Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad

[Pujimaki]

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 71


It had been ten days since Karlos and his family started living in the villa owned by Larry Araneto. They had formed a great relationship with Wanda and the others. However, as much as possible, Maya avoided a certain maid. She didn't feel comfortable around Claire. Whenever Claire's eyes lingered too long on Karlos or her voice grew too sweet, Maya's stomach twisted uneasily.

As days passed, Maya began to feel restless. Doing nothing except caring for the twins made her bones creak. She used to cook, clean, do the laundry, and handle all the household chores. But now that she lived in the villa, almost every task was done by the maids.

Although she admitted that this kind of lifestyle wasn't bad, she also found it a little boring. She felt relaxed, yes, but having nothing to do made the silence of the big house feel heavy.

Most of the time, she spent her hours visiting the library. She was shocked when she found a bookshelf filled with romance novels, and not the simple ones. The titles alone showed how smutty they were: Tempted by the Hot Sword of the Knight, Sinful Whispers in the Midnight, Velvet Obsession, and many more. Her cheeks burned red just reading the titles. She glanced over her shoulder once, twice, making sure no one saw what she was picking up.

Maya started reading the steamy romance novels, though she eventually found them boring. Almost every love-making scene in the stories was mediocre. In fact, her nights with Karlos were far better than what was described in those books. A mischievous smile crept across her lips as she flipped another page.

Whenever Karlos returned home after his job, Maya would invite him into the bedroom for some "play time." She entrusted the twins to Wanda, who was always happy to take care of two adorable children. Wanda loved doting on them, and Maya realized that having a maid wasn't bad at all, someone could entertain the kids while the parents were entertaining each other.

"I'll leave now." Karlos changed clothes and kissed Maya's forehead early in the morning.

"Mm, take care," the woman replied sleepily before returning to bed. Her voice was soft and hazy.

Karlos left the villa very early, carrying the engine and other belongings. He thought about hiring another person to work with him, but he wasn't sure if he could afford to pay one. Besides, his boat was only five meters long, very awkward for two people to move around. He scratched the back of his head, imagining two men tripping over each other inside the narrow boat.

'But for the time being, hiring another person seems suitable. Salmon season is still at its peak, and it will last another month. Even Bluefin Tuna is showing up more at the fish port lately. To maximize the profit, I need someone to help me.'

When he hit the road, it was quiet and dark. Only the lights from the lampposts illuminated some parts of the street. He had to use his flashlight. The air was cold.

When he reached the harbor, it was different. That part of town was lively, much like the beach. But unlike the beach that only had bangkas, the harbor was bustling with big fishing vessels hauling boxes filled with ice. Fishermen were moving everywhere.

"Good morning, Karlos!"

"Good morning." Karlos smiled and greeted back, raising his hand slightly with his usual calm grin.

The person who called him was the middle-aged man who had prevented him from docking his boat at a better dock a few days ago. Their first impression of each other had been bad, but that changed when the old caretaker spread the story that Karlos was actually living in Araneto's villa.

Since then, the people had treated him well.

"If someone messes with you, just find us. We'll handle it."

Karlos was surprised by the influence that the Araneto name had in this harbor. He hadn't expected the surname "Araneto" to hold so much weight.

He waved his hand at them and walked farther. The big fishing vessels were docked on concrete, while his small bangka was tied to a wooden platform hundreds of meters away. His boat looked fragile compared to the towering steel vessels.

Once he reached his boat, he set up the engine and untied the rope before starting his sail. The engine sputtered before coming to life, cutting through the sea. The smell of fuel mixed with the ocean breeze as the boat slowly drifted from the dock.

.........
......
...

"Haha, look at that! We caught three Bluefin Tuna today! Three! And they're all adults! We got lucky! We might even earn half a million pesos today!"

Antonio laughed out loud as porters carried his catch. The Bluefin Tuna had to be taken to the tuna section, where buyers meticulously inspected their quality. As for the other fish, small-time buyers would purchase them on the spot. The air buzzed with excitement and chatter, the smell of fresh fish thick as always.

Most of the fishermen caught King Salmon, and because of that, the price quickly dropped to 451 pesos per kilo. Now that the catch was better than the demand, the price naturally went down.

Even then, some fishermen had no problem earning 50,000 pesos a day. It was still a huge profit. Their laughter echoed through the fish port.

"Hey, what about this? This is a Bluefin Tuna under 72 inches. You guys aren't allowed to catch this."

