Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 165
Actually, Roman had only visited the shrimp farm once, and that was when he first bought the land. His visit was brief and purely transactional. He didn't have high expectations of building a subdivision or hotels in this part of town because it lacked appeal and had no scenery that could catch a tourist's eye, no beaches, no mountains, nothing worth advertising. The land was quite close to the mangroves, yet it didn't have any tourist attractions, as the surroundings were too bleak, with muddy waters and thick vegetation dominating the view.
So he simply thought of starting a "small" business on a whim, a casual decision to make sure the land would generate income instead of sitting idle. Alfred was the one who managed the creation of the farm, so he knew the expenses better.
"He just gave this farm to me? Just like that?" Karlos asked.
"That shows how grateful Young Master Roman is," Alfred answered calmly.
However, Alfred knew that Roman was not generous nor charitable, at least not to outsiders. The Alejandro family treated everything as business, except when it came to family. They were generous to their own.
In any case, Alfred believed that Roman gave Karlos the shrimp farm because he treated him as his brother. Otherwise, Roman would never give away a business that was close to making a profit.
The gate opened with a metallic groan.
The car entered the farm, and they stepped outside. The smell of brackish water and mud hit them immediately. Karlos was used to the scent, as he had been a crab trapper for years. It even felt nostalgic to him.
Brandon was dumbfounded and couldn't speak. He just stood there stiffly with wide eyes.
"Young Master Roman hasn't explained it to you, but the shrimp farm has already been in production for four months, and the first harvest will happen in a week or two," Alfred informed.
"Alright." Karlos had nothing more to say. He was still processing everything.
"Sir Alfred! You've come. Are you here to check Pond No.1? Haha, the shrimps are growing well. We can even sell them at any moment, they're already at a good market size!" the man spoke loudly.
A man in his 40s greeted Alfred. His skin was tanned from working under the sun his whole life.
"Zaldy, I want you to meet Karlos Alejandro. He's your boss from now on."
"Alejandro? Hello, I'm Zaldy, the caretaker and manager of the Alejandro shrimp farm." Zaldy grinned and eagerly extended his hand for a handshake. He couldn't believe he was meeting one of the young masters of the Alejandro family.
However, he was slightly confused by Karlos's appearance. He had expected the young master to arrive in an expensive suit with a refined aura.
"Hello, I'm Karlos Alejandro," Karlos replied simply.
"It's nice to meet you." Zaldy shook his hand, slightly surprised by the rough calluses. If not for Karlos's handsome face and natural charisma, Zaldy might have mistaken him for a construction worker.
"Zaldy, explain the shrimp farm to Karlos and Brandon," Alfred ordered.
"Yes, sir. Young Master Karlos and Brandon, this way please. I'll take you to see the ponds so you can better understand everything." Zaldy gestured forward enthusiastically.
Karlos was still overwhelmed, so he didn't pay much attention to Zaldy's respectful tone.
Zaldy began explaining the shrimp farm in detail with confidence.
There were five ponds. Four were in production, while Pond No.5 was used for water filtration. It served as a storage pond, allowing debris and dirt to settle before the water was used in shrimp farming.
The water came from the mangroves located hundreds of meters away. It was pumped and filtered, but still required further processing before being used in the shrimp ponds. That was the purpose of Pond No.5.
The Alejandro shrimp farm initially used Pond No.1 to experiment with the water, testing whether the environment was suitable. Surprisingly, their first batch was successful, and now Pond No.1 had fully grown shrimps ready for harvest. It took four months for the shrimps to mature.
They followed the same process with Pond No.2, then Pond No.3, and Pond No.4. Each pond contained shrimps at different growth stages, with Pond No.1 having the largest and most mature batch.
"Next month, the shrimp in Pond No.2 will mature. The month after that, Pond No.3 will be ready for harvest. To ensure a steady flow of profit, we harvest one pond every month," Zaldy added.
Karlos and Brandon were still in shock. The scale of the operation far exceeded their expectations.
"The shrimp we use in our farm is Whiteleg Shrimp, or Litopenaeus vannamei. This species has high survivability and grows quickly."
Each pond was about half the size of a soccer field, with paddlewheel aerators constantly spinning to supply oxygen and maintain stable conditions for the shrimps.
Zaldy led them to Pond No.1.
"Young Master, would you like to try catching shrimp? We have a cast net here. Anything you catch will be yours."
"Let me try." Karlos was immediately interested. He grabbed the cast net from the ground.
Zaldy didn't even have the chance to teach him how to use it. He was surprised when Karlos threw a perfect circular cast into the pond.
Only fishermen experienced with cast nets could throw such a perfect circle.
Brandon nodded when he saw the throw. It wasn't bad, though he believed he could do better.
The net sank into the water, and Karlos waited a few seconds before hauling it up. It was heavy. He estimated that he had caught at least 25 kilograms.
Zaldy intended to help, but judging by Karlos's posture, it was clear he knew what he was doing.
As the net surfaced, Karlos and Brandon saw the shrimps jumping inside. Both men grinned. Shrimps were delicious.
"Here's a basin, sir." A worker nearby brought over a wide basin.
Karlos easily carried the net filled with shrimps and emptied it into the basin. The shrimps were still actively jumping.
Zaldy picked one up and showed it to Karlos. It was about 13 centimeters long and weighed around 30 grams.
"Sir, take a look at this shrimp. Isn't it beautiful?" Zaldy said proudly. He had worked hard to grow them to this size.
"Indeed." Karlos grinned. The shrimp was of good quality.
[Thank you for reading this novel.]