Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 207
"I guess buying a sidecar is not that bad."
Andres muttered as he watched Brandon driving his brand-new tricycle. Andres was currently riding with Karlos, while Gomez was riding with Brandon.
The four men showed up early at the shrimp farm and found that the harvest was already underway. The workers were harvesting the shrimp from Pond No. 3 this time.
"Boss! You've arrived!" Zaldy greeted them.
Harvest day was always the most exciting part of his month, as he earned a portion of the profits. On top of that, the quality of their shrimp was consistently high, and Mr. Chubby(a fastfood chain) always offered them a fair price.
"Zaldy, how's the harvest looking so far?"
"We're estimating about four tons this time."
"That's impressive."
"Indeed. I didn't expect it either, but the sizes of our shrimp are well above average."
With that, the four men pitched in to help with the harvest. Karlos and Andres worked together using a cast net, while Gomez and Brandon, the father and son, teamed up.
Gomez served as the farm supervisor, and the workers greeted him with utmost respect. Despite his supervisory role, Gomez rolled up his sleeves and worked right alongside the crew. Even Zaldy was hands-on. Nobody dared act lazy, especially when the big bosses were working just as hard to haul the nets.
A few hours later, the water was completely drained, and they stepped down onto the muddy pond bed to gather the remaining shrimp.
Just as Zaldy had predicted, they harvested about 4.1 tons of shrimp. Transport trucks arrived shortly after to haul away the boxes of shrimp. Karlos received the cheque, which amounted to 2.1 million pesos. He would need to cash it later, along with the cheque he had received from Mr. Sanchez.
"You guys can head back to the beach first. I need to make a quick stop at the bank," Karlos told the others.
Brandon and Andres had no objections. Andres rode back with Brandon and Gomez, and they were each given a couple of kilograms of fresh shrimp as a bonus souvenir.
The two tricycles took separate routes, as Karlos headed toward the town center while Brandon drove south toward the beachside.
Karlos first stopped by Adobo Bank to cash the cheque and deposit the funds directly into his account. The bank teller updated his bankbook, reflecting his growing balance, which now included an additional 2.5 million pesos.
Karlos couldn't help breaking into a grin as he mentally calculated their total savings, including the twins' education funds. So far, they had accumulated a staggering 82 million pesos from April 2001 to January 2002.
Unfortunately, they would need to pay income taxes before April 15, which would shave off about 30%... Karlos decided to push that thought to the back of his mind for now.
While Karlos was finishing his transactions, one of the bank tellers offered him a credit card. The bank promoted credit cards to select members, but because Una Town was still primarily a cash society where only a handful of establishments accepted card payments, credit cards weren't very popular.
After giving it some thought, Karlos didn't accept it right away. He decided he should talk to his wife first before opening a credit line. The teller handed him a pamphlet outlining the credit card options and member benefits, which focused mostly on reward points and discounts at specific partner establishments like Jollybee.
Reminded of Jollybee, Karlos decided to pick up some kiddie meals to treat his twins. He knew the kids would be thrilled if he brought home fast food.
He returned home shortly after completing his errands. The puppies barked happily upon hearing his approach, and when Maya recognized their barks, she came out to open the gate.
"Kids, look what I brought," Karlos said, parking the tricycle in the shed. He held up a paper bag bearing the familiar Jollybee logo.
"Jowwybee!"
"Jollybee!"
As Iñigo grew, his pronunciation improved significantly, and Arabella was doing much better too.
They jumped up and down with uncontainable joy, running in circles around Karlos to celebrate. But running excitedly on their little legs proved hazardous, Arabella suddenly tripped and scraped both her knees hard against the ground.
"Waahhh—!" she burst into immediate, miserable tears.
Karlos rushed over to inspect her knees, relieved to find they were only minor scrapes.
"Papa! Mama!" Arabella cried out, her face streaked with tears.
"That's why I always tell you not to run around," Maya sighed, stepping over to pat her back and offer comfort. This certainly wasn't the first time Arabella had taken a tumble.
"Alright, let's go inside. I need to clean and disinfect those wounds."
"Mama... no wubbing awcohol?" Arabella sniffled, wiping away her snot and tears.
"You have to face the consequences of your actions, sweetie... We need to dab some rubbing alcohol on those cuts." Maya sighed.
"Waahhh—!" That sentence completely shattered her composure as Karlos scooped her up and carried her to the couch. Even Iñigo looked on in sheer terror. He still vividly remembered how badly rubbing alcohol stung when applied to fresh scrapes, having cried just as hard in the past. Ever since then, he had been extra mindful of where he stepped.
Inside, Arabella continued munching on her burger through her tears. Her knees were now covered in bandaids after Maya thoroughly cleaned them with alcohol. It had hurt terribly.
"If you don't want to experience that again, you need to watch your step. I've told you so many times to be careful," Maya lectured gently, and the little girl nodded earnestly.
"I pwomise, Mama. I'll be a good girl fwom now on."
Maya let out a soft sigh and pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. She knew full well that Arabella would likely trip again within a day or two, the little girl had clearly inherited Maya's own mischievous, reckless streak from childhood.
Arabella quickly perked up, especially with the comforting distraction of the toys that came with the Jollybee meal. Getting scraped knees didn't seem so tragic anymore as long as delicious food and treats were involved... She decided right then and there to use her bandaid knees to squeeze a bit of extra spoiling out of her parents.
[Author's Note:]
You can read more on my Patreon with:
97 advance chapters of Behind The Spotlight
92 advance chapters of Reincarnated as a Fisherman and Dad
Patreon link: http s://www .patreo n.c om/Puji_makii