Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Poverty Alleviation Law and a Brief Legal Knowledge Class
Chapter 22: Poverty Alleviation Law and a Brief Legal Knowledge Class
Professor Wayne seemed preoccupied today; otherwise, he wouldn't have made such remarks earlier, expecting me to cooperate with him.
He vaguely guessed some of Professor Wayne's thoughts from this behavior.
The almshouse, nominally, is a charitable institution for sheltering and relieving the poor.
After the introduction of the "George III's Almshouse Law," almshouses were established under the watchful eyes of the deities.
Besides the kingdoms themselves, almshouses were built near the churches of the seven major orthodox religions to aid the poor and simultaneously promote the benevolence of the gods.
This starting point is certainly commendable, but human greed can lead to interference even in charitable institutions like almshouses.
When charity becomes a weapon aimed at the poor, it is the greatest irony.
Hastur believes in both the goodness and the ugliness of humanity.
From what he has seen so far, and from some of Professor Wayne's words, he can sense that there are definitely problems with this almshouse.
Professor Wayne insisted on dining with the children in the same restaurant, probably to find out what was wrong with the almshouse.
No matter how well the other party performs on the surface, if there is something wrong, there will inevitably be traces left behind.
And children often cannot hide much.
Soon, an administrator came and said that the dining tables on the first floor were ready, and it was also time for the children's lunch.
"Our place is rather simple, some of the food is not so exquisite, and it might not suit your taste," Dean Darn's smile seemed to hold a deeper meaning.
Professor Wayne calmly said, "I too come from a poor family, and every bit of food deserves respect."
"I'm just worried about not being hospitable enough."
Dean Darn said nothing more and led Hastur and the other two downstairs.
On the way, Hastur observed his surroundings carefully. It was now noon, and many people were coming out of nearby houses to eat here, with most children aged between eight and twelve, and very few aged fifteen or sixteen.
According to the poverty law enacted during the era of George III, those who are physically able and can fend for themselves outside should not occupy the resources of the almshouse indefinitely, and are not allowed to stay overnight.
To reflect kindness and care for different groups, adults can come to the almshouse to receive food once a day, and children not residing in the almshouse can come twice a day.
The so-called almshouse food is freely adjusted according to the economic conditions of the local almshouse.
Most almshouses can distribute dairy products and bread, and those in better conditions sometimes have meat. The most affluent almshouses can even offer meat freely and occasionally provide beer.
Such living conditions are better than some working families.
Of course, such affluent almshouses are in the minority.
Most almshouses can barely keep people fed, and some in poor conditions only have soup-like food, which is not enough to fill the stomach, and there might be only one meal a day, with hunger at other times.
The children there do not need to wash their dishes after eating because their bowls are licked clean.
Once every table in the restaurant is full and laden with food, an administrator rings a bell and announces, "No talking, playing, or any behavior that affects others' dining during the meal!"
After reading the dining rules once, the children begin to eat quietly.
Today's main meal at noon consists of sufficient white bread and a cup of milk, plus a large bowl of slowly cooked sweet soup.
Although there is no meat, having white bread as the staple food is already quite good compared to black bread, and the provision of milk can meet the nutritional needs of the children.
At least from this noon's meal, there seems to be little to fault.
"What a touching scene."
Lecturer Folen sighed. In his view, an almshouse that can feed poor children is already remarkable.
"Yes, may all children grow up healthy," Professor Wayne also felt deeply.
Hastur did not comment on the scene before him; his gaze fell on the children's clothes.
Their attire looked similar to the children in the dock area: gray-black old coats, loose knee-length lantern pants, some even wearing round-brimmed felt hats, which is a normal dress in the almshouse.
What puzzled Hastur was that their clothes were rather loose and disheveled, as if they had been hastily put on.
Another point was that these children were too calm.
At this age, children usually love to play and are curious about new things. Facing these visitors, even if they did not show interest, they would still sneak a few glances, right?
But since entering the gate, all the children they met along the way behaved very calmly and obediently, without any loud talking or playful fighting.
This was not normal.
"Let's have lunch too," Dean Darn invited, and an administrator brought up their lunch.
Their lunch was similar to that of the children, except for an additional small piece of steak.
Folen hesitated, "This doesn't seem right?"
The children were eating white bread, while they were about to enjoy a fragrant steak, which seemed a bit excessive.
Dean Darn showed an embarrassed expression and apologized, "I didn't consider it thoroughly."
Saying so, he instructed the nearby administrators to distribute all the steaks to the children at noon.
"Dean Darn, you are truly a kind person," Folen was pleased with Dean Darn's action.
Professor Wayne and Hastur just watched quietly, without expressing their opinions.
Following the dining rule of not speaking during meals, Hastur and the others did not talk until after lunch, when Dean Darn took them for a tour around the almshouse.
