Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 87 The 6th Member of the Expedition

Chapter 87 The Sixth Member of the Expedition

"You said you were a hoof trimmer?"

After pounding his chest which was choked and felt stuffy, Huangshan looked up at the tall man in front of him.

"Yes! My name is Joseph Schmidt, and my great-grandfather has been a hoof trimmer since the beginning of our family."

A friendly smile appeared on the blond man's face.

"Just call me Zep."

Kitano stood up in surprise.

Actually came?

If I remember correctly, he only gave the response yesterday evening that an on-site interview was required.

If the man who called himself Zep really came from Germany, it meant that he set off almost immediately after receiving the reply.

"Oh, Mejiro!"

Putting down the suitcase, Zep looked at Kitano with shining eyes.

"No, it should be Mr. Kitano!"

The burly blond man charged over like a bull and grabbed Kitano's wrist with excessive enthusiasm.

"Please take care of me, Mr. Kitano!"

As if he had practiced many times, Zepu suddenly spoke standard and fluent Japanese.

"Please, please take care of me."

Kitano couldn't help but be shocked.

It’s not that I was intimidated by Zep’s huge physique.

After all, for guys who deal with large livestock all year round, such a physique is no big deal.

However, he is still not very good at dealing with overly enthusiastic people.

"Well, thank you Mr. Zep for your attention to us, but you should have read our fundraising requirements, right?"

Kitano looked at the fussy German man in front of him with some suspicion.

"Experienced, with overseas experience, and good at English, all three conditions are met!"

Zep broke off three fingers seriously and showed a confident smile on his face.

Then he opened the suitcase with his butt sticking out, and after rummaging around for a while, he found an A4-sized certificate from a compartment.

"This is a Hufbeschneider (Basic Hoof Trimmer) license issued by the Bavarian State Association of Craftsmen!"

"What was it?"

As for German, it is completely incomprehensible.

In the end, I was able to understand the contents of the certificate with the help of a mobile phone translator.

"Name: Joseph Schmidt, Date of Birth: March 1, 2006, Examination Date: June 15, 2025, Basic Level Hoof Trimmer, Valid for the Federal Republic of Germany."

Xu Hesheng confirmed the license number from the official website of the Bavarian State Chamber of Crafts.

He is indeed a certified hoof trimmer.

But what surprised Kitano was Zep's age.

"You're only nineteen years old?"

He asked in disbelief.

However, if you look closely, you can see that Zep's face, which is mostly covered by a rough beard, does have a youthful skin.

In addition, the German hoof trimmer's eyes revealed a clarity unique to young people.

Just like Ogawa Masaru.

Completely unaware of the fact that he had been secretly offended, the white-haired boy was looking at the hoof trimmer of the same age with a look of shock.

In his impression, most hoof trimmers are uncles or old men in their fifties or sixties.

"I've been interning in my dad's workshop since I was old enough to hold a sledge hammer. Come and see if you don't believe me."

As if mistakenly thinking that Kitano had doubts about his experience, Zepu took out his cell phone and gestured anxiously.

Then, he hurriedly showed a photo to everyone.

In the photo, a man who looked similar to Zep was sitting shirtless at the door of a small workshop, holding a wrinkled baby in his arms.

"No! It's this one—"

Zep swiped the screen with an embarrassed look on his face.

Then, the photo on the phone turned into a scene of the blond boy holding a hammer with some difficulty.

"Sorry, but we didn't mean to doubt your abilities."

While struggling to resist Zep's enthusiasm that was almost becoming tangible, Kitano asked in confusion: "I just don't understand why you are so enthusiastic?"

"I love Mejiro, and I can't wait to join you!"

Zep answered without hesitation.

“At first, my grades were terrible. I had to retake both Equine Anatomy and Hoof Care for two consecutive semesters.” The previously noisy German man suddenly fell silent and said in a calm tone, “My father was extremely disappointed at the time and even considered closing the workshop altogether.”

"I was thinking I might as well just die, and it was in that mess that I came into contact with 'Sai○Niang'."

Even in Japan, where otaku are prevalent, people still have to tie their stomachs tightly before making such remarks in public.

“Then I learned there was a racehorse called Mejiro McQueen in Japan.”

Zep raised his head, and something seemed to be flashing in his eyes.

"Glory and setbacks are only a fine line apart. It was this exotic racehorse that raced so vigorously decades ago that gave me the courage to live."

There was a long silence around.

Kitano pursed his lips and then released them several times before finally saying with difficulty, "I'm sorry, but I still need to discuss this with the trainer Huangshan at the stables."

Zep turned his head and looked at the barren mountain eagerly, with a flattering smile on his face.

It's almost like a magic change of mood.

"Mr. Zep must be very hungry after such a long flight. If you don't mind, how about putting down your food and eating something?"

Kitano pulled over a chair and motioned for Zep to sit down.

"Is it really possible?"

Scratching the back of his head, Zep asked shyly.

"It's okay, please enjoy it."

Kitano nodded and gave Huangshan a look.

The two walked out of the meeting room together.

"What do you think, Master Huangshan?"

Kitano asked after closing the door of the conference room.

"Although it seems a bit reckless, it does meet several of the requirements we listed."

"and"

Huangshan paused, then continued in a somewhat strange tone, "Even if it's just a basic hoof trimmer in Duguo, his skills are likely to be ahead of most local and even central senior hoof trimmers."

Apart from having heard a little about Germany, the "holy land of hoof trimmers", he said this more out of his thorough understanding of the abilities of local hoof trimmers.

"Is that so?"

Kitano couldn't quite believe that the carefree young foreign man could be equated with Mr. Shimura, or even be a better hoof trimmer than Mr. Shimura.

"However, if you are not a registered hoof trimmer under the NAR or JRA, you will have to cover the cost of transportation and accommodation yourself if you want to join the group, Mr. Kitano."

Huangshan frowned again, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Although they have sufficient capabilities, registration and verification of hoof trimmers takes a considerable amount of time, whether it is JRA or NAR.

"No, there is another way."

Kitano shook his head.

He recalled a very obscure note in the Saudi reception guidelines.

[○ Hospitality for those related to the stables (training assistants, stable boys, and horse riders)
JCSA provides economy class round-trip airfare and hotel accommodation for up to two stable associates for each guest horse.

With NAR's almost unrestricted hiring rules for stable boys, even foreigners have no problem hiring them.

When the door of the conference room was reopened, the Christmas turkey meal for five people had been sold out.

Zep, the person involved, burped very loudly.

Then, he smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"Well, you passed."

Kitano's expression was a little stiff.

"Eh! Really—"

After wiping the oil off his hands, the burly German man strode over.

Under Zep's eager gaze that was almost radiating into reality, Huangshan printed out an adoption contract.

"Um, I'm not here to be a stable boy, am I?"

After taking the contract and looking at it, Zep showed a somewhat confused expression.

Although the salary is exactly as agreed, maybe there is something wrong with the position.