Chapter 62: Brothers and a Cold (3)
The two brothers, determined to work harder, were given the task of washing the filthy water oxen after lunch.
Linte and Mate were in chaos as they scrubbed the massive creatures, each holding a brush in both hands to clean off the mud. They had been told not to hurt the oxen, so their movements were extremely careful.
It was as if they were being more cautious with the oxen than they would be with their own bodies.
But as animals often are, the oxen hated the feeling of being washed, especially by unfamiliar humans. One ox, which Mate was scrubbing gently, seized the moment to make a break for it, jerking away from the brush’s loose strokes.
Startled, Mate thought he was in big trouble and grabbed onto the ox’s back. He ended up being dragged all around the ranch.
“Aaaaah!”
Ment and Miltein rushed over and skillfully calmed the ox, while Mate, as soon as his feet touched the ground, bowed repeatedly, apologizing.
He was completely shaken, surprised by how fast the ox had moved.
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine. It happens.”
Ment waved his hand, as if it was no big deal. He and Miltein exchanged amused glances. Even they had often been dragged around by the oxen when they first started, so they smiled, brushing off the incident.
Not knowing this, Mate simply drooped in exhaustion.
The day passed in a blur of activity. The hardest task was herding the oxen back into the pen. Linte and Mate rolled around, enduring a rough initiation.
The most fascinating thing came the next day, when they learned how to milk the oxen.
But that excitement was soon surpassed that very afternoon when they watched the process of making cheese from the oxen’s milk. Compared to milking, making cheese was 100 times more fascinating. Linte and Mate stood there, mesmerized.
“This is how that delicious cheese is made,” Seral said, proudly offering them some freshly made mozzarella cheese.
Linte and Mate, not even knowing what it was used for, were completely taken in by the rich flavor.
The two brothers continued to immerse themselves in ranch work, repeating their tasks daily.
They cleaned the pens, washed the oxen, ate lunch, helped make cheese, and slowly started getting the hang of it all.
Then, on the seventh day, at lunchtime…
“Grrrrr…”
Since it was Seral’s day off, there was no lunch provided. Miltein and Ment had packed lunches, but the brothers, not wanting to burden anyone, said they’d buy something outside and left the ranch.
But all that greeted them was the growling of their empty stomachs.
“Grrrrr…”
Their meals had been very simple recently. In the morning, they scavenged discarded food from restaurants. At lunch, they had the meals Seral prepared. As for dinner, there was nothing—they just went to bed early. Eating had become a luxury.
So every lunchtime, their stomachs would rage like a battlefield.
Linte, seeing no other choice, led his brother.
He had a plan in mind. Linte took Mate to a restaurant on the hill. Of course, they didn’t have money to buy a meal. As usual, Linte circled around to the back of the restaurant to search for discarded food.
“Oh! Here it is. This looks like discarded food, right?”
“Are you sure? It still looks warm.”
“Well, it’s a total mess. It has to be trash.”
Saying this, Linte opened his mouth and shoved a piece of meat in.
“Ugh! Ptooey!”
“What happened?”
Watching Linte spit out the food, Mate tried it as well. And just like his brother, he spat it out.
It was still warm, which meant it hadn’t been discarded long ago. It wasn’t spoiled, but somehow, it tasted worse than rotten food.
“This restaurant… I guess it’s known for being awful.”
“You’re right, brother… This is terrible.”
“Seems like someone took one bite and threw it away. It’s gross, but we have to eat it. This is all we’ve got.”
“Ugh… Yes, brother.”
Mate, even holding his nose, began to chew and swallow the food.
BANG!
At that moment, the restaurant’s back door burst open with a loud crash. No, it wasn’t just opened—it felt as if the door had been ripped off its hinges. And then, an incredibly beautiful woman appeared.
Linte and Mate froze. They had never been caught eating discarded food before.
The woman before them was stunning, yet there was something about her that exuded an overwhelming sense of authority, and an inexplicable fear crept into the brothers’ hearts.
On top of that, they realized they were eating food without permission, even if it was discarded. They immediately fell to the ground, begging for forgiveness.
“We’re sorry! We’re sorry!”
“And who are you two? Customers? We’re closed today. Do you even know who I am? Why are you bowing?”
“A-Aren’t you the owner of this restaurant? We’re sorry! We should have asked permission before eating, but we were so hungry… Is this discarded food?”
“Yes, I’m the owner! Since El is the owner, that makes me the owner too. And yes, that’s discarded food. You really ate it? Strange humans!”
“If it’s discarded, may we keep eating it?”
“Go ahead. I’ll let it slide. I’m busy.”
With that, the woman disappeared back into the restaurant.
Linte and Mate felt something was off. Once the woman was gone, their fear vanished too.
