The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

The oven is filled with an irresistible aroma of chicken.

Monica, with her sweet tooth, stood in the kitchen with an alarm clock, waiting for the hands to point to the number 3 so she could immediately remind her mother to open the oven lid.

Elena and Enzo sat facing each other at a round table outside.

Enzo was helping his sister fold napkins. His two strong hands were very skilled at this delicate task, and he looked quite like a tiger sniffing a rose.

Elena, on the other side, was chopping vegetables.

Enzo brought two chickens, meat being a rare treat in Marzamemi, and she was going to make some authentic Sicilian cuisine today.

"Didn't you go out to sea today?" Elena asked her brother.

Enzo's hands kept moving:

"The weather forecast says it might rain soon, and I was worried you'd be concerned if it rained today, so I didn't go."

Elena stopped chopping vegetables and looked at the person opposite her:

"Have you thought it through? Do you still want to be a fisherman?"

Enzo skillfully picked up a new stack of napkins, his tone full of embarrassment:

"I've reduced the frequency of my trips to sea, and I've also asked Aesop to help me find job opportunities outside. If I can find a good job, I'll go to the city."

Elena stood up with the cutting board in her hand:

"It's best if you think of it that way; the ocean is too dangerous..."

Enzo didn't want to continue the topic and asked Elena:

"What were you talking about just now? Who are you thanking?"

As Elena washed the cutting board, she recounted her conversation with her daughter, concluding with:

"I gave him bread hoping he would continue to come over for meals, but how can it be considered even if he bought Monica ice cream?"

Enzo stopped folding napkins and touched his bald head.

It's Leo again?

He called Monica over and said:

"Your uncle will thank that person for you; you don't need to go."

After saying that, he turned to Elena with a serious expression and said:

"Don't let Monica meet strangers. She's only been here a couple of days; who knows what her background is?"

Monica protested:

"No! Uncle can be really mean to strangers, you'll scare my brother."

Enzo, both amused and exasperated, pinched her little cheek:

"Your uncle is fierce, isn't it to protect you and Mom from being bullied? Why are you taking his side?"

Elena came over to wipe up the vegetable scraps scattered on the table and said to Enzo:

"Monica said that in the afternoon at the village entrance, Leo rushed over to protect her. With both things happening at once... she really should thank him in person."

Enzo's eyes widened instantly, even more nervous than Elena had been just moments before:

"Monica, did those two hurt you? Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Monica had been nagging her mother all afternoon, and seeing that her uncle was about to bring it up again, she escaped from his two huge tiger claws, put her hands on her hips, and shouted:

"How many times do I have to say it? That guy rushed over and hid me behind his back! I'm fine!!"

Upon hearing Monica's shout, Enzo immediately softened, saying with a mixture of anxiety and ingratiation:

"He protected little Monica, and your uncle should thank him even more. I swear, I will never be mean to him, okay?"

Monica remained silent for a while, seemingly pondering whether she should trust her burly uncle across from her.

Seeing the big guy and the little guy locked in a stalemate, Elena broke the ice with a smile:

"I'm going to turn on the oven now. Anyone want some orange-roasted chicken?"

"I'll eat, I'll eat!" Monica rushed into the kitchen.

The oven was opened, and a wonderful aroma filled the room, a blend of fruit and chicken scents.

Enzo, disregarding the temperature, reached out to taste the saltiness.

Elena patted his bald head:

"Wash your hands! How old are you? You're still the same as when you were a child."

Enzo laughed heartily:

"No matter how old he is, he's still your younger brother."

With that, he hoisted Monica onto his shoulder and led her to wash her hands:

"I'm most afraid of my little Monica getting angry!"

......

There are no butcher shops in Marzamemi.

If you want to eat meat, you need to make a reservation in advance. There is one fixed day each week when meat is sold.

When merchants deliver meat, they usually bring extra.

If a villager who didn't make a reservation suddenly wants to eat, they can buy some of the leftovers.

When the topic of selling meat came up, Marco also reminded Leo that if he wanted to buy something that wasn't available in the village, he could pre-order it from the shop owner.

"Shouldn't we add 5%?" Leo asked.

When Saville went to the shipyard to sell newspapers, he introduced this service to Leo—you could order things that Marzamemi didn't have, but you'd have to pay an extra 5% lira.

Marco replied with a strange expression:

"Prices may vary from month to month. If you want to order anything, you can ask me and I'll give you some suggestions."

