Going back to my previous life in 2025, the Department of Education finally started to care about teachers. The department created a policy where teachers were given a month-long uninterrupted break. No boss could call them, and they didn't need to return to school or report during this time. They could rest and recharge. This policy was loved by teachers, and many gave the department a thumbs up for finally making work-life balance real after a long time.
During my uninterrupted break, my friend and co-teacher invited me to train with him in boxing and simple self-defense. I took the one-and-a-half-hour class daily for one whole month. The training was intense, and it was really fun. I'll probably enroll again in this life once I save some cash.
Going back—
BANG!!!!
It was sudden, and many people were shocked by what happened.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop, stop!!!!" the people started to interfere.
Actually, I intentionally timed this scenario. After this kid slammed into me, people started to become wary of us. So I just waited for some time so that an adult would be within my reach when I slammed my fist toward his face. Which I think was pretty refreshing.
"Stop, stop, stop! Hold this kid for me!" one of the adults called to another.
I bowed my head deeply, hiding the smirk on my face. The kid wanted revenge; however, he was held tightly by this big uncle so that he couldn't do anything.
"Arghhhh! Let me go! This isn't over yet, kid!!! I'll kill you when I see you again!!!" he screamed, clearly wanting to break free.
I smiled at him, provoking him even more. He tried even harder, and the adult started to lose some patience.
"Tone it down now, kid! No one is killing anyone!" the adult warned him.
As the adults tried to calm him down, the one holding me started to let me go. I ran fast toward the market, leaving them behind. I looked back and saw the kid still struggling to break free. The adults became worried about me because the kid was much larger than I was. They must have thought that if he managed to get free, he would certainly kill me.
"Huh… this is really tiring. I am already annoyed that the kid really has bad luck," I said to myself.
The frustration I had a few minutes ago vanished.
Thinking about how I taught that kid a lesson somehow improved my mood even more.
Not forgetting the purpose of my trip, I ran toward the public market. I'll probably cook some food today. I bet my parents would be shocked to see me cook. I mean, they clearly have no idea that I can cook.
The market is a little walk away. It is not that far from the plaza, but it is also not very near. Surrounding the market, you can see vendors along the road. During the night the road is two-way, however in the morning these vendors occupy a whole lane, causing heavy traffic.
Along the road you can see vegetables, fish, and clams. Inside the market, at the front, there is the meat area. This place has several stalls lined up together selling chicken, pork, and beef. If you go further inside, you can see the river. Near the river, people sell fish, prawns, crabs, and more.
"What should I buy?" I wondered about what to cook.
Kaldereta, adobo, sinigang, nilaga?
These four are the ones I am confident in cooking.
The first thing I need to consider is the budget. Adobo and kaldereta are the most affordable. Sinigang and nilaga need pork as the meat, so they require more budget.
I saw a stall that didn't have any customers.
"How much for the chicken meat?" I asked. The meat was clearly fresh; you could identify it by its color.
"100 per kilo," he replied.
"For the pork meat?" I asked again.
"150 per kilo," he replied.
Thinking about the budget, I decided to go with the chicken.
"1 kilo of the wing part. Can you give me extra chicken feet?" I asked.
At this time of the year, chicken feet are not really for sale. There isn't much market for them. Pinoys usually just add them to dishes to produce extra meat. However, a year from now, with the emergence of social media, people will learn that chicken feet contain a lot of collagen, which is good for the skin. This will cause chicken feet to be priced the same as the meat.
"The choices now are narrowed down from adobo to kaldereta. Maybe I should cook kaldereta today. I want something spicy."
I left the meat section and went to the vegetable area.
You could hear a lot of people shouting. Call me weird, but I find this noise pretty calming.
I chose a random store whose owner called me handsome. I bought 5 pesos worth of oil, one whole garlic, and one whole onion. I paid 15 pesos for everything. The prices are really still cheap this year. In a few years, the prices for these goods will double.
I went to the next shop to buy some potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, and 5 pesos worth of chili. I paid another 35 pesos for it. After paying for everything, I decided to go back home.
I started walking to the terminal but then thought otherwise and decided to just wait along the road to ride quickly.
I wandered around as I walked.
"This place will soon turn into a city. People are against it because of the tax increase once it becomes a city. Thinking about the day when people protested the development really brings back memories."
But the city council couldn't do anything.
For example, the public market. A few years from now it will be renovated and turned into a new one. If you think people will be happy because of it, then you are clearly wrong. The market stall rent will increase almost three times. The council will reason that it is for maintenance.
Which is true. The market will become cleaner, and the rat families with several generations will disappear. The road that vendors blocked will also be cleared.
However, because the rent increases, the prices of goods also increase, and no one is happy about it. The council can't take back what they have already done. Over time, people get used to the higher prices and endure the pain silently every day.
Development is good. I mean, we can't live forever like cavemen without development. If the council didn't act, sooner or later a virus might spread because rats really live in the market.
In the future we will experience it firsthand. It will become a problem for the whole world. The damage to the economy will be severe, and the country will fall into trillions of debt.
The council prepared for this kind of worst-case outcome in exchange for the increase in goods prices. People feel the pain in their pockets, but I think it is better than feeling the pain of losing a loved one.
I walked for a few more minutes until I could finally see the road.
Unexpectedly, I saw some familiar faces.
"You! You! You!!!! I will kill you!!!"
I could handle it if he was alone, but
"Five??? Man, fight me man-to-man!!!!" I shouted back while running for my life.