Chapter 49

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 49

Karlos shivered as the cold wind blew against him. He wore a T-shirt under his long-sleeved shirt to fight the breeze. However, his unprotected areas, such as his face and neck, were exposed to the chill, and it was enough to make his whole body tremble as though invisible ice were crawling down his spine.

“Brrrr!”

He shook his head and made a silly sound to fight off the cold, hoping to trick his body into feeling warmer. The waves around November and December were stronger because of the steady breeze, especially at night when the moonlight shimmered on the restless sea.

Because of that, Karlos had to carefully navigate his boat. Bigger waves were dangerous for him, and one wrong move could send him into the cold water.

Karlos thought about buying a bigger boat with a better engine, but he had to postpone the idea. A locally made bangka cost around 500,000 pesos, and even secondhand ones with patched hulls still demanded at least 300,000 pesos.

It wasn’t his plan at the moment. What he wanted was to build a proper house so they wouldn’t have to live in such a small space. It was a hassle to leave the comfort of their kubo just to cook or take a bath.

Their plot of land was 300 square meters, and they planned to build a simple residential house of about 150 square meters. Maya wanted to use the remaining space for a garden where she could plant vegetables, herbs, and even a few flowering plants for color.

Karlos had already spoken with Engineer Montoya, who said that building a house from scratch was more expensive than renovating one. A house of 150 square meters would need at least 1.4 million pesos to build, including materials, labor, and permits. It would cost even more if Karlos and Maya wanted a two-story house.

Naturally, the couple was already satisfied with a simple one-story house, since their main priority was comfort and safety rather than luxury.

Because of these reasons, Karlos was more motivated than ever to make money. He knew his advantage, no matter how much he tried to deny it, it seemed that he really was Blessed by the Sea. The fact that he earned 1.6 million pesos in one sailing was enough proof, no matter how much he tried to reason it away as coincidence.

He was a little happy and thankful for that. At least he knew he had ways to provide for his family and ensure Maya and the twins would never go hungry.

‘Perhaps this is a slight superpower that the deities gave me after I transmigrated?’

Karlos wasn’t sure, but the thought amused him.

Well, he might as well take advantage of it. He wanted to earn at least 500,000 pesos in the months before the new year arrived so that by January, he could already start planning their house with confidence.

When he reached his trapping area, he decided to eat biscuits first. Moving in the cold weather took a lot of energy, so he had to replenish himself. He ate the dry biscuits and then drank water, feeling the crumbs scratch his throat before the water washed them down.

He started his job for the day and located the first trap. His expression turned grim when he felt how light it was. As expected, the trap had nothing inside, not even a trace of movement or a broken shell. Only disappointment.

“Fucking bastard! This is the second time this week!”

He gritted his teeth. Lately, there had been a string of thefts in the mangroves. Karlos wasn’t the only victim; other fishermen had also lost their catch, and the whole community was angry.

“He didn’t even think twice and stole the bait too. I just put that bait yesterday…”

The fact that even the bait was stolen showed just how shameless the thief was.

Fortunately, Karlos had prepared extra bait, so he reset the trap. Still, the cold morning felt heavier with such a bleak start.

A few hours later, he sighed after finishing his rounds. Out of fifteen traps, three were empty. Even the bait was missing.

He took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth.

“Whoever the thief is, I hope he gets diarrhea.”

Stealing is bad, everyone knows that. It’s a crime honest people despise. If you steal something, you should ask yourself why you’re such a piece of shit. You should live fair and square, because hard work might be tiring, but at least you can sleep with a clear conscience.

For all the thieves, robbers, and corrupt politicians, fuck you. Hope you step on shit whenever you leave your house.

People were doing their best to live their lives without stepping on others, but thieves were different. They always looked for shortcuts at the expense of honest folk.

After calming his rage, Karlos had no choice but to continue. Getting angry was one thing, but staying angry while working was dangerous, it could cloud his judgment.

As the sun rose, other fishermen like him finished their rounds, their boats scattering across the mangroves.

“Hey, Jun-Jun! You look grumpy. Did you eat spoiled rice or something?”

“Someone stole my catch.”

“Yours too?”

Karlos’s sharp look confirmed his suspicion: the thief was targeting the whole area.

“That’s right. I’m not the only one, Ben’s traps were hit too. That bastard, if I catch him, I’ll beat him to death! Four of my traps were empty. That’s never happened to me before, so I know someone stole them.” Jun-Jun grumpily paddled. His boat had no engine, so he had to row through the water. Karlos was impressed with his stamina, knowing how exhausting paddling long distances was and how it burned the arms.

“What about you, Karlos? How many did you lose?”

“Three traps. Mostly the ones along the way of the mangroves. He didn’t touch those deeper inside. Anyway, I have to go. Don’t confront the thief alone, it could be dangerous. Once you find out who it is, tell me. We’ll form a team to beat the crap out of him before sending him to the police.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Karlos bid him farewell. He realized that the thief might have stolen from many fishermen, but the pattern was clear: the traps along the outer paths were being targeted.

The engine roared as he moved into the sea. With the sun now high, the cold breeze weakened. Karlos no longer felt cold, in fact, the bright sun was making him sweaty. He took off his long sleeves and wore only the T-shirt, putting the shirt into his bag along with the plastic wrapper from the biscuits. He reminded himself to throw it away properly once he got home.

He drank water to stay hydrated. His work wasn’t done yet, ,he still had to head to his usual fishing spot. With his catch today already lower than usual, he couldn’t afford to leave without meeting his quota.

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[This novel has 33 advanced chapters on Patreon.]