and vibrant colors.
The entire Hope Town is filled with a tranquil, peaceful, orderly, and vibrant atmosphere. It is clean, tidy, and beautiful, like a meticulously crafted paradise, showing absolutely no trace of the desolation and ruin that one would expect from a cursed land.
Lin Yue stood in the courtyard, holding a cup of spring-special calming flower tea in his hand, enjoying the warm spring sun, and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
"This... is what life is all about."
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