The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Chapter 125 I hate exams!

Aurelio has been focusing all his attention on forging in the workshop lately, rarely leaving the premises.

Thinking that I hadn't been involved in things on the ship for a long time, I went to the fish market with the children this morning.

It's not that I'm worried my son won't be able to manage the fleet well; I'm mainly going to make an appearance.

With this "master forging" around, let's see who dares to point fingers at our family.

"That's right, I'm talking about you, Boncinio." Aurelio strolled over to the rival fish market stall. "Watch your mouth from now on!"

Aurelio now fully understands—as long as he stands up straight, all of Leo's hard work will not have been in vain!

He spent some time at the fish market, chatted with old friends, dealt with a few fans, turned down a few orders, and then returned home the way he came.

Passing through a densely packed area of ​​shops, I saw Andrei reading a newspaper to a group of people from afar.

He read a sentence and the people around him exclaimed "Wow!" repeatedly... his sudden, startling noise was quite frightening.

Aurelius carefully avoided the area, taking a longer route home, afraid of being dragged there.

"Andrei has even stretched his lectern out onto the street? The coffee shop isn't big enough for him to keep up with."

'

Despite his complaints, Aurelio decided to learn from his senior colleague, Comrade Andre, and make his retirement life more fulfilling!

Upon returning home, he went straight to the forging workshop in the courtyard to begin his senior citizen study session for the day.

"What should I do today?" Aurelio looked around the workshop.

Leo had told him so many advanced techniques that Aurelio faced the dilemma of choosing a concubine every day—he liked them all and wanted to try them all, but time and energy were limited, making it too difficult to choose.

Just as I was hesitating about what to do, I heard footsteps approaching from outside the door.

Thinking it was someone else visiting, his family called him out to greet them. Aurelio shouted impatiently at the outside, "Don't ask me, I'm not seeing anyone today."

"It's me! Open the door!" came Aurelio's father's voice from outside the door.

Aurelio went to open the door and found his elderly father, who was over eighty years old, standing outside.

His parents are both very old.

My father was in slightly better health and could occasionally go out for a stroll, chat with the old men, and drink coffee, but his legs were not very strong, so he would never take an extra step, rarely come to the backyard, and never set foot in his forging workshop.

His mother was in even worse health, spending most of her day in bed and rarely even coming into the yard.

Aurelius quickly went to help his father, whose legs were weak: "Why did you come over?"

Without waiting for his son's help, the elderly father nimbly stepped into the workshop: "Do you know?"

The father's expression was even happier than when he learned decades ago that he had a grandson. Aurelio shook his head blankly: "I don't know."

The elderly father excitedly patted his son on the shoulder with enough force to strike metal: "You're in the newspaper!"

Aurelio's first thought was that his father was getting senile.

How could I possibly be in the newspaper? I'm in the forging workshop every day... I haven't gone anywhere else.

"What newspaper?" he asked, frowning.

"The Sicilian Daily!" The old father pulled a crumpled newspaper from his pocket, pointed to a page, and said, "Look, isn't that your name?"

"It's in the *Sicilian Daily* too!" Aurelio's elderly mother, who had been bedridden for many years, appeared in the yard supported by her family. Waving the newspaper in her hand, she said, "I managed to snatch the last copy; this newspaper has to be hung on the wall!"

Aurelio took the newspaper from his father and started reading. Before he could even see the headline, his mother and family rushed over and hugged him tightly: "Aurelio, you're in the newspaper! Leo won the title of 'Silverfin Hunter' with the harpoon you used, and he specifically thanked you!"

In stark contrast to the bustling activity in Marzamemi at that moment.

The atmosphere was serious in a conference room at the Syracuse Port Authority.

"The application materials may sound complicated, but they are not troublesome at all. Let me explain them to you in detail."

"You can provide either your ID card or tax ID number as proof of identity."

"The Employment Declaration has a fixed template; a written commitment that diving and harvesting is your only main job is sufficient."

""

"This application form is the same; there's a template, so it's not complicated."

The director gave Leo a professional smile: "Or you can give me the information and I'll teach you how to write it. If you apply for other types of qualifications later, the template will change accordingly. If you don't understand anything, come find me. My name is Lilith."

Bianchi started to feel sleepy as soon as he sat down.

He was overwhelmed just hearing about the information required for the application.

The director took the initiative to take on this complicated written task, but Leo's brow remained furrowed.

"I can fill out these forms myself," Leo said calmly. "But how do I get that diving certification? From what you just said, I think I need to take classes?"

The director nodded: "Italy only allows freediving harvesting; the use of scuba diving tanks to harvest shellfish and sea urchins is strictly prohibited. To ensure the safety of fishermen, a nationally recognized professional diving certificate is required before applying for diving harvesting qualifications. Unless you have served as a diver in the Italian Navy, Gendarmerie, or National Police for at least one year, you cannot apply for such qualifications. Have you ever served in any of these places?"