It was very strange. But their hunger came first, so they resumed eating. Even though the food was absolutely awful.
Afterward, they returned to the ranch and threw themselves into work.
As evening came, Ment handed the brothers an envelope as they were about to leave.
“Here, your wages for the week.”
“Huh?”
“Wages…?”
The brothers took the envelope, confused and a bit nervous. They felt uneasy and worried that this was a sign of rejection.
“Go ahead, take it. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be working here full-time, so your pay will come monthly. Make sure to budget wisely.”
“Wha-what?”
Linte and Mate both exclaimed in unison.
Their eyes went wide.
“Didn’t you hear? You’ve been hired. Even though you didn’t know it, the ranch owner has been watching and already decided to hire you!”
Miltein, standing next to them, added with a grin. Linte and Mate were stunned, their eyes growing even wider.
“Th-thank you! Really? Really?”
“Of course. You’ve worked so hard you can’t even believe it. Tsk, tsk.”
Ment pulled the kneeling brothers to their feet.
In Ment’s eyes, the brothers were honest and hardworking. He genuinely liked them.
After standing there in shock for a while, Linte and Mate finally accepted the reality. They started jumping for joy.
Miltein and Ment watched them with fatherly smiles.
On their way home after receiving their week’s wages, Linte and Mate, trembling with emotion, opened the envelope. They almost fell over in shock. The amount was far more than they had expected.
“Th-this is for a week of work?”
“Brother, do you think they made a mistake?”
“Maybe?”
“But brother, there’s something else in here, too.”
Mate pulled out a piece of paper from the envelope. It showed the salary they’d be receiving for a full month of work, along with the name of a cheap inn they could stay in.
Ment had arranged the inn for them, and the brothers shook their heads in disbelief.
“Th-this monthly wage… Brother…? It’s way too much!”
“Could there be some kind of mistake? Something….”
“That’s the right amount, lads. That’s why there was such a long line during the interviews.”
Miltein, who was walking behind them, clapped them on the back with a grin.
“That should be enough to live on for a month. We’ll talk more later, alright? I’ve got a date tonight, and things are really heating up with my new girlfriend. Haha!”
With a laugh, Miltein ran down the hill, calling out his girlfriend’s name. Linte and Mate, still clutching the envelope, blinked in disbelief.
“The amount we used to get after a month of working construction… is our pay for one week?”
“Brother…!”
It was hard to believe.
But it was the truth.
“L-let’s buy ourselves a proper meal, Mate!”
“Yes, brother!”
The brothers, overjoyed, rushed down the hill.
But as the saying goes, good things and bad things often come together.
Just as they reached the city, a gang of thugs blocked their path, grinning. They were a familiar group.
“So, you guys are working up on the hill, huh?”
“Kekeke, looks like things are going well for you.”
The thugs dragged the protesting brothers into a dark alley.
“What does working at the ranch have to do with you?”
“Yeah, what’s it got to do with you?”
Linte and Mate shouted back at the unwelcome group, but all they got in return was a punch.
Thud!
The thug’s fist slammed into Linte’s face, who had stepped in front of his brother. Linte collapsed to the ground.
“I told you not to touch my little brother!”
“Shut up, you brat.”
Thud!
Eventually, a punch landed on Mate’s face as well. With a weaker build than his brother, Mate’s nose started bleeding as he cl
ung to Linte’s back.
“You bastards…!”
Linte, tough as he was, got back on his feet. But the thug boss kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing back down.
“Grab the younger one!”
“Yes, boss!”
The thugs grabbed Mate as their leader, laughing, leaned down to Linte and spoke.
“Someone who really dislikes you guys asked me for a favor. By tomorrow, steal that cheese-making secret from the ranch and bring it to us. They’re willing to pay a good price for it.”
Unbeknownst to the brothers, their old overseer, Latanda, had already tried to get them fired after hearing they were working at the ranch. But Ment had firmly refused, which only infuriated Latanda, prompting him to take things further by sending thugs after them.
Mate, trembling, stammered in a small voice.
“We… we can’t do something like th—”
“Mate!”
Before Mate could finish, another punch landed on his face.
Thud!
And just as Linte, gritting his teeth, tried to stand up again, the thug kicked him in the stomach once more, leaving him gasping in pain.
“You’ve got until tomorrow. If you want to see your little brother alive. Kekeke.”
“Did you get that, you idiot?”
Grabbing Linte’s hair, the gang leader issued his orders, then dragged Mate away as they left the alley. Linte trembled in anger and despair.
It was the first time he had found a place that treated them like real people.
A place filled with kind people.
Even if he and Mate died, they couldn’t cause trouble for the ranch.
Never.
Linte clenched his fists and started to cry. Tears of frustration at this unfair world.
