Siblings And Colds (3)

The two decided to work even harder.

After lunch, the brothers were assigned the task of washing the dirty water buffaloes.

Linte and Mate were having a hard time washing the large buffaloes. They held brushes in both hands and scrubbed the mud off. They were told not to injure the buffaloes’ bodies, so they were very delicate with their touches.

They were even more careful than when washing their own bodies.

But as is often the case with animals, the buffaloes hated the sensation of being washed. Moreover, they were unfamiliar with the strangers doing it.

So, the buffalo Mate was washing began twisting its body with the light brush strokes and then seized the opportunity to run away.

Startled, Mate grabbed the buffalo’s back, thinking it would be a disaster if he let go, and ended up being dragged around the ranch.

“Aaah!”

Ment and Miltain rushed over and skillfully calmed the buffalo, and as soon as Mate’s feet touched the ground, he bowed his head repeatedly, apologizing.

Mate was completely dazed. The buffalo’s was faster than he had expected.

“I’m sorry!”

“It’s alright. That happens.”

Ment shook his head as if it was no big deal. Ment and Miltain had often clung to the buffaloes themselves at first, so they just chuckled and changed the subject.

Unaware of this, Mate just drooped.

The day passed in a blur like this. The biggest challenge was getting the buffaloes back into the pen. Linte and Mate had to roll around and endure a harsh initiation.

Among all this, the most fascinating thing was the next day’s observation of milking the buffaloes.

But the order of fascination changed immediately that afternoon.

The process of making cheese from the buffalo milk was about a hundred times more fascinating than milking itself. Linte and Mate just watched the scene, mesmerized.

“This is how it becomes such delicious cheese.”

The main task in the afternoon at the ranch was actually making cheese. Mrs. Seral shrugged as she handed out the finished mozzarella cheese.

Linte and Mate, not knowing what it was used for, just got lost in the savory taste.

The two brothers, immersed in the ranch work, continued to repeat these tasks.

They cleaned the pen, washed the buffaloes, ate lunch, helped make cheese, and gradually began to get used to the work.

And during lunch on the seventh day.

“Grrr.”

That day, Mrs. Seral had the day off, so there was no lunch provided. Miltain and Ment had brought packed lunches, and the brothers, not wanting to inconvenience them, decided to go out and buy something to eat.

But all they got was the growling from their stomachs.

“Grrr.”

Recently, their meals had been very simple. In the morning, they scavenged discarded food from restaurants. For lunch, they ate what Mrs. Seral prepared. Dinner was nothing. They just went to bed early. Eating was a luxury.

So, by lunchtime, their stomachs would become a battlefield, growling loudly.

Linte, having no choice, led his brother out of the ranch.

Linte had a plan. He led his brother to a restaurant on the hill. Of course, they didn’t have money to buy food inside. As usual, Linte went around to the back of the restaurant to look for discarded food.

“Oh! Here it is. This looks like discarded food.”

“Are you sure it’s discarded? It still seems to be steaming.”

“It’s a complete mess, so it must be discarded…”

Saying so, Linte opened his mouth and put a piece of meat in.

“Ugh, ptui ptui.”

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Linte spit out the meat he had picked up, Mate also ate some and spat it out the same way.

It was steaming. That meant the food had been discarded not long ago. In other words, it wasn’t spoiled, but it tasted worse than spoiled food.

“This restaurant must have really bad food.”

“Yeah, brother… It’s the worst.”

“That’s probably why someone threw it away without even taking a bite. It tastes bad, but let’s eat it anyway. We need it to survive. It still looks fresh.”

“Ugh… Yes, brother.”

Mate even pinched his nose and began chewing the food.

Bang!

At that moment, the restaurant’s back door opened with a loud noise. Rather, it felt like the door was being ripped off. Along with it, an incredible beauty appeared.

Linte and Mate froze in place. It was the first time they had been caught eating discarded food.

The woman who appeared before them was undoubtedly beautiful, yet exuded a strange sense of intimidation. For some reason, fear took hold in their hearts.

Moreover, the thought that they were eating discarded food without permission made them fall to their knees and beg.

“We’re sorry! We’re sorry!”

“Who are you? Customers? We’re not open today. Do you know who I am? Why are you bowing?”

“A-aren’t you the restaurant owner? We’re sorry! We should have asked for permission, but we were so hungry… Is this discarded food?”

“Yes, I am the restaurant owner! El is the owner, so I am too. And yes, that’s discarded. Did you eat it? You’re peculiar people!”

“If it’s discarded, c-can we keep eating it?”

“Go ahead. I’ll let it slide. I’m busy right now!”

The woman said so and went back into the restaurant.

Linte and Mate felt something strange. As soon as the woman disappeared, their fear vanished as well.

It was so bizarre. But more than that, they were hungry, so they started eating again. But the taste was still terrible. Truly.

