1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 10 New Family
Eating in a beautiful place can increase happiness.

Can having a meal with a beautiful person of the opposite sex also increase your happiness?

Is this food for the stomach or for the eyes?
However, 5 points of [Happiness] is the highest single reward Ronan has ever received since he obtained the system.

This inevitably made him feel happy and surprised from the bottom of his heart, which then showed on his face and body.

Zoe studied art in college and now works in an art-related job. People who work in art have much stronger appreciation abilities than ordinary people.

She found that Ronan's every word and action was filled with sincerity and joy that could not be concealed, like a child who had received a reward.

Just because of a joke I made?
Isn’t he from Paris? How could Parisians be so innocent and lovely?
Zoe realized that she had been staring at Ronan for too long today, so she pulled out her chair and stood up:

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."

She needed to be forced to go offline for a few minutes to let her inquiring mind cool down.

Three minutes later.

Zoe, who had returned to her 'cold flower' state, returned and saw that Ronan had finished his after-dinner drink. He also put down his knife and fork and looked out the window. She asked politely:
"Have you finished eating?"

"I'm done eating." Ronan also calmed down.

Zoe nodded and put on her coat and scarf.
"Let's go then."

She came to the restaurant owner, Mrs. Chelsea, and took out her wallet:

"How much is my table?"

Mrs. Chelsea winked at her:
"That gentlemanly handsome guy has already paid the bill."

Zoe frowned and looked at Ronan, who was already dressed and walking out the door:

"You can't do this. This is just between you and me. You helped me all morning today, so I have to pay for this meal."

Ronan stood at the door, trying to stop it from closing, and made up an excuse:
"Please come back next Friday."

This excuse is as common in China as "let's have dinner another day", and it's meant to be perfunctory, but the French are not in the habit of being polite.

Zoe's face was full of question marks.

Next Friday?
Did I say I'd come to the market with you next Friday?
Ronan's mouth corners gradually rose, and he pointed outside with his chin playfully, as if to say, "Okay, that's just an excuse, but things have come to this, haven't they?"

Zoe stared at him for a few seconds, then finally looked away and moved her legs:
"See you next Friday at the same time as always."

Ronan returned home and planned to spend the afternoon cleaning the fireplace.

From both a physical and psychological perspective, this home can be described as cold and deserted.

In the first few days after moving in, Ronan could still rely on his strong physique to resist the cold, but as February approached, the fireplace had to be used.

The fireplace was in very poor condition and was almost completely blocked, which made Ronan wonder about the health condition of its previous owner, Mr. Michel and his family.

Even with layers of protection, Ronan turned into a piece of black charcoal in less than ten minutes.

At his darkest moment, there was the sound of a car driving outside the vineyard, followed by a series of powerful voices:
"Ronan!"

Ronan walked out of the house in embarrassment and saw that it was Freddy who came.

"Is there any party tonight?" Ronan walked over with a dark face without any psychological pressure.

He has gradually integrated into the Provence style of "creating reasons for getting together even if there is no reason", and looks forward to every gathering. Freddy was stunned when he saw Ronan like this, and then laughed.

He said enthusiastically:
"Yes my friend, you do need to celebrate. Celebrate the arrival of a new member in your family and the fact that you two look so 'similar'."

As he said that, he opened the back door and took out a little guy with the same skin color as Ronan.

The little guy was sleeping soundly. He opened his eyes in confusion only when Freddy put him on the ground, revealing a pair of big eyes with distinct whites.

"Oh my God!" Ronan ran to the side of the car at the speed of a 100-meter sprint and picked it up.

It was the Doberman Pinscher that Freddy had promised to house-sit for him!
The dog behaved in a 'cute and silly' manner that was inconsistent with its bloodline. Its body stiffened in Ronan's arms, and it looked puzzled. It seemed to be asking, who are you and where am I? You and I are obviously not of the same species, but why do we have some similarities?

It was so small, probably just full-term, and I could feel its body trembling slightly.

Ronan panicked and asked Freddy nervously:

"Is it okay for it to leave its mother when it's so young?"

Before Freddy could answer, Ronan felt a warm lick on his chin, followed by a second and third lick. At the same time, he also felt the little guy's powerful tail whipping his arms rapidly.

Freddy laughed and shrugged:

"Look, it has a new 'mother'."

Ronan imitated the classic scene in "The Lion King" and raised the little guy high:

"You'll be called Xiao Hei from now on!"

Xiao Hei stretched out his neck and barked twice in response.

[Playing with your beloved pet increases happiness by 2 points]

Ronan took Xiao Hei and ran and chased him in the valley.

Xiao Hei seemed to have never had such a "unbridled" experience before. He was happily shouting and jumping around in front of and behind trees, grass, and houses.

Ronan had more fun than Xiao Hei. Even when the dog collapsed from exhaustion, he was still running wildly:
"It's developed. It's really developed this time."

By playing with Xiao Hei, he gained 21 points of [Happiness] in just one afternoon!
Adding the points gained from eating, sleeping and walking in the past few days, I have accumulated more than 60 points, and I can upgrade my skills once more.

If he wasn't afraid that the dog would be too tired, he would have dragged it around to play for a few more hours.

What kind of magical system is this?
You gain experience by sleeping, eating, shopping, hanging out with beautiful girls, and even playing with dogs!
It is recommended that every time traveler has one!
Ronan happily carried Xiao Hei, who refused to move, back into the house. He used limited resources to build a nest for it next to his bed and covered it with a clean thick quilt.

Xiao Hei sniffed a few times vigilantly, tentatively put in his two front paws, and only put in the last two when he saw there was no danger. Then he curled up into a ball and fell asleep peacefully.

Ronan lay on the bed and looked at it carefully.

Although the temperature at home was still cold, his heart was warm.

It finally feels like 'home' here.

The next day, Ronan found Pierre drinking and chatting with other farmers in the old tavern.

He briefly explained his purpose. Pierre excitedly raised his glass and shouted to the other farmers:

"Boys, there's another 'Truffle Hunter' in the village. How long has it been since we played that game? Thanks to Ronan, we finally have something to do!"

(End of this chapter)