Gu Qingcheng, unaware of her parents' intentions, fell asleep thinking about what she had to do the next day.
She woke up early the next morning and habitually checked the "satisfaction points" she had recently received. To her surprise, they had reached a staggering 250,000.
This was because the system's main mission at the time was to rescue disaster victims and help them migrate south. For every successful rescue and migration, she was rewarded with 100 satisfaction points.
Gu Qingcheng hadn't understood what constituted a "successful migration" back then, but it seemed that successfully settling the disaster victims in Phoenix Village counted.
With over 250 disaster victims now in her Phoenix Village, the system had rewarded her with 250,000 satisfaction points. The system had fulfilled its promise, and she had profited greatly.
"Satisfying!"
How much rice could this buy? How much oil?
Since she had to feed so many people, Gu Qingcheng unconsciously began to calculate the economic implications.
Even though she had already stockpiled a significant amount of living supplies, she felt that the more the better, especially since the population here would only continue to grow.
When Gu Qingcheng got up, it was not yet dawn. The bright moon and sparse stars complemented the faint rosy glow of the morning sky, blurring the transition between night and day.
Gu Qingcheng went forward and nudged the charcoal fire in front of her makeshift shelter. A few pieces of charcoal buried deep inside still radiated warmth.
She piled dry twigs onto the coals, lit them, and slowly started a fire.
Gu Qingcheng suddenly had a strong craving for coffee.
So, she boiled a pot of water, took out concentrated coffee pellets from the storage cabinet, and grabbed a large mug. She poured the concentrated coffee into the mug, added milk and hot water, and then her usual amount of sugar. A cup of rich and fragrant coffee was ready.
At this time, most people were still asleep. Gu Qingcheng raised her cup and clinked it against the brand-new day filled with morning glow.
After drinking half a cup of coffee, Gu Qingcheng felt invigorated. She casually took a hot beef burger from the storage cabinet and began to eat it slowly.
Miguo woke up rubbing his eyes.
Gu Qingcheng asked, "Good morning, do you want soy milk or milk with your beef burger?"
"I want the same as you have," Miguo replied.
"Didn't you say it was too bitter?"
"Heh heh, I'll get used to it if I drink it a few more times. I think it's quite good now."
Seeing Miguo's insistence, Gu Qingcheng followed suit, making him a similar cup of coffee and taking out a beef burger for him to eat.
After they finished breakfast, there was finally some movement around them.
Because Gu Qingcheng was an elder in the village and held a high status, no one was allowed within at least 10 meters of her shelter to avoid disturbing her rest.
This provided Gu Qingcheng with privacy, allowing her to eat and drink whatever she pleased without restraint.
Besides, even if someone saw her eating and drinking things unusual for the times, like a beef burger, she could teach them how to make it. With the ingredients available, it wasn't impossible, and existence justified itself. Soon, no one would be surprised.
Even for coffee, Gu Qingcheng could claim she bought it from foreign merchants. Who would know her true background?
That was the essence of satisfaction!
If she couldn't live comfortably here, why would she be bound to a system that rewarded satisfaction points?
A person's greatest freedom was to do whatever they wished within their environment, excluding illegal and criminal acts, of course.
Another half hour passed, and the squad leaders began to arrive for the meeting one after another.
Despite working hard for the past two days, their complexions had significantly improved compared to the first time Gu Qingcheng had seen them.
With salt, oil, and porridge, their nutrition was adequate. How could their complexions not improve?
Gu Qingcheng had quite a few things to discuss today and feared they might be overwhelmed. So, she first announced that today was a rest day, a holiday for one day.
This would be the new rule: the seventh day would be a rest day with no work.
Of course, this rule wouldn't apply during busy harvesting seasons, but they would be compensated with time off later.
The squad leaders found this quite novel. They had never imagined that farmers who tilled the land would have rest days.
Gu Qingcheng also mentioned the use of a bell for notification. Everyone agreed that this was an excellent method, as the bell's sound carried far, audible for three to four li, even if they were working in the mountains.
Furthermore, they could ring the bell multiple times at different intervals, ensuring everyone would hear it.
Gu Qingcheng accepted this suggestion.
Next, Gu Qingcheng informed them that they were going to undertake a major project that would benefit every villager.
After Gu Qingcheng finished speaking, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. "What? Is this a big deal?"
They had never considered bathing to be a significant undertaking.
This was because Gu Qingcheng had announced that they would gather all the villagers in the afternoon for a synchronized bath.
Although they didn't fully grasp the essence of this request, since it didn't pose any fundamental harm, they agreed to cooperate.
Gu Qingcheng designated the right side of the village for the public bathhouse. Squads 1 to 6 were assigned to build the bathhouses, while squads 7 to 10 were to weave bamboo enclosures, ensuring everything was ready by the afternoon.
Everyone received their orders and set off to work.
Gu Qingcheng also assigned five people to dig snow for heating the water for bathing. Miguo, Wang Daya, and Luo Juan were put in charge of coordinating this task.
In the designated area for the public bathhouses, Gu Qingcheng personally provided guidance. Otherwise, they would likely be confused and unsure of how to proceed.
Gu Qingcheng stipulated that the two public bathhouses should be five meters apart, separated by bamboo enclosures. The left side would be for men, and the right for women, with strict rules against intermingling. Those who violated this rule would be expelled from the village.
Then, they proceeded to build the frames. Each structure would be five meters long and three meters wide. Once the frames were erected, bamboo enclosures were added, creating simple public bathhouses.
Inside the bathhouse, a frame similar to a basketball hoop was installed. A large water bucket could be placed in the hoop. A hole was made at the bottom of the bucket, connected to a bamboo pipe. When bathing, the cloth stoppered in the pipe would be removed, and water would flow out. This was the most rudimentary shower system.
They first built the men's bathhouse on the left. By the time they reached the women's bathhouse, the artisans understood the process, and Gu Qingcheng no longer needed to supervise closely.
She returned to her shelter and visited the "Mountain Cat Supermarket." She finally found what she was looking for as a substitute.
Looking at the substitute product she had purchased and its instruction manual, she was speechless.
"It should... work, right?"
In the afternoon, the villagers were gathered in the public hygiene area.
After a morning's effort, by two o'clock in the afternoon, two decent-looking public bathhouses for men and women had been constructed.
Although rudimentary, they were functional for bathing.
Gu Qingcheng had the entire village line up in two separate queues, one for men and one for women.
Two tasks were to be accomplished: 1. Delousing and removing fleas. 2. Bathing.
Upon hearing about the bathing, some people were reluctant, especially in the cold weather, fearing they would catch a chill.
As for delousing, they found it even more improbable. Who didn't have lice or fleas? They had never heard of these two small insects being completely eliminated from farmers.
Consequently, some people grumbled and were hesitant.
Gu Qingcheng had long noticed that these disaster victims had fleas in their hair. Some severely infested individuals had hair covered in clusters of flea eggs, which shimmered and sent shivers down one's spine.
When parents had free time, they would gather their children, sit them on their laps, and comb through their hair to find fleas.