dognovel Chapter 509 Bury the Old and Catch the Young
Chapter 509 Bury the Old and Catch the Young
In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight gently shines through the gap in the mottled curtains and falls on Min Cai'er's face.
Outside the window, the noisy sounds of the gradually bustling streets were intertwined. Min Caier slowly opened his eyes in the hustle and bustle, and his eyelids felt heavy as if they were filled with lead.
He subconsciously yawned, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a lazy expression.
He turned his body slightly and slowly sat up. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, with a trace of confusion still in his eyes.
After washing up, Min Caier changed into the monk's uniform that he had worn for a week.
The linen robe fell at his feet, and the hat on his head was worn neatly on his head, adding a sense of majesty to him.
After breakfast, Min Ze'er walked out of the house, with the warm sunshine shining on his body. There were already many people walking hurriedly on the street. They were all going to church to pray. Min Ze'er followed the bustling flow of people and walked towards the church.
The tall spire of the church looks particularly majestic under the sunlight, and the cross on the spire shines with golden light, as if guiding people's hearts.
According to the rules, this prayer should be the third prayer of the day.
The first and second morning prayers are at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. respectively, but the church never opens its doors for these two prayers. It is not until 8 a.m. that all the people participate in the prayers.
Min Ze'er walked into the church. There were already quite a few people sitting inside. They sat quietly in their seats, some with their hands folded, some with their eyes closed, all with pious expressions on their faces.
As a clergyman or a manager, Min Caier naturally walked to the front row and found an empty seat to sit down.
After a while, the priest walked up to the podium from the back door of the church and began to lead everyone in reciting the Book of Proverbs.
The priest's voice was loud and magnetic, echoing under the dome of the church.
Min Caier followed everyone, reciting sentence by sentence. Half an hour passed quietly in the recitation. As the bell rang, the townspeople walked out of the church one after another.
And then Minzer's work really began. He straightened his clothes and walked with firm steps to the parish school next to the church.
As soon as I walked through the door, I heard a noise coming from inside. The sound was loud and chaotic, as if a group of sparrows were chirping non-stop.
He walked to the door and frowned at the sight before him.
There was a scene of chaos inside, especially the two children in the middle, who were riding on chairs, holding brooms in their hands, and engaging in the so-called "knightly competition".
They were waving brooms and shouting loudly, their faces filled with excitement and pride. Some of the students around them were watching, some were cheering, and the whole classroom was in chaos.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Min Caier coughed a few times. When the children heard it, they immediately ran back to their seats like frightened birds and became quiet.
Logically speaking, Minzer should punish them with flogging or imprisonment, but Minzer also graduated from a seminary, and he knew very well that these methods would not work at all and might even make things worse.
Therefore, he generally would not use these harsh punishment methods easily. At most, if there were a few students who wanted to skip class, he would use the teaching stick to stop them.
Min Caier first took the roll call. He had been working here for a week, but there were more than 50 students in the class, and he still didn't know some of them, so he was very serious every time he took the roll call. Although these children were very naughty, they either knew that it was not easy for their parents to support their education, or they didn't dare to be late because of their parents' authority.
However, there are always exceptions. When Yeka's name was called, Minzer looked around and found no one answered.
This made him feel very strange. The child was an excellent student in the class and had never skipped classes before. So why didn't he come today?
"Does anyone know Yeka?"
Min Caier asked, his eyes scanning the classroom.
"Principal, I saw a few soldiers coming to his house earlier."
At this time, a student said, Min Caier's heart tightened, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.
"Oh."
Although Min Caier wanted to find him, it was working hours now. Teachers skipping classes was a serious violation, and he would be in big trouble if he lost his job.
Almost all church schools stipulate that the school’s teaching content is centered on the Bible, supplemented by the "Seven Arts", namely grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music.
However, considering the economic conditions of different schools, most of these village parish schools can teach very little, that is, to teach children to read and write and do arithmetic, laying a solid foundation for working or going to school in the city.
The morning class lasts from 9 to 11, followed by an hour of preparation for the fourth prayer at 12 o'clock.