Then they went back to the ranch and focused on their work.

Time passed, and it was evening. Ment handed an envelope to the two who were about to leave.

“Here, this is your week’s wages.”

“Wha-?

“Wages…?”

The brothers, who took the envelope in bewilderment, asked with puzzled faces. They felt both troubled and melancholic, with mixed emotions.

They thought it might be a notice of rejection.

“It’s alright. Take it. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be working officially, so it won’t be weekly wages but a monthly salary. You’ll need to make this last for a month, so spend wisely.”

“Huh?”

Linte and Mate asked simultaneously.

Their eyes widened.

“Didn’t you hear? You’ll be working with us. You might not know, but the ranch owner has already recognized you as our colleagues!”

When Miltain chimed in, Linte and Mate, startled, asked with wide eyes.

“Th-thank you! Really? Truly?”

“It’s true. You must have had such a hard time that you can’t easily believe it, tsk tsk…”

Ment helped the brothers, who were kneeling, to stand up.

In Ment’s view, the two were more diligent and honest than anyone else. It was natural to feel fond of them.

For a while, the brothers blinked in disbelief. It took them a while to accept reality and then they started jumping around in excitement.

Miltain and Ment watched the young men with fatherly smiles.

On their way home after receiving their week’s wages, Linte and Mate, overwhelmed with emotion, opened the envelope with trembling hands. And they were so shocked by the amount that they almost fell over.

“This, this is a week’s wages?”

“Brother, isn’t there some mistake?”

“Is there?”

“But brother, this was also inside.”

Mate took something out of the envelope. It was a paper with the amount of their monthly salary and the address of a cheap inn where they could stay.

The inn had been arranged by Mr. Ment, and the brothers shook their heads in disbelief.

“This… the salary we’ll be getting… Brother…? It’s too much.”

“Isn’t there some mistake? Something…”

“That’s the correct amount, boys. That’s why the line was so long at the interview.”

Miltain, who was leaving after them, patted their backs and gestured.

“That should be enough for a month. Can we talk more later? I have a date today. Things are hot with my new girlfriend these days. Haha!”

Miltain, looking very excited, ran down the hill, calling out his girlfriend’s name. Thanks to that, Linte and Mate, holding the envelope, blinked in further disbelief.

“The amount we earn in a month at a construction site is a week’s wages?”

“Brother…!”

It was hard to believe.

But it was also a clear reality.

“L-let’s buy a proper meal first, Mate!”

“Yes, brother!”

The brothers, excited, went down the hill.

But didn’t they say that good things and bad things always come together?

As they went down the hill and joined the city, a group of thugs, as if waiting for them, blocked their way and started laughing. They even recognized some of them.

“You guys are working at that ranch on the hill?”

“Kekeke, that’s great.”

The thugs led the resisting brothers into a dark alley.

“What does working on the hill have to do with you?”

“Yeah. It’s none of your business!”

Linte and Mate shouted in defiance at the unwelcome group, but what came back were punches.

Thud!

A thug’s fist struck Linte’s face as he stood in front of his brother. Linte immediately collapsed to the ground.

“I always told you not to hit the younger brother!”

“How funny. Arrogant punk.”

Thud!

Eventually, a fist flew at Mate’s face as well. With facial muscles weaker than Linte’s, Mate grabbed Linte’s back, his nose bleeding profusely.

“You bastards…!”

Linte, with his strong build, got up immediately. But the thug leader kicked Linte’s stomach as he stood upright and shouted.

“Grab that younger one!”

“Yes, boss!”

After his subordinates grabbed Mate, the thug leader chuckled and spoke to Linte.

“Someone who doesn’t like you asked me to do this. So by tomorrow, steal the secret of making that cheese or whatever it is from the ranch. They said they’d buy it at a pretty high price.”

The brothers were unaware of one fact: the overseer Latanda had immediately approached Ment after the brothers started working at the ranch, demanding their dismissal.

But when Ment firmly refused to fire them, Latanda became furious and started causing trouble even at the ranch.

Of course, Mate, in a crawling voice, shouted.

“We can’t do such a thing…”

“Mate!”

Another punch flew at Mate’s face as he shouted instead of the fallen Linte.

Thud!

And as Linte gritted his teeth and stood up, he was kicked again, clutching his stomach and collapsing. The pain was too much for him to even speak.

“Until tomorrow. If you want to see your brother alive again. Kekeke.”

“Did you get that, punk?”

The thug leader, grabbing and shaking Linte’s head, issued his unilateral order and dragged Mate out of the alley. Linte, trembling with rage, felt a deep sense of despair.

For the first time, a workplace had treated them with dignity.

Everyone was warm and kind.

Even if he and Mate died, they couldn’t cause trouble.

Never.

Linte clenched his fists and began to cry. It was tears for the absurdity of this world.