"Yeah," Antonio sighed. "This small tuna got caught in the net and died. We're not going to sell it; we're going to eat it."

Selling a Bluefin Tuna below 72 inches was illegal in their region. There were many cases where sea creatures got trapped in nets and died. For tuna, they couldn't breathe if they stopped moving, hence the small tuna's death.

"What a waste."

Catching a small Bluefin Tuna was illegal, but stopping such incidents was hard to enforce. No one could stop fishermen from doing whatever they wanted while at sea when no one could see them. Selling a small Bluefin Tuna was illegal, but eating it was fine in the eyes of ordinary fishermen.

Around this time, Karlos also arrived with his boat. He caught sixteen King Salmon and thirty-one spiny lobsters. After the storm, he decided to stop catching crabs for a while. He left five crab traps to maintain his territory in the mangroves but hadn't visited them in ten days. Instead, he focused on fishing for salmon and catching lobsters.

That was why he had caught thirty-one lobsters today, he had set up ten traps around the island. It was also why he managed to catch sixteen salmon: he had more time to fish. His muscles ached pleasantly, but seeing the stacked lobsters and expensive fish in his boat filled him with quiet pride.

Karlos looked around and noticed several bangkas hauling Bluefin Tuna, which meant that this fish was now active in their region as the temperature continued to drop.

---

[Author's Note: You can read more on my Patreon. The 50% discount is still ongoing.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 72


'I earned 85,000 pesos today, nice.' Karlos thought to himself with a satisfied grin, his rough hands still smelling faintly of fish.

Even though the price of King Salmon went down, Karlos' earnings didn't decrease. Instead, they steadily climbed higher. There were even times when he earned more than 100,000 pesos per sail.

His decision to spend more time fishing for salmon and setting more traps around the island was the right move. He grinned as he read the receipt. He sold the lobsters to a buyer while he sold the salmon to the factory.

While he was grinning, he saw a man carrying baskets of salmon, gritting his teeth. The man had short yellow hair and crossed eyes. He seemed like an average guy, but that feature stood out.

"Hey, Brandon, how's your day?"

Karlos approached him, his voice friendly and warm. Brandon put down the two baskets and wiped his face, sweat mixing with salty water as he exhaled tiredly.

"I'm doing alright, but definitely not that great. Davis lost his boat, and I can't find another employer. No one's looking for boat workers anymore... Even if someone does, they don't want someone like me." Brandon sighed, his shoulders drooping.

His life this month had been tough. He had faced discrimination because of his crossed eyes, and it affected him badly. Now, he didn't have a choice but to work as a porter. Even then, he couldn't earn decent money because only a few people trusted him to carry their fish. He was frustrated. His calloused hands clenched briefly before he sighed again, defeated.

If he had realized this would be his future, he would've tried to finish high school. At least then he could've applied to factories with a diploma. But the reason he didn't pursue education was because of the constant bullying from his classmates.

"What about you? I rarely see you in our neighborhood. I saw your land and construction workers building a house there. I thought you sold your land or something. If not for Andres, who told me the story, I wouldn't have known you were building a concrete house. Man, lucky for you."

"I got lucky," Karlos replied modestly, though his eyes showed a flicker of pride.

"I know, almost everyone in the neighborhood heard about that."

"Anyway, I have something to talk to you about. You told me that you have a longline fishing gear in your house back when we drank last time."

"Yeah, it's a 200-meter longline with 100 hooks. You're going longline fishing? But you need at least two people to set that up." Brandon was surprised since Karlos' boat was only five meters long, not suitable for longline fishing. He tried to imagine how a single person could manage that on a small boat.

"That's why I'm thinking of hiring you for a month. How about it?"

"Huh?" Brandon was surprised, his crossed eyes widening slightly, unsure if he heard correctly.

"I'll pay you 500 pesos plus 5% profit."

"You're going to give me a share of the profit?"

"Just like you said, doing longline fishing needs at least two people to work properly. Although I can only hire you while salmon season is ongoing."

To make things fair, Karlos decided to give Brandon a 5% share of his daily earnings. He wasn't sure how hiring workers usually went, but he decided to do it anyway. If longline fishing worked, then they'd earn more, a win-win situation for both.

'To encourage someone and make them work hard, you have to give them enough reason to do so.' He thought as the faint sound of seagulls echoed above the bustling port.

"... I'm in." Brandon didn't hesitate. His lips curled into a small, hopeful smile, something he hadn't worn in weeks.

