Gwen's sudden question stunned Norris. He was prepared to be reprimanded, but he did not expect to be asked such a question. Should he answer yes or no? Which part of the question was against the law?
After thinking for a long time, the old farmer decided to confess honestly because there was more than one person who knew that he could read and write. If the feudal lord were to ask someone else about the truth, then he would really be breaking the law.
"Yes … My Lord," Norris said nervously as he clutched at the buttons on his chest. "I have learned … to read and write."
Gwen raised his eyebrows, thinking that his judgment was right.
Even though Norris did not write a single word and was only sketching, he could tell many things from the way he held the pen. The feeling of holding a pen was completely different for someone who did not know how to read and write. In this world where almost everyone was illiterate, Norris had already seen how the illiterate people held onto the pen, and how they used clumsy methods to draw lines on the paper. However, the farmer's pen was clearly very standard.
Even Heti looked at Norris in surprise. It seemed that she had just discovered this fact.
"Don't worry, being able to write is not against the law. Teaching others how to read and write is also not against the law." Gwen realized that his sudden question might have frightened the honest farmer, so his tone became gentler. "Who taught you how to read and write?"
Norris was slightly relieved after receiving the promise of his Lord. He rubbed his hands together and revealed a slightly embarrassed smile. "My Lord, I'm not afraid that you will laugh at me if I tell you this … Back then, I almost entered the church and became a priest to serve the Goddess of Harvest. I learned how to read and write from a teacher at that time …"
A farmer's son who almost entered the church and became a priest?
Such a miraculous experience piqued Gwen's interest. Under his questioning, the farmer Norris' story was finally known.
The other party was indeed born in a farmer's family. His ancestors had lived in Cecil's territory for generations. Even though his family had a few acres of land, but like most of the commoners in this era, he only had enough to eat and wear. Originally, his life was going to be the same as that of most commoners. He was bound to the land, busying himself with the seedlings and the ditches. The only way he could interact with the high priests and the church was to go to the town church every once in a while to pray, or when the priests came to the countryside to preach. But when he was eight years old, an opportunity presented itself to Norris and his parents.
A Priestess of the Goddess of Harvest from the Holy Spirit Plains had come to Cecil's territory and was temporarily staying in the village where Noris lived. To the farmers, the arrival of a Priestess of the Three Gods of Fertility and Fertility was an extremely rare and fortunate occurrence. Thus, everyone in the village immediately pooled their money together and, according to the rules set by the Three Gods of Fertility and Fertility, had the elders of the village bring a few children to the Priestess to present gifts so that the Priestess could bless the village's farmland.
Then, the Priestess looked at the eight-year-old Norris and said, "This child is blessed to be with the land. He is blessed by the Goddess of Harvest."
Because of this sentence, after the Priestess left, Norris' parents almost sold all the valuables in the house. The elders of the village also tried to gather some money. They went to the manor's Master Knight and asked for a pass. Finally, they sent Norris to the Church of Mother Earth in Tanzania Town and made him a "servant apprentice." Although the Three Gods of Fertility and Fertility were three independent religions, they were also very closely related. Mother Earth, as the main god of the Three Gods of Fertility and Fertility, usually worshiped both the Goddess of Harvest and the Goddess of Spring at the same time in her temple. The Priestess of the Three Gods of Fertility and Fertility would generally receive the same education before receiving the official blessings. After completing the education, they would choose which god to convert to based on their "spiritual talent." Therefore, when they could not find a church of the Goddess of Harvest nearby, sending Norris to the temple of Mother Earth was the only choice his parents had at that time.
Norris studied in the temple for five years. After that, he received a confirmation from the church of a higher level:
"This apprentice does not have the spiritual talent of the Fertility and Fertility God System."
Until today, Norris still remembered how happy everyone in the village was when the letter with this sentence was sent to the village. They could not read at all, and the messenger who delivered the letter was so drunk that he did not tell the villagers or Norris' parents what was written in the letter.
It was not until Norris returned to the village with his own luggage that everyone knew that the letter was not good news from the church.
Norris quietly told his story. His wrinkled face did not show any joy or sadness, and his sunken eyes were calm. It was as if those things had already passed him by, and had nothing to do with him anymore. "The next few years were difficult. We had not paid our debts, and the house was empty. My father did not make it through the winter, but he still had to live, and the money he owed everyone had to be paid.
