On this day, in this wool merchant's shop, a tourist came.

He was a sturdy visitor to the Tang Dynasty, and as soon as he arrived, he immediately said to the wool merchant, "Quickly equip me with a set of woolen clothes and a pair of woolen socks." ”

The wool merchant immediately quoted the price, and the Datang tourist took out a roll of Datang treasure banknotes and threw him a Datang gold coin.

Not only was the money enough for the wool merchant to pay off his debts, but it was also enough for him to renovate his shop.

The wool merchant said, "We don't need so much money for this garment." ”

"How many bundles do you have?" The merchant said.

A young monk in a friar's robe said, "Ten sheaves," but the leading monk said, "No, eleven sheaves." The friar seemed to plead, but he did not speak.

"Eleven pounds and a half penny of silver, plus twelve pence." The merchant began to weigh the money.

"I will not give in," said Alena to Richard, "and we will ship the wool somewhere else to sell—Charling, or Gloucester." ”

"So far! What if we don't sell it when we get there? ”

He's right – they may not go anywhere. The real difficulty is that they have no status, no backstage, no protection. The merchant did not dare to provoke the monks, and if he dared to be unjust, even the poor peasants could trouble him, but he did not take any risk of bullying two helpless children.

The monks dragged his bundles of wool into the shed. For each bundle that was dragged in, the merchant handed the leading monk a pound of silver and a penny of twelve. When all the wool bales had been moved into the shed, there was still a bag of silver left on the counter.

"There are only ten sheaves of wool," said the merchant.

"I told you there were only ten sheaves," said the trainee to the leader.

"This is the eleventh bundle," said the leading monk, placing his hand on Alena's bundle of wool.

She glared at him in surprise.

The merchant was equally surprised. "I set her a half-pound price," he said.

"I have bought it from her," said the monk, "and I have sold it to you." He nodded to the rest of the monks, who dragged Alena's bundle into the shed as well.

The merchant's face was displeased, but he handed over the last bag of a pound and twelve pence. The monk gave Alena the money.

She was dumbfounded. It was all bad luck, but now this utter stranger had saved her—and she had been so rude to him just now!

Richard said, "Thank you for helping us, Father. ”

"Thank God," said the monk.

Alena didn't know what to say. She was overwhelmed. She clutched the money tightly to her chest. How could she thank him? She stared at her savior. He was a short, thin, focused man.

He was agile and alert, like a bird with dim feathers but bright eyes. In fact, his eyes are blue. The hair around the top of his shaved head was black with some gray hair mixed in, but his face was still young. Alena began to think that he had a familiar familiarity. Where had she seen him?

The monk's mind was recalling the same thoughts. "You don't remember me, but I know you," he said, "you are the children of Bartholomew, the former Count of Charling. I know that you have suffered great misfortune, but I am glad to have the opportunity to help you. I'm ready to buy your wool at any time. ”

Alena can't wait to kiss him, not only because he saved her today, but also because he promised her future! She finally found what to say. "I don't know how to thank you," she said, "God knows, we need someone to protect us." ”

"Well, now you have two protectors," he said, "and God, and me." ”

Alena was deeply moved. "You saved my life, but I don't know it

Tom found a forest logger and a quarrymaster in Salisbury, and Bishop Roger's palace was nearing completion. The lumberjack and his men now work for two weeks, finding and harvesting tall pines and mature oaks. They first concentrated their efforts on harvesting the woods along the river upstream of Wangqiao. Because transporting construction materials on curvy and muddy roads is expensive, it can save a lot of money by drifting timber down the river to the construction site. The timber would be roughly scraped off to make scaffolding, carefully crafted into molds for use by builders and stonecarvers, or, in the case of trees too tall, stored aside for future beams. Good timber was now in steady supply to King's Bridge, and Tom had to pay the lumberjack every Saturday night.

Quarrymen have arrived in recent days. The quarrymaster Blackface Otto brought his two sons, both quarrymen; There are also four grandchildren, who are apprentices; and two strong men, one his cousin and the other his brother-in-law. This kind of nepotism is quite common, and Tom is not against it, such a family combination is usually a good task force.

So far, there have been no craftsmen working on the construction site of the King's Bridge itself, except for Tom and the carpenters of the abbey. It's a good idea to store some materials first. But Tom would soon hire men to form the backbone of the construction team—builders, who would build the stones piece by piece and build the walls high. At that time, this great project will begin. Tom walked briskly, with a brisk step, a project he had hoped for and fought for for ten years.

He had decided that the first builder would hire his own son, Alfred. Alfred was almost sixteen years old, and had mastered the basic skills of a builder, who would cut stones into squares and build an authentic wall. Once the employment began, Alfred was paid the entire salary.

Tom's other son, Jonathan, is fifteen months old and growing fast. He was very sturdy, and became the darling of the whole monastery. Tom was a little worried at first, afraid that Johnny, a half-stupid monk of Eightpence, would not be able to take the baby well. But Yoni is as devoted as any mother and has more time than most mothers. The monks still didn't suspect that Tom was Jonathan's biological father, and they probably never will.

Seven-year-old Martha has changed her front teeth and has her front teeth open, and she misses Jack a lot. She worries Tom the most because she needs a mother.

There is no shortage of women willing to marry Tom and take care of his young daughter. He himself knew that he was not without charisma, and that his livelihood seemed to be secure thanks to the sincere efforts of Vice-President Philip to begin the construction of the cathedral.

(End of chapter)