1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 1 Provence
"Wake up, Marseille is coming."

The slight shaking of his shoulders made Ronan open his eyes while sleeping. What came into view was the Cangshan Mountain whizzing past the window and the ochre-colored houses built on the mountain in an orderly manner.

Under the strong sunlight, the train seemed to be traveling through a long and mysterious mirage.

Ronan stared out the window blankly, pointed at the houses on the top of the mountain, and asked the middle-aged woman who was sitting next to him and woke him up:
"In Luberon?"

Luberon, a mountainous area in the southern part of the Vaucluse department in France, has another more well-known name - Provence.

Strictly speaking, Provence includes the Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhône, Hautes-Alpes and the Cote d'Azur region near the Mediterranean Sea, but the most distinctive part of them must be the Luberon.

Endless lavender fields, vast vineyards, more than 300 days of sunshine each year, and dozens of well-preserved medieval-style villages make this place the dream home of countless people.

The middle-aged woman next to Ronan crossed her arms, and the wrinkles on her face smoothed out with a smile:
"Yes, those are the 'bird's nest villages' that are characteristic of Luberon. The south of France was very turbulent in the Middle Ages. In order to avoid disasters, residents built defense works along the hillsides. Now these small mountain villages are the most beautiful landscapes in Provence."

The woman had a strong Marseille accent and spoke quickly and urgently, which made it difficult for Ronan, who grew up in Paris, to understand.

As she continued her narration, a light blue panel appeared before Ronan's eyes.

[The happy life system has been loaded. Please enjoy it and live a happy and relaxing life! ]

[Level 1 Construction: 0\100]

[Level 1 Planting: 0\100]

[Level 1 Collection: 0\100]

Building, planting, gathering. There are dozens of skill names on the page, and it takes a long time to scroll to the bottom.

[Usable experience: 12]

A month ago, Ronan, a Chinese-French man, was accidentally reborn in 1986, and with him came this system called "Happy Life".

As long as you do happy things, you can increase your happiness, and happiness can be used to improve various skill experiences.

However, the various skills in the system are hardly useful in Paris, and in the metropolis of Paris, as a lower-class person, there is really no happiness for him, and the speed of accumulating experience is worrying.

However, in 1986, something happened that made Ronan regret every time he recalled it.

As an interior designer, he has more ways to obtain house selling information than others. Only by having first-hand information can he find potential decoration customers more quickly.

At that time, a Parisian businessman was anxious to sell a farmhouse located at the foot of the Luberon Mountains.

According to the market price, it should be sold in the range of 30 to 40 francs, but the man was in such a hurry that he listed it at only 20.

In the previous life, an elderly couple bought it for their retirement use.

But three years later, with the arrival of the tourism boom in Provence, the farmhouse was sold for 120 million francs. The old couple returned to Paris with the money and bought a high-end apartment, where they truly lived out their retirement.

Ronan, who returned from 2024, knew that 120 million francs was by no means the upper limit. In the 21st century when the euro became popular, housing prices in Provence would be driven up to an even more outrageous level. Even if one could run something with the farmhouse as a base, he would still earn a huge sum of money.

So this time Ronan chose to buy the farmhouse without hesitation, even though his parents and friends around him tried their best to object!

The system skills are like a fish in water in the beautiful Provence, and you can use the period before the price rises to increase the value of the house as much as possible, so as to obtain more wealth in the future.

Ronan couldn't find any reason to refuse, so he came without hesitation.

But he paid a high price for this. In order to get this farmhouse, he took out a loan of 13 francs. His parents were so angry that they almost broke off relations with him, thinking he was crazy.

But these are only temporary. Ronan firmly believes that once he has established himself in Provence, all of this will pass, whether it is financial pressure or family relationships.

The train soon stopped at Marseille station.

Ronan exchanged contact information with the middle-aged woman he had been chatting with all the way, then got off the train and set foot on this unknown land.

The farmhouse is located in the village of Lourmarin in the Petite Luberon, 2 hours from Marseille Train Station.

Louis, the real estate agent and neighbor, came here to pick him up. The two had established a deep friendship during the previous farmhouse purchase process. Without the help of Louis, the omnipotent local, Ronan would not have completed almost all the preliminary procedures in just one month and left Paris to come here to "take over the house."

