The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Aesop first squatted down to look at Leo's crabs, and found that there were more than when he had collected them last time.

He thought to himself, "Good lad."

I've been hardworking and ambitious enough, and it hasn't been in vain that so many people asked me to take care of you.

If Leo were a man like Salvatore, even if Sandro himself intervened, Aesop would never accept a crab from him.

This time, he didn't waste any words or ask if Leo would sell; he made a direct offer:

"I'll take all of these, 5000 lira per kilogram, is that alright?"

"Sure, of course!" As soon as Aesop appeared, Leo knew it was a good day.

He immediately began packing the crabs:

"Go ahead and get busy, I'll take it to the truck for you."

If you have limited supplies, you have to compete on service.

Not counting the crab that Andre generously "sponsored" for him every day, Leo hasn't made a single sale in almost a week.

Every day I worry about how to sell the crabs.

Forget about delivering it to a truck, I'd even deliver it to Sarakusa every day if Aesop could buy it!

Aesop didn't stand on ceremony with Leo, stood up and went to the stall next door. He had spent some time chatting with Enzo, so he quickly took a look around before heading back.

After Leo finished packing the crabs, he turned to Andrei and said:

"Watch the stall for me, I'll come back to pack it up later."

A voice drifted over from the side, leaving Leo frozen in place:

"Don't set up a stall anymore. Just take your goods to my truck every morning."

Enzo and Natale both directly or indirectly had Aesop take care of Leo's business.

These two men were his regular customers and friends, and with the highly respected Sandro also involved... Aesop had to take good care of them.

If Leo were a seasoned fisherman, Aesop wouldn't have been able to "take care" of him properly, because he was working with five of the most skilled fishermen in Marzamémi, besides Sandro.

They catch enough fish every day to satisfy Aesop's appetite, and when they go to other places to buy things, they only buy rare and unusual items.

But the crabs Leo brings every day...

Well, the daily losses are more than that.

So this "care" was too easy for Aesop.

"What do you mean?" Leo turned around and chased after Aesop, asking.

He was afraid that he had misunderstood the meaning.

Since he didn't find anything he liked at this stall, Aesop moved on to the next one:

"I told you that from now on you can deliver the crabs directly to my truck every morning, and you won't need to set up a stall anymore."

"How many do you arrest and how many do you take back?" Leo continued to ask, chasing after him.

Aesop then went to the next stall:

"right."

Leo asked again:

"Besides crabs, do you accept other kinds too?"

Aesop looked at Leo impatiently.

I wondered what else you could bring?

Besides crabs, we also ordered shellfish and small fish and shrimp.

And regardless of what else it is, how much can you bring in each day, please tell me?

Aesop raised his voice and shouted:

"Yes! We'll take anything, however much you bring, we'll take it all, understand?"

What day is it today?

Today is the day when everyone is so terrified of Rosalia that they dare not even breathe.

Aesop's words reached the ears of everyone at the dock and on its embankment with clarity and precision.

Soon, it will spread to even more places through the villagers' mouths.

A major news story is about to explode in Marzamemi—Iso promised to take whatever Rio brought in!

When all eyes on the dock turned to him from the end of the corridor, Aesop's first thought was—oh no.

If so many people hear this, and something changes in the future, wouldn't it be a laughing stock?

But he glanced at the pitifully small number of crabs in Leo's hand.

I thought to myself, even if I bought ten times more, it wouldn't be a problem.

What are you worried about!

Seeing that Leo still wouldn't leave, he repeated it to him again:

"Didn't you hear me? I said from now on, you'll deliver your goods to my truck every day, and I'll take as much as you have!"

I remember Leo wasn't this long-winded before, so why can't I understand Italian today?

.......

Leo happily delivered the crabs to Aesop's truck.

Then he grabbed Andrei, who was resting during recess, and rushed towards the village while laughing loudly:

"What would you like to eat? Coffee or chocolate? It's on you! It's on you!!"

After the laughter subsided, a few scattered whispers drifted across the dock.

"Isn't that a bit much? Is it really necessary to be this happy?"

"With his small quantity of crabs, he can only sell about 30,000 to 40,000 lira a day..."

"Yeah, what's he so excited about?"

......

After acquiring the [Weakness Strike] skill, Leo's crab-catching speed increased significantly.

Today's crabs sold for over 4 lira.

