1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 11 Early Childhood Education Begins
That afternoon, Ronan got into Pierre's pickup truck, which was noisier than a tractor, and drove into the heart of the Luberon Mountains.

Pierre was not afraid of the noise and the cold. He opened all the car windows in the temperature close to zero, put his elbows on the windows handsomely, smoked a cigarette and told Ronan about the traditions among the farmers in Lourmarin.

"Truffle picking requires patience. If you are unlucky, you may not be able to produce any truffles for several weeks. Although the price is very tempting, a long period of fruitless return will discourage you."

"So a game was invented?" Ronan quickly figured it out.

Pierre said with great delight:
"We will hang the photo of the person who found the most truffles in a week on the wall of the old tavern, and everyone who comes to drink will say 'cheers' to the photo! How about it, isn't it interesting?"

Ronan caters to his conscience:

"Interesting, interesting."

Are you the one who came up with this stupid game?

"I'm such a genius!" Pierre patted his right chest while holding a cigarette in his mouth, but his expression soon fell. "But truffle picking is too difficult, and it's still hard to maintain everyone's enthusiasm. No one has taken the initiative to play the game for two or three years. Only when a new picker appears in the village will this game appear once, and those who don't get any will buy everyone a drink."

Several questions quickly popped up in Ronan's mind:
“Who are the participants?”

"All the farmers in the village." As the 'core figure' of the farmers in Lourmarin village, Pierre can command the support of hundreds of people.

"Then how do you know the game has started?" Ronan continued to ask.

In Lourmarin, not every household has a telephone, for example Ronan's family doesn't have one.

What if there are people who are not notified? Wouldn’t they be fined for drinking for no reason?

The main reason for asking this was that Ronan was worried that he had also entered the range of "farmers" and didn't want his wallet to suffer.

Pierre suddenly turned his head to look at Ronan:
"In Lourmarin, the old tavern is the farmer's home. You should go there more often."

Ronan was right in thinking that he was certainly one of the farmers, and a very popular one at that.

This is exactly the second thing Pierre wanted to say:
"Believe me, in half a month at most you will become the close brother of many drunkards."

Ronan was the topic of conversation in the old tavern. The farmers were concerned about whether this stranger could bring them a new livelihood, and were curious about how he would grow the vineyard. Some bored people even started a bet on this.

Of course, most people remain pessimistic about this.

But no matter what the result is, Pierre hopes that Ronan can be accepted by these younger brothers - those who farm are brothers.

But this requires Ronan to cheer up himself.

Ronan looked outside the car:

"I'll go there often."

He kept this in mind and went to the old tavern two or three times a week. Just like Zoe said, the thing that is most abundant in Provence is time, and this can be considered a way to kill time.

Ronan thought Pierre would at least take him to the forest, but he didn't expect that the stage for telling jokes today would be next to Highway D943.

Road D943 divides the Luberon mountain area into two parts, the Great Luberon to the north and the Petite Luberon to the south. This is the road most familiar to all residents living in the Luberon area.

"Are there truffles on both sides?" Ronan looked around helplessly.

Pierre pulled up his dog and winked at Ronan:
"My goal is to be the first in the competition."

Ronan immediately thought of Zoe's words, 'Don't have any expectations. They will only take you to experience it symbolically, but they won't really let you dig it out. Every mushroom picker doesn't like others to discover his secret garden.'

It seems that you are really here to experience it. But that doesn't mean you can't ask questions.

Pierre is a man who is very happy to share his experiences.

Ronan follows in Pierre's footsteps:

“Are there any tips for picking truffles?”

Pierre competently stepped into the role of mentor: "In the early years, the most important trick was to own a pig, but pigs can bring a lot of unnecessary trouble: pigs like truffles more than those rich people, and once they find them, they will eat them desperately. A healthy pig can easily grow to more than 300 kilograms. How much truffles do you think will be left when you try your best to snatch them from this guy's mouth?"

Ronan thought about it and answered seriously:

"I wonder if anyone would be willing to buy pigs for 2000 francs per kilogram if they were packaged to feed on truffles?"

"Hahahaha—" Pierre patted Ronan's shoulders twice, "This is the best joke I've heard this year!"

"Now you understand why dogs have come from behind and become the best choice for truffle hunters, right?" Pierre smiled and picked up his dog.

Ronan nodded and walked towards an 'oak tree':
"I'm glad the dog came out on top."

Pierre put the dog down and said with a smile:

"why?"

Ronan spread his hands helplessly:

"I only have dogs, not pigs. If pigs were the only thing I could use, I would go to the old tavern and pay for it now."

Pierre laughed wildly:
"You can definitely become a qualified Provencal!"

My friend, do you think you can achieve anything in this week?

The one in front of you is not an oak tree at all!

But I like your optimism!
Over the next three hours, Pierre taught him all the tips he knew that would help him find truffles.

He taught Ronan the names of all the trees growing in the Luberon Mountains and also taught him a method for training truffle dogs.

Ronan listened carefully and kept it in mind.

Back in the village, he bought a fingernail-sized truffle from the restaurant owner, Mrs. Chelsea, and went to the grocery store to buy a new pair of socks.

Pierre says that bassets are best at truffle hunting because their noses are naturally closer to the ground.

Xiao Hei was too small and not a corgi, so Ronan was worried whether he could do the job.

Does this count as child labor?

However, he has the [Collection] skill in his system. If he adds a professional truffle dog, who says he has no hope in this competition?

As soon as he entered the door, Xiao Hei gave Ronan a warm kiss on the cheek and circled around him excitedly.

However, Ronan's reaction was not as enthusiastic as usual, and clear stupidity randomly rippled in the little guy's eyes.

Ronan squatted down, trying to keep their eyes level, touched its head, and said earnestly:
"Whether we can have meat every meal depends on you."

Xiao Hei sensed danger in Ronan's tone and turned and ran.

Ronan found it in its nest easily, and his feeling of uneasiness grew even more.

Hiding in one's own nest
Even if you hide in the toilet, it's okay.

This IQ makes me feel so insecure!

"Early childhood education classes start today."

Woohoo——

In Ronan's arms, Xiao Hei whimpered in protest.

(End of this chapter)