Translation of gewinnbringend

In the beginning it looked brutal but it worked. He brought my wallet back to me and asked me to count the bills in it. I was stunned and could not believe what just happened. He repeated his order.
Let me talk about nicer things in this email. In the last mail we spoke about the poems that we have read in our last spring break. We are not of the kind who love partying all night. We came to relax.
It was a good way of starting the trip. A ferry ride across the beautiful water, a beer in one hand and the unknown adventure lying ahead. I had to look for a place to sleep and checked a few hostels.