Waiting for the Pope's audience.
Lai Gouer went to Hope's house in person, and Father Solje lived in the slums as promised.
The dilapidated churches in the slums were neglected.
The last priest who was here didn't seem to clean up very diligently, and he had been gone for an unknown amount of time, so that the church was filled with dust.
That night, Father Solje recalled what he had seen and heard that day, and with unspeakable emotions, he found cleaning tools in the church and quietly started cleaning the church.
The next day, the church ushered in light, and Father Solje had opened the door, facing the dilapidated scene in front of him.
There is no one in front of me....
According to Hope, people in the slums work at sunset and rest at sunrise. He is not surprised by this situation.
It was not until the afternoon that anyone saw the church door open and tried to walk in.
At this point, Solje has welcomed his first 'guest'.
Looking at the tired and skinny poor man sitting in front of him, his back was bent under the weight, but he still lowered his head and told about his life.
Sending off the first person, welcoming the second person...and so on until night.
Different people, same fatigue, same soul.
They are obviously one step away from heaven, but they can only be trapped here.
That night, Father Solje lay in bed and couldn't sleep...
Only five people were received today, but there were still countless people in the slums, but he only had ten days.
What was even more uncomfortable was that he saw a mutual aid group and other poor people at the door sweeping the streets and carrying pallets to build sheds everywhere.
And he could only sit in the church and wait quietly for people to enter.
Those busy figures made him feel a little stinging in his heart.
Reality... They are really creating value and changing lives, and he can only sit in church and talk about it.
He had to admit that a certain part of his concept had been changed in Taoyuan County.
Earlier, he could sit in the church with peace of mind, but now he always feels on pins and needles.
Lying on his side on the couch, Father Solje silently looked at his open palms, then held them tightly and curled up.
"Just do your best..."
.....
The next day, the church door was closed.
A figure appeared on the street, silently cleaning the street with cleaning tools.
He just swept and gathered the garbage into piles on the street until there were more people in the afternoon.
People on the street looked at Father Solje with curious eyes, but no one dared to step forward and ask questions.
People from the mutual aid club and those who usually worked arrived and took a look at him first, seeing that he was focused and serious on his work.
Pick up the tools and join in the fun, too.
The number of people gradually increased, and Father Solje silently recited prayers while the people around him were working and listening quietly.
The day's work is over.
However, the priest did not forget his duties. As a priest, he presided over weddings and prayed and confessed to the dying.
It's just that his time to stay here is limited. Sitting in the church, he can't receive many people in one day.
Furthermore, these people have to work at night and do not have much energy for them to waste.
As night fell, he began to walk through the streets and alleys, visiting house to house, helping people solve their problems or asking for news about the Holy City and the church.
Father Sorje returned to the church late at night and fell asleep.
The next day I got up, took a stone, drew a line on the church wall, and then went out to work.
At first, people were wary of this strangely behaving priest.
After all, no priest in life has ever done this.
But after three days of this, people got used to it. Although this person behaved in a special way, he did not mean any harm.
He speaks very softly and always listens quietly to others telling their experiences and complaining about the unfairness of life.
Wait for the speaker to finish speaking, and then slowly enlighten.
When encountering patients' homes, they would sometimes even take the initiative to take care of them and donate some money.
Life in the slums is dark, difficult, and full of fear and pain.
This pain is partly material scarcity and partly spiritual poverty.
Father Sorje is like a beam of light, taking the initiative to find people's homes with hope.
News spread quickly in this slum, especially with the Mutual Aid Association as a hub for communicating with everyone. Soon Father Solje's name had spread throughout the world.
By the eighth day, he had completely integrated into the group.
Father Sorje's robes were already stained, his face was unshaven, and he had lost weight. He had no time to clean himself up.
However, his eyes were no longer anxious, replaced by tranquility.
When everyone looked at him, they could feel a sense of peace of mind even if they didn't speak.
On the evening of the tenth day, there was an open space in the slum.
The bonfire burned and the wood crackled.
Father Sorje sat in the crowd, smiling as he watched the people around him share the food.
From time to time, people would offer him some food, but he would politely refuse with a smile.
Ten days have passed, and it is not yet certain when the Pope will have time to meet him, but it will only take a day or two.
He should leave this place, there is no need to waste these people's precious food.
After having enough wine and food, some people began to sing and dance around the bonfire, while God Solje watched quietly.
Lai Gouer and Hope were standing not far behind him.
The two often chat together and exchange information with each other, and they already know each other quite well.
The two of them often visited Father Solje these days, but they never interfered with his behavior.
However, Lai Gouer secretly found Da Zhuang and Fu Bole, and asked the mutual aid association to secretly take care of the priest.
Hope's cynicism has disappeared, replaced by admiration: "I really didn't expect that the priest could do this. I think he is more suitable to be the Pope than the Pope."
Lai Gouer looked at him sideways: "Brother Hope, actually I have a question that I have never understood. It stands to reason that you have a high-level background in the church and have been profiting from your connections. Why do you hate the church so much and still help these poor people privately?"
"..."
Hope was silent for a moment and sighed: "There are many women around me, but I always have a son. My son was baptized by the Pope himself, and I even went to watch the ceremony."
"I have been dealing with the church since my debut. I know very well what the church is like, but I watched my son being baptized with my own eyes, and I suddenly felt that he was dirty...so I did some good deeds in the hope that he could help him. Wash away some of your sins.”
Hope laughed at himself: "Oh, is it ridiculous? But I think you should also be a father and should understand."
Lai Gouer shook his head: "No, I have never been married."
Hope was surprised and said: "You are also a big official in your country, but you don't even have a woman by your side. Do you want me to give you two?"
Lai Gouer said sadly: "The woman I like is already married and has children, so there's no need."
Hope was stunned for a moment, looked at him sideways, touched his chin and said, "No wonder, no wonder you can hang out with someone like the priest."
"How to say?"
"People who value emotions can never do any harm."
.....
