1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 110 The Concept of Time in Provence

Ronan did not force Thor to accept his proposal, but reminded him to find a car to go back in advance. In Provence, "time" is a very flexible thing, so don't delay your return to Paris.

Thor didn't take Ronan's words to heart. He patted his chest and said confidently that there would be no problem.

But the day before he left, he took the initiative to find Ronan, with a sad face:

"You're right. In Provence, 'time' is a very flexible thing. No driver can guarantee that he will take me away at 8 am tomorrow."

Ronan put down the book and said with a smile:
"Because in Provence, time is the least valuable thing. No one cares whether tomorrow is 'tomorrow' or 'the day after tomorrow'. Tell me, how did they 'promise' you?"

Thor placed his huge hands on his knees:
"I first went to find the person who sent the two students to Avignon. He said he would go to Avignon again tomorrow. I told him your address and asked him to pick me up at the train station tomorrow morning, but he told me to ask someone else."

Ronan looked calm:
"Based on your context, I guess the 'tomorrow' he mentioned is probably some day this week, depending on his mood."

Thor rubbed his hands in frustration:

"Then I asked a driver who was smoking on the roadside. He said he was going to Avignon 'soon'. I asked if he could wait for me to say goodbye to his friends. He said yes, he also wanted to have lunch first, but it was only 9 o'clock in the morning. I didn't go with him. When I went out to buy something in the afternoon, I saw his car was still parked there."

Ronan curled his lips:

"In Provence, 'soon' means sometime today, but no later than today, I'm sure of that."

Pierre once called Ronan to borrow tools. He said on the phone that he would come "right away", but Ronan met him at around 7 o'clock that night.

Seeing Thor's frustrated face, as if he had suffered some kind of blow, Ronan smiled and said:
"When I first arrived, I was not used to the 'time' here either. Later, I learned to watch their actions. If someone doesn't even look at your eyes when talking, then you can't believe a single letter of what he says. If that person puts his hands on his chest with his palms facing down and moves them back and forth while talking, then you can probably believe half of what he says."

Ronan stood up and patted Thor on the shoulder:

"But when someone looks you in the eye and taps you on the shoulder and says, 'I'll take you to Avignon tomorrow,' you can trust what he says and not worry about it."

Thor is a man of contradictions.

When Ronan slaps the 'quiet' label on him, he reveals his lively, cheerful and talkative side.

On the way to Avignon the next day, he told jokes that