Zawgyi (Maung Thein Han) _ Gerard and Margaret Novel

Gerard and Grace novel

Chapter-1

There are many people who live in obscurity on this earth, every day, speaking good words and doing good deeds. They are selfless for others, and they endure suffering with patience. We are unaware of them only because we have not recorded their stories.

This novel tells the story of two lovers who ended their lives in a tragic accident over five hundred years ago.

It was around 1450 AD. At that time, Louis XI was king of France. In England, Stoke was king.

King of the North Atlantic. In Holland, King Philip, who was also called "Saint", ruled.

In a small town called Tadjourn in the Dutch province of Zawgyi, there lived a poor couple. The husband's name was Elijah. The wife's name was Catherine. The couple made their living by selling wool, silk, and leather goods. Leather was a very popular fabric at that time. "The middle class especially liked it. It was very strong and could be worn for twenty years. It was also easy to use weapons such as sticks and knives.

Also useful for stabbing in times of crisis.

Elijah and Catherine had enough to eat and drink, and they had no worries about their nine children, and they were happy and content. They were a thoughtful and loving couple. They were a couple who fulfilled their parental responsibilities. In Holland, it is very rare to find parents who do not fulfill their parental responsibilities. Similarly, it is very rare to find children who do not fulfill their parental responsibilities.

Therefore, when eating and drinking, a group of children each took a piece of bread that was brought to them from a wooden plate that looked like a castle in the middle of the moat, and when they saw that the bread was gone, Elijah and Catherine looked at each other in the face.

He looked at his wife and lamented, "But if we both die, who will be able to provide for this son and this daughter?"

When parents complain like this, their children are embarrassed because they have been raised to respect and fear their parents from the beginning, but their hearts are not shaken or disturbed.

Because in their minds, breakfast and dinner will come to them automatically, like the rising and setting of the sun. As long as the sun revolves around the earth, they think that a loaf of bread will also come to them automatically.

Gerard and Grace novel

11 “Catherine, when these children grow up, this table will not be long enough to accommodate you.”

"Catherine, as women like to do, did not reply to the advice given, but rather wanted to hear her husband's thoughts and concerns, so she said, "I can't do it, Eli."

One day, the second eldest son, who was nineteen years old, approached his mother and, with a face so believable that it was difficult to discern his true feelings, pleaded, “Mother, send me to a merchant in Amsterdam. I understand that you like the work. The merchants are very wealthy. Please help me tell your father.” The mother, half-believing her son, looked at him with sadness and said, “My son, are you going to leave Daejeon?”

"If I can abandon the people of Tajeong, why can't I abandon the city?"

"Are you going to abandon your father, who is old and weak?"

"Mother, if I can break up with my mother, why can't I break up with my father?"

"You are leaving behind your beloved younger brothers and sisters,

"Even though I am gone, they still have something to love each other for."

"Little man, are you serious? Did the mother scold the child? Did the mother treat the child unfairly?"

“I won’t show it. Please, I can bear it. But, mother…” he said, tears welling up. He continued, “Please, please, I have decided to do something, and if there is one less person in the house, even for a single mouth, I will do it.”

"It will be better according to Zawgyi," he said.

"How can you say that to my son?" cried his mother, Catherine. Catherine knew Rick's disposition. Her son was a man of determination and perseverance. He followed his words with his hands. Now that son had grown up, he was ready to leave the nest where he had been raised and to try his wings in the wide world.

. Soon, Ricketts went to Amsterdam with a sad face. But inside, he was not sad at all.

That evening, at the dinner table, a gap was left. Catherine stared at the chair where Rickett usually sat, sighing. Then Eli, angry, scolded the children, "Hey, sit down, sit down." Then he turned his face to the back of the chair and remained still.

The journey cost Rickett nothing. However, they gave him a crown coin that they had saved up for three days without eating to stay at the merchant Van der Stegen's house and to work as an apprentice. So his parents had to work hard to earn the money. "After two years, Rickett found a job for his younger brother, Jacob, in Amsterdam. Then Jacob had to leave his native city again. That evening, at dinner, Elijah remembered the previous incident and whispered to him, "Sit down, sit down, sit down. Catherine, this time, she will have a son.

He remembered that it had shrunk and said, “Elijah, you thought this table would be small, small before. But now it is even bigger.” As he spoke, he could not control his emotions and sobbed.

"Our good sons have abandoned us."

"Only the sons who leave are not good sons. All our children are good sons and daughters."

Here,

"Don't believe what your mother says" by Gerard and Margaret

"Oh, show me someone as clever as Rick and Jacob," said Catherine, crying again.

Because Jacob had to pay for his expenses, the parents' small savings were empty. So the parents had to work like ants to fill the box. In Holland at that time, the only way to become rich was to play cards and dice. Elijah was not a gambler. He only sought wealth through slow and steady work. The proverb "A penny is a penny" was the heart of Elijah, who was not boastful or boastful. Therefore, within three years, he had a son who was a tailor and a daughter who was a tailor, and they were able to earn their own living. In this way, they were able to provide for their two children. However, money was not the only thing that mattered in the matter of money.

But there are still four children left. Two are weak and don't eat their own food, and the other two are lazy and don't want to work. What a disaster.

Of the two weaklings, one was a son. He was called Guy. He was a dwarf. He was tall and stout. He was a glutton. He had a big head and long arms, and he spoke loudly and eloquently. Whether it was cold or hot, right or wrong, he followed his mother's advice. The other was a daughter. He was called "Little Cake." He was weak. He could barely walk with a cane under his arm.

Of the two who do not want to work, one is the eldest elephant. This child does not know how to do anything and only shows off when asked. The other of the big toys is the eldest Cornelius. This child is at home.

Zawgyi

He is clinging. He is lazy. He is only looking forward to his parents' inheritance.

The parents were worried about their children, and they often lamented, “If our eyes were to fail, how would we live and eat?” The words were so frequent that they could not help but sigh, “Thanks to the good Lord, thanks to the Lord, we still have a son, Jared.”