Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 92
"Happy Children's Blessed Day!"
The young kids, ranging from 4 to 10 years old, rang the villa's doorbell while gripping their small coin pouches.
When they saw a couple watching their twins playing at the open annex, the children greeted them with bright voices filled with excitement.
Today was the celebration of the eradication of the High Lich that almost conquered the world. Since then, December 25 had become a holiday.
Karlos was a bit surprised that December 25 was also a holiday in Thera, though the meaning behind it was different. The coincidence amused him.
When the children saw Karlos and Maya, they immediately sensed that this year might be different. The couple looked kind and generous. Last year, they only received 1 peso each from the old maid. It seemed the owners of the villa had been away in Bay Harbor at the time.
These children were not from this neighborhood. This area was simply their first stop because most residents in this part of town were considered wealthy. The children came from the eastern and southern sides of town, where middle-class and lower-class families lived.
Since this neighborhood was full of expensive-looking houses, the kids understood they could earn more money here. That alone motivated them to visit every gate.
They had already visited seven houses. Two did not open their doors, while the remaining five gave them at least 5 pesos each. They were thrilled.
Karlos and Maya noticed the children waiting by the gate, their hopeful gazes tugging at the couple's hearts.
Arabella, the most active and mischievous twin, grinned widely and excitedly rolled toward the children in her baby walker. The wheels made her surprisingly fast as she reached toward them with her tiny hands.
Iñigo narrowed his eyes at the older kids, observing them cautiously. Unlike his sister, he stayed close to his parents.
Maya followed Arabella to make sure she didn't bump into anything.
"Hehe!" The little girl waved her doll proudly, showing it off with innocent triumph.
When the youngest girl in the group saw Arabella's toy, she felt a pang of jealousy. She rarely owned toys. She had joined her cousins today to earn money… hoping she could finally buy something soft and pretty. Spoiler alert: her mother would take the money later, as usual.
Maya counted the children, five in total, all wearing dusty slippers. She opened her pouch and pulled out a crisp 20-peso bill.
The children froze in shock as she counted five 20-peso bills and gave each kid one.
"Thank you, Doña!"
They bowed their heads politely and thanked Maya, moved by her generosity.
"Doña?" This was the first time Maya had ever been called that. She had never been rich, so the title felt strange.
Maya gently guided Arabella back to the annex to keep her away from the sun.
"They probably thought you're the owner of this villa," Karlos chuckled, sipping his beer and feeling relaxed.
"It's early in the morning and you're already drinking alcohol?"
"It's a holiday. It's meant to be celebrated," he said confidently.
"Children should celebrate, not adults."
"Well, most industries are closed today, and only a few private companies are operating. That means even the government and the companies agree today is a rest day for adults." Karlos reasoned, trying to sound logical.
"You're not employed by a company."
"You want me to work then?" he teased.
"Nope. Stay here with me."
It was rare for Karlos to have a rest day, and Maya wanted to spend these precious moments with him and the kids.
She leaned her head on Karlos's shoulder as they watched their two adorable children giggle and play.
"Arabella is really outgoing, while Iñigo is quiet and never interacts with strangers," Maya murmured.
"That's a good thing. At least we know Iñigo would never trust a stranger. As for Arabella… she might easily get kidnapped—ouch."
"Don't jinx it!" Maya slapped his thigh.
"My fault," Karlos admitted quickly.
"We have to teach the kids to never trust strangers and not accept food from them."
Today was Children's Blessed Day, and kids received money from strangers. But they never accepted candies or food because parents always warned them. Children also walked in groups so no one would get kidnapped. Some parents even accompanied them for safety.
Since Arabella and Iñigo were still babies, the couple felt they were too young to join the money-gathering tradition.
A few minutes later, a group of seven kids appeared and politely asked for money. Today was a rare chance for kids to earn, and they wanted to maximize their profits before noon.
Just like last time, Maya gave each child a brand new crisp 20-peso bill. She and Karlos had withdrawn plenty of 20-peso bills for this day. Since this year had been abundant for them, they decided to give back to the community by gifting children 20 pesos each as a small gesture of gratitude.
When the kids received the fresh bills, they smiled brightly and thanked Maya.
"Thank you, Doña! Thank you, Don!"
They even thanked Karlos from afar as he lifted his beer slightly in acknowledgment.
Maya still wasn't used to being addressed as Doña.
"I think I know why they're calling you Doña. It's probably because you gave them 20 pesos."
That amount was already big, even for adults. You could buy 1 kilogram of rice with 20 pesos, which mattered a lot for many families.
"... Should we… lower the money then?" Maya hesitated.
Karlos laughed at her dilemma, finding her adorable.
"It's alright. We already decided to give the kids 20 pesos. Besides, we don't have a lot of coins."
Maya had around 150 pieces of 20-peso bills, meaning they withdrew a total of 3,000 pesos. A small amount compared to how much they earned this year. They felt blessed, as their bank balance had already exceeded 3 million pesos.
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