Their tiny house was now in sight. Out of the blue, the two started dashing excitedly, leaving Alfraed behind. He clearly did not understand their sudden change in behavior, until they fondly hugged a walking fox demi-human lady who wore a casual dress from behind.
""Mother!!"" shouted the two happily.
"Ah, Emma, Evan, did both of you have fun playing today?" asked their mother who showed a gentle smile.
""Yess!"" they answered enthusiastically.
"I see, good to hear that.... Ah, no wonder" their mother was puzzled by her children's elated feeling. In the last few days, until this morning, they had been rather gloomy and it was hard to cheer them up. But, the mother soon knew the reason when she saw Alfraed.
"Nice to see you again Madam" greeted him.
This was their second meeting. The twins' mother was quite tall with long, braided sandy hair, she had ears and tail like her children, and motherly kindness showed vividly in her expression. In Alfraed's opinion, she was an adult version of Emma, or, since she was the mother, Emma was a petite version of her.
"Pleased to meet you again too. When did you arrive 'brother Alf'?" answered their mother while chuckling after imitating how her children always called him.
"I arrived this afternoon, and met them in front of my store"
"Mother, brother Alf treated us to an afternoon meal"
"He also bought a meal for you"
"…Wha…?"
Signaled by the two's lively remark, Alfraed moved forward and handed over the take out to her.
"I ended up inviting them to eat together when I was craving for some calories"
"Thank you for being kind to them. But, really, you don't need to actually entertain them so much"
When receiving the take out, the mother felt grateful, but, reluctant and guilty at the same time, and only able to exhibit a forced smile.
…Inside her head, she was questioning whether it was alright to receive another kindness from him, when she did not even able to pay him back after he cured her without asking for any compensation...
"It's okay. I'm enjoying their company. Anyway, how's your body?"
"My body, feels healthier actually"
That was the truth, it was no exaggeration, her body was tougher than before she caught that bad case of flu.
"Good to know that...But, correct me if I'm wrong, you look -tired- though?"
"….Haha. You notice?"
The mother masked her mental fatigue as best as she could, yet Alfraed could still notice what she was hiding. As expected of someone who had countless experiences dealing with sick people in the past.
Then, the mother told him her previous employer dismissed her because she did not come to work for three days, saying her illness was just an excuse she made up to skip on work.
Apparently, the twins did not know of this fact, and were troubled by the unexpected news.
"…I see"
That, was a lie. The real reason, which unsuitable to be said in front of her children, was because her employer took a liking to her and asked her to serve him in a corrupted way. She adamantly refused, and punched him in the face when the employer forced his glossy, oily face on her. Now, here she was looking for another job. Yet, it was tough, there was no opening.
…How should the three of us live tomorrow?
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any inconvenience by tell…"
"Do you want to work for me?"
Before she could finish her sentence, Alfraed cut off her words by offering a job.
In this past week, Alfraed admitted that he could not do everything alone. Well, if he forced himself, he could. But, in the long run, he would not be able to meet increasing future demands due to limited production capacity. Another drawback was that his business would stagnated, and he would not be able to achieve the desired degree of financial independence to live the lifestyle he wanted.
Regarding his offer, it was not out of kindness. Emma and Evan were good children, he was sure they were brought up by good parents, in their case, a good mother. He is hiring a trustworthy person, should be.
"…Excuse me?"
"I have a job for you"
"Urm, may I know what kind of job do you have for me?"
…Alfraed explained his store sells potions, and other products, made by him. In the near future, demands would increase, hopefully, no, he would make it happen. As such, he needed help in the preparation process.
"I don't have experience in that area, is it still alright?"
"No worry, I will teach you"
Skills could be learned, but character hardly changed.
"I'm so-sorry for being blunt, emm, what about the p-payment?"
In the end, people work to acquire money, to fulfill their needs, and by working diligently they might even be able to do things they actually enjoy. For Alfraed, that question was perfectly reasonable, he too, would not want to work for free.
Then, why did he cured the twins' mother without asking payment? He would answer "that's helping, not working".
"Ah, yes, that's crucial. Let's see, the details, during the learning period, your wage is 18 Rune per hour. When I deem you can do the preparation without needing anymore supervisory, I'll increase the wage to 25 Rune per hour. Working days are from the Day of the Moon to Saturn. Mandatory working time is eight hours per day, except on Saturn, four hours. There is also compensation for overtime. Your wage will be paid once a week on the Day of Saturn. Currently, I'll be needing your help in the Day of Saturn and Sun. For this occasion only, you'll be paid daily. So, what do you think?" informed Alfraed in a single stroke of breath.
"W-what time should I-I come tomorrow?"
"After breakfast, at eight. It's going to be two long days. Can you?"
"Yes, yes, I can"
"Also, do you know other person who might want to work? I actually need two people"
"…I think I do. I'll bring her tomorrow with me. She'll work hard, I assure you"
"Great! Then, see you tomorrow. Emma, Evan, see you tomorrow also. Now, I have to go back to my store to start working"
""Okay brother Alf!"" the two waved both their hands to the leaving Alfraed.
-------
When Emma, Evan, and their mother arrived inside their house. Their mother hugged them tightly while crying, and the two hugged her back passionately. The two understood.
The tears were not due to sadness, instead she was relieved that there was still a way for her to protect her precious little angels.
Maybe, the reason for her dismissal was for her to encounter a better opportunity and unhesitantly grasped it. That might not be the real answer, but she chose to belive it...