The sleeping village of Akeli.
On a moonless night, everything is pitch black, with only a few buildings in the center of the village occasionally showing a few gleams of light.
In the room made of stones on all sides, a few breezes suddenly entered from nowhere, and immediately, on the low table made of the same stones, a few lighted rushes began to sway gently, and the shadows cast on the stone wall also disappeared. Shake up.
"ah… "
On the left side of the stone table, the main body of a certain shadow, the village steward Ifrit quickly got his butt off his seat, stretched out his hands, and protected the flames.
The fire light stabilized again, and in the seats on the other three sides of the stone table, the faces of Constable Espiel, Farming Officer Barres, and Priest Praia also became clear again.
Here is the church, the room where the priest lives.
At night, the four of them gathered together. Naturally, the reason was that a large number of cattle in the village were injured, and the topic was naturally how to deal with the aftermath.
There was only a light layer of white ash piled up on the small plate containing the rushes, and the conversation between the four of them had just begun.
"...In general, thirty-six farm cattle were injured in different places, most of them bled, and they should not be able to work for more than ten days. Five cattle were seriously injured. The situation... the situation is very hard to say...about...about this … Lord Barrès, Lord Praia, I’m done…”
"Well..." Barles nodded slightly, motioned Ifrit to sit down, and at the same time turned to the priest whose face became very heavy: "Pastor Praia, that's the situation. Do you have any questions?"
"Oh, poor village, poor villagers... Almighty Almighty..." Praia shook his head slightly after reading the holy words softly.
"Oh... Almighty God..." Barres also sighed: "Now, things have happened, and there are still many things to come. Your Excellency Pastor, what do you think?"
Keenly grasping the key points of Bales' words, Praia frowned: "A lot of things? What are you referring to?"
"Summer duty, plowing." Without any mood to go around in circles, Barres's answer was quite direct and concise.
"Summer duty, plowing..." Praia frowned deeper, and his heavy expression gradually changed to dignified: "You mean..."
"That's not what I mean..." Bales pointed to the west direction: "The baron's idea is that the summer service cannot be delayed, and plowing must be stepped up."
"No." Praia immediately shook his head quickly, "Most of the cattle in the village were injured, and the summer service must not continue..."
"Why can't we continue?" Balesh straightened his body, his eyes glowed brightly: "The villagers are not injured, and the plow cart does not have to be pulled by the cattle."
"No." Praia shook his head without hesitation: "The villagers can't pull the plow carts in the public land at all."
"You can use a small plow."
"Small plow carts don't work either. If the plow carts are pulled by manpower, the villagers will be exhausted in two or three days."
"Pastor Praia, the villagers in Akeli village are very strong, you underestimate your lambs..."
"No matter how strong it is, it is still a lamb. It is impossible for a lamb to work instead of an ox. Your Excellency Barris, give up this idea. This is definitely not possible."
"Well, Lord Praia, the villagers are lucky to have a priest like you..." Bales nodded, but there was not much disappointment on his face: "Maybe you are right, the plow truck should let the plow Cow dragging, we shouldn't go against the purpose of making this thing...”
"Well, in this case, I just need the uninjured cattle in the village to temporarily leave their owners and put them on the public land, lest the rough-handed villagers continue to hurt them..."
"No!" Playa shook his head again without hesitation: "Now is the most important time of the whole summer, and the villagers' own land also needs to be plowed. It is impossible to let the last remaining healthy cattle in the village only dry up the common land. The job here..."
"Of course you can only do the work in the common!" Barres's voice raised a little: "Even if you can't finish it!"
"That's right!" Praia's voice also raised at the same time: "Even if this is not done, if it is finished, the remaining farm cattle will definitely be gone! The villagers with rough hands and feet will not hurt the cattle at all, you guys Only then!"
"...you... the oxen must be taken care of intensively! Let the villagers go to their own land to pull the plow cart, maybe your lambs will surprise you when you are doing your own work..."
"Before it surprises me, the church will surprise you first!"
"Okay, okay, respected Pastor Praia, maybe we should all calm down, our purpose is not to quarrel." Hearing the word "church", Barres hesitated slightly, and backed down again: "In this way Well, Your Excellency Pastor, the villagers can continue to use their own cattle, but they are absolutely not allowed to lend to other villagers."
"This… "
Thinking about the consequences of using the last ten cattle at the same time by hundreds of families in the whole village, after pondering for a while, Praia finally nodded slowly for the first time, but his tone was still quite hesitant: "...Maybe it can..."
"The injured farm cattle are absolutely not allowed to be used by the villagers without permission before they are fully recovered!"
"This..." After pondering for a long time again, Praia nodded slowly again, and replied hesitantly: "...maybe..."
"After the oxen are restored, the villagers must first complete all the summer labor in their share before they can use the oxen to do farm work on their own land..."
"Impossible!" Praia's voice suddenly rose: "The cattle were injured, and the plowing of the villagers' own land has already been delayed. If they have to wait until all the summer labor is done before they can plow their own land , it is almost impossible for the villagers to have any harvest next year... "
"Your Excellency the Baron will compensate the church for next year's tithe, and even double the donation..."
