Chapter 20 The Boy's Army
Rene's mother is dead.
The time was just ten days ago, but Rene didn't feel the slightest bit, because the mother's love that belonged to him had long since disappeared.
The whip marks all over his body and the missing ear are proof of this.
Splashing the cold morning water on his face, Rene picked out the eye droppings from the corners of his eyes and wiped his face clean with a handkerchief.
Carrying the bucket, he raised his head and looked at the sky covered with gray clouds.
A few whistling thrushes were walking low among the gray mountains, making sharp calls like whistles.
Almost five days have passed since the potato root purification method was invented.
The originally pouring rain became lighter and lighter day by day, and it even stopped raining all day yesterday.
However, René heard from the old farmers in the village that it is only a temporary situation, and there will be a heavy rain in as soon as one or two days, or as slowly as three to five days.
This heavy rain comes and goes in a hurry. Only when it ends will the long rainy season end and the clear sky of autumn come.
When we come down from the mountain, we still have time to replant the fields with quick-ripening barley, and by the end of November we will be able to save some rations for the winter.
After pouring out the water in the barrel, Rene straightened up and looked down the mountain.
When the flood gradually receded, the original Moulin Rouge village finally revealed its shadow.
Like most villages in the Thousand River Valley, Moulin Rouge Village is also attached to the river and grows in the river valley.
But the river for the villagers of Moulin Rouge is not the Nauan River that runs through the Thousand Valleys, but one of its tributaries, the Honey River.
In the long depression, along the Honey River, the village of Moulin Rouge is also long.
The water wheel in the running water is tipped over, surrounded by flying mosquitoes and flies.
On a slightly higher ground near the Holy Grail Mountain, behind the high white stone wall, is Barnett's country villa.
The ziggurat on the indigo glazed tile roof was blown down by the wind and hung upside down on the eaves. It was swaying in the dirty wind, and the accumulated water fell drop by drop along the ziggurat.
And underneath the villa, there are seven or eight small courtyards with single families in a mess.
The fence was built with scraps of square white stone and black thorns. The animal pen was knocked down and fell on the stone mill.
Beside these small yards are barns, carriage houses and stables.
On the roadside, wooden piles and saw pits can be seen everywhere. The original haystacks were swept away by the flood, leaving only a trace of a different color.
Looking to the west, there are long strips of land on the banks of the Honey River, which are surrounded by fences covered with vines and hemp ropes.
Among the field roads, there are still a few old oak trees and dilapidated huts, which are where the public farmers live.
The khaki rice straws float limply in the water, entangled with mud, stones and branches.
Rene narrowed his eyes. Among the objects wrapped in rice straws, there were even two corpses.
One is human, but the other cannot be seen clearly. It seems to be that of an ox, horse, or human.
The meandering Honey River meanders to the west. Behind the high mountain is the Hedge Township Church.
The church there holds an Sunday school every seven days to teach all believers writing and arithmetic for free.
Of course, you need paper and pen to learn writing and arithmetic, and there is a designated paper and pen shop outside the church.
Priest Father Durdafo said that this was because the shop was close to the church, so it was contaminated with the aura of holiness, so it was qualified to carry holy knowledge.
Has nothing to do with the boss's nephew who is his lover.
That was the place that René longed for most.
He does not yearn for the bright church. What he yearns for most is the pride of the children there when they write their names accompanied by their parents.
But now, he got the same treatment - his name written in his own hand and a godfather who was only seven years older than him.
"Rene!" Standing on the hillside in a daze, he even forgot the time. It was not until Jeanne grabbed his ear that he turned his head stiffly as if he had just woken up from a dream.
"You didn't return to camp after three whistles. Are you infected by Duvallon?"
"Sister Jeanne..." Rene tried to awaken the sibling relationship with Jeanne.
"Call me instructor, go and get the five-stroke ruler yourself." Jeanne's eyes widened and she growled, "Do you still want me to invite you?"
Rene shuddered and hurriedly Carrying the empty bucket, he ran towards the camp.
Pushing open the door of the hunter's cabin, I saw a young man wearing a blue and black short robe sitting cross-legged in front of the fire pit in the cramped space, with a wooden bowl on his knees and feeding the only one among his godson. Orphan girl Miga ties her hair. The serving spoon that was supposed to be taken by Rene fell into the clumsy hands of the young monk Armand.
