Chapter 103: Comb and Toothbrush

This might be the most divergent opinion we've had since we got together, and it's also between the two heavyweight figures, Chen Mu and Dong Junwei.

Dong Junwei turned her head and asked, "Tang Jing, what do you think?"

Tang Jing, as the one who proposed this plan, however, never voiced an opinion from start to finish.

For a long time, she always gave the impression of being a strategist who offers ideas, but she would only do so after thoroughly analyzing the situation, then let others make the decision, and she herself never made the final call on anything.

In this regard, she is even more low-key than Chen Mu.

But at this moment, being asked about it, she couldn't avoid speaking.

"I can only say I have eighty percent confidence that nothing will go wrong."

"Not enough!" Dong Junwei shook her head.

"But if we add Chen Mu's methods, it should be over ninety percent." Tang Jing added another sentence.

Dong Junwei remained silent for a while, then finally nodded: "Alright then, but Chen Mu's protective measures must be properly implemented."

Chen Mu nodded.

The time was already evening.

Today we definitely won't make it in time.

Although cats like to jump around at night, because Du Jia Jia needs to sleep, Little Yellow has never come over in the evening.

After dinner, Du Jia Jia eagerly began clearing the dishes.

On Chen Mu's side, the work on the door seams is basically finished; next up is making stairways for transporting goods on the shelves, as well as underground passages for each room.

As for the gantry crane mentioned earlier, it's still in the planning stage, with no time yet for concrete implementation.

While Chen Mu was looking up at the entire shelf, He Ying walked over leisurely.

"I thought Dong Junwei would propose a vote, and I was thinking I finally had a chance to cast a ballot."

"You mean what just happened?"

"Yeah."

"What's your opinion?"

"I don't have any particular opinion, but since Du Jia Jia herself wants to try, I will definitely vote in favor."

"That's why Dong Junwei didn't propose a vote, because basically everyone shares your view."

"That's right." He Ying nodded.

"But that's not the main reason," Chen Mu said.

"What else?"

"Although voting is relatively fair, it's often used as a means to avoid responsibility, and Dong Junwei clearly looks down on doing that."

……

After dinner, everyone basically stopped doing high-intensity work, and Chen Mu would only make small useful items for daily life according to his remaining mental energy for the day.

For example, a comb.

The boys are fine; Wei Dalei and Chen Mu have the simplest short hair, while Chang Junyan, Zhu Hao and others are relatively more particular, but before summer they also cut their hair as short as possible.

But the girls are a bit more troublesome.

Dong Junwei and Tang Jing typically have long hair, He Ying is a bit shorter but can still drape over the shoulders, and most of the other girls are similar.

For such a long time, without a comb, we could only use our fingers to tidy our hair.

But that's obviously not very convenient.

Thus every morning you could see a bunch of girls using their fingers to comb their hair, which also takes quite a bit of time.

For Chen Mu, making a comb isn't terribly difficult, but it's certainly not simple either.

After all, this kind of densely shaped object has always been what he dislikes most.

Fortunately, after his abilities improved, this thing was eventually made.

However, in terms of appearance and precision, it definitely won't be very satisfying.

It's barely usable.

He made a comb for each girl over time, while the boys share two combs; someone like Wei Dalei with a buzz cut doesn't need one at all.

Such a small item doesn't take much effort, and as long as Chen Mu has successfully made one once, small-batch production isn't difficult.

"My hair has been splitting a lot lately, and not having shampoo is really uncomfortable."

"Mine too, and it's a bit dry and brittle."

"Do we even have conditioner..."

After a day's labor, everyone sat around on towels, chatting about everything, only missing a bonfire in the middle.

Since there are no entertainment options, chatting can pass some time.

With sixteen people together, topics naturally aren't lacking.

But what everyone talks about most is simply the contrast between present and past life.

Body wash, shampoo, and such have also been brought up many times.

But in the short term, it seems there's little hope of obtaining them.

The bathing problem hasn't been completely solved either.

Last time, taking advantage of the rain, everyone hastily washed using the newly built drainage pipe; however, before the bathroom was completed, even if we had water, rinsing off was still rather troublesome.

Currently Chen Mu has connected a hose from the water reservoir to the door side and set up a square barrier, allowing everyone to take turns washing.

But this is only a temporary measure; Chen Mu simply doesn't have time to perfect these, and Tang Jing is still planning the bathroom drainage issue, so work can't start yet.

Washing hair, however, isn't difficult.

It's just that we don't have shampoo.

The nearest shampoo is probably to be found in the school dormitory building, but the problem is that the student dorms of Ziwei High School are off-campus; although not far, just across a road, it's obviously impossible to risk a trip just for that.

And the most likely substitute might be soap or hand sanitizer.

Hand sanitizer is available in the toilet.

But just like shampoo, these things are not essential right now; it's impossible to make a special trip just for them.

"Compared to shampoo, I actually want toothpaste more."

Zhao Xiao Yan sighed, obviously also knowing that this could only be wishful thinking.

"Even if we had toothpaste, we don't have a toothbrush."

"Can Chen Mu make a toothbrush now?"

Whenever anyone had a new idea, everyone would habitually focus their gaze on Chen Mu.

Chen Mu spread his hands: "This is really too difficult."

The difficulty of making a toothbrush is many times greater than that of a comb.

Moreover, it doesn't matter if the comb is a bit rough, but a toothbrush won't do; some people have high demands for the softness and hardness of the bristles.

Making a toothbrush handle is not difficult for Chen Mu, but the bristles are clearly far from ready, and even what material to use is unclear.

For now, everyone can only rinse their mouths each day, using a finger or a plastic stick to rub the tooth surface and gums—nothing more.

Chen Mu turned his head and asked Tang Jing: "Can the bristles on a toothbrush be made of plastic?"

Tang Jing nodded: "If conditions allow, nylon is best, but if we really don't have any, polypropylene will do."

"Plastic utensils?"

"Well, disposable utensils are mostly made of polyethylene or polypropylene, which can barely be used."

That said.

But Chen Mu's biggest problem now is not the material, but the craftsmanship.

Let alone the bristles, just making a plastic filament this fine is already very difficult for him.

Tang Jing also said: "Moreover, the bristles of a toothbrush aren't just a matter of preparing some nylon or plastic filaments; they must be smoothed at the tip, otherwise they'll scratch the teeth and gums."

The toothbrush proposal can only be put on hold for now.

But since the topic came up, Chen Mu ultimately made a plastic stick shaped like a toothbrush for everyone, and Tang Jing's suggestion was to wrap some cotton thread at one end of the stick, which could barely be used.

Quite obvious.

Although Qiming's various affairs are gradually improving and life is getting better day by day, all kinds of minor problems keep cropping up.