Chapter 37: Chapter 35 Endorsers of Authority (Please follow and read!!!)
"Pastor Yarlin?"
When Xu Yun mentioned this name, William was momentarily stunned.
Then he flattened his left hand and knocked his right fist upwards:
"Right, we can reach out to Pastor Yarlin!"
During the 16th-century European Reformation, Protestantism broke away from the Roman Universal Catholic Church, emerging as one of the three major JDJ sects in later generations.
From an objective standpoint, in the 16th-18th centuries, Protestantism, both in reputation and actions, truly deserved the word "new."
For instance, they famously abolished the practice of indulgences, believing that people could contact God directly without the need for a priest, effectively eliminating the ’intermediary’ from the faith hierarchy.
However, the Protestantism in the United Kingdom was a bit more complex. Although the UK also adopted Protestantism after the Reformation, the reasons were hardly related to doctrine:
The UK’s Protestantism was purely because the king wanted a divorce, but the Catholic Church disagreed, saying no way.
So the king simply abandoned Catholicism and declared himself the supreme leader of the UK’s Protestantism, and this continues to this day.
This means if the marathon runner in line were to fall behind, their successor would also become the supreme leader of Protestantism.
Therefore, many of today’s Protestant priests in the UK are actually somewhat connected to the royal palace, not purely puritans, and they are allowed to openly own businesses.
Whether this is good or bad is subjective, but at least from a rule standpoint, at this time, Protestant priests can engage in business partnerships with others.
As for the credibility of priests at this time...
How should I put it, although not as outrageous as manipulating the public at will in the Middle Ages, hosting a live show to promote products was still a breeze.
Especially in the Lincolnshire area, Yarlin’s reputation in both official and civilian circles had reached an extreme.
It’s like the local Pu Cunxin recommending cheap cookware to the grandmas, the conversion rate was simply incredible.
Therefore, when Xu Yun proposed this name, William and Little Niu agreed without any hesitation to Xu Yun’s idea of bringing Yarlin into the venture.
.......
Early the next morning.
Grantham.
Saint Titus Church.
The elderly Yarlin, wearing coarse linen, was laboriously wiping down a chair after worship. Not far behind him in the choir room, a choir was practicing a hymn.
Yarlin’s full name was Yarlin Dilat, fifty-nine years old, a graduate of Cambridge St. John’s College, having held a priest qualification for over thirty years.
Besides his priest duties, he also held corresponding political positions in Grantham Town, with his family owning a sizeable estate in North Lincoln.
But Yarlin’s private life wasn’t lavish, even somewhat monotonous.
On normal days, apart from reading scriptures and praying, he went to Sunday school to teach children, living and eating at the church, his conduct as consistent with his outward appearance.
After all, Protestantism itself was a derivative of Catholicism, and despite the various scandals over the following one or two hundred years, it was relatively clean in its early stages.
For instance, when Little Niu was able to enter Trinity College to study, Yarlin had contributed a lot, using his name for the introduction letter.
Of course.
Even during this period, people like Yarlin were still a minority; others had more or less some worldly desires.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Just as Yarlin was about to return to his prayer room to read the Holy Book, a knocking sound abruptly came from the church’s main door.
Yarlin quickly put down the rag, cleared his throat, and responded:
"May God have mercy, I’m coming!"
It was Tuesday, not a regular worship day, but Yarlin wasn’t surprised by the visit.
Even in later generations, European churches frequently had visitors during the week, usually involving confession, inquiry, or matters of mourning and joy.
Yarlin quickly walked to the door, took out a key, and unlocked it.
As a beam of light shone in, a hint of light also fell on Yarlin’s linen clothing, somewhat resembling the grey-robed Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings.
He first shielded his eyes with a hand, adjusted to the light slightly, and raised his eyebrows in slight surprise upon seeing the visitors:
"Oh, my God, Mr. William, Little Isaac, and this... Mr. Feiyu, right? What brings you all here?"
Opposite him, Xu Yun’s mouth twitched slightly:
Darn, is the name "Fat Fish" really so catchy?
Looking at the astonished expression of Yarlin, William and Little Niu both stepped up to embrace him before speaking:
"Pastor Yarlin, there’s something we’d like to discuss with you, may we come inside?"
Yarlin’s gaze swiftly swept over the three of them, nodding:
"Certainly, please follow me."
After saying that, he led them into the church, arriving at a reception room.
The reception room was very simply furnished, just a few benches, a table, and an oil lamp, with some books and letters on the table.
"Hallelujah!"
After taking a seat, Yarlin curiously glanced at William and asked:
"Mr. William, you don’t often visit at this time, is there something on your mind?"
Then, seeing the unconcealable joy on William’s face, he suddenly had an epiphany, looking towards Little Niu:
"Let me guess, is it because Little Isaac and Lisa are planning to get engaged, so you’re here to arrange the wedding venue..."
"Not at all!"
Upon hearing Yarlin’s words, Little Niu couldn’t sit still, waving his hands frantically:
"I didn’t... I’m not... don’t say that, Pastor Yarlin!"
Seeing the reaction, Yarlin was momentarily stunned, lightly glancing at Xu Yun, and suddenly thought of something else:
"Then, could it be Lisa and Mr. Feiyu?"
"Also no..."
Yarlin paused for a few seconds, and his gaze became peculiar looking at Xu Yun:
"Then, could it be you and Mr. Feiyu..."
"Hold on, hold on!"
Seeing this esteemed elder about to imagine all three of them coming out, Xu Yun quickly interrupted his wild imagination:
"It’s not a relationship issue, Mr. William, please explain!"
William gently nodded, his expression subtly complex at the moment:
If he didn’t misinterpret, Little Niu seemed a bit agitated when mentioning his eldest daughter?
Could there be something hidden from him?
But this thought only flashed through his mind, as there was something more important:
"Pastor Yarlin, here’s the matter..."
Then, William took out a small jar of tomato sauce and explained everything about the matter to Yarlin in detail, basically revealing everything except for the formula:
"If you’re interested, you can invest either personally or in the name of the church.
Rest assured, tomatoes have absolutely no toxicity, this is definitely a business that pleases God....."
William deliberately avoided discussing the formula, which was their backup plan:
If Yarlin wanted to go solo without them, without the formula, it would take at least two weeks to decipher the tomato sauce—despite the fact that homemade tomato sauce requires only four ingredients, they have been refined through numerous trials.
At this time, Mrs. Williams was at home making tomato sauce with a few daughters, in case the worst happened, William could immediately head to larger cities like Lincoln.
Even without someone with high credibility backing him, he could still earn some profit from this emerging opportunity.
"Tomato, huh..."
Yarlin extended his withered fingers, dipped a little of the red sauce, and observed it closely:
"Actually, more than twenty years ago, there were scholars in England who questioned the toxicity claims of tomatoes.
They were very popular among the lower class in Spain, but the mortality rate wasn’t as high as rumored, even varying by several magnitudes.
I saw tomatoes served at a banquet during my visit to the Spanish Dejilane College, and I even tried one, showing no sign of poisoning.
But seeing it made into a thick sauce with other recipes... this is my first time. Judging by its flavor, it seems to include some other ingredients, right?"
Watching Yarlin talk eloquently, William was a bit puzzled:
"Pastor Yarlin, so you mean..."
Yarlin thought for a moment and said:
"I agree to invest, but not personally, rather as the Grantham District.
The district can provide sales channels and manpower, but you need to assure me of two things."
....
Note:
I’m really begging everyone to follow the series during this period, the life-and-death push is next week, don’t just stack up Chapters.....
The release might be much later than I anticipated, doubling the food-shortage time... begging for follow-up support!!!