The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Leo vividly recounted to Enzo his spearfishing experience over the past two days.

In just five minutes, Enzo's expression changed even more dramatically than Squidward's.

His emotions shifted between surprise, panic, joy, and anxiety...

After instructing Leo not to go out at noon to avoid heatstroke, he left Rosalia's house.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Enzo, the waiter who came with him to deliver the ice.

Enzo kept slapping his head, leaving big red handprints on it.

Marzamemi's hardest fist wants to be renamed "Marzamemi's stubborn head"?

Enzo slapped his bald head so hard it clattered, as if he wished another head could grow back.

"Go back to the boat and bring over a few more fish boxes."

Small-scale fishermen not only lack ice, but also large storage containers.

Leo brought back so much this morning, who knows how much he'll bring back this afternoon and evening? That silly boy will probably be running all over Marzamemi again soon, so let's send it to him in advance.

Enzo was even more worried when he thought about this.

What should we do?

Madame Rosa's entrustment was an entrustment, and Solberto's entrustment was also an entrustment.

Both sides are candidates that cannot be turned down...

The man agreed and went to the dock to retrieve the fish crates. Seeing that Enzo wasn't taking the route home, he asked curiously:

Aren't you going home?

Enzo lifted one foot and put his shoe on:

"I'll go to Aurelio's house and wait there; I have to get him to agree as soon as possible."

This can't be kept secret anymore.

Tomorrow, when the fish market closes, Leo's name will be closely associated with "fishing expert".

By then, Aurelius would be even less likely to agree to go to Messina.

Today is your only chance to extract a confession through torture!

......

Leo avoided the hottest hours of midday and went to Rosalia's house before setting off in the afternoon.

The fish I caught that morning had been cleaned and sorted and were lying in a cool, shady fish tank lined with crushed ice.

Leo and Rosalia discussed the topic of collaboration again:

"Can you agree to cooperate with me now?"

Rosalia was sharpening her knife on a bench by the door; in fact, she had been sitting there for more than half an hour.

I've been thinking about the question Leo asked.

If there were a way out, what woman would be willing to go out to sea alone?

Especially for an older woman like her who has little experience at sea.

If she can find other ways to make money, she will definitely choose to do something else, even if she earns less.

In fact, every now and then over the past few years, someone would come to "introduce" her to a job.

Rosalia understood perfectly well that everyone was just taking pity on her and trying to find ways to give her money.

But the outside world was so bad, and the villagers were struggling to make ends meet, barely able to afford meat... How could she possibly accept their kindness?

Some kind fishermen invited her to help on the boat, but she was a woman with no strength or ability. What could she do if she went on the boat?

She was just a burden who was taking up a share of the budget and lowering the income of other crew members... so she refused them all.

But this time, Rosalia felt she could do it.

She wouldn't be a burden to Leo because she wouldn't be involved in the sea portion, but would stay on land and do what she's good at... while Leo does need help.

"Sure, but we need to clarify the cost."

Rosalia explained the rules of cooperative fishing in Sicily to Leo, and then expressed her opinion—

The leader takes 50% of the profits, while the smaller teams share the remaining 50% among two or three crew members. However, those who don't go out to sea receive an even smaller share because they don't face any risks. Rosalia takes 10% of the daily profits as payment for equipment, boats, and handling the catch.

Leo was just thankful Rosalia agreed.

He didn't pull too far, and continued out to sea with the trident.

Rosalia continued sharpening her knife:

"Simon, this time we don't owe Leo anything."

She deliberately asked for a very low percentage because the premise of the cooperation was that Leo had saved her once.

Although cleaning the fish would take up some of her evening fishing time, it was to repay a favor, and she should accept the loss.

Only after suffering a loss can she feel at ease.

With this major concern resolved, Rosalia felt a significant weight lifted off her shoulders.

When she went out to buy groceries in the afternoon, she had a smile on her face and even nodded and greeted the villagers she passed by, which was quite rare for her.

Seeing that the "dead widow" had become kind and approachable, the villagers warned those who were spreading rumors not to create anxiety in the village.

Look at how you've described this frail woman!

What a gentle person she is.

However, just a few hours later, the situation took a complete 180-degree turn.

As night fell, new rumors began to circulate in Marzamemi—

It is said that someone saw Rosalia at night. She was radiating a red aura of murderous intent, with fierce eyes, tightly closed lips, and hurriedly heading in one direction, as if she was going to kill someone.

"Who is it? Who offended her?"

"I don't know, it seems like they went in the direction of the shipyard."

......

"Let's renegotiate the percentage; 1% is too high."

Rosalia has been tricked by Leo again.

Around dusk, the fish became more active, and Leo learned about his morning's earnings from Rosalia, which gave him immediate motivation. His afternoon catch was much greater than the morning's.

While processing the fish that evening, Rosalia also estimated the value of the fish.

The more she calculated, the more anxious and alarmed she became.

Her daily income is very unstable; on good days it can reach 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, and on bad days it can be less than 20,000 yuan.

The fish Leo brought back that day could sell for about 130,000 to 140,000 lira, almost enough to fill a small fleet.

Sometimes, when luck wasn't on your side, those fleets might not have brought back as many fish as Leo.

One-tenth of 130,000 to 140,000 lira is more than 10

Cleaning fish is easy and safe for Rosalia, yet it's worth half of her usual income... What kind of loss is this? She's clearly indebted to Leo again.

Why is it so hard to repay a favor...?

"That many?" Leo wasn't that sensitive to weight; he was just a ruthless sea king.

Rosalia said with a stern face:

"I haven't even counted the seashells and octopuses yet."

Leo took a bite of the tomato, looking very happy.

"There will be more later."

Rosalia's complexion worsened:

You must be careful.

Leo brought back a lot of fish in the morning, and even more in the afternoon. Rosalia naturally assumed that the boy was "working himself to the bone" to earn more money.

Leo's relaxed explanation:

"I swore to Uncle Sorberto that I would prioritize safety above all else and would never put myself in danger. Today is my first day at sea, and I'm still in the exploratory stage. I haven't even used my full strength yet."

Rosalia fell silent; she read confidence in Leo's face.

Leo wasn't lying; he left himself room for maneuver, and it seemed like quite a bit.

Everyone called Marzamemi a "madwoman" and kept their distance from her.

But Rosalia thought the young man opposite her was even more terrifying; he was simply a "monster."