The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Upon seeing this, Nicholas asked Solberto beside him:

"Where did you meet this idiot? He has no redeeming qualities except for his good looks, and he doesn't even seem as clever as Salvatore."

Solberto replied coldly:

"I had planned to splurge at your store today, but I've cancelled that plan now."

In contrast to his critical and harsh treatment of Leo, Nicholas said with concern:

"I'd rather sit down and have a nice drink with you than make money off you. You're so old, why did you go to the big city like those young people? What's wrong with you? Wouldn't it be better to enjoy retirement like Andrei?"

Solberto's elegant reply:

"I'm the kind of person who, once I decide to do something, I'll do it; I can't stay idle for even a minute."

Nicholas looked in Leo's direction:

"After you left, even more 'poor wimps who couldn't make it in the city' came to the village, which means the outside environment is even worse. How much money can you earn in Palermo each month? 70 lira, or 100 million lira? You can earn that much in Marzamemi, it's really not worth going!"

Locals know that those who leave big cities to "strike it rich" in southern Italy are people who can't make it in the city. Who among the truly wealthy would be willing to leave their hometown, with its bright lights and bustling nightlife?

Therefore, these people were given a nickname—poor bastards who couldn't make a living in the city.

Leo is the latest representative of this.

As he spoke, Nicholas suddenly quickened his pace.

What is this new penniless guy messing around with in the kitchen?

Leo approached the two men, carrying a washbasin over half a meter in diameter, and warmly asked Solberto and Nicholas:

"Have you eaten? You made a lot, want to eat some together?"

Nicholas exclaimed "Ah!" and plunged his face into the large basin:

"Eating so much by yourself?"

.......

After half an hour.

A general store.

"Where did you go?" Veronica asked her husband as she did handicrafts to supplement the family income.

"At the Salberto shipyard, he needs to install a set of metal mesh. I'm coming back to get the ruler," Nicholas said, rummaging through his toolbox.

Veronica stood up and asked:

"Solberto's back? Have you had lunch?"

Nicholas blurted out:

"He has food to eat."

Veronica sat down and continued working:

"That's good."

Nicholas turned around and asked:

Did you see that new out-of-towner at the fish market this morning?

Veronica was taken aback:

"You mean that new penniless guy?"

Nicholas grunted:

"Yes, that's him."

Veronica asked curiously:

"Why don't you call him 'the penniless pauper who can't make a living in the city' anymore? This morning you were complaining that you'd never seen such a poor pauper. Everyone else who comes to Marzamemi comes here to splurge first, but he only bought some vegetables and mosquito coils."

Nicholas gestured exaggeratedly in front of him:

"But his family had such a big pot of crabs, and they ate them themselves."

Sicilians eat very simply, without many rules, so their portion sizes are usually quite small.

Therefore, the large basin that Leo brought out really shocked Nicholas.

Mussels and whelks are not rare in Marzamemi; even a child can pry a basinful of them off when they go out. There are hardly any people selling them at the fish market.

But crabs are valuable, especially such a large basin of them.

Nicholas refused to believe that Leo had caught those crabs with his bare hands.

Atlantic blue crabs are very shrewd, so he deduced that the pot of crabs was bought by Leo.

Veronica put down what she was holding and made an even more exaggerated circle in front of her:

"Buying such a big pot of crabs must have cost a lot of money, so he didn't come to Marzamemi because he couldn't make a living in the city?"

Nicholas pulled out a measuring tape and slapped it against his hand, thinking he had discovered something extraordinary:

"If you have the money to buy such a big pot of crabs to eat yourself, your financial situation must be pretty good."

.......

"You went to the fish market this morning?" Solberto and Nicholas had the same question.

Leo shook his head, pointing to the mountain of seashells and crab shells in front of him, and said:

"I caught it myself."

I thought I'd have to use a lot of words and make up some excuses to convince Solberto that this wasn't a joke.

Surprisingly, the person on the other end didn't seem surprised. Instead, what he said took Leo by surprise:

"Panini taught you that? After all these years, he still hasn't forgotten his experiences living by the sea."

Leo uttered several "ahs" in a row, unable to confirm or deny it.