Min Ze'er decided to take time to visit Yeka's home. He knew Yeka's family. His father was originally a coal miner. Later, he was conscripted and killed in the war with Midlan. The family lost most of its income at once, so he was afraid that Yeka would not be able to get over it and go to work directly.
Thinking of this, Min Caier felt a deep worry in his heart. He hurriedly explained what happened in the afternoon class and left the school quickly.
Soon he arrived at Yeka's house. Before entering the yard, he found that the door was open and shouting came from inside.
His brows furrowed even more tightly, and an ominous premonition surged in his heart.
He hurried to the yard, and the scene in front of him made him furious. Two Yoda soldiers were pinning Yeka down, and Yeka struggled desperately, his face full of fear and helplessness.
Two soldiers were moving things out of Yeka's house. Their movements were rough and barbaric. The furniture made harsh noises as they were moved. A woman was sitting on the ground and crying loudly.
There was also a man dressed like a tax collector who was watching the scene with great interest, with a hint of indifference and complacency on his face.
"stop!"
When Min Caier saw this, he shouted loudly, and his voice was like a huge bell, echoing in the yard.
My goodness, are officials robbing money so blatantly nowadays? They just start robbing without even setting up clear tax regulations.
His eyes were filled with anger as he strode towards the soldiers.
"Who dares to interfere with the conscription?"
The official looked back and saw that the man opposite him was wearing monk's clothes and his attitude was better than before. He then asked:
"you are?"
"I am the deacon and the principal of the parish school, what are you doing in my student's home!"
Min Ze'er shouted angrily, his eyes fixed on the recruiting officer, wanting to see what human words could come out of his dog's mouth.
"Don't be nervous, sir. We are just following routine procedures. According to the order from above, the people on the list are eligible for conscription. Considering that his family still has a debt to pay, we have to use some furniture as collateral."
The recruiting officer explained with a hint of perfunctoriness in his tone, his eyes flickering, not daring to look Min Caier in the eye.
"Conscription? His father was buried the day before yesterday, and today you want to arrest his son. What kind of logic is this? And he is only thirteen years old. How can he be a soldier at this age? A longbow is taller than him!"
Min Caier expressed his incomprehension, his voice trembling slightly with anger. A funeral was held after Yeka's father's body was brought back, and he had just attended it the day before yesterday. He never thought that they would start arresting Yeka today.
"This is not our business. We are just enforcing the law. If you think there is a problem, please report it to the mayor or the adults in the city."
The conscription officer was about to continue directing his men to move after he finished speaking, but Min Caier was already extremely angry.
In Helderland, martyrs are revered and their descendants are treated well, but in Yoda's place, martyrs and their descendants have become consumables.
He immediately rushed forward, pulled apart the two soldiers who were holding Yeka down, and protected Yeka behind him.
His movements were swift and decisive, like an angry lion protecting its cubs. Minzer said to the conscription officer:
"Go back and tell your leader that he cannot take away any student from the parish school, or I will revoke your membership in the church!"
Min Caier was not just talking casually, he really had the ability. The deacon of church affairs was not only in charge of church affairs, but also of various local files, including the files of these people's conversion to the church. If they dared to appeal, they would have to pay a huge bribe to the bishop. Otherwise, if the matter was made public, the bishop would not be able to intervene too much.
Perhaps it was reasonable and legal for officials and nobles to do so, but it sounded too brutal to snatch children from the homes of orphans and widows.
"Okay, sir, let's go back and confirm the situation."
The conscription officer did not dare to offend Min Tser, who was already extremely angry at this time, so he immediately took the soldiers and slipped out of Yeka's house like a deserter.
Min Caier looked at their departing backs, but the anger in his heart had not completely subsided.
He turned and looked at Yeka, who was standing there trembling, with fear and helplessness still in his eyes.
Min Caier patted his shoulder gently and said softly:
"Don't be afraid, child. The principal is here."
His voice was low and warm, like a ray of light shining into Yeka's dark heart.
Yeka raised his head and looked at Minzer, tears flashing in his eyes, and then he asked sadly:
"Principal, why is this happening? Are my father's and my lives so worthless?"