Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 183
"Cheers!"
"Cheers! Hahahaha!"
Four men clanked their bottles of beer and laughed wholeheartedly. They held a drinking session at least once a week. Men love drinking, regardless of their age. Once they tasted alcohol, they would always seek it out... At least, that's how they were in the early 2000s.
"Man, these chicken feet are delicious. Mind telling me the recipe?" Jerry asked Karlos as he picked up a chicken foot.
"Of course, it's not a secret anyway. It's chicken feet adobo, but I just added a cup of Coca-Cola and let the chicken feet simmer for an hour until they were soft and falling off the bone," Karlos said.
Chicken feet were a classic delicacy for drinkers. If you cooked them the right way, they were absolutely delicious. Maya actually loved the dish so much that Karlos had left a bowl of it at home for her to enjoy. The kids loved it too, but since chicken feet had a lot of small bones, Maya had to meticulously pick them out before feeding them to the children.
"I see, I see. I'll try making that later." Jerry grabbed his beer and took a large gulp. He was already getting tipsy. "I still haven't apologized for what my brother did. I'm really sorry. Bastos explained that he was drunk at the time and unconsciously bragged about the island."
"Nah, it's alright. I didn't mind it," Karlos waved his hand. It was true that they had lost their exclusive source of income, but the island was bound to be discovered at any moment anyway. They knew they couldn't keep the island to themselves forever, since many local fishermen were already curious about their frequent catches. It was just a matter of time before the location was compromised.
"Karlos didn't mind it, but I do. It's fortunate his nose was already broken by Escudero, or else I would have given him a black eye myself." Brandon had caught a glimpse of Bastos, who was still recuperating, and saw that his nose had healed crookedly. It made him look quite ugly.
"Yeah, that kid needs to learn his lesson. I hope he becomes a better person after this," Jerry sighed. "So, what's your plan now?"
Andres picked up a piece of chicken foot and savored the taste, listening to them.
"I decided to buy a mid-size bangka."
"Huh? Wouldn't that take a month or two to finish building?"
"Nah, we bought a completed boat this time," Karlos explained. "It's a 10-meter bangka with 100 horsepower. Not bad, right?"
"Cool, you guys are really moving up," Jerry praised them, which made Brandon laugh happily. His parents had been incredibly proud of him lately, now that he had become a co-owner of a shrimp farm.
Even his father was so motivated that he visited the shrimp farm every day, staying there for at least four hours before heading home on his bicycle. Brandon actually wanted to buy a motorcycle and attach a sidecar to it, just like Karlos had done with his own. However, Gomez didn't know how to drive, so it would take a while before he could use one.
"Are you sure you can operate a mid-size bangka? A vessel that size needs at least three people."
"Yeah, we are actually looking for another person to work with us."
"What about me?" Andres put down his beer and nominated himself.
When Andres said that, everyone at the table fell silent. They all looked at him with a mix of shock and concern.
"... Andres, are you really sure?" Karlos looked closely at his friend and realized that Andres was being completely serious.
"I'm alright, I'm sure I can do it," Andres grinned confidently.
"But what happened back then..." Brandon didn't finish his sentence.
"I'm fine. I'm not really afraid of the sea itself. I can swim, and I can fish... I just sometimes remember my father and brother and get sad."
There was a deep reason why Karlos had never invited Andres to become his fishing partner before. Andres had suffered a traumatic experience at sea, he had lost both his father and his brother in a severe storm.
Their boat had been sailing far out in the open ocean when a sudden storm hit the region. They tried desperately to return to town, but the rough waves made it impossible. In the end, their boat capsized. Andres was the sole survivor of that tragedy, but he had never been the same since. Even his mother had eventually passed away from severe depression because of the loss. Andres had decided to stop fishing entirely back then, and everyone who knew his story assumed he developed a permanent phobia of the ocean.
In fact, this shared trauma was the reason why Karlos and Andres had become friends so quickly. Both of them had experienced floating helplessly in the vast sea, coming dangerously close to drowning.
"Karlos, will you hire me?"
"..."
Karlos went quiet. Jerry and Brandon waited anxiously for his response. Brandon had no objections to hiring Andres, in fact, he preferred it because Andres was someone they could trust with their lives. He was a reliable guy who already had plenty of experience in commercial fishing. As for Jerry, he just sat there quietly, waiting for Karlos's final decision. He could see that his friends' situations were improving rapidly, while Andres was the only one left behind. Naturally, he also wanted Andres to get his life back on track.
"Tomorrow, we will go to the shipyard to pick up the boat. You will come with us and help us navigate it back to the beach," Karlos finally said, which caused the entire group to erupt into cheers.
"Alright, haha! To a better future!" Brandon yelled, raising his bottle high. He was immensely relieved to know they had secured a crew member they could rely on.
"Thank you, Karlos," Andres said softly, raising his beer in gratitude.
"You don't have to thank me. If you don't show any bad reactions while we're out on the water, I'll definitely keep you on permanently." Karlos raised his own beer to meet his.
"Alright, alright, cheers!" Jerry joined in, and they all clanked their bottles together.
"Domingo is always busy. I wonder where he ran off to this time."
"That guy is always on the road, it's tough to catch him most of the time."
"That's why we should just drink his portion too, as a sign of respect!"
"Hahaha!"
[Thank you guys for reading this novel.]