Of course, Louis had his reasons for trying his best to help Ronan.

He had never seen a buyer who insisted on going through the property transfer process without an on-site inspection, so he guessed that this employer he had never met was a rich young man from a wealthy family.

As long as he helps Ronan to reach Provence as soon as possible, Louis will have the opportunity to continue to recommend farmhouses, farms and other resources around him, and his friends will certainly be as "generous" as Ronan. Louis is a tall, gentle middle-aged man who doesn't speak as fast as other Provençal people, which makes Ronan have a pleasant journey.

"The village of Lourmarin is located at the foot of the Aiguebern Valley. With the old church as its center, the village slowly spreads out like a snail shell. In summer, lavender, olive trees and rosemary can be seen everywhere on the roadside. Although it is winter now, the winter in Provence still has its colors. Young man, I swear you will fall in love with this place." Louis acted as a tour guide along the way and could talk about everything he saw for a long time.

"I hope so." Ronan said expectantly.

Everyone who knew he was moving to Provence told him the same thing - you will definitely love it here.

What is the magic of Provence?
Can every local person proudly tell the story of their journey?
When the scenery outside the window of the old hatchback Citroen changed from city to farmland, and from farmland to lush fir, pine and oak trees, and after a turn, a series of towering mountains appeared like magic, the "Charm of Provence" finally began to unveil itself.

The sunset turns the evening glow into a magnificent orange-red color, like waves blooming in the sky, echoing the towering mountains.

It was the brightest color Ronan had ever seen.

"All colors have enhanced contrast," Ronan couldn't help but exclaim.

Louis put Ronan in front of a vineyard and pointed to a two-story yellow stone house of considerable size at the back of the vineyard and said:

"Look, your house is there. You can only get there through the vineyard. Of course, you can also build a road to the door. I have given this suggestion to Michelle for more than ten years."

Michelle was the previous owner of the house.

"I swear I will seriously consider this suggestion." Ronan looked around and walked into the vineyard with his luggage.

The 'new home' was much larger than expected, with a farmhouse and several acres of vineyards.

While he was thinking, he heard a whistle behind him and Ronan looked in the direction of the sound.

"I think there's nothing there. Come to my house for dinner in about two hours." Louis backed the car, rolled down the window and pointed in a direction.

On the way here, he told Ronan the location of his home, which was about one kilometer away from here.

When living in the city, you may hardly speak a few words to your neighbors who live just across the wall from you throughout the year. But in the countryside, although your neighbors are several kilometers away from you, your relationship is much closer.

"Thank you, Louis." Ronan said gratefully but awkwardly.

Ronan did not go directly into the house, but looked around his new home first.

This is an irregularly shaped two-story yellow-gray stone house in medieval style. It seems to have undergone two or three expansions to reach its current size.

Although they were not built at the same time, each part looks quite solid. Of course, this can only be fully confirmed after entering the house and taking a look.

Compared to the accommodation in Paris, this two-story building can definitely be described as a 'mansion'.

But even more than the scale of the house, Ronan was excited by its setting.

Behind the house was a fenced yard with cherry trees, pine trees, cypress trees and some trees he couldn't name.

Ronan's occupational disease struck, and he began to design what the yard might look like after just one glance.

"An outdoor kitchen, a barbecue area, a dining area that can accommodate more than a dozen people, a recreational area made of preservative wood or stone, a swing, and if possible, a swimming pool."

Ronan excitedly sat down under a cherry tree, holding his head, looking into the distance and imagining a bright future.

"No, no, no, it's much more than that." He suddenly laughed out loud towards the sky.

Before his eyes, the endless Luberon Mountains were bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, sparkling brightly.

This is Provence, not Paris.

Ronan's back garden should expand outward by dozens or even hundreds of kilometers.

From the Alps in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south, the entire area is his new home!
After a day's journey, he closed his eyes for a few minutes.

Living in a big house, the feeling of sleeping is different. When Ronan woke up, the corners of his mouth were raised.

He squinted his eyes and stretched comfortably, when suddenly a voice sounded in his ears.

[A comfortable nap increases happiness by 1 points]

(End of this chapter)