The almshouse can be roughly divided into five areas: living area, residential area, teaching area, work area, and confinement area.
The living area is where people can move freely and play. After classes, children and adults can freely spend time in the living area.
The residential area is divided into three parts: the first part is where children under the age of fourteen live, the second part is where almshouse administrators, cooks, workers, and others reside, and the third part is where people over the age of fourteen who have a job in the almshouse live.
The children's living area is in the innermost part of the left building, the almshouse administrators and others are in the middle, and the workers are on the outermost side.
There are iron gates between them, and except for the patrolling guards, ordinary people do not have keys to enter or exit.
If someone is caught crossing areas, the punishment is severe, also to protect the children from harm as much as possible.
The teaching area is where children learn knowledge. The education here is very basic, being able to learn and use Runescript, and addition and subtraction within a hundred is considered graduation.
In addition, there is another type of teaching, which is learning some skills to find work outside, such as sewing clothes, pasting matchboxes, washing clothes, and other basic survival skills.
The work area is for people over the age of fourteen. The almshouse takes some simple work from outside to let them labor, which can train their work ability, earn some money to subsidize the almshouse's finances, and also keep these people busy with work to avoid causing other bigger troubles.
Taking this almshouse as an example, because it is built on the hillside, it is convenient to quarry stones. Many workers' daily work is to quarry stones from the mountain, and smaller or physically weaker women are responsible for secondary processing of the transported stones.
The confinement area is for detaining those who have made mistakes, possibly rowdy children or fighting workers.
This area is mainly set up in the basement to avoid affecting normal life on the ground.
After touring the entire almshouse, which took about an hour and a half, Professor Wayne told the administrator that he wanted to stay here tonight.
Dean Darn, who received the message, agreed with a smile and said they could stay in the almshouse as long as they wanted.
Around three in the afternoon, Professor Wayne led Hastur, Lecturer Folen, and two almshouse administrators out of the almshouse to the dock area.
This time, Professor Wayne came to the dock area not only to rest at the Sunrise Almshouse for one night but also to popularize legal knowledge among the unfairly treated workers here during the day and to provide some free legal assistance.
Professor Wayne told Hastur that during this period, the Rune Kingdom had revised the laws concerning workers and the economy several times, trying to improve the treatment of workers, and this news was very valuable to the workers in the dock area.
Without a certain knowledge of the law, they would not know how to fight for their rights, which would keep them oppressed, and the harder they worked, the harder their lives would be.
Is Professor Wayne an idealistic lawyer?
As Hastur got to know Professor Wayne better, he increasingly felt his compassion for the poor.
From the first contact, he felt that Professor Wayne was somewhat different.
Normally, when dealing with a nobleman's son like himself, many teachers would teach perfunctorily, generally not expecting a nobleman to be dedicated to being a lawyer.
After all, the profession of a lawyer cannot compare to a noble title.
But Professor Wayne still taught very earnestly and consciously talked to him about the many injustices in the current laws.
Talking to a nobleman about the problems with laws that protect nobility is both bold and fearless.
As they walked and talked, they arrived at the workers' living area in the dock district, where two almshouse administrators were responsible for notifying nearby residents with free time to come here for a free class.
Professor Wayne's legal knowledge class began in the dock area. As curious onlookers gathered, he set up a makeshift teaching area with two tables and several benches. Nearby residents, intrigued by the prospect of free legal information, joined the audience.
Professor Wayne, holding a blank wooden board and a piece of burnt charcoal, began his lecture. Over the next twenty minutes, people continued to arrive, and the crowd grew to over twenty.
He covered topics related to workers' rights, economic laws, and recent legal changes in the Rune Kingdom. His goal was to empower the workers with knowledge so they could advocate for their rights. The dock area workers, often exploited and unaware of their legal entitlements, listened attentively.
Hastur observed the scene. Professor Wayne's passion for justice and compassion for the poor were evident. Despite his noble background, he genuinely cared about the downtrodden. Hastur wondered if Professor Wayne was an idealistic lawyer, unafraid to challenge unjust laws even when they favored the nobility.
As the lecture concluded, Professor Wayne announced that he would spend the night at the Sunrise Almshouse. Dean Darn, informed of this decision, warmly welcomed them, assuring them they could stay as long as needed.
Around three in the afternoon, Professor Wayne, accompanied by Hastur, Lecturer Folen, and two almshouse administrators, left the almshouse and headed back to the dock area. Their mission: to provide legal education and assistance to the workers who faced unfair treatment.
Professor Wayne's commitment to justice left a lasting impression on Hastur. He wondered how this journey would unfold and what impact it might have on the lives of those struggling in the dock area.
(End of Chapter)
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