[VOLUME 1] N.E.X.U.S. : Inception

CHAPTER 26 | SMALL VACATION AND AN UNEXPECTED FIGHT (PART 2)

"Well there, we've arrived," Hyperion said while pointing to the cow barn. "What do you mean by that big cow barn?" I asked in disbelief. "Yes, I said at the beginning, my adoptive family's land is very large, some of it is used for gardening and farming, some is for raising livestock. There is also a stable, I will invite you to go there when you are done from here," said Hyperion. Really awesome, I thought. "So what are we here for?" I asked innocently. "You see the milk can I put in this cart I pulled, Hector?" asked Hyperion. I nodded. Hyperion also put his hand on his forehead, "Oh, you're so innocent. Of course we're going to milk the cow, Hector." I blushed in embarrassment. "Okay, we've arrived, this is the cattle farm owned by the Eichenlord family. There are 16 cows here. Actually, there used to be more, but Dad has already sold some because he can't take care of it alone, so let's show you how to milk cows. First we have to wash our hands first," said Hyperion then lowered his cart and headed to the water tap to wash his hands. We also cleaned our hands with running water. "Good, we started with this cow. First, we take this cow to the milking stall first. I have prepared a clean bucket to hold milk, a clean cloth or tissue to clean the teats, and warm water. Hector, Orion help me bring that, huh. The milking stall is over there," explained Hyperion. We immediately complied. "Now I'm going to tie the cow gently so that she doesn't run around while we milk it. Hector, Orion, take the cow's food there and put it on this feeding tray. This will keep him calm during the milking process, we will also be helped," said Hyperion while preparing for other things. We also took the straw and grass and placed it on the tray. "Now, I'm going to use a clean cloth that I've dipped in warm water to clean the udder and teats. This is to remove dirt and dust attached to the bottom of the cow's abdomen, so that it does not contaminate the milk that we will milk later," explained Hyperion and then seriously cleaned every part of the cow's udder and teats. Hyperion was indeed not only a knight who was great at swordsmanship, but with many other skills! I became amazed and a little jealous. "After washing with warm water, let's dry the cow's teats again. Okay, now I'll take a look... The cow's teats seemed to be healthy, okay, no injuries or infections. Yosh, we're ready to blush. Orion, can you take that smaller bucket?" said Hyperion. Orion nodded and handed the small bucket to Hyperion.

 "Okay, thank you. To blush, first we sit on the cow's side, and I choose from the right side only because I am used to this direction. Then hold the teat with your thumb and index finger, allowing the rest of the fingers to wrap around the teat. Then pay attention, squeeze the first few drops of milk onto the floor or I use this small bucket, so as not to dirty the floor so that later you don't have to bother to water it again. It is intended to remove any debris or bacteria that may be present in the early part of the milk ducts. Also if there is bleeding at this first squeeze, we can stop it immediately and not contaminate the other milk that we have milked. If cow's milk contains blood, it means that the cow has mastitis. Do you understand?" asked Hyperion. We nodded, Hyperion is indeed like an instructor even for the matter of milking cows. Hyperion again continued, "Okay, now, hold the top of the teat with your thumb and index finger, and then press to close the flow of milk back to the udder. Use your middle, sweet, and pinky fingers to massage and push milk out of the teat into the bucket. Don't pull hard, massage gently like this. Repeat this movement in a regular, gentle rhythm. I remind you once again, do not pull or twist the teats, as this can cause pain or injury to the cow. Then alternate between the left and right teats after a few minutes to make sure the cow feels comfortable and the milking goes smoothly. Look at how I do it," Hyperion said. Hyperion's face today was really serious and not as playful as usual. A little scary too. "Yosh, now that you guys are trying to milk this cow, I'll keep an eye on it. Who wants to try first?" asked Hyperion. "Maybe I will try first," I said spontaneously. "Alright," said Hyperion, then got up from his little stool and let me sit down. I started to place my hands on the cow's teats as taught by Hyperion, then started to blush. Mooo... There was a sound of cows roaring. "You're too hard!" snapped Hyperion then immediately apologized, "sorry, I'm carried away by emotions, please do that gently, Hector." I nodded and tried to massage the cow's teats more gently. "Yes, that's right, like that. Try to milk the cow, don't forget to alter the teats so that everything is even and the cow does not feel pain or burden," said Hyperion. I nodded and continued milking the cow. About five minutes later, Hyperion asked me to stop and exchange with Orion. Now it was Orion's turn to blush. Orion looked very calm and different from me. The cow she milked also seemed to feel very comfortable, and was not disturbed in the slightest. "Good, you guys seem to understand how to milk cows. The last thing I want to say, be sure to empty all the milk from each teat. Cows that are not milked out can develop mastitis, an infection of the udder. Then later after you finish flushing, clean the udder and teats again with a clean cloth dipped in warm water to prevent infection. And also don't be greedy, yes. Don't drink raw milk directly, later you can have an upset stomach. We need to cook it first. Alright, now I'm going to take two other cows to another milking stall. Hector, you continue to milk this cow. Orion, come with me," Hyperion said.