Letting Sorbet continue to misunderstand can prevent a lot of unnecessary trouble, since Leo isn't sure if the lies he fabricates will escape his notice.

But I really don't want to embellish my uncle's reputation with this gold!

Aside from teaching Leo where to find the most beautiful girls in Florence, how to hide his itinerary from his wife, and how to quickly coordinate his story through body language—that lecherous old man—he offered Leo no positive help whatsoever!

Well, you can't say it like that...

The travel expenses he sponsored were still drying in the bedroom.

"Yes, my uncle taught me a lot—" Leo asked curiously, "My uncle lived in Sicily?"

"He didn't tell you?" Solberto finally showed surprise, but quickly nodded. "I understand. Everyone has a past they don't want to talk about, including me."

Solberto changed the subject:

"What are your plans for the future? Have you thought them through?"

Leo temporarily suppressed his curiosity and answered seriously:

"I plan to stay in Marzamemi for a while and see if there are any opportunities to go out to sea."

Catching shellfish and crabs can only fill your stomach; it's unrealistic to expect to get rich that way. If you want to make money, you have to stay away from land.

Solberto's attitude remains rigorous:

"Going out to sea is different from crabbing. It's not just about the skills and abilities required, but also about the many rules you have to keep in mind. It's hard to gain the trust of the local fishing fleet unless you go solo like Salvatore and his crew, but that's very dangerous."

Leo, of course, understood this principle and replied calmly:

"I won't do anything beyond my capabilities, nor will I be in a hurry to succeed. It would be best if I could join the fleet, but if not, I'll wait until you come back, improve myself, and then make my next plans."

The distrust of strangers among Sicilians is an objective reason.

At the same time, there are also many subjective obstacles.

Leo was a giant in theory but a dwarf in practice, lacking both ability and experience.

Someone in front of him said, "Come on, let's go out to sea now," but he really didn't dare to agree.

In 1995, both the safety of fishing boats and the methods of fishing were relatively backward and primitive. Without making full preparations, Leo dared not risk his life.

Solberto nodded.

Making money is hard in Marzamemi, but getting enough to eat is easier than in the city.

He was just worried that Leo was wasting his time here.

According to Sorbetto, Leo couldn't possibly hold out until his return three months later.

Leo pushed the seafood towards Solberto:

"Please eat, we can talk while we eat, it won't take up any time."

There was nothing at home, so this was the only thing Leo could offer. As soon as the person on the other end stopped, he would immediately hand them a new one, aiming for a seamless transition.

Sorbetto was very obedient and accepted every offer.

"We can consider other options at the same time; the two are not mutually exclusive."

"Okay," Leo nodded.

.......

Solberto arrived and left in a hurry; he arrived at noon and left around 3 p.m., but he got a lot done.

He installed a mosquito net in Leo's temporary bedroom, didn't change the bed but updated the bedding, added new kitchen utensils and frying pans to the kitchen, and also added a lot of other miscellaneous things.

During this time, Leo kept refusing, refusing, and refusing again, while Solberto stubbornly added more and more.

In fact, Leo's guess was correct. Solberto's sudden return was indeed due to the inherent caution and sensitivity of the Sicilians.

But what worried him wasn't the shipyard, but his best friend's son.

Solberto's care and concern warmed a heart far from home.

Leo expressed his gratitude many times, but compared to the other party's actions, he felt that his thanks were too little.

After Sorbetto left, Leo went to the grocery store again.

He bought Leo a lot of household items, but Leo also wanted to buy some seasonings, so he couldn't let Leo pay for everything.

After selecting your items, I went to the counter:

"Could you please calculate the price for me?"

Nicholas, who was dozing behind the counter, threw the banknotes back with a "whoosh".

Leo made a questioning nasal sound.

He had already dried the stack of marinated banknotes, and there was no strange smell on them.

What does that mean?

You're not going to do business with me anymore?

Nicholas lazily pulled a bag from under the counter:

"Solberto said that your expenses this month will be charged to his account, and he will pay you when he returns."

Seeing what Leo had bought, he curled his lip in a sarcastic tone:

"After you brought out that plate of crab, Solberto's face turned green. He secretly told me how anyone could eat something as outrageous as boiled crab, and not even cut it up... Thank goodness you finally bought the seasoning!"