Chapter 9

In the sacristy of the church at the mountaintop, Estuni sat in pain, his veins bulging as he clutched his hair. The brutality of the nobles shocked and enraged him. Although he had anticipated the intense struggle over the ownership of the Wasteland Forest during his earlier conversation with Felix, he did not expect it to be so cruel and bloody.

"They have no choice; each family has seven or eight children, and they must raise at least two or three of them!" Estuni lifted his head and explained to Felix, who stood before him, as if defending the peasants.

Disasters, taxes, and corvée labor left the peasants gasping for breath. Yet, people in any era want to live. Their only extra income now comes from cutting wood and hunting in the Wasteland Forest. However, the local noble, Coehorn, repeatedly declared his "hunting rights" over the forest. He appointed Ralls, a Creole who had served with him in America, as the forest warden.

Ralls was loyal to his duties and to his master. He refused any bribes or pleas from the poachers and loggers. He patrolled the vast 900 arpent forest with his horse and dogs, beating and driving them away, and threatened to shoot them with his rifle to prevent them from approaching the Wasteland Forest again.

The peasants hated this mixed-blood Creole bastard intensely. Three days ago, they ambushed and killed Ralls in a deliberately provoked dispute.

After Ralls' death, the peasants were both afraid and excited. The noble Coehorn's reaction was silence. Some bold peasants thought, "This hawk can't resist; he can only accept his misfortune." The Durand family, in particular, felt this way. As a result, they suffered near-annihilation today.

"If the peasants get this forest, will they really cut it down and sell it, then divide the land for farming, as Coehorn claims?" Felix asked thoughtfully.

"That is their only way out. When the existing land cannot meet their needs, the peasants' desire for more land grows."

After saying this, Estuni seemed to remember something and walked to the bookshelf by the wall, taking out two thin books. Felix took them; one was Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men," and the other was a thinner, magazine-like publication, seemingly printed temporarily, signed by "Gracchus" (isn't that the Roman Republican politician?), titled "The Friend of the Peasants."

"Please do not read these books openly, as the state and the church have never lifted the ban on them. My friend Felix, I know you study at the church school on Bell Tower Street in Rouen, which is modeled after a Jesuit-like semi-military organization, with very strict surveillance of students. In the eyes of the church, you should be an excellent, well-behaved student..." Estuni whispered, "The 'Friend of the Peasants' has fifty subscribers in Rouen, mostly young townsmen like you with a sense of justice. We hope to recruit more of your kind. If you have the chance, please read it!"

After saying this, Estuni secretly handed Felix another item.

Felix looked at it; it was a small brass badge shaped like a flute with a pin on the back.

"Your willingness to donate fifty livres to save someone today shows that you already possess heroic virtues. If you want to find like-minded people, wear this badge on your clothes. If you don't want to, we can continue as ordinary friends. I will continue to offer a hundred requiem masses for your sister Madeleine, so that her soul may soon be freed from the torments of purgatory and ascend to heaven." Estuni said sincerely.

Ailé Godin was already waiting outside the church. The young girl, who had witnessed the killing today, was shocked and wanted to go home as soon as possible.

"Can I ask you two questions, Father?" Felix asked.

Estuni did not refuse.

"You care for the peasants, but you must know that even if they get the Wasteland Forest, they will still not escape their miserable fate, no, they might even be worse off."

"I am determined to support the peasants in their struggle. Getting the Wasteland Forest is just the first step. Once the peasants' strength grows, I will abolish all the privileges and shackles imposed on them by the state." Estuni's eyes burned with resolve.

"Then how will you do it?"

"Just wait and see." The young priest was quite confident.

"Second question, my sister Madeleine, was her early death also related to this?" Felix raised Rousseau's book and asked.

Sincere sympathy for the beautiful Madeleine appeared on Estuni's face. He seemed to recall the past. Yes, Madeleine's wedding was also held here. She was so beautiful then, with a rosy and plump face. Who would have thought that after a brief period of happiness, a terrible misfortune would follow. When Madeleine returned, she was a cold corpse, buried in the cemetery, which saddened Estuni for a long time.

Although René Godin was very reluctant to mention his eldest daughter, the parish priest had already understood the situation. He replied to Felix with certainty, "I think so. Her misfortune stemmed from an unequal love..."

At that moment, Ailé's voice outside pleaded.

Felix could not continue to disturb him and had to take his leave.

The siblings walked along the road by the Seine River toward the town.

In the sunset, the young maid Ailé walked ahead, her long braid swinging. Without turning back, she asked Felix, "Young master, I heard that some peasants were killed by the noble lord."

Felix confirmed it.

"The lives of peasants... our lives are not valued, young master." Ailé still did not turn back, speaking with a bitterness that did not match her age.

The next afternoon, the sun was lazy. Felix sat under a maple tree in the Godin garden. In front of him was a table, and he read the two books given to him by Estuni. He noticed that Rousseau's thought system was somewhat similar to Daoist philosophy, demanding absolute equality and a return to nature. Rousseau imagined a prehistoric golden age where everyone was equal and free, which might have been influenced by Ovid's "Metamorphoses." However, when someone first enclosed a piece of land with a fence and claimed it as his own, the beast of private property emerged from its lair. Under this system, humans forgot their simplicity and kindness, dividing and competing for all the world's resources to satisfy their desires. They continuously increased production and innovated technology, forming a "civilized society." In Rousseau's view, civilization was a symbol of corruption and decay, the root of all inequality.

Even the relationships of father and son, husband and wife, which were tainted by private property, were seen as sinful by Rousseau. He sent all his children to the foundling hospital, unwilling to raise them himself or give them to other families, believing it would lead them astray. This controversial and isolated writer, who drafted the constitution for the Corsican independence movement, was hit by a carriage, a symbol of civilization, while writing "Reveries of the Solitary Walker," and soon died from his injuries.

Just as Felix was lost in thought, Ailé came out of the kitchen, saw him, and waved, indicating that there was a guest at home.