"So my mother brought me and my siblings to the viscount's castle. Oh, at that time, Viscount Cecil was still Miss Rebecca's father. We kowtowed to the viscount, and said that we could not live anymore. The viscount was kind enough to exempt us from paying taxes, and he also lent us seeds and half a bag of food. With those seeds and food, and the wild vegetables that grew exceptionally well, we managed to survive.
"After that, I worked hard in the fields, and helped people do chores. I could do the work of two or three people, and I could read. When the peddlers in the village came, I helped them count the weight, and that way, I could get some bread. After a few years, we paid our debts, and we even got the viscount's seeds and food … "
Norris slowly raised his head, and his face was full of pride. "The year my mother died, our whole family had a meal of meat."
Farmer Norris' story ended. Gwen just frowned, and Heti could not help but press on her chest. "I … I did not know that such a thing had happened in the fief … We have always been trying our best to give …"
"Giving alms will not save anyone, because it will not solve the root of the problem. This kind of thing happens every day, and you just don't see it in the castle." Gwen shook his head, and then looked at Norris curiously. "I noticed your hand gesture just now … Do you still believe in the Goddess of Harvest?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Norris' face was full of wrinkles. "The Goddess of Harvest protects all the fields in the world. Whether the harvest is good or not, it is the life and death of the family. Which farmer doesn't believe in the Goddess of Harvest?"
Gwen looked at him quietly. "Even though you have suffered so much because of this belief?"
Norris was silent for a moment, and then lowered his head. "Master, that is my bad luck. How can you blame it on the gods? And compared to the others, at least I have learned something, and learned how to read — though reading is of no use to people like us. "
"Reading is not useless." Gwen looked at the farmer seriously. "Norris, your farming skills should be good, right?"
Speaking of this, Norris became even more proud. "Master, if you ask me about other things, I dare not say, but when it comes to farming, my skills are excellent. Otherwise, how could I have survived those difficult days?"
Gwen asked again. "You know how to read and count, and you have been educated by the church. So when I asked Heti to read the new rules to you, and I designed a form to record the workload, you should be able to understand them easily, right? If I ask you to fill in the forms and calculate the land and yield, can you do it? "
This time, Norris nodded first, and then asked hesitantly, "Master, do you want me to be … a supervisor?"
In this period of time, because Gwen had introduced a labor system that required counting and evaluation, the previous supervisors who only knew how to wield a whip but were illiterate were no longer useful. The supervisors in the territory were selected by the family warriors, and even Heti herself. (Some of the family warriors were Knight's attendants, and could at least count and write some simple words.) Thus, when Norris heard Gwen's question, he could not help but think of this.
"No, not just a supervisor. In fact, if you can do it, I intend to let you manage the entire wasteland, and even the food production in the later stages." Gwen said. "Of course, I can't give you so much power all of a sudden, and I can't let you do as you please. I will let Heti 'test' you, and tell you what to do at any time."
The expression on Norris' face changed immediately. "Old … Old Master! I don't understand … Are you asking me to be your butler? But a butler is not only in charge of food … "
"This is a job, but not a butler." Gwen laughed. "If I have to name it, let's call it … Agriculture Supervisor. And I have to tell you first, this job is different from any other job in the noble territory. You can't pass it down as a title from generation to generation, unless your children are talented enough. This job is not valid for life. If you don't do it well, or if you use this job to do something that violates Cecil's law, then you will be removed and punished. From now on, many of the jobs I set up on this land will be the same. Do you understand? "
If Gwen had not warned him of so many restrictions, perhaps Norris would not have dared to accept this "good luck from the heavens" in his fear. This was because this "good luck from the heavens" was very similar to the time when he was eight years old, when the priest came to the village and said that he could "receive God's grace". But with Gwen's warning, he began to think seriously and believed that this should be true.
An ordinary pauper would not think like him, but Norris would because he had been educated. Even if this education almost killed him, he had learned "logic" from this education.
Thus, after thinking for a while, this old farmer nodded his head vigorously. "Master, if you trust me … … Norris will take good care of every piece of land you give me, and every grain that grows on the land!"
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