Rumors about the Silverfin Hunters are starting to morph into mythology, suggesting they must be incredibly skilled.

The director thought... there might actually be such a possibility.

It's just that Leo was wearing his own clothes today, which made the director overthink things.

Leo shook his head, denying the director's guess: "How do you get this certificate?"

This is what troubles him the most.

If it's just an exam, it's not so bad, but if there are class hour requirements, then it's a real problem.

Traveling between Malzamemi and Syracuse is extremely troublesome; the time and effort involved in the journey are all costs.

More importantly... it will cost a lot of money.

The director patiently explained: "There are 12 hours of theoretical lessons and 12 hours of practical lessons. You can get your certificate after passing the two final exams."

Leo inwardly grumbled, "This is definitely the worst-case scenario..." but he still needed to ask the necessary questions: "How long will it take to get the certificate?"

The "elite team" proved to be highly competent, with the director answering fluently: "Issuance will be made within 3 working days after both items are passed."

Leo continued, "After I've prepared all the materials, how long will it take to get the results?"

"Seven days," Bianchi replied, yawning.

He accompanied Enzo to submit the documents last week, and he knows this area inside and out.

The senior coordinator, whose expression remained tense, quickly interjected, asking the director, "The review time varies depending on the operation. There aren't many applications for underwater harvesting... it shouldn't take that long, right?"

The coordinator was not lying; among the many commercial fishing licenses, the fewest people apply for diving harvesting because it is highly secretive and poaching is rampant.

Before the director could even respond, Leo preemptively asked, "I'd like to ask, there are rumors circulating that the government will be issuing new regulations this year, prohibiting fishermen without proper qualifications from going to sea. Is this true?"

Everyone on the other end nodded in unison: "It's true, it will definitely be released by the end of the year at the latest."

Bianchi yawned twice in a row.

Thinking to myself, "Why has Leo suddenly become so stupid today? If you ask this question here, they'll definitely give you this answer."

If we deny it, then who will bother to get the certificate?

Leo hesitated for a moment before carefully choosing his words: "If the new policy is announced, and the implementation of diving harvesting permits is the most difficult, will the supervision and verification of this part also be the strictest?"

Few people apply for diving and harvesting licenses, but there are plenty of sea urchins and shellfish on the market.

The coordinator confirmed Leo's conjecture: "When the cost of regulating a behavior is high and it is widespread, the regulatory system will almost inevitably move towards stricter penalties and more professional verification. That's for sure."

Leo sighed and asked the director, "Where do I register for the diving certification exam?"

The director enthusiastically pointed to himself: "I'll arrange it for you."

Taking chances was not an option, so Leo decided to honestly get the documents processed.

He's not afraid of exams, and he's even a certified diver; he just needs to figure out how to save time and money.

The director collected Leo's personal information and asked him to leave a phone number, saying that someone would contact him about the location and time of the class after he registered.

After finishing these tasks, Leo and Bianchi went to Enzo's car and found that the big guy hadn't come out yet, so they continued their conversation about Messina, which they hadn't finished the night before.

A few minutes later, Enzo came out of the service hall.

From afar, I saw two young men gesturing wildly, as if they were searching for an enemy in the air.

I went closer and listened, and sure enough, they were talking about swordfish.

Leo and Bianchi were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice Enzo approaching.

Just as their heads were simultaneously seized by tiger claws, Enzo's laughing voice came from behind them: "I know a good pizzeria, let's eat there and then go back."

"Don't stay out too late. I promised Mom I'd be home before noon, she'll worry if it's too late," Bianchi replied briefly, then continued to Leo, "I still think this position is more comfortable."

Enzo chuckled and patted his head: "You've mentioned 'Mom' again! How many times have you mentioned it since you woke up? Look at Leo!"

Enzo looked like a parent taking two unruly children out!

Bianchi, unconvinced, asked Enzo, "Leo says it's easier to generate power with a forehand grip on the harpoon, I say it's easier with a backhand grip, which grip do you find more comfortable?"

The referee gestured: "There's no standard answer. It depends on what target you're facing and the distance between you and the opponent. I'm used to holding the harpoon like this with both hands, which allows me to use my body's strength and make it easier to generate power with my forehand."

Enzo changed his move again: "But if the target is nearby, a backhand stab is smoother."

The two young men tried out Enzo's attack methods and shook their heads simultaneously.

"It's not convenient."

"It's more reasonable for me to do it this way."

The burly man glared and roared, "How is that possible? Neither of your methods are as effective as mine!"

Enzo's personality changed drastically today. After starting the car, he chatted with the two young men about the sea and swordfish, and occasionally joined in their boring competition.

Seeing that he was in a good mood, chatting and laughing, Leo asked, "Did you get the certification?"

I forgot to ask when I came out.

Enzo smiled and shook his head: "No."

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