The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

[Precision Strike] While it cannot guarantee a perfect hit, it provides a high efficiency in hand-to-hand capture. Leo practiced while searching and unknowingly caught half a bucketful.

The bucket contains not only Atlantic blue crabs, but also rock crabs, which are common locally.

This intertidal predator is adept at climbing rocks and hiding in crevices, making it even more agile than the Atlantic blue crab and more difficult to catch.

However, Leo didn't waste any time on the rock crab. The rock crab was very small, only 4-5 centimeters wide, and tasted delicious, but it didn't have much meat.

He symbolically caught two to taste, but his main target was the Atlantic blue crab, the most delicious crab that could be found on the East Coast. If he wanted to eat other types of crab, he would have to go to deeper waters or buy them at the morning fish market.

The key to enjoying seafood is freshness; there's no need to overindulge. This gluttonous boy understands this principle.

Estimating that it would be enough for three people, Leo headed back home and started a fire to cook.

......

There are no seasonings in the kitchen; I didn't buy any yesterday.

The kitchenware was also very basic, consisting of two flat-bottomed pans and a large copper pot with a diameter of more than half a meter.

Leo reasonably suspected it was a washbasin, but had no proof.

Italians have countless ways of cooking seafood, especially crabs. They are used to cutting crabs into eight pieces before cooking, but Leo doesn't know how to cook and doesn't have the patience for it because there are too many of them.

He divided the seafood he brought back into two portions: one consisting of shellfish and whelks, and the other of crabs.

The cooking method is simple and crude—put everything in a big pot and boil it; they're too lazy to even chop it.

A true man doesn't concern himself with trivial matters; when cooking, the focus is on preserving the original flavor, and it's also simple and quick.

The first batch of shellfish and conch cooked very quickly; they were ready to eat as soon as they opened.

Before the crabs were even cooked, Leo immediately started eating. Just as he was enjoying his meal, footsteps suddenly came from the shipyard behind him.

Leo immediately became alert.

The "gatekeeper" ran into trouble on his first day on the job?

But he slept in the shipyard for two nights and it was quite safe. In broad daylight... how could a thief possibly get in?

Leo wanted to find a handy tool for self-defense, so he went to look for more.

But I cleaned it too thoroughly yesterday, and the sharpest thing around was a small fruit knife about the length of my index finger, which looked like a joke... The second sharpest thing was a crab claw.

"I still need to buy some things." Leo entered the factory empty-handed to inspect it.

He secretly told himself that once this matter was over, he had to go to the grocery store and do some serious shopping, otherwise life would be too inconvenient. It was just that the owner's tone of voice was too offensive.

Hey, isn't that a coincidence?

The person he was thinking about actually appeared in front of him—Leo met Nicholas, the grocery store owner, in the shipyard!

Nicholas was accompanied by a middle-aged stranger.

"What are you doing here?" Leo adopted the demeanor of a 'gatekeeper' and seriously questioned the two guys who had suddenly barged in, especially the man he had never seen before.

This is what he learned in Sicily—to be sufficiently vigilant when dealing with strangers.

"Where are the things that were originally kept in the workshop?" the stranger asked Leo.

Leo, mimicking Aesop's interrogation, warily countered with his own question:

"What does this have to do with you? That's the shipyard's property."

Leo thought he had mastered the essence, but a real Sicilian's way of speaking is truly extraordinary.

Nicholas patted the stranger on the shoulder twice and said in a sarcastic tone:

"Solberto, I once thought you were crazy to come all the way from Palermo and make a day trip. Now I understand. Where did you find this idiot? I think you should just fire him."

"He's not the guy I hired." Solberto's face was 'gloomy'.

......

The Leo people were dumbfounded.

The first time I exercised my duty as a "gatekeeper," the person in question was actually the shipyard owner.

It's just that Solberto is so different from what I remembered.

In my memory, Uncle Sorberto was tall, lean and muscular, not handsome, but very energetic.

However, the Uncle Sorberto in front of him had a slightly hunched back and a face full of wrinkles. Only his meticulously combed hair and clean beard proved that his soul was not bent.

"Time flies," Solberto sighed, staring at the face that bore a striking resemblance to his best friend.

It's unclear whether they're lamenting the unpredictability of life or the ruthlessness of time.

"Yes, time really flies," Leo said with a sigh.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. His memories of Uncle Sorberto are all from his childhood; they only met once after he grew up, at Leo's parents' funeral.

The most profound impression that Sorbetto left on Leo that time was his heartbroken crying. He still remembers that grief-stricken figure, which is very much in line with his father's best friend.

"How is your uncle doing lately?" Solberto suddenly asked.

Ok?

Aren't you my dad's best friend?

In my memory, there was never a single picture of Solberto and his uncle Panini together.

"It's fine, the same as always," Leo said, snapping out of his reverie.

Solberto raised his hand and touched his forehead, as if recalling something unpleasant:

"It still sounds just as unreliable as ever..."

Leo noticed that Solberto's finger joints were very large—a sign of someone who earns a living with his hands.

Uncle Panini often complained that his large finger joints prevented him from meeting pretty ladies, and that no one believed him when he tried to pretend to be rich.

However, compared to Sorberto's hands, Uncle Panini's hands could be described as "delicate".

The person standing in front of him must be an excellent and hardworking craftsman.

"I moved the model ships and unassembled parts that were originally here to the warehouse," Leo said, leading the way. "I didn't throw any away. Would you like to take a look?"

Sorbet waved his hand:

"No need, it's all useless trash that I didn't have time to throw away before."

Leo didn't say anything, but he didn't agree.

Why do you ask such useless questions as soon as you come in?

After living in Marzamémi for a few days, Leo had come to deeply appreciate the sensitivity and caution of the Sicilians.

This is by no means a derogatory term; it is simply an objective statement.

History has shaped this character – over the past 3000 years, Sicily has been conquered by dozens of peoples, and without sufficient caution and sensitivity, it would have been impossible to survive.

Rio guessed that Uncle Sorbet's return this time might be because he was worried about the shipyard and wanted to come back and check it out in person.

However, reality slapped him hard in the face...

"Can't we get down to business first?" Nicholas asked Solberto impatiently. "What exactly do you want to buy? You won't tell me unless we get to the factory."

Solberto walked outside with his hands behind his back:

"Let's go check the kitchen first and see if we're missing anything."

Young Sauberto could see through every child's lie.

Time will only enhance his ability.

He guessed Leo's difficult situation and rushed back the next day after receiving the call to see if he could help.

This was the first time Leo had experienced the warmth of the world since his rebirth.

He had a thousand things he wanted to say to Uncle Sorberto, but suddenly his face froze, and he shouted as he rushed out:

"My crab!"