Translator: 549690339
After graduating from N University with a bachelor’s degree, Bo Yan went straight into a doctoral program and graduated with a Ph.D. at the age of 26. He then stayed at the university to teach.
He studied literature in college, and film culture and art in his doctoral program.
In terms of literary cultivation, he was not lacking; in terms of professional theory, he could speak with authority. During his university days, he had gone on exchange programs, with English and French posing no problem for him.
But Italian, he truly did not know. “Fishing? Bricklaying?”
What kind of nonsense was this?
Xia Siyu pointed to the advertisement board: “Yeah, it says right here, urgently hiring for fishing at sea, a hundred euros per person, bricklaying at fifty euros per person per day. There’s also a contact number.”
Overseas blue-collar workers are paid well; for instance, a plumber or electrician in America might charge a hundred dollars just to make a basic repair. Of course, that’s for skilled technicians, bricklaying wouldn’t cost as much, but fifty euros for a day of laying bricks was still possible.
As she spoke, she actually called the number.
The call was quickly connected, and halfway through the conversation, she turned back: “Can you swim? Can you pilot a boat?”
Bo Yan nodded: “I have a diving certification and a yacht piloting license.”
Before the online comments had time to praise with “666”, Xia Siyu asked again: “Did you bring them?”
Bo Yan unusually got stuck: “No.”
The production team didn’t specify, and unlike a driver’s license, ID, or passport, who would bring such things when traveling abroad?
Xia Siyu pursed her lips in disapproval and asked, “Do you have a fishing license then?”
In many places abroad, a license is required for sea fishing and can be obtained from specific administrative offices. Illegal fishing could result in hefty fines, and in severe cases, deportation.
Applying for the license wasn’t difficult; one could do it online or at local administrative offices. However, the show demanded they earn a hundred euros by the next day, clearly leaving no time for preparations.
Bo Yan continued to shake his head: “No.”
Xia Siyu hung up the phone. Although she didn’t say much on the surface, the disdain in her eyes was more than evident.
She dialed the second number: “Looks like we can only go for bricklaying.”
This job didn’t have as many requirements, working from one in the afternoon till five in the evening. A local church needed renovation, so the task was to unload bricks from the truck and stack them neatly, facilitating the workers’ construction—literally just as the job description said.
Four hours, fifty euros, tiring and without provided meals; the local people were unwilling to do it, hence the recruitment.
But Bo Yan and she had no other choice, endure the hardship they must. So the job was set. After finishing their grocery shopping, they even made a special trip to the church to ask about work details. After showing their passports and work visas, the people at the church administration didn’t give them a hard time. They were only told to be on time the next day. The rest of the work and filming details were up to the production team to coordinate with the church, not their concern.
When leaving, Bo Yan walked ahead and noticed Xia Siyu’s steps were slightly slow; he looked back.
Just then, the church bells tolled, she turned to look back, and the setting sun shone through the church’s stained glass windows, casting light onto the statue of the Virgin Mary, adding an inexplicable sense of nostalgia.
He didn’t hurry her and silently waited for Xia Siyu to turn around.
The online comments flooded with admiration, with some praising: “Professor Bo is really a gentleman, quietly standing to the side waiting.”
“l wish to have a husband like that, waiting for me every day when I get off work.’
Only Bo Yan knew that Xia Siyu had been a bit off these past few days.