Horn and the others did not wait for Rene, but strictly followed the schedule and divided their potato root rice.
"I thought I was the only one who could be late, but I didn't expect that you, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would be late too!" As soon as he saw Rene, the blond Du Vallon immediately laughed with schadenfreude, even the palms of his hands were red and swollen. I don't feel any pain anymore.
After tying up Miga's messy hair with hemp rope, Horn glanced at René with some surprise.
He remembered that among these children, Rene was the smartest and most punctual. He was actually late today, which was really rare.
“Why are you late today?”
“The water receded and I was distracted, confusing the cry of the whistling thrush with the whistle.”
"It's good news that the water has receded." Horn laughed, and he patted René's forehead, "Remember it next time, and don't get distracted again."
Pull out the ruler, Horn thought. I thought and put it aside: "Let's eat first, fight now, the food should be cold."
"You always protect them." Jeanne, who had just entered the door, hung her cloak on the hook and said angrily He raised his mouth and said, "Do you want to turn Rene into the second Du Vallon?"
"What's wrong with me? I wasn't late yesterday." Du Vallon immediately yelled.
After giving Du Vallon a slap on the back of the head, Jeanne squeezed to Horn's side, close to Horn's shoulder.
Sitting next to the fire, René picked up a wooden bowl. The dark yellow potato root paste in the bowl was wrapped with dark green wild vegetable leaves. As for the green stuff floating on the surface of the thick porridge, it was sorrel sauce.
This is not the first time Rene has eaten potato root rice. It has long lost the freshness.
He picked up the wooden spoon and quickly swiped the potato root into his mouth to make the paste. Later, Sister Jeanna would take them to practice spear skills and breathing techniques. After practicing, they would eat a half-ounce magic rabbit. Meat as a meal.
From the end of practice to before lunch, they have to lead the villagers to pray at noon and sing hymns.
Stepping Noon Prayer is Horn’s new invention. It actually means stepping neatly in place while praying loudly and rhythmically, with the purpose of forging a sense of community and discipline.
In the afternoon, Horn teaches writing, arithmetic and hymns, and in the evening he practices hymns with the children of other villagers.
From morning to night, there is almost no rest time except after lunch and dinner.
Even sometimes, they have to shoulder the tasks of assisting security, mediating conflicts and patrolling.
“That’s right.” Wiping the residue from his mouth with his sleeve, Horn ordered a few orphan guards, “It hasn’t rained much these days. I told Cosey that it will be rainy tomorrow. Come and baptize you and make you my true godson.”
In the teachings of Messianism, the godfather is the religious guide of young children.
If the child's parents die, the godfather also has custody of the godson and goddaughter.
The ceremony that concludes this sacred agreement is baptism performed by the Godfather himself.
But this ritual is mostly prevalent among free people.
People like Gong Bo Nong do not have this kind of power and ceremony, but now, they are all voters of Shengsun, so they are naturally free.
Rene raised his head, and the eyes of the orphans around him were full of surprise and expectation. His expression did not change, he just looked down at the mushy potato roots in the bowl.
Besides the expectation, there was also an unspeakable fear in his heart.
Jeanne, who often played the role of a strict mother in front of the orphans, showed a rare smile. She gently straightened Rene's back: "Sit up straight. From now on, no matter who bullies you, You are bullying all of us, let's fight you back together."
"...Hmm."
After receiving Horn's ruler, Rene rubbed his red and swollen hands. , and other orphans tidy up the wooden bowls and debris in the hut.
As for Horn and Jeanne, they went to inspect the camp.
"Let me tell you, everyone." Du Valon chatted loudly while cleaning, "We will soon be the godchildren and bodyguards of His Majesty the Holy Sun Sun. That is the same status as the invincible Apostolic Guard. We cannot be the same." There’s no name, right?”
“What do you call it?”
“How about the Orphan Guard?”
“Or the Feathered Forest Knight.” >
“Let’s just call it the Godson Group.”
"Actually..." After René's voice sounded, everyone did not continue to argue, but looked at him, "Actually, the villagers of Moulin Rouge gave us a nickname, calling us kids like the army, that is -"
Rene paused.
"Children's Army."
(End of this chapter)