The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

There weren't as many crabs as usual today.

Leo felt it necessary to explain to Aesop what had happened, so that he wouldn't misunderstand and think that he had slacked off after making a promise.

Aesop didn't care much about the crabs Leo had; he was only doing it because of his friends.

He felt that Leo didn't need to explain anything to him, so he listened very perfunctorily, keeping his work in hand and running all over the fish market. Leo had to follow him around like a shadow, nagging him.

Leo quickly realized Aesop's attitude: he wanted to end things quickly after just starting... He hadn't come to complain; he was just explaining the situation regarding the number of crabs.

Unexpectedly, Aesop, who was unloading goods, suddenly threw a bucket of ice down heavily:

"Let me elaborate!"

Five minutes later.

"That's about it. Then Enzo took the person away, saying he promised not to bother me again," Leo added at the end. "From now on, I will definitely deliver the goods to you on time and in the required quantity."

"Giving them a beating is too lenient." Aesop left with a cigarette in his mouth, heading towards the other merchants.

Leo wasn't sure what constituted "not cheap," but he guessed that for a long time to come, Salvatore and his two companions would be living the same life he had before, praying every day that they could sell their goods.

......

After returning from the fish market, Leo went back to the shipyard to catch up on sleep.

Marco's son, Longo, came to see him around 2 p.m., asking him to go to the church.

"What are we going to church for?" Leo asked, still a little confused.

"I don't know, I was only responsible for delivering the message, but something big must have happened," Longo replied.

"Something big?" Leo snapped back to reality. "You don't even know why you called me here, how do you know something big has happened?"

Longo gestured as he spoke:

"Because I asked you to go to church. If you go to church outside of prayer time, something big must have happened."

The church is a very important venue for Marzamemi's activities.

The residents of Sicily, who live by the sea, have very strong religious beliefs.

Before setting sail on long voyages, fishermen and their families go to church to pray for God's blessing on the safe return of His people.

The church in Marzamemi is located in the center of the village square. It was built privately by a baron in the 16th century and was originally a private chapel.

After several changes of regime, this private church became the main church of Marzamemi, while the original main church of Marzamemi was destroyed in the war.

Every evening, the church bells ring out on time, and everyone in the square stops in their tracks, including non-believers.

The church was an area on the map that Leo had never explored, and he had hardly ever heard the prayer bells ring... because at that time, he was usually asleep preparing to get up at dawn to catch crabs.

After hearing Longo say that something big had happened, Leo felt a little uneasy on the way to the church.

But when he saw Enzo at the door... he immediately relaxed.

God knows why he felt at ease seeing that bald, bearded man who struck fear into the hearts of the Marzamemi people...

Could it be because you've seen his honest and simple side?

There were several people standing at the church entrance; I didn't recognize any of them except Enzo.

Even when three people walked right up to him, Leo still wasn't sure if they were "human".

Even if you know they are people, you can't tell which one is which.

It could be Salvatore, it could be Simmons, or it could be Vincenzo.

Anyway, whoever they are, their new name is now a completely different "pig's head".

Enzo pointed to the three pig heads and said to Leo:

"The three of them have just confessed their sins to the Lord."

I think he confessed his crimes to your fists... Leo's lips twitched involuntarily.

The people around Enzo were public officials from Marzamemi, who had come with Leo to hear the 'crime'.

Once everyone was present, Salvatore laid out their entire plan—

From his initial reaction to meeting Leo at the fish market, to his scheming attempt to steal a stall, to buying laxatives and outlining two versions of his plan... he recounted it in great detail.

After hearing the "crime," several people around shouted insults such as "shame" and "scum," becoming agitated and wishing they could hit them a few more times.

Seeing Leo frowning and remaining silent, Enzo asked him:

"I've said I'll never let them cause you trouble again. They must remember this lesson. As the victim, is there anything you want to say or do?"

The people around Leo were actively offering advice, and their attitude was similar to Enzo's; they also wanted to help him, the victim, punish these damned guys.

Leo looked at Salvatore and his two companions with the eyes of someone looking at "beasts":

"You're the ones who don't like me, so come at me if you have a problem. What did Andrei do wrong? Why are you targeting him? You must promise that you will never try to harm him again!"

"Mrs. Rosa—"

An elderly woman with white hair, wearing a black dress, walked out of the church, and several people at the door stopped to greet her.

Mrs. Rosa nodded to the group, her kind smile lingering on Leo's face for a few seconds before she moved on.

.......

In an old house by the sea in Marzamemi.

"How could someone like Marzamemi exist? Did living in the city for a few years make her forget her true nature? She'd even do something as despicable as drugging someone!"