What Karlos didn't know was that Brandon's earnings as a porter were only a meager 400 pesos. As for his last job under Davis, he earned 700 pesos per day, though he had to bring his own food. He also didn't have a profit share.

In this case, Brandon felt like working with Karlos was far better than being a porter. At least he could earn more, the job was less exhausting, and most importantly, he'd finally feel trusted again.

"Bring your longline to the beach tomorrow around 3:00 a.m. Also, here, buy sardines as bait. I'll meet you around that time."

Karlos gave Brandon 150 pesos to buy sardines as bait for salmon. He'd heard that salmon liked sardines.

"Alright, I'll take care of it. I'll wash the longline and set it up."

Setting up 200 meters of line was time-consuming, so Brandon would probably have to return home early. His mind was already planning how to detangle the hooks before sunset.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Karlos bid farewell and left the fish port with his small bangka, its wooden hull creaking gently as it bobbed on the waves.

"I will," Brandon muttered softly, more to himself, watching Karlos fade into the horizon.

After Brandon delivered the baskets to his client's truck, he decided to stop for the day. His arms ached, but for the first time, his heart felt light.

'Karlos decided to trust me, and I don't want to break his trust.' He thought with quiet determination.

There was a reason boat owners didn't hire Brandon, they couldn't trust him based on his appearance, his crossed eyes to be exact. For people working in the middle of the sea, it was dangerous if one of them had ulterior motives. The sea had no witnesses, only waves to swallow both the guilty and the innocent. There had been cases where workers on fishing vessels killed each other over petty issues.

The boat owners didn't want to compromise their safety by hiring someone they couldn't trust.

But Karlos decided to trust Brandon, and that single gesture of faith felt like a lifeline. Karlos was confident in reading people, and he had known Brandon for years.

Brandon found a fisherman selling four kilograms of sardines for 150 pesos. He even asked for a receipt just to make things clear, a small but proud act of responsibility.

He returned home holding a plastic bag of sardines covered in crushed ice, cold droplets running down as he carried it carefully. He placed it inside a styrofoam box to maintain its freshness.

"Pa, where's our longline?"

Brandon asked his father, an old man in his sixties with gray hair and brown skin.

"Why are you looking for it?" The old man raised an eyebrow, his tone curious but not harsh.

"I was hired by my friend to do longline fishing with him."

"Who is it?"

"It's Karlos, my friend."

"Karlos? You mean the guy who caught Bluefin Tuna?" The father's eyes widened slightly.

The story was well-known in their neighborhood. Every fisherman admired that catch.

"Yes. Anyway, where's the longline? I have to set it up."

"It's under the sink, the line got tangled. I'll help you untangle it." He walked toward the corner of the house.

Brandon's father was a retired fisherman. He had three children, and Brandon was the only one who hadn't married. Brandon had lived in their house his whole life.

"I haven't seen Mama around?"

"She's probably gossiping with the neighbors. You know how much she loves gossip." The old man chuckled, shaking his head as Brandon laughed in return.

 

[Pujimaki]

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 73


Brandon and his father, Gomez, worked together to untangle the longline, carefully tucking the hooks so that they wouldn't tangle further.

Untangling a 200-meter-long line was no simple task. The fishing line snaked across the ground showed how long time it needed to be done.

"Karlos has a small boat, right? I wonder how many fish it can carry?"

"Around 50 fish, depending on their sizes. He said he wants to catch salmon. With that fish as a basis, the boat can handle about 50 to 70 fish."

Of course, there might be times when the longline caught bigger fish or different species altogether. The sea was always unpredictable.

"Seventy fish of King Salmon, huh? Then that's viable. Not every hook can catch fish. Back when I was still a fisherman, it was already fortunate if I caught 30 fish using longline fishing," Gomez said, speaking from experience. He was once a fisherman, but because of his old age, he had to retire. His hands moved efficiently as he untangled the line.

"Thirty fish? That would be great then." Brandon wasn't expecting something outrageous like 100 fish. Thirty King Salmon would already be a great catch.

They laid the longline down in a circle once done untangled. Gomez rolled it up on a styrofoam box, sticking the hooks into the foam. Brandon made sure the line wouldn't get tangled while his father rolled it up. Their rhythm was steady, born from years of familiarity with the tools.

A few minutes later, Brandon's mother, Carmine, showed up. She had a smile on her face while carrying a basket filled with vegetables. Her laughter from earlier still lingered on her lips, her conversation with her friends had been entertaining as always. She'd heard some juicy stories.