He first treated Andrei to a deluxe three-scoop ice cream to thank him for his company over the past few days.

Starting tomorrow, Leo won't need to go to the fish market, and Andre won't need to go to the 'protector' anymore.

After thanking Andre, Leo went to the lighthouse. He would have daily income from now on, which would allow him to have a good celebratory meal.

It's not mealtime now; he's going to make a reservation.

Elena had reminded Leo that she wasn't open every day, and that it was best to call ahead if he wanted to eat there. She even gave Leo a business card.

But the shipyard didn't have a telephone line, so Leo lived like a "primitive man" and had to walk over to notify them.

Unfortunately, I came all this way only to find that the lighthouse was closed today, with a notice posted at the door that the owner was out.

The plan to improve the food was put on hold for the time being, but Leo believed that he could improve his quality of life in other ways.

Crab catching involves an element of luck, but you can still earn 3 to 4 lira a day.

This income is roughly the same as that of low-income workers in Sicily—not exactly living a comfortable life, but enough to support oneself.

He decided to keep an eye on the housing situation in Marzamemi to see if there were any suitable ones that he could rent in the future and have a real home in Marzamemi.

The living conditions in the shipyard were terrible. The gate was similar to Rosalia's, and the windows were all broken and dilapidated.

The wildcats became familiar with Leo and were no longer content to wait to be fed. Some of the bolder ones started to "rob" houses, and they had as many as a dozen routes for "entry." Leo had absolutely no way to deal with these wildcats.

Compared to improving the overall environmental quality and safety of the shipyard, renting a small house is more cost-effective.

Of course, this may not be possible in the short term, but Leo wants to try diving for fish.

Once this path is established, income will continue to rise!

Recalling Aesop's "promise" made in front of everyone, Leo couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"You think I don't have enough crabs?"

"When we have big ships in the future, with catches of tens or hundreds of tons, don't ever say you can't 'eat' it all!"

......

The lighthouse was closed, so Leo returned to the village center. On the way, his beaming face was seen by Nicholas, who was taking shelter from the sun.

Nicholas made sarcastic remarks:

"I really envy those people who have no worries and always have a smile on their face. Unlike us, we have to work hard to make a living and can't think of many things to be happy about every day."

In Nicholas's mind, Leo had already established himself as someone with good financial conditions.

But this damn out-of-towner just won't shop at his grocery store; every time he goes, he only picks out the cheapest items.

But his grocery store also had a lot of slow-moving products.

He shouldn't have shown off his intelligence back then, letting Salvi make the money.

"I'm on my way to the grocery store," Leo said, walking toward Nicholas.

Nicholas didn't want to look at him and waved dismissively.

"Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, the tomatoes all arrived this morning."

"We're not buying tomatoes today." Leo stood next to Nicholas, in a shady spot under a tree.

Nicholas became even more agitated upon hearing this and continued waving his hand:

"Go ahead, go ahead, just go. The eggplants are fresh too."

Leo lowered his head and asked:

"I'd like to buy a mattress pad for my bed. Last time I went to buy tomatoes, I saw one of yours against the wall. How much is that?"

Solberto bought Leo some new bedding, but the bed was just too hard.

Leo now goes out at night and sleeps during the day, so he needs a good sleeping environment even more.

If I have my own house in the future, I can bring all these things with me. Buy them early and enjoy them sooner.

The smile on Leo's face instantly shifted to Nicholas's.

He's definitely a rich guy!

You've got your eye on that mattress I haven't been able to sell for over two years?!

Nicholas's enthusiastic demeanor was completely different from just moments before.

"18 lira. Although it's secondhand, the previous owner never used it."

"Then why did you turn back?" Leo asked.

Nicholas pulled him away:

"Let's go to the general store to look at the goods and chat as we look."

Leo remained motionless:

"Let's talk here. It's shady here. I'll take a look first, and I might not necessarily buy it."

Summers in Sicily are very hot, and the temperature rises even further as we enter August.

Nicholas was incredibly stingy; the fan in the grocery store was never turned on, and the place felt like a sauna once you went in.

He was also feeling unwell from the heat, which is why he came out to cool off.

Nicholas shielded Leo from the sun with his massive body, his face beaming with smiles:

"Then we should definitely go to the general store to talk. They have fans there, I'll turn on two for you!"