Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 171
By the time Karlos and Brandon were done, they had filled three buckets. The water had reached their chests now that high tide had arrived, and diving constantly at that depth was quite difficult.
As for the three young men, they barely filled two buckets, and their buckets were even smaller than the ones Karlos used.
Karlos and Brandon poured the last batch of abalones they caught into the buckets. The bags around their waists gradually loosened once they transferred everything, and their bodies finally felt lighter.
"You guys are done?"
Robin asked, a bit surprised that Karlos and Brandon were already leaving. He thought they would push themselves further for more profit.
"Yeah, it's dangerous to continue diving once the tide gets high. I don't recommend it," Karlos answered flatly.
"I see... Then I guess we should leave too. We already caught a lot today, more than what we caught yesterday," Robin said as he stepped out of the reef, his shorts clinging to his legs as water dripped down.
"Alright, my skin is getting wrinkly from staying in the water for too long," Escudero agreed and carried a bucket out of the water.
"We can still catch more."
Robin and Escudero stared at Bastos as if he was being unreasonable. Among the three, Bastos had caught the least. It even took him a few minutes just to pry off a single abalone.
Furthermore, he couldn't stay underwater for long. Bastos was a heavy smoker, which likely affected his lung capacity. He was now slightly gasping for air while keeping his head above the rising tide. Being shorter than the others, the water had already reached his neck, making it even harder for him to stay steady.
"Bastos, it's time to leave. Even if we stay longer, it will be hard to dive once the tide rises further. We should rest early so we have more energy for tomorrow," Robin explained, trying to convince him.
'Besides, you don't contribute much even if you stay longer. You're too slow.' Robin kept that thought to himself. He only agreed to let Bastos join because they were friends and Bastos needed money. Although Bastos had a knack for spotting opportunities, Robin was beginning to regret letting him join. Still, he couldn't just kick him out unless Bastos made a serious mistake.
Robin was also still ashamed of what they had done to Karlos and Brandon. For now, he wanted to fix their relationship if possible.
"... Alright," Bastos finally agreed, though his tone carried reluctance. He hoped today's earnings would be enough to hire a gorgeous hooker.
The three men carried their buckets. By the time they reached the beach, Karlos and Brandon were already gone. The two older men were fast and efficient. They had no reason to linger on the island, they wanted to finish their work and return home to rest.
Karlos always missed his wife and two children, even if he had only been away for a few hours. He was just that kind of man, family always came first.
"Let's go," Robin said as they hauled the buckets into the boat.
They reached the fish port and sold their catch for 17,000 pesos, better than the previous day. It seemed Karlos and Brandon had already finished selling theirs, as they were nowhere to be seen at the port.
Robin gave Bastos and Escudero 850 pesos each. Unlike Brandon, who had a guaranteed 500 pesos plus a 5% profit share, Bastos and Escudero only received a 5% share, meaning their earnings depended entirely on the total profit.
Escudero smiled and thanked Robin. For an 18-year-old like him, 850 pesos was already a decent amount. With their earnings steadily increasing over the past few days, he was satisfied.
Bastos accepted the money with a nod, though he was slightly disappointed.
'It's enough to buy beer and brag to people. Still, we should have stayed longer.' He clicked his tongue inwardly.
"I'm not heading back. You guys can leave," Bastos told them.
"Alright," Robin and Escudero replied. They weren't surprised. Bastos always stayed behind after getting his share. They already knew where he was going.
The red-light district.
Bastos had invited them once, but both Escudero and Robin refused for their own reasons.
Escudero was too shy and thought the place was dangerous. He had heard stories about it and didn't want to take the risk.
As for Robin, he was pursuing a college student. Their relationship wasn't official yet, but things were going well. He had no reason to seek out other women.
The boat left, and Bastos walked away from the dock. He passed the selling area, where buyers and fishermen bargained over prices. He briefly glanced at the tuna section, where people carefully inspected the quality before making purchases.
Bastos and the others had once tried venturing farther out to catch larger fish like yellowfin and bluefin tuna, but they failed to catch any adults. Larger tuna had higher value, especially for sashimi and sushi, but the ones they caught were too small and only fetched average prices.
On top of that, they had spent three days at sea for that attempt and didn't even break even due to expenses, especially the cost of ice.
Because of that experience, Bastos looked for faster and easier ways to make money. He realized that Karlos and Brandon were already doing exactly that.
Now that they were earning steady income, Bastos didn't regret disrespecting them. He didn't care at all.
Bastos left the fish port and headed to the tricycle terminal.
"Take me to Sarap Road," he said to the driver.
"Hehe, okay boss," the driver smirked. He already knew what kind of trip this was. Every driver knew that Sarap Road was near the red-light district. A young man like Bastos was easy to figure out.
[Thank you for reading this novel.]