057 Tissue Paper

After Shui Sheng and the others heard about the plan to build a school, there was a moment of silence. None of them had expected that Lin Yan and Huang Ying’s trip would bring about such a significant change.

“This is a good thing. Many children want to attend classes. With a school, they can learn just like us,” Hua Min said, seeing it as a great opportunity rather than a burden.

Shi Zhi, however, remarked, “If you’re so eager, then you take on the role of teacher. I still have various experiments to conduct and no time for teaching.”

“I’m happy to do it. I enjoy teaching others, sharing the knowledge I’ve gained, and helping them understand the wonders of the world,” Hua Min replied without hesitation.

Lin Yan glanced at Hua Min in surprise. “You really like teaching?”

“Yes, it’s quite interesting,” Hua Min answered.

“Then the school is yours to manage. We still have many other tasks to attend to,” Lin Yan decided immediately, seeing that Hua Min was serious.

She had many responsibilities herself and had hoped to train the ten of them to share the workload and build a new world together.

The school was indeed important—a cradle for nurturing talent—and it was fitting for Hua Min to take full charge.

Hua Min smiled. “Alright, I’ll take full responsibility. But with so many children and only one teacher, it won’t be enough. You all will have to help with teaching.”

“That’s easy,” Lin Yan said. “Just send whoever has time to the school, but mainly it’s up to you.”

The others had no objections. Having Hua Min in charge was good, and although they were busy, they could spare some time to help teach.

With that settled, Lin Yan shared some ideas for the school’s construction and left Hua Min to plan it independently, fully stepping back.

Lin Yan entrusted Shui Sheng with the laboratory’s planning; Shui Sheng was meticulous and thoughtful, so Lin Yan only needed to offer suggestions for Shui Sheng to execute well.

The rest, besides observing the paper-making experiments, focused on improving the spinning machines and ensuring the charcoal production continued smoothly.

There was a great deal to do, and with only a few of them, everyone was extremely busy.

Lin Yan oversaw the entire operation, inspecting each area, offering advice when necessary, and guiding them to find solutions through their own efforts.

Nearly twenty days of such busy work passed, bringing them to the end of January.

The school and laboratory were already halfway built and would be completed in a few days.

The paper-making experiment had its first success: they produced a single, rough sheet of grass paper from reed leaves. It was coarse and blackish, riddled with holes everywhere—leaf veins visible in horizontal and vertical lines. Fragile and prickly, but at least it was a formed sheet.

The reed leaves were soaked to form a pulp, then pressed and dried to make that one sheet of paper.

Bai Chen gaped, stunned. “This is paper?”

She looked at Lin Yan, who carefully unfolded the grass paper with joy. Somehow, she felt this was not what Lin Yan had described.

Lin Yan’s face lit up. “This is paper—grass paper, the roughest kind. Bai Chen, you succeeded.”

The others gathered around, eyes wide in disbelief. Was this the paper they had been eagerly anticipating?

After a moment of celebration, Lin Yan noticed their expressions. “Don’t doubt it. This is the most primitive form of paper. Now that we can make this, we will soon produce better paper. First, we’ll find ways to eliminate the holes in the grass paper, then make it smooth and flat. Once that’s done, it will be usable for writing.”

She was not worried at all. With this foundation, once they accumulated enough contribution points, the method of papermaking should be fully developed. Then, they would have pure white paper.

Shi Zhi touched the grass paper skeptically. With little force, the paper tore a larger hole.

“This is... it’s too fragile,” he said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Seeing Shi Zhi’s action, they instinctively withdrew their hands.

Facing their doubtful looks, Lin Yan asserted firmly, “This is the prototype of paper, no doubt about it. Imagine if the grass paper had no holes, was smooth and even in thickness, and the color wasn’t this dark brown but bright white or other hues—that would be usable paper.”

“Can it really become like that?” Hua Min still hesitated. Could they truly make such paper?

“Of course. We already have the prototype. With continued effort, we will succeed. I believe in you all,” Lin Yan encouraged warmly.

Her words revived their confidence, and they resumed their work with renewed vigor.

Especially Bai Chen, who had made the original grass paper. After carefully comparing the experimental processes, they identified differences and made improvements.

The days were full and hectic. Ten days later, the school and laboratory were completed, located on the east side of Sun City near the drinking water canal.

This side was farther from the Rat-Rabbit territory, with rows of houses in between, making it relatively safer.

The school was placed between Groups Seven and Ten, spanning three groups and covering a large area. Three rows of houses were built, each row with eight rooms. Every room had tiled floors but was empty inside. They enclosed a large courtyard with walls to serve as a playground.

The playground was Lin Yan’s idea. She believed children should exercise from a young age. Now that they were eating better and their physical strength could keep up, they needed more training.

To venture out from this place, they would face countless dangers. Considering the large ferocious beasts they might encounter, a strong physique was essential.

She also joined Shui Sheng and the others in daily exercise—running together along the central avenue every morning.

Compared to the modest school, the laboratory was built with much greater care.

The lab was about a hundred meters from the school, in a large compound with two rows of houses facing each other. Each row had ten rooms, surrounded by walls.

Despite limited resources, they pooled their ideas, constructing brick workbenches inside the rooms and shelves for storing jars. They also installed heating systems, leaving smoke vents in the walls during construction to ensure warmth during the cold season.

These two large compounds became the largest properties in Sun City, attracting curious visitors.

Children especially flocked to the school to explore, imagining their future classes there.

The laboratory was immediately put into use. Shui Sheng and the others moved the jars for the papermaking experiments inside.

Bai Chen, Lan Yue, and Lin Yun primarily handled the papermaking, immersing themselves fully after moving in.

Shi Zhi, Hong Ling, and Ye Cong worked on improving the spinning machines. The main bodies were completed, with some fine details still pending.

Hua Min, Shui Sheng, Mao Mu, and Huang Ying began preparations for teaching at the school, planning what subjects to teach, how to schedule classes, and organizing personnel.

Lin Yan rooted herself in the laboratory, constantly monitoring the progress of the papermaking and spinning machine projects.

Since the new spinning machine was not yet ready, but people needed clothing, which required large amounts of hemp cloth, Hong Ling—an expert in this field—held a seminar right after the cold season to promote the use of the older spinning machine, so people could start using it immediately. They would replace it once the new machine was finished.