"It's not a question of doubling your dedication! There's nothing to gain, half of the villagers starve to death, next year's tithe barons can make up for it, what about next year's next year? What about next year's next year's next year!"
"But… "
"No but... don't mention any but..."
Praia shook his head vigorously, with an absolutely non-negotiable expression on his face: "Almighty Lord Barres, give up your terrible idea, even if you don't consider the church's tithe, you don't worry about the church's anger, you I also have to think about next year's summer service, next year and next year's public land plowing... "
"I know, you must have thought of buying slaves. The price of slaves is indeed cheap now, but what if there is no war next year? Or what if the slaves rebel? Dear Lord Barris, please leave a trace of mercy, and turn over your In your heart, maybe you can still find a little kindness! The villagers are all dead, what good is it for you and the baron?"
"Your Mightiness!"
Faced with such accusations, Barles' face quickly turned ashen: "Your Excellency Praia, my dear nephew, of course you are kind, you just refuse to let the villagers pull them Pulling the plow truck a few times, refusing to gather the poor healthy cattle, refusing to let the villagers complete all their natural summer labor... By the way, you are so merciful that you agreed to let the stupid villagers not use them for a while. wounded cattle!"
"Leave a trace of mercy! Dear nephew! Yes! It may not be good for the villagers to starve to death! . . Your Excellency the Baron, who helped you obtain the current seat, starved to death in front of you, is it good for you?"
"You..." Pastor Praia blushed, "Anyway, is this my reason?"
"No, it's not your cause. What the baron needs now is not the cause of the injury to the cattle, but Xia Lao plowing to solve the large number of injuries to the cattle."
"It is impossible for the villagers to finish all the summer labor before starting to plow their own land!"
"Really? Maybe we can…"
A new round of negotiations has begun...
Just like that, beside the low table, some voices were soft and gentle, and most of them were fierce and angry voices sounded from time to time.
The small fire in the center swayed from time to time, and the small dish containing the rushes piled up with ashes. As time passed, worldly interests and sacred interests continued to conflict, but the arrangements for the aftermath did not make much progress.
The topic of discussion, or negotiation, or quarrel inevitably shifted again and again, becoming more and more entangled in "the reason why Your Excellency the Baron doesn't need it now", the root cause of all accidents, when a large number of cattle in the village were injured...
Next to His Excellency Bales and Pastor Playa, a timid voice suddenly came: "If the cattle are injured, Pastor, don't you know how to heal?"
Chapter Fifty: Secular and Sacred (Part 2)
nonsense!
Playa, who had a dark secret, was about to scold him, when two figures beside him stood up abruptly.
"What did you say!" The agricultural officer was short of breath and looked very excited. He was treating the cattle, which was directly related to the plowing in the summer and the harvest in the coming year.
"What will be cured?" The steward was also short of breath and looked very excited. Treating the cattle is directly related to recovering the loss and eliminating the impact of the huge change in the village.
"me… "
The agricultural officer and the officials suddenly stood up, their eyes sparkling. Next to the stone table, little Andre, who was holding a small pot of stream water, stepped back involuntarily, and looked at the pastor timidly for help: "Teacher... you are not teaching the little Has Ross healed the cows…”
"Andre!" Playa suddenly raised her voice.
However, it was too late, the agricultural officer Barres, the steward Ifrit, and the police officer Espier who had never said a word, the six firm and inquiring gazes were firmly fixed on the pastor's face.
The stone house was suddenly quiet, and after a short while, the agricultural officer broke the silence first: "Your Excellency Praia, my dear nephew, if I heard correctly, your student seems to have mentioned treatment just now?"
Praia continued to remain silent, his face was cloudy and cloudy, and his mind quickly recalled the situation when little Ross asked him for advice that day.
How should I answer
Is it just perfunctory? Little Ross is completely nonsense
No, that definitely won't work...
After a long while, Praia finally sighed deeply after thinking about it countless times: "Respect Uncle Barres, you heard me right, there is indeed such a thing..."
"The matter is not simple. It's not that I want to hide it. Yesterday, the farm cattle in the family were also injured and bleeding profusely. A pious lamb came to the church, hoping to be saved by the Lord..."
"Uncle Barres, you also know that the church does have a cure for bleeding injuries... However, medicine is definitely needed for bleeding wounds. The village of Akeli is remote, and it is difficult to go to the parish church to treat bleeding The medicines are also very expensive, even exceeding the value of the cattle itself, certainly not something poor villagers can afford... "
"So that's how it is..." Barres showed a dazed expression, and soon became a little confused: "In this case, what happened to the treatment your student mentioned?"
"God is Almighty..." Praia solemnly recited the holy words, and the shimmering light of the rushes hit the pastor's face, casting a little brilliance: "The merciful Lord will not abandon any lamb... Follow the teachings, and I will teach the method of healing bleeding I taught this poor lamb, and at the same time, considering that this lamb does not have the ability to afford medicine, I also taught this lamb to find suitable herbs from the forest... "
"so… "
After concentrating for a moment, and after digesting Praia's words, the agricultural officer Barres frowned slightly: "The herbs in the forest... the herbs in the forest...do they work?"
