ATPnovel Chapter 92 Do You Want to Study Abroad?
Chapter 92 Do You Want to Study Abroad?
Chapter 92 Do You Want to Study Abroad?
Roger was somewhat picky about food when conditions allowed.
So while the chubby cook was preparing large meals for everyone else, she also had to prepare a delicious "special meal" for Roger and his family. The ingredients were mostly fresh, and the salt she used was a premium product specially supplied by the saltworks.
In front of the long table in the lobby on the first floor, young Master Louis was sitting in the chair on the right side of the head of the table, waiting.
Roger felt deep sympathy and helplessness for his younger brother. Having lost his father and brother at a young age, coupled with his mother's frailty, the already reserved and somewhat timid boy was now even more silent all day long, resembling a melancholy little old man. He lacked the innocence and naivety that a teenager should have.
His only hobby was studying—studying the Bible, Latin, rhetoric, and grammar. But he was not good at speaking and did not like to talk. His only ability seemed to be studying.
He feared his father, who had fought many battles and was very strict with his sons; he feared his elder brother, Colin, who was tyrannical and prone to beatings and scoldings.
The only person he was not afraid of was his second brother Roger. Although Roger was seen as a devilish playboy by outsiders, Roger never beat or scolded Louis and often shared the things he stole, robbed, or cheated with him.
But now Louis is starting to fear Roger, because he has discovered that since recovering from his serious injuries, his younger brother Roger has become more and more like their father and elder brother, with a penchant for killing.
Roger was too busy to take care of his "family". Since his father and brother died in battle, his mother had been locked in her room all day praying to God, and she even ate and drank in her room.
Aside from occasionally summoning Roger to give her a long lecture, the mother rarely listened to the old butler's reports on the manor's income and expenditure accounts anymore, and completely transformed into a "female hermit."
She also repeatedly asked Roger to build a chapel at Milk House Estate for her to confess to God, firmly believing that it was her original sin that had caused the family so much suffering.
As for Louis, as mentioned above, he became even more taciturn after the deaths of his father and brother, and he rarely appeared anywhere except in the church, his bedroom on the second floor of the mansion, and the dining table in the hall.
Good day, Louis.
Roger walked to the head seat and greeted Louis.
Louis stood up nervously and bowed respectfully to Roger, "Good morning, brother."
After saying that, he subconsciously glanced at the glaring weapon at Roger's waist, then quickly turned his head back to look at the tableware on the long table in front of him.
The servants brought breakfast to the two masters: grilled pork chops, minced meat and peas, fluffy bread, and a glass of fine beer and hot milk.
Louis ate faster, clearly hoping to finish quickly and retreat to his room.
Roger picked up his beer mug and took a sip. "Louis, how many years have you been studying in church?"
Louis was surprised that Roger would suddenly talk to him, and he quickly put down the roast meat in his hand, still a little nervous.
Roger was somewhat disgusted by his younger brother's weakness, and frowned slightly, a reaction that made Louis even more nervous.
"Five...five years." Louis's voice became even softer.
Roger recalled that Louis was indeed the church he went to the year he was sent to Argyll Abbey.
"Then you should graduate and come out to work for me as soon as possible." There were no child laborers in this era because, according to the standards of the time, twelve or thirteen years old was the preparatory period for entering "adulthood".
Marriage and children may still have to wait two or three years, but the conditions for paying taxes and fulfilling obligations are already in place.
Louis didn't understand what "graduation" meant, but he didn't want to leave the church to work, especially for the brother in front of him.
His ideal was to become a clergyman so that he could spend his life with books and knowledge.
Instead of resorting to violence like his brother Roger.
Louis hid his hands under the long table and rubbed them incessantly, his palms covered in lard.
"Louis, you're a man, how come you're just like that weakling Gildonian?" Roger was a little annoyed, but he tried his best to be patient.
"Brother, I... I just want to stay in the church..." Louis's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"What's the point of always staying in church? To learn something? The thing I asked you to do for me is to learn." Roger put down his wine glass and began to eat the food on his plate.
Louis suddenly stopped rubbing his hands, looked up at her questioningly, and said, "Really? You can still let me continue learning?"
Roger put down the barbecue, picked up the linen cloth next to the plate to wipe his hands, then picked up his beer glass, took a sip, and said, "I never reject learning. Knowledge can not only make people happy, but also enrich their wisdom and enhance their strength."
"We were born in a poor and backward place, and knowledge is also a way to change our destiny."
Louis heard such wise words from his brother Roger for the first time, and in his excitement he forgot his previous fear. "You speak very well, at least better than Father Matthew."
"So you mean you want me to go to Argyll Monastery?"
Roger shook his head.
"That's where Glasgow Abbey is. It's a gathering place for many theological masters. I'm sure I can learn a lot there."
Roger shook his head again.
Louis was somewhat disappointed; if it wasn't a better monastery, then it could only be a worse place.
Is there anywhere worse than the church on the Isle of Aran? We can't exactly send him to the Scottish Highlands.
"I want you to go to France, to study at the University of Paris," Roger revealed.
"France? Paris?" In the mind of twelve-year-old Louis, Argyll Abbey and Glasgow were already far away, and the Kingdom of France, far away in the far south, was simply a world apart.
Roger nodded. "The last time I went to Ireland, I learned that our cousin had married a wealthy businessman in Paris and moved to France."
"Since you enjoy learning, go to the University of Paris and learn something truly useful."
For teenagers, the distant horizon is something they both yearn for and fear.
But Louis was clearly more delighted than fearful; he had long wanted to leave the tiny island of Arren and seek greater wisdom in distant lands.
"Does this mean I should study theology?"
"Not just theology, but also literature, medicine, or even computing, law, rhetoric—you can study anything you like."
Roger thought for a moment, "But I heard that freshmen at the University of Paris have to start learning the seven liberal arts, and you'll probably have to study French and Latin some more."
Louis finally managed a smile. Although Scotland had no universities, he had heard Father Matthew talk about Oxford and Cambridge in England.
In the university, all apprentices are junior clergy who are freed from all worldly troubles and can focus on their studies and spiritual practice.
He had just laughed for a while when his face gradually darkened again. "But the Kingdom of France is too far away, and my mother will definitely not agree. Besides, my uncle once said that I should go to Argyll Abbey for further studies and return to the Isle of Arren to become a priest in the future."
Roger waved his hand, patted his younger brother on the shoulder, and said, "As long as you're willing, I'll figure out how to solve the other problems."
"But you have to promise me that once you've completed your studies, you must come back and help me. Of course, I won't force you to do anything you don't like..."
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