"I'm so stupid, really." Dominic leaned under the haystack, holding his crutches helplessly, watching the farmhands and craftsmen busy going back and forth. "I just knew that driving would be a bit difficult, but I didn't expect that things would become so...
Oops."
"Mr. Kraft must be angry. We'll just wait to farm this kind of land until we die. I hope he will think of something that can recycle the waste someday."
Field didn't dare to say anything and stuffed a wild berry into his mouth. This wasteland that no one had set foot on for a long time was dotted with sporadic little surprises arranged by nature. The orange-red skin was plump and warm, wrapped in a slightly astringent sweet juice. It was perfect.
Although he has different views on the current arrangement, it is best for him to keep a low profile while his companion is still angry.
After that accident, the two of them were quickly dispatched to the foot of the mountain, where they were responsible for directing farmhands and craftsmen to rebuild the monastery-annexed manor.
Brother Raymond, who was responsible for the communication, called this "a long-term task that is related to the future foundation of the Knights." It requires careful planning and preparation of staple food and supplementary food reserves, herbal cultivation, horse farms, workshops and other areas before the next sowing season. According to
Water demand and pollution levels are allocated to upstream and downstream locations.
The draft of the detailed plan was several pages long and included several blank spaces that Kraft had specifically designated to stay away from flowing water or production and living areas, without any additional markings.
At first glance, it seems that it is indeed a heavy responsibility, but when I actually took over, I found that this was not the case at all.
At present, they are still in the initial stages of repairing various infrastructure and reclaiming wasteland.
It is impossible for the locally recruited farm laborers to immediately give up the wheat fields that are about to be harvested and start working here, and most of the original facilities that have been abandoned for more than 20 years can only be rebuilt, and everything is too slow to make people worry.
As laymen, they can neither instruct locals how to farm nor provide technical guidance to professional craftsmen. Their daily work is to put it mildly to take charge of the overall situation and supervise the progress. To put it bluntly, they are the mascots of the construction site.
The two of them are so idle every day, it is unlikely that they will achieve anything.
"Actually, I think since Mr. Kraft still asks us to write a written report every three days, it means that he has no intention of marginalizing us." To be fair, Field felt that a person who is busy all day long would not be willing to take time to read every three days.
Meaningless report.
They were even specifically told that if there were any special situations, including personal issues, they could be conveyed verbally directly to someone on the same day without waiting.
To be honest, he was very confused about what could be dug out of the soil worth mentioning. During this period of time, besides being in a daze, he was racking his brains to think about how to put together a report and give it to the people who regularly went down the mountain to purchase.
While Dominic was still feeling sorry for himself, he had basically gotten used to rural life. If he didn't consider his future, staying here would actually be a good choice, as he could devote more energy to finding personal interests and hobbies.
After tasting another reddish berry, he sighed with satisfaction. It would be nice to live such a leisurely life for a few more days.
It would be better if there is sugar. The berry season is usually very short. Boiling it with sugar and making jam can bring back the taste in the winter when supplies are scarce.
Passing the wooden plate with fruits to the side, Dominic did not respond. Perhaps the impact of the accident has not subsided, and his originally not very active character has become quieter.
Occasionally, you can see him in a daze, seeming to be thinking about something, and he won't say anything when asked.
"Do you need to find some books to read? I brought a collection of stories that I copied. Are you interested?"
"What?" Dominic paused for a moment, and it took him a while to realize that he was being called, "Oh, no, I've seen those at least three times."
"What's wrong with you? Did you hurt your brain?" Looking at this, you can tell that he was distracted again just now. I hope it's not the sequelae of the accident. That makes people feel guilty.
But it’s not good to have nothing to do all the time. You should find some activities to help your friends recover as soon as possible.
"Want to take a walk?"
Dominic's eyes suddenly went dark, blocking his erratic vision and thoughts.
He opened the thing on his face and found a straw hat full of burrs. It was woven from the most common broad-leaf wild grass, but the small thorns at the tip were removed, and the top was wound into a strange pattern like a whirlpool.
The level is indeed average, but it is certainly not Field's skill.
"Where did it come from?"
"It was given by someone else." Field raised his chin towards the field and pointed. He could see a young-looking girl following a middle-aged woman collecting and bundling hay.
"Her father is not in good health, so I helped with some prayers. This is considered a gift in return."
Then the hat was casually placed on Dominic's face.
"You should treat believers' gifts more carefully. Whether it is a straw hat or a gold coin, they are all the same before the Lord." It is a professional instinct to establish a good relationship with believers in the jurisdiction, especially when receiving blessings from such blessing sermons.
In return, I have to wear it for a few days no matter what.
"I know, I know." Field waved his hands nonchalantly, stood up, patted the grass behind him, and stretched his arms.
Dominic's injured leg is in good condition these days, and Kraft also concluded that it is just a fracture at most, and it can bear a little force. It is not a big problem to walk two steps with a crutch.
"Speaking of which, is this the only one of their hats that is so weird, or..."
Or do they all look like this? Dominic looked at the workers, most of whom wore straw hats to protect themselves from the sun, and got the answer.
Indeed, perhaps as a local characteristic, the homemade hats all have a slightly cumbersome spin, similar to the way the water around settlements is stirred by paddles or schools of fish, causing white foam to curl on the surface.
"Oh, I asked about it too. She said that this kind of hat will protect and bless me. It's probably similar to an amulet or something like that?"
"Really? There are already parishes around here. Shouldn't we wear the Holy Emblem for protection?"
"It's not surprising. The Holy Emblem cannot be worn on the head. Every place has its own customs. There is no need to interfere in a hurry." Field stretched out his hand to lend a hand to his companion and helped him stand up. "According to their old man's words
, the shape of this hat is similar to a cloud, which will make something in the sky think that you are also a floating cloud, so it is safe."
"Never heard of it."
Field patted the thick whorl of grass on the top of his hat, "I don't have one either, but it can at least block small stones, branches and other things falling on the mountain. Maybe that's why."
"So you want to walk around? Go to the village, or go to some of the gentler hillsides I asked about."
"What a great idea, I'm almost dead." Dominic readily agreed. The days of excessive free time made people feel almost panicked. Some vague thoughts always appeared in a trance, and the excessive time was stirred up from time to time.
Sensitive nerves.
It’s time to walk around and find something to do for yourself. Considering that the written records in the monastery are completely destroyed, perhaps a new humanistic overview of the surrounding environment will enrich the report and make Kraft take a new look at them.