Chapter 14: Toilet Paper Problem

The independent storage rooms around the cafeteria are actually quite small, less than 2 meters in length and width, and the towels everyone sleeps on are only about 1 meter from the door gap.

But even so, having to walk a hundred meters each time to use the toilet is truly not a pleasant matter.

Chen Mu returned to the sleeping area and saw that everyone had already woken up.

After two days of turmoil, everyone has somewhat accepted the reality of the apocalypse; at first, many often fantasized that things would quickly return to normal, but now they basically focus on the immediate living problems.

"Do you still have any paper? I need to go to the toilet."

"There's still one sheet, but unfortunately it's together with the cake and got dirty."

"It's fine; shaking it out will still make it usable."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I'll find a spot outside; we don't need to be so particular now."

"I'll go with you."

"Mm, find a corner."

……

Zhao Xiao Yan and Du Jia Jia finished discussing, then set off together toward the outside.

Wei Dalei didn't understand, wanted to follow to protect them, but Zhao Xiao Yan glared him back.

After the toilet issue came up, Dong Junwei also felt a bit troubled; logically, this storage room is already spacious enough, but one can't just relieve oneself on the floor indoors, and besides, the waste might attract trouble.

So far, everyone has been using the toilet like Chen Mu—going outside and finding a crack in the concrete to take care of business.

But continuing like this indefinitely is not a solution.

And the most troublesome part is still the toilet paper issue.

A few girls had brought some tissues, but they had been sharing them, and now they are almost used up.

The toilet paper issue can be big or small.

Not having it won't kill anyone, but after using the toilet, leaving a sticky residue is, for many people, worse than death.

In the past, one could just grab some leaves to make do, but in the current environment, finding a substitute is really difficult.

Chen Mu quickly turned his gaze to the cardboard box that holds the spoons.

This stuff is thick and hard; now that people have become smaller, it feels even rougher, and using it directly as toilet paper would probably be more irritating than sandpaper.

But for Chen Mu, this seems not unsolvable.

Dong Junwei was also considering this problem; seeing Chen Mu look toward the not‑far‑away cardboard box, she immediately understood.

"Da Lei, come help tear some paper off the cardboard box."

"What?" Wei Dalei was momentarily puzzled.

At that moment, Tang Jing happened to return to the crowd; hearing this, she understood Dong Junwei's idea.

Dong Junwei explained a few things, and Wei Dalei immediately ran over, soon returning with a bundle of yellow cardboard.

A whole piece of cardboard is now about as thick as a person's knee; even if torn into a single layer, it still resembles a bed board.

Chen Mu took the single‑layer paper in his hand, without much effort reshaped it into a thin sheet, and at the same time increased its area considerably.

However, his ability can only change an object's shape, not its texture; the paper, though a bit softer after being thinned, remains rough and ultimately not very clean.

But in the absence of a better option, we can only make do for now.

"Actually there's another way," Tang Jing suddenly said.

"What?"

"Towels," Tang Jing said: "You can pull out cotton threads from the towel, tie a knot, and use them as… well… a substitute for toilet paper; people used to do that."

Towels are originally woven from cotton thread, so the material is essentially inexhaustible; and what was once a thread as fine as a hair now looks, to everyone, similar to a hemp rope.

Using knotted grass rope to solve personal hygiene is a wisdom of ancient peoples; it is said that Europeans in the Middle Ages dried themselves this way.

"I'd still choose paper," someone said upon hearing this, unable to accept it.

"Honestly, each has its advantages; towels are at least cleaner."

"Let's each prepare some and let everyone choose what to use."

……

While Chen Mu was making toilet paper, he listened to everyone's serious discussion and felt an inexplicable sense of amusement.

If it weren't for the apocalypse, there would probably never be a chance for a class of students to sit together discussing their wiping options.

……

In the end, regarding toilet paper, the conclusion was to prepare some of both for everyone to choose from; of course, Dong Junwei still suggested that people prioritize using the rope knots, since Chen Mu isn't always free to make toilet paper for the group.

For Chen Mu, since discovering that using his ability can increase his mental strength, he doesn't mind being a tool‑person; being able to help companions while training is naturally fine.

But right now, he has more important things to do.

According to the plan made last night with Tang Jing, they need to move as much food as possible today.

The earlier cake is now almost gone; even if any remains, it's about to spoil.

But relying solely on Wei Dalei, the amount he can actually move is limited.

Tang Jing then said: "Chen Mu, let's cooperate to build a cart."

"A cart?"

"Just the simplest flatbed cart, for moving things."

"But with my current abilities…"

"No problem; you just need to make some parts according to my description."

"I'll give it a try."

In fact, the process is even simpler than Chen Mu imagined.

Except for the time spent polishing the four wheels to be as smooth as possible, there isn't much difficulty elsewhere.

The structural diagram Tang Jing provided was actually quite simple: just a single piece of plastic board, then two metal bearings fixed underneath, plus four wheels—nothing more.

The hardest part, however, was the connection between the various components.

The wheels and bearings needed to move freely without falling off, which placed considerable demands on both the precision of the workmanship and the structure.

Chen Mu acted both as a carpenter and as a welder.

Finally, amid the crowd's many suggestions, a flatbed cart that was broad in size yet extraordinarily ugly made its flashy debut.

To pass under the door gap, the cart's chassis was kept as low to the ground as possible; a railing was fixed around the body to prevent items from rolling off, and handles for pushing were installed at the front and rear.

Taking Wei Dalei's strength into account, the cart was deliberately made one size larger, its dimensions similar to a double bed—of course, a reduced version.

Wei Dalei pushed it around once, chuckling, "Although it looks ugly, it pushes fairly fast—it's just not very maneuverable."

To test its sturdiness, Wei Dalei also let Zhao Xiao Yan sit on the cart and pushed her around for a spin.

"There's no helping it—the drawback of the simple wheels is that steering is laborious; given the short time, we've already done quite well, so we'll make do for now," Tang Jing explained with a laugh.

Dong Junwei said, "This time we'll send a few more people."

Chen Mu said, "Class monitor, you stay and guard the home; leave Liu Qian Fei here, and the rest of the boys follow me."

Tang Jing did not request to accompany them this time.

Dong Junwei nodded and said, "Then that's settled; be careful on the road."