Work Prophet
Chapter 435 - 53 Bathroom Monitor

Chapter 435: Chapter 53 Bathroom Monitor

After establishing the partnership, Li Yu tasked Zhang Yanlin with discussing the specifics with Cola Bear, and he could finally shift his focus back to Bratis.

Even a month or two earlier, the farmers of Green Field had been enthusiastically discussing this summer’s harvest.

Thanks to abundant rainfall and suitable temperatures after winter, the crops in the fields were thriving, indicating that it would be a year of good harvest.

And these winter wheat and carrots were just the appetizers; in two to three months’ time, they would see the fruits of their spring planting.

The new farming tools and methods vigorously promoted by the Double Rest Sect, coupled with a series of preferential policies introduced by the Lady, significantly boosted the farmers’ enthusiasm and efficiency.

The use of composting technology had also remarkably improved the sanitation of Green Field.

After inspecting Li Yu’s dry toilets, Ireya had three hundred of them built in her own territory in one go.

After all, it was not difficult to construct these facilities; digging a hole in the ground was all it took, and if there weren’t enough bricks, a wooden shed could be erected, which, while not as sturdy, still got the job done and was cheaper as well.

To encourage the serfs on her lands to use the dry toilets and change their habit of relieving themselves anywhere, the Lady not only led by example—she sealed off the high latrines of Teacup Castle and converted them into small dry toilets, thus also eradicating the risk of assassination through a latrine pit once and for all.

She then appointed a group of toilet supervisors in the farming villages to oversee and correct anyone not using the dry toilets.

These individuals were called "feces officials" by the locals, but the Lady soon realized that relying on toilet supervisors to monitor whether everyone defecated properly was not very realistic.

After all, Green Field was not a modern society equipped with surveillance cameras everywhere; with such a large village and hundreds of people running around, if someone were to disobey and find some corner to squat in, the feces officials wouldn’t see it.

It was also impractical to keep a daily count of who used the dry toilets, as everyone’s bodily functions differ—some people need to go several times a day, while others only once every two or three days.

Even if they were forced to enter and exit the dry toilets daily, it didn’t guarantee that they would use them for their intended purpose.

Furthermore, the quality of the lower-level officials was generally concerning. Once some had power in their hands—even if it was just the power to supervise everyone’s toilet habits—they could exploit it for personal gain.

Therefore, the position of toilet supervisor lasted less than a month before being abolished by the Lady due to various issues.

In the end, it was through the continuous teachings by the Sabbath of the Double Rest Sect in the name of "Saturday" that the use of dry toilets gradually increased among the believers.

There were tragedies, such as a drunkard who climbed out of bed to go to the toilet at night, slipped accidentally, and drowned in the excrement.

Overall, however, public acceptance of dry toilets was on the rise, especially after the winter when the temperature warmed up and people became less averse to walking a longer distance to the toilets.

By June, the wheat, rye, and carrots planted in February had finally matured, and the fields were filled with the figures of those toiling hard.

The Sabbaths of the Double Rest Sect also received new tasks. Since the growth of crops follows natural laws and does not bend to human will, farmers often need to work continuously during harvest time.

It was necessary to record everyone’s working hours so that compensatory rest and days off could be arranged afterward when things slowed down.

This was especially true for the farms owned by nobles, where the working hours and intensity of the serfs were of particular concern to the Double Rest Sect.

The Judgement Court, where Golden Eyes was located, was at its busiest at this time. Apart from the usual patrols and checks, they had to immediately set out to investigate the scene upon receiving any reports or complaints.

Contrary to what most people believe, the living conditions of medieval serfs were generally better than those of slaves in later times.

One wonders if this could be considered a kind of civilizational regression in some sense.

Like slaves, medieval serfs were attached to a lord and were not allowed to leave the lord’s feud for their entire lives. They could be bought, sold, and used as collateral, but unlike slaves, they could not be killed at whim.

A serf had to go through a trial before they could be arrested or executed, though these trials were often still at the lord’s discretion.

Additionally, serfs could freely form families and own their private properties; apart from paying the land rent akin to free farmers, they also had to work for the lord without compensation.

According to the traditions of the Bratis Continent, serfs had to labor for the lord for four out of every ten days.

This was also a major reason why most lords in the western regions were not very welcoming to Li Yu and his Double Rest Sect.

If the serfs on the domain joined the Double Rest Sect and observed its rules, they would rest for two days each week. Assuming the time they worked for the lord remained unchanged, they would have only about ten days left in a month to cultivate their own land.

Clearly, this wasn’t enough to sustain the serfs, but attributing this rest time to the lords would undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction among them.

Even with Ireya’s support, Green Field still wrangled over this issue for a long time.

After all, Ireya was just the largest lord in Green Field; she had knights and feuds under her. One misstep could easily chill the hearts of those who had served the Arias family for years.

After several rounds of negotiations, Green Field reluctantly reached an agreement, reducing the monthly labor time of the serfs from twelve days to eight days.

Converted to a weekly schedule, this amounted to working five days and resting for two, with an additional half-day of rest thrown in as a bonus.

When signing the contract, Pablo’s hand trembled with distress, but eventually, he steeled himself and wrote his name on the paper.

After signing, Pablo said to Li Yu, "Lord Merlin, please tell the supreme Saturday that the Hogg family has offered it all their loyalty."

Li Yu replied, "You will not regret today’s decision, Sir Pablo."

With the most obstinate and meritorious, Sir Pablo, accepting the new serf labor schedule, the remaining nobles ceased their resistance and came forward to inscribe their names.

Afterward, the handwriting on this sheet of paper would be carved into a stone tablet, to eternally stand on the edge of Teacup Castle, binding all nobles on this land, as well as their descendants, forever.

However, while the oath in writing had been completed, fully implementing it was not so easy.

Even if those lesser nobles were willing to keep their word, it was not certain that their subordinates would carry it out faithfully.

Golden Eyes was currently dealing with such a matter.