Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 185
"You guys want to see the new boat?" he asked the twins.
"Yes, hehe!" They had no idea what the boat actually looked like, but they figured it must be amazing. They nodded eagerly in agreement.
"Alright, let us take care of these items first."
After a short while, Karlos and Maya carried the twins down to the beach. The scenery was simple and not particularly striking, as their local beach consisted of black sand. Still, the new environment was more than enough to get the twins excited.
"Mama, dwop me, dwop me!" Arabella asked her mother, wanting to walk on the black sand herself.
"Alright, but don't run. The sand can be unsteady to walk on." Maya put Arabella down and let her find her footing. The little girl giggled, taking slow steps in her baby sandals. Naturally, Iñigo wanted to try walking on the sand as well.
The twins had their fun while their parents watched them with warm smiles.
"You bought a new boat, Karlos? You're really rich now." Some of their neighbors greeted them, teasing Karlos about the new addition to the shoreline. Some were genuinely happy with their progress, while others secretly felt a pang of jealousy.
"It's really not that simple. I spent all our savings to buy that boat," Karlos lied smoothly, not wanting to stand out too much or draw unnecessary attention to their true financial state.
"So, how much was the boat?"
"425,000 pesos."
"That much!?"
"It's brand new, and the exterior is made of fiberglass."
"I see, I see." The neighbors nodded, though they winced deep inside. Most of them couldn't imagine spending that kind of money all at once. Even if they earned a substantial amount every November and December during the peak tuna and salmon season, they never dared to spend it on something so expensive.
Perhaps this was the exact factor that separated people. Karlos and Antonio chose to gamble and upgrade their vessels in the hope of significantly improving their livelihoods, while others preferred to remain stagnant, simply hoping they would get lucky one day.
Stepping on the fine sand was indeed a challenge for the twins, but they found it fascinating.
A walk that usually took a few minutes ended up taking about a quarter of an hour because they were constantly stopped by neighbors asking about the brand-new boat. On top of that, the twins walked at a toddler's pace.
When they finally reached the boat, the twins looked up at it, completely amazed by its size.
"Papa, bowt big!" Iñigo exclaimed. He had a small toy model of a boat at home that he loved playing with in the bathtub, watching it float.
"Wanna get in the bangka?"
"Yes!"
Karlos lifted the twins aboard, followed by Maya, who meticulously inspected every corner of the bangka.
"This bangka is indeed nice." She nodded in approval. If not for their recent big earnings, spending 425,000 pesos on a single vessel would have been heavy.
The twins curiously looked at everything... The bangka was mostly empty for now, as the majority of their essential gear was still safely stored in the shed back at the house.
"Auntie! Let us play with the babies," Andres's daughter, Jenny, greeted them, running up to the boat.
"Okay, but don't take them near the water. Take good care of them," Maya instructed, trusting the older girl to watch over them.
The couple let the children play in the sand. Arabella immediately grabbed a handful of dirt and giggled. Other neighborhood children approached the twins to interact with them, and the twins smiled back, eager to play. They were finally at an age where interacting with other children was genuinely fun.
By the time they were done playing, the twins had sand covering their clothes... Maya let out a heavy sigh. She despised messiness. Comparing the two, Arabella looked like she had basically showered in sand, while Iñigo had mostly just gotten his hands and feet dirty.
"I guess I have to wash your clothes thoroughly," she said in defeat.
"Hehe."
Arabella approached her mother, reaching up for a hug, but she was far too dusty, so Maya gently held her back.
"Alright, alright, go ask your father to carry you instead. Karlos, carry these children of yours," Maya muttered.
"Children of mine? So they are only my children when they are being naughty?"
"They are just too dirty," Maya replied. She made a mental note to start teaching the kids the importance of cleanliness.
Regardless of the mess, Karlos picked them both up, which immediately caused his own clothes to get covered in black sand as well.
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The next day, the three men didn't go out to fish. They needed to purchase better equipment tailored for their larger boat, especially the gear required for longline fishing.
"You want to do longline fishing?" Andres was a bit surprised by the choice. In his experience, trawling was generally a more effective way to catch fish. Sure, it was physically exhausting, but if they managed to catch a whole school of fish, the payout was well worth the effort.
"We have been doing longline fishing this whole time, so I don't see any problem with it. Don't worry, you just need to trust our captain," Brandon said, reassuring Andres. He had witnessed firsthand how Karlos always managed to find the best spots at sea.
"Trawling can indeed catch a large volume of fish, but it's also highly destructive to the marine environment," Karlos explained. "It results in a lot of accidental bycatch, which I don't like. I prefer a more sustainable method of fishing. What we are targeting are large, high-value fish, so longline fishing is the better choice for us."
Longline fishing was a much less destructive method, which Karlos believed to be the best option for their long-term operations.
"Well, we are just starting out, so I guess it's not a bad idea to try an easier approach to fishing first." Despite remaining slightly skeptical, Andres decided to place his trust in Karlos. He was earning a guaranteed 500 pesos plus a 5% profit share, he didn't really have anything to lose by following Karlos's lead.
The three men arrived at the local shop that specialized in marine fishing equipment.
"Old Man Kanor! Are you here?" Karlos called out.
"That voice... why do I feel like I recognize that voice?" A voice called back from the rear of the shop.
"It's me, Karlos. The guy who bought an engine part from you a while back."
"Ah, Karlos, now I remember! So, what happened? Does your boat have an issue again? I told you before, that engine model is already far too old. I highly recommend you just buy a brand-new motor instead."
"I bought a bigger bangka instead."
"Now that's an upgrade. So, what brings you to my shop today?"
"I'm looking for longline fishing gear with much bigger hooks. We're targeting tuna and other large game this time."
"Bigger hooks? What's your budget?" Kanor asked, rubbing his chin.
"What's the best you have here?" Karlos asked.
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