Chapter 52 Red Armband Nedra (including 283 words popular science)
It was already dark when Peter returned to the palace. As usual, he took a bath in the place where he last bathed before returning to the palace where he lived with Catherine.
After asking Catherine some questions about running a newspaper, Peter sat down at a table in the palace and wrote the following questions on a piece of parchment:
"1. Mortality rate in orphanages;"
"2. Punishment for those who abandon babies;"
"3, Health Code;"
Improving the population is a multi-step process. In addition to using potatoes to solve the famine problem, the goal is to keep the babies alive and reduce the number of abandoned babies.
But this doesn't mean just taking them to an orphanage.
Peter relied on his knowledge of previous lives to foresee many problems.
In the German-speaking city of Kassel, only 88 out of 740 children survived, and half of them died before the age of eight.
In Metz, seven out of eight children institutionalized died.
In the Principality of Beckman, even though it received a large sum of money from the principal's finances, only one child grew up in 12 years.
In Paris, France, in 1790, the second year of the French Revolution, more than 23,000 children were adopted into orphanages. Just ten years later, the number soared to 62,000, but among these many children, 13
Eleven of them will die young.
In the eighteenth century, the best situation was in Vienna, where Teresa lived, with an infant mortality rate of 54.5% in orphanages.
The largest cause of death is hunger, followed by lack of love.
The second experiment came from Frederick's experiment. Frederick used infants in an orphanage as experimental subjects. He only gave them milk but prohibited all skin contact. It was found that this could also lead to death.
Peter was glad that he remembered the data from his previous life so clearly, which helped him avoid detours and further build the orphanage.
…
After a busy day, Nedra could finally lie down and rest, but Nedra still felt a little strange about the place where she slept.
Because she and three other female state-owned serfs lived in a room, there were four beds side by side, and there was a gap in the middle for the two of them to walk side by side without crowding.
There is also a dressing mirror in the room, which is directly leaning on the ground. I heard that this thing is very expensive.
They simply couldn't imagine being treated like this.
Although the room was not very large, it was not small either. It did not make them feel cramped and it was well ventilated. More importantly, there were no whips here.
It was past ten o'clock in the evening when Nedra returned to the room. She first went to get water to wash her face, feet, and body.
Here, the four of them share a room, and there are many houses like this that are separated for men and women. What makes Nedra excited and uneasy is that there is a public bathhouse here, divided into men's bathhouse and women's bathhouse.
Moreover, Our Lady's decree stipulates that bathing should be done at least once every three days in spring and summer, and this time can be extended to seven days in autumn and winter.
"But won't you get sick if you take a bath?"
Nedra thought hesitantly, but rather than disobeying the order and not taking a shower, she would rather follow the law.
Because the law clearly states that if one of the violations is violated, one demerit will be recorded. If five demerits occur and the verification is correct, the violator will be expelled and will no longer be able to hold the red armband or white armband.
As a result, the tax deductions and exemptions for the family will naturally be cancelled.
Nedra had already taken a bath in the public bathhouse yesterday, so she just wiped herself down today.
Thinking of yesterday, Nedra couldn't help but feel a little shy. It was the first time in her life that she took a bath with so many girls. She really didn't dare to look anywhere.
"Nedra, hurry up, we have to read the decree for twenty minutes at eleven o'clock, and then we will pray for His Majesty the Emperor."
The one named Nedra is another state-owned serf. Unlike Nedra, she has a white armband and her name is Barbaria.
In each room, some rooms have red armbands, and some have white armbands, but her room is a mixed room.
I heard that it was because the houses were built in a hurry and the houses have not been fully allocated.
Nedra glanced at Barbaria. Barbaria looked very petite and timid, but now she was very anxious to talk to her.
But Nedra didn't mind at all. She hurriedly finished cleaning her body and said:
"Barbara, please don't mind, I'm fine."
The other two state-owned serfs looked a little unhappy, but seeing that Nedra quickly packed up, they said nothing, and the four of them all read the decree on the bed.
The voice is low and calm. I don’t dare to read too loudly, but I also don’t dare to lose concentration.
Because the time for reciting the decree and greeting His Majesty are all set, someone will come to check. If the recitation of the decree is not done, the four people in the entire room will collectively receive a demerit, and if they fail to greet His Majesty, it will be even worse.
They will all be driven back.
"Keep your body clean, put an end to bad habits, don't drink, don't steal, be honest, and don't have any emotional or physical interactions with male serfs without permission from the Marriage Department of Notre Dame..."
"Everyone's hair is trimmed regularly, and a nun's crown examination is required once a week to ensure that there is no baldness or hair loss caused by any reason..."
"No one is allowed to secretly devour the property of a pregnant woman. Once discovered and confirmed, he will be expelled. No one is allowed to secretly sell abandoned babies. Once discovered, the mysterious office will confiscate them, and the family members will be exiled..."
Nedra recited word for word. In fact, many serfs were illiterate, but after being selected, the nuns taught them how to recite.
Even if you don't know the words above, you can use your memory to read them. In this environment, basically everyone can get it word for word.
There are internal and external aspects of the Holy Mother's decree, and the internal one is for their red armbands and white armbands. Nedra has long memorized this Holy Virgin's decree, but she does not dare to neglect it at all.
She didn't even dare to look out of the corner of her eye, but she could feel that a nun was coming to inspect.
Twenty minutes were enough for them to recite it once, and then the tribute to the Supreme Emperor of Russia, the Empress Elizabeth and His Majesty Peter, began.
"Dear Your Majesty the Queen, Your Majesty the Emperor, we pray to the Holy Mother with the most pious heart, wishing your two Majesties good health every day. Your well-being is better than ourselves, better than our parents, better than everything else, and we will live together for the rest of our lives.
From generation to generation, we have served the two majesties like we serve the Holy Mother. Regardless of any difficulties or obstacles, when we think of the two majesties, we are filled with the courage and determination to move forward and overcome any difficulties."
"We firmly believe that no matter what decision His Majesty makes, even if it is misunderstood by the world as absurd and contrary to common sense, it is because the world does not have His Majesty's vision and mind. We will unswervingly believe in the decision His Majesty makes and put our bodies and minds into it.
We dedicate ourselves and our souls to His Majesty, and regard all His words and deeds as norms. We don’t need to have our own ideas, we only need to act in accordance with His Majesty’s thoughts and instructions. This is our greatest blessing.”
"Your Majesty the Almighty Emperor, Your Majesty the Almighty Queen, you are our father, our mother, and our Lord. We are your most pious and humble but most enthusiastic servants. May your two Majesties be in good health every day and lead us to the light.