It is impossible for any priest to answer such a question directly.
Gently stroking his shoulders, performing a sacrament, Praia whispered softly: "The Lord is Almighty..."
"Cough..." Realizing his mistake, Barres coughed and asked again: "Your Excellency Praia, it seems a bit difficult for the villagers to find herbs by themselves?"
"It's very difficult..." Praia sighed deeply: "Your Excellency Bales, this is why I haven't mentioned this matter to you."
"So..." the agricultural officer pondered again: "Then, did this lamb go looking for it?"
You ask me, who do I ask
"Almighty Juggernaut..." Praia whispered again: "Glory is everywhere..."
"Definitely go!"
Next to it, little Andre's clear voice sounded again: "In the afternoon, Los carried a lot of leaves and grass roots and walked past the church door!"
"Oh?"
Under the dim light of rushes, the agricultural officer's eyes narrowed slightly: "The herb in the forest... has this lamb really been found? In that case..."
"Master Barris..."
Beside, Ifrit hurriedly moved closer: "Tomorrow morning, I will ask Old William to bring you the herbs..."
"tomorrow morning?"
Slightly startled, Barres turned his head, and the steward, who had been staring at the agricultural officer's face all the time, noticed that the expression on the agricultural officer's face and the gaze he cast were almost exactly the same as when he was usually looking at the idiots in the village.
----
After half an hour.
To the east of Akeli Village, in front of a simple wooden house.
"This is the cattle that was injured two days ago? How is this possible?"
Bales' voice was full of disbelief.
The cautious old William rubbed his hands awkwardly, quietly raised his right leg, and kicked away some of the catalpa at his feet.
The ash had just fallen from old William's hand.
Half a minute ago, when he heard another rattling noise outside the door, Old William suddenly got up, casually picked up the tool prepared for the next day's farm work from the side of the bed, and quickly opened the wooden door, but he didn't notice the usual The mole or the fox that spoiled the little pea-field at the door of the house saw three bright torches and a crowd of neatly clad lords.
Master Almighty!
For the first time in this life, I saw such a bright torch, for the first time in this life, I saw so many masters, and for the first time in this life, I was close to a real big man. Old William was at a loss, his head was swollen, and he didn't know what to do. manage.
Fortunately, Standing by the side, Ifrit, the empathetic village steward, came over quickly, with a kind expression that he had never seen before, and a kind tone that he had never heard, telling himself gently that the agricultural officer came here just to see Look at your own wounded cow.
Carefully pulling out his own cow and pulling it into the light of the dazzling torch, for a long, long time afterward, the agricultural officer kept the expression of extreme surprise and complete disbelief.
"How is this possible! How could this be the cattle that were injured two days ago? Ifrit..."
Finally came to his senses, and couldn't wait for the manager to bow and reply, the agricultural officer stretched out his right hand and pulled Ifrit to his side forcefully, "Ifrit, are you sure that the injured cow you mentioned on the road is this one
"This... this..." Ifrit, who also had round eyes and involuntarily widened his mouth, stared at the cow, seeing the cow from the head to the foot, and then from the foot to the head, repeating this over and over again, before finally nodding vigorously: "Yes, Definitely this one."
"How is this possible!" The agricultural officer, who was still in disbelief, shouted again, and with his right hand, he almost pressed Ifrit to the cow. "Is it my eyesight? Or am I just dizzy? When I came here just now , what about the abdominal wound you mentioned?"
"This...here..." After searching for a long time, Ifrit finally pointed at the few light red marks on the cow's belly tremblingly.
"What about the strangle marks on the back?"
"This...here..." It took a long time, and Ifrit finally found a few traces of uneven hair on the back of the cow.
"What about the rib wound?"
"This...here..."
"What about the blood mark on the arm?"
"This...here..."
"Ifrit! Are you sure that the place you are referring to is a blood mark and not a flat piece of fur? Are you sure that the place you are pointing to me now is any closer to what you told me on the road just now?" ?”
"But... but..." Ifrit blushed with anxiety, and quickly cast his eyes on the police officer's face for help.
"Master Ba...Bales..." Espier finally bite the bullet and said, "Ifrit is not talking nonsense. Two days ago, the cow was indeed exactly the same as what Ifrit said just now, and..."
"Okay, you don't need to talk!" The agricultural officer raised his right hand, interrupted the police officer, and moved his piercing eyes to William: "William/Moore, tell me, two days ago, your mother What happened when the cow was just injured."
Two minutes later, after listening to old William's upside-down, miscellaneous, and repeated descriptions, the agricultural officer's angry expression finally disappeared, but his expression of disbelief became stronger.
Gently stroking the light red mark on the cow's belly, the agricultural officer looked at the pastor, full of inconceivable surprise and deep shock: "Your Excellency Praia, my dear nephew, you are right, let the villagers Going to pull the plow carts, concentrating the healthy cattle, and forcibly completing the summer service first, these are all the most stupid ideas, the only thing I should ask you is to treat the cattle in the village!"
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