The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

After tempering, only grinding and polishing processes remain.

The three decided to go back and rest, recharge their energy, and finish things properly tomorrow.

When Bianchi returned home, he encountered his mother, who was making tomato sauce with several women.

He wanted to go and help, but was stopped by Mrs. Rosa:

"Go and get some rest. You have to go over there tomorrow."

Bianchi stubbornly helped his mother with the chores.

Making tomato sauce is a major event for the Sandro family every year.

Mrs. Rosa was kind-hearted and would make many jars every year to give to relatives, friends, and people in need.

These past few days, Bianchi has been staying at Aurelio's house playing with harpoons, unable to help with anything. Being a sensible boy, he felt very guilty, and seeing his mother busy, he naturally wanted to come and help.

"Tomorrow should be the last day, after which I can come back to help," he replied obediently.

Mrs. Rosa comforted her son:

"Other people's attitudes reflect their inner thoughts, not your values. You should have your own judgment, Bianchi."

She worried that Bianchi was afraid to go because her father had accused him of wasting time.

Bianchi shook his head:

"No, Mother, we can finish it tomorrow, and I think Father is right... You can really learn something from blacksmithing."

In fact, Mrs. Rosa felt somewhat guilty.

In order to cover up the fact that she had Bianchi contact Leo, she told Sandro that "forging iron can temper one's character," which led Sandro to ask Bianchi what he had learned yesterday.

Did Bianchi really learn something while forging iron?

Rosaff asked gently:

"What did you learn?"

Bianchi recalled Leo's words of comfort to everyone:

Sometimes, you don't need to work yourself to the bone; simply waiting patiently is also a step towards success...

He tilted his head slightly:

"Actually, I haven't fully figured it out yet. I've just vaguely come to some conclusions, but I think what Leo said makes a lot of sense."

Mrs. Rosa smiled knowingly; she knew that sending Bianchi to contact Leo was the right thing to do.

"It's okay, take your time to think about it. I believe you'll figure it out."

.......

Lady Rosa's family was very powerful, so she "married down" to Marzamemi.

Her status as a devout believer added another layer of special aura to her.

Sandro was very influential on the east coast of Sicily, which led to his wife, Madame Rosa, also holding a prominent position in the area.

Every year, the ketchup made by the wife is not only a kind act, but also an important "confirmation of the relationship".

But obtaining a gift from the lady is not so simple.

Take, for example, the village chief of Marzamemi. He tries to win over the sauce every year, becoming more and more shameless each year, but he still can't get the saltiness of the tomato sauce made by Mrs. Rosa herself.

Later, too many people came to ask for the money, both openly and secretly, including many prominent figures. After Madame Rosa finished compiling the list, Sandro would take a look at it.

He dared not delete any names from the list; he would only add new ones.

Early the next morning.

Sandro saw the freshly prepared list his eldest son, Antonino, had just received from his mother, pointed to a name on it, and asked:

"How did he get up there?"

A few days ago, Sandro asked his wife if they could send a few bottles to a big fish merchant in Syracuse, but Mrs. Rosa refused, saying that "small things are not presentable."

Sandro pleaded with his wife for several days before she finally agreed to give him two bottles.

Such an important person doesn't deserve to have it, so why should this name appear on it?

Antonino said with a strange expression:

"I asked my mother the same question, and she said—"

Sandro leaned forward, listening intently.

Antonino answered truthfully:

"My mother said that the Mariani family needs to win over Leo's friendship, and she also told me to keep a close eye on Leo's activities."

Sandro repeatedly confirmed:

"Did your mother really say that?"

Antonino pondered and asked:

"Do you think we should remove Leo's name?"

Sandro quickly shook his head:

"Listen to your mother."

Antonino continued to ask:

"Should I keep track of Leo's activities?"

Sandro smiled and put the list down:

"Now that your mother said that, I'll have to keep a close eye on Leo's activities."

.......

The concerns about the outcome of the harpoon attack and the rumors circulating outside are objective facts that must be faced regardless and cannot be avoided.

But mindset determines whether this pressure is a "weight" that crushes a person or a "furnace" that pushes them towards self-cultivation.

Under Leo's patient encouragement and calm demeanor, Aurelio regained his confidence.

Confidence propelled him away from panic and self-doubt, and fostered his determination to turn adversity around.

On the last day of forging, Aurelio never spoke a word about the forging process to the villagers again, and he no longer took their praise to heart, whether it was genuine or feigned flattery.

The team's "mouth" became the most silent one, his mind racing, every second focused on forging, determined to ensure the harpoon landed smoothly.

Bianchi is inherently a hard-working and competitive person who doesn't need Leo's encouragement to be confident.

But in order to help him find the answer to prove to his father that this was not a waste of time, Leo boldly assigned him a lot of meticulous work.

Even Aurelio, who was a close friend of Bianchi, repeatedly advised Leo not to act impulsively...

Kolio had an inexplicable confidence that, no matter the circumstances, he firmly maintained that Bianchi was fine.

Bianchi did not disappoint Leo's trust.

After that, the word "mother" was never mentioned again; his eyes were filled only with longing for a victorious mother.

The three people were like three high-speed gears, meshing tightly together and becoming more and more in sync.

After noon, Leo suddenly said to them:

"Let's go out and promote it too."

Aurelio thought Leo was joking and chimed in:

"Okay, then let's announce that my 'miracle weapon' for picking up trash is about to be released."

"That's right!" Leo clapped his hands. "How did you know that's what I wanted to publicize? I just wanted to tell them that our harpoon is almost finished."

Aurelius was horrified:

"Are you serious?"

Leo nodded:

"Of course, that's what I think."

Aurelio beckons to Anchi:

"Bianchi, come here quickly, stop dawdling!"

Bianchi meticulously refines the angle of the fork tip.

He can work for hours to achieve a deviation of 0.1-0.2 millimeters, which is completely invisible to the naked eye.

He applied his "workaholic" personality to forging, creating harpoons with a sharpness comparable to swords...

After Bianchi came over, Leo leaned against the table behind him and said:

"I'd like to invite everyone to come and watch our harpoon test tonight."

The two people opposite him stared wide-eyed.

Harpoon test?

Is it public?