A 'serious incident' had occurred in the village, so Sandro was naturally notified.

But he was in poor health and there was no need for him to go to church, so Enzo sent his eldest son, Antonino, home to relay the message.

After hearing about Salvatore and his gang's crimes, Sandro slammed his fist on the table in anger.

Antonino quickly went to help his father, who was not yet fully recovered.

"Enzo has already educated them and will arrange for a priest to provide them with 'pastoral guidance' and supervise their daily church attendance. Is there anything else you would like to instruct them on?"

Sandro said angrily:

"From now on, we must not allow outsiders to board the boats of local fishermen. Tell Enzo and the other fishermen that no one is allowed to hire crew members from the city; only locals are permitted."

Sandro has been preaching principles his whole life, but there's one thing he's particularly 'unreasonable' about.

Because of Angie, he has become particularly sensitive to "city people" in recent months.

Knowing that his father's angry words were heavily laced with ulterior motives, Antonino advised him:

"What you say, they will follow the rules. Once this rule is enforced, Angie's future..."

Angie was sent to school in the city from a young age and thus falls into the category of "city dwellers".

"Angie can forget about going to sea. I'm going to put an end to that idea for him." Sandro got even angrier at the mention of his youngest son. "And tell Enzo to keep a close eye on the words and actions of outsiders. Oh, right, there's a new one here recently, isn't there? That Leo, keep a close eye on him."

Sandro really did remember Leo... but he wasn't thinking anything of it.

Just then, an elderly woman in a black dress and with white hair walked out of the courtyard.

The moment she appeared, Sandro's expression changed instantly, replaced by a broad smile:

"You're back?"

Madame Rosa sat down next to Sandro:

"The church was a mess today, so I came back early."

Antonino smiled and said to his mother:

"It's a good thing you came back early, otherwise Dad's heart condition would have flared up again."

Sandro was not afraid of storms or dangers, but he was afraid of his wife.

Madame Rosa, a devout believer, was always like a gentle spring, soothing Sandro's violent heart.

Madame Rosa overheard their conversation, took Sandro's hand, and said:

"Everyone should bear the consequences of their own mistakes. It's unfair to prejudice a group of people because of one person's mistake."

Sandro sighed:

"You spend all your time in the church, you have no idea how chaotic Marzamemi is being made of by these outsiders."

"I spend every day in the church, which allows me to see each face more clearly." Madame Rosa patted Sandro's hand. "Take Leo, for example, whom you just mentioned. He's quite good; there's no need to have anyone watching him."

"Leo? Why?" Sandro was taken aback.

Mrs. Rosa smiled kindly:

"Because he's a kind child, I can't be wrong about him."

......

Instead of going to the fish market to protect the Dharma, Andrei went to the coffee shop early in the morning.

The old men had finally had a few days of peace and quiet, but when Andrei came again, they fled one after another.

Even those who didn't leave didn't really listen to Andrei's lectures properly... they just did whatever they were supposed to do.

Around 3 PM, after the last guest left, Andrei looked at Marco:

"Business has been slow lately; why are there so few customers?"

He began to miss the good times of a few days ago.

The little fox wanted to sell things, but he couldn't run away even if he wanted to. He talked about it so much that he had a great time those mornings.

Marco took a cigarette:

"It's hot, nobody wants to go out."

After saying that, he ran away.

Andrei looked around the coffee shop, then looked expectantly towards the door to see if any new customers would arrive.

After waiting for two minutes, I looked down at the coffee cup on the table, feeling utterly lonely.

The coffee was freshly ordered, and I haven't drunk a drop yet, but since there's no one else here, I'll finish it and leave.

Andrei tilted his head back and took two sips when suddenly someone snatched his cup away. When he looked up, a living person appeared out of nowhere opposite him.

"You're going to finish all of this in one go? I just got here and you're already leaving?" Leo asked.

Andrei was delighted, but also somewhat puzzled:

"Shouldn't you be at home catching up on sleep at this hour?"

After selling crabs with Leo for a few days, Andrei learned about his daily routine.

Leo laughed and said:

"I can't sleep because I didn't finish listening to the story of the First Punic War. Tell me quickly, what did that famous Roman consul Regulus do?"

The loneliness that had enveloped Andrei vanished, and he began to speak with a radiant smile:

"Yes, yes, we're talking about Regulus. He's a really interesting character. At first, he despised Carthage and scorned peace talks, but later he willingly gave up his chance to live and calmly returned to Carthage to seek death. Can you guess why?"

"I guess it's because your mindset has changed." Leo handed the coffee cup back to Andre and patiently advised him, "You have a heart condition, so you can't drink so much or so fast. I'll be here all afternoon, so take your time and don't rush."