"Oh, what are you guys doing?" She frowned when she found her husband and son rolling up the longline. They had been working on this task for two hours. She squinted at the mess of line and hooks.

"I got hired by my friend Karlos to help him fish."

"Really? That Karlos, Maya's husband? You got lucky then. I heard he's Blessed by the Sea." Her eyes widened slightly, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"You really believe that, Ma?"

"Of course. You're still young, so you don't know how important luck can be."

"I'm asking if Blessed by the Sea is even real?" This kind of superstition had been in their culture for many decades. Brandon tilted his head, half curious and half skeptical.

Carmine clicked her tongue.

"Then how can you explain how he caught a Bluefin Tuna and earned hundreds of thousands? He even hired a construction company to build his house."

"I mean..."

"You should take this job seriously. Maybe you can absorb some of his luck. Out of all my children, you're still single and have no family. You ought to take your life seriously. When will you introduce a woman to me?" Her voice rose slightly, both teasing and scolding.

"Ma." Brandon could only sigh. He knew his situation better than anyone. He averted his gaze, his jaw tightening slightly as he felt the weight of her words.

"By the way, I heard that Miguel sold his boat and moved to a village south of the mangroves," Carmine said, sharing what she'd heard from her friends. Her tone shifted, more conversational now.

"This is the first time I've heard that. No wonder I haven't seen Miguel lately." Even before the storm, Brandon had rarely seen Miguel's boat. That explained why his crew members were now working as porters in the fish port.

"Also, did you ask Karlos why there was a sports car in front of his house last time? Is it true his relatives are rich?" Carmine asked eagerly. It seemed Maya got lucky. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she leaned forward slightly.

"Ma, I don't know."

"Tch, you're useless. Well, I guess Maya is lucky. Back when Karlos showed up in this town, he looked like a beggar. I wonder what they saw in him."

Maya wasn't the only one who'd thought of dating Karlos, but she was the one who seriously pursued him, or perhaps, it was the other way around. Aside from Maya, there was also a recent college graduate who got along with Karlos. But the woman went to Maynila to work as an elementary teacher.

"Here, it's done. Remember, you have to unroll the line first before hooking the baits. If you want to hook the baits first, then make sure you're following the right sequence. Make sure the hooks don't tangle," Gomez reminded his son. He spoke firmly, wanting his son to take this job seriously.

"I'll remember that."

Even though Brandon had been a fisherman for years, he rarely had the chance to do longline fishing. The boats he worked on preferred trawling, spreading wide nets to catch fish. Brandon's role was usually that of a swimmer, he had to inspect the net underneath, making sure there were no holes for fish to escape. He was confident in his lungs and could last five minutes underwater at a depth of 10 meters.

It was an amazing feat, the average person couldn't even last two minutes underwater, especially at 10 meters deep. The sea had always been his second home, considering he grew up by the seaside and his career as a fisherman.

That night, Brandon and his parents had vegetable soup with fish. Nothing extravagant, but it was filling. Brandon slept early for the next day.

Like most fishermen who had to wake up early, Brandon's biological clock woke him around 2:40 a.m. He stood up and washed his face, then went to the shore carrying an old styrofoam box with bait inside and the longline wrapped around it. The air was cool, the stars still scattered across the sky, and the scent of the sea filled his lungs.

"You're going longline fishing? Who hired you?" Some of the fishermen saw Brandon waiting on the shore and guessed he was hired by someone. Their voices were low and raspy from years of smoking. They saw the line and hooks attached to the styrofoam and immediately deduced Brandon's job.

"It's Karlos. He hired me for about a month."

"The salmon season's still ongoing, so I guess that's not a surprise. Take care then."

"You too."

More boats sailed out until only a few remained on the shore. Brandon heard the sound of an engine. The low hum grew louder. He saw the silhouette of a small boat and confirmed it was Karlos.

"Stay on the water! You don't have to dock, I'll just approach you!"

Brandon stepped into the cold water without flinching. The chill bit at his skin, but he moved forward steadily. He had basically lived at sea most of his life. In fact, he'd spent more time on the water than on land. His situation these past few weeks was different because the boat he worked on had been destroyed.

The water reached his waist when he got to Karlos's boat. He put the styrofoam box on the boat first before stepping in.

"You don't want to change?" Karlos looked at his wet clothes.

"Nah, small matter." Brandon shrugged and flashed a grin. He was used to it.

---

[Author's Note: Not gonna lie, I feel like I want to change the title of this novel to attract more readers.]