Damn it, Saville, he screwed over Leo again!

Leo nodded without saying anything.

The little fox's motto in life is: If you can get something for free, never spend a penny.

If you must spend money, spend the least amount you can.

He already knew Lucia and Vera, who delivered goods to the village, and could just contact them to order whatever he wanted.

However, Vera was very cautious about Leo's attitude, and she might not agree to order anything from him.

On the contrary, the girl named Rukia was exceptionally easy to talk to.

Leo decides that if he meets Rukia again, he will strengthen their friendship and secretly ask her for help when ordering things in the future.

.......

Marco called Leo to the grocery store because he believed the "slander" of Nicolas and Savile, thinking that Leo had considerable financial resources.

City dwellers are different from them; they can eat seafood as a staple food.

He guessed that Leo must be craving meat after being here for so long.

Leo was indeed craving meat.

But when he asked about the price, he thought he could wait a little longer...

The cheapest chicken costs 4500 lira per kilogram, while good quality beef and lamb cost over 30000.

His cooking skills aren't great, so buying his food and not cooking it properly would be a waste.

So let's just stick to eating fast food.

Suddenly I remembered... the crabs that weren't sold this morning are still at the shipyard.

In fact, it wasn't just Leo; the villagers were also struggling to afford meat, each only able to buy a small piece.

If someone buys a whole chicken, people will be envious for a long time.

Those who can afford to buy two chickens are the rich people in the village!

When Nicolas saw Leo arrive, he enthusiastically promoted today's "limited edition items" to him.

He wanted to tell him about the parents of every cow and sheep.

Leo made up a reason to leave:

"I arranged to talk to my uncle on the phone this afternoon. He should be sitting next to the phone by now. I need to call him quickly, otherwise he will worry."

......

The shipyard didn't have a telephone line installed, and Leo had been in Sicily for so long... yet he hadn't made a single phone call to his uncle.

Now that he had given his reasons, he decided to call home today to let them know he was safe and sound.

Uncle Panini runs a shoe store in Florence, and publicly states (specifically referring to Auntie) that the store is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

However, the actual working hours are from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

After 5:30, he will go to the most dazzling and vibrant places in Florence to find his sweethearts.

Leo glanced at the time—4:55.

There's plenty of time... and there's no risk of forgetting family for the sake of beauty.

While waiting for the call to be answered, Leo devised a few pranks.

For example, you could play a game where you don't speak or lower your voice and ask the other person to guess who you are.

To my surprise, the first word I heard after the call connected was:

"Leo?"

A warm feeling welled up in Leo's heart.

My uncle may seem unreliable on the surface, but he still cares about me.

It is estimated that he has been anxiously waiting for news of his nephew for the past two weeks.

"Yes, Uncle," Leo said, suppressing his excitement. "How did you know it was me?"

Panini speaks incredibly fast, as if he had a rocket accelerator installed in his mouth:

"I've already notified all my friends not to call me after 4:45. After thinking it over, the only person who can still call me at this time is you, you little brat who's been missing for half a month."

"Why can't I call you after 4:45?" Leo asked, puzzled.

"Because Miss Salmer's work start time is half an hour earlier, and I have to close the door and leave in 5 minutes, 4:45 to 5 o'clock is my dressing time," Panini told Leo without any psychological pressure.

Before Leo could react, the rocket in Panini's mouth began to accelerate:

"No news is good news. I'm relieved that you haven't called. It means you can handle the problems there on your own, Leo. Sicily is a complicated place, but not so complicated that you can't integrate into it at all."

If you look carefully, listen attentively, and try to understand with your heart, you will soon find like-minded people. Only when you find your first like-minded person will you have the opportunity to witness the true charm of Sicily.

To make a long story short, my advice is to find a like-minded girlfriend in Sicily first. Of course, two or three is fine too, but I'm worried you won't be able to handle it. If you really want to find more, there are ways. I'll share three of my secret tips with you first—”

Leo suddenly interrupted his uncle Panini:

"Okay, Uncle, take care of yourself. I have something to do. Talk to you next time, beep beep beep beep—"

Florence.

Panini, who was trimming her nose hairs, looked at the telephone receiver in disbelief:

"Why is that little brat more anxious than me?!"

......

After hanging up the phone, Leo rushed out of the coffee shop.

He saw Vera on the road, so Lucia must have come too.

I need to quickly build a friendship with this easy-going girl!