Chapter 54: Chapter 6: Harsh Resting Conditions
As soon as Chen Wen arrived around the cave, he sensed something was off.
The air was thick with a stench.
Extremely smelly!
And the number of insects was unusually high!
Flies, mosquitoes, and even some other bugs.
"Why is there such a strong smell and so many bugs?"
Chen Wen couldn’t help but ask.
Upon hearing this, everyone wore a slightly embarrassed expression.
But the light from the fire masked their embarrassed looks, so Chen Wen didn’t see it.
In the end, it was Yan Bian, who was more familiar with Chen Wen, who explained: "During the day it’s inconvenient to go to the bathroom, and at night there’s no light, so..."
So you all resolved it around the shelter?
Chen Wen was speechless upon hearing that.
A shelter!
Not to mention digging a pit or something, at the very least don’t relieve yourselves upwind, isn’t this common knowledge?
And what’s with not being able to go to the bathroom during the day?
Afraid of someone filming your backside?
Just turn off the camera and it’s settled!
Chen Wen sped up his steps and said, "I feel the first issue our men’s group needs to tackle is the hygiene problem."
Before anyone else could speak, Chen Wen continued, "Don’t rush to argue, hygiene issues are far more important than you imagine, listen to me."
Chen Wen had seen many wilderness survival shows, even small streamer survival videos.
The importance of hygiene is actually greater than many people think.
"First, the smell of feces is unpleasant. Accumulating it in the sleeping area will affect sleep and also one’s mood."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hu was the first to agree: "Mr. Chen is right, every night I can smell the stench, and these past nights I’ve been woken up by it."
By now, the group had arrived near the cave.
Hearing Zhang Hu say this, those who had gotten used to the stench also started to feel uncomfortable.
"The smell is indeed strong, we should pay attention to it."
The group started discussing.
"Second."
Chen Wen continued, "Feces attract mosquitoes and flies, these creatures carry loads of bacteria and viruses, and if an infectious disease spreads, several of us will have to be taken away."
Zhuo Hongnian added, "Indeed, there are already plenty of insects on the island, and if we leave waste around, the bugs near the shelter will reach a frightening level. I’ve been meaning to mention this."
"Why didn’t you say anything?"
Chen Wen asked.
Zhuo Hongnian shrugged: "Forgot, I’ve been busy with other things."
Alright.
Chen Wen continued, "We must resolve the hygiene issue by tomorrow, everyone should be fine with that? I also intend to make this task the first thing our internal affairs group tackles."
Everyone heard this and did not oppose.
After all, hygiene is an issue that concerns everyone.
Back at the cave.
The oldest, Lv Guocheng, occupied the only bed, something Gan Tieshan had toiled to make over the past two days.
No one minded.
Lv Guocheng, after all, brought back a significant amount of food every day, and consideration should be given to the oldest.
Chen Wen had no objections either.
But the others left Chen Wen a bit helpless.
The men’s group slept very sloppily.
The phrase "all over the place" accurately described it.
Chen Wen received a waterproof tarp, something everyone had.
They wrapped themselves in the tarp as a warmth measure.
After some shuffling around, Chen Wen finally felt a bit sleepy.
But Chen Wen never anticipated that this would be the most difficult night he’d have sleeping on the deserted island.
First, the snoring.
It rose and fell like a melody with a hint of rhythm amid chaos, resembling a construction site working overtime.
The noise filled the entire cave.
Second, the noise of people getting up at night.
Out of ten people, quite a few had the habit of getting up at night.
The noise was loud and greatly disrupted others’ sleep.
Finally, there was still the stench outside.
Without wind and with the breeze blowing into the cave.
Chen Wen felt like he was sleeping in a rural pit toilet.
And a long-unused pit toilet at that.
A difficult night!
...
The sun rose.
Chen Wen sat up with dark circles under his eyes.
He was somewhat doubting life.
That night, he felt he hadn’t slept more than thirty minutes.
Chen Wen finally understood why the group had dark circles and seemed disoriented when they arrived on the island.
In this environment, anyone who can sleep through the night deserves the title of sleep god!
One hygiene problem, one sleep problem.
They must be solved!
Chen Wen was determined to resolve these two issues in the shortest time possible.
During breakfast, or more precisely, during morning tea.
Chen Wen said seriously, "Guys, I feel like the internal affairs issues are really serious!"
"A hygiene problem and a sleep problem, if these two aren’t resolved, within a week we’ll be packing up and leaving."
Gan Tieshan, with dark circles under his eyes, said, "What can you do? We’re short-handed, building beds is inefficient."
"Beds definitely need to be built, but that’s a long-term solution. Right now, we need to take emergency action so that everyone can get some sleep at night."
Without waiting for others to speak.
Chen Wen immediately presented his solution, "First, we’ll sleep in two groups: one for those who snore loudly and another for those who don’t snore."
Hearing this, Lu Heng almost wanted to raise both hands in agreement, "I agree! Sleeping next to Hu every night makes even my dream scenes feel like a construction site."
"I don’t mind either."
Yan Bian and Du Feng said simultaneously.
These two were also greatly troubled by the snoring.
Chen Wen nodded and continued, "Based on my observation last night, Lu Heng, Yan Bian, Mr. Du, Zhuo, and I either don’t snore or snore quietly, so the five of us will find another place to rest."
Hearing this, the group hesitated for a moment.
Yan Bian asked, "Where will we sleep then?"
"Right here."
Chen Wen pointed at the bonfire, "Resting in the wild, you definitely need a fire, sleeping next to the fire is both safe and warm."
"But what if it rains?"
Du Feng voiced his concern.
"Build a shelter."
Chen Wen’s thoughts were crystal clear.
Nothing else, it was the result of a sleepless night.
"I can lead the effort to build a shelter, and if we go all out today, we should be able to make one."
Chen Wen said.
After acquiring the skill [House Slave], Chen Wen tested its effects last night.
[House Slave] significantly improved Chen Wen’s ability to find and recognize materials for shelter construction.
Many things, with one glance, Chen Wen could tell if they could be used for building a shelter.
Although this skill didn’t greatly enhance the construction itself, he wasn’t worried.
In the days before coming here, Chen Wen had crammed some knowledge about shelters.
This was his only weakness in survival last time, and it had to be addressed.
But constructing five shelters alone was still unrealistic.
Therefore, Chen Wen asked, "Does anyone among us have experience building shelters?"
After a moment of silence, Gan Tieshan raised his hand, "I do."
"Great."
Chen Wen quickly said, "I’ll be responsible for gathering materials, and Shan will clear this area. Once the materials arrive, the two of us will get started right away."
"Also, regarding the hygiene problem, Lu Heng and Du Feng, you two will have to trouble yourselves to dig some soil and bury the previous waste."
"Wang Zhi will collect materials with me, and Zhuo, since you can’t move easily, you’ll stick with Shan, how does that sound?"
Chen Wen’s allocation was reasonable, but Du Feng and Lu Heng were somewhat dissatisfied.
Lu Heng directly said, "Why aren’t you the one burying the waste?"
"If you can recognize which materials are suitable for building a shelter, we can switch tasks."
Chen Wen didn’t back down.
Backing down now would only make them push their limits and delay survival.
Hearing this, Lu Heng said no more.
Under Chen Wen’s arrangement, the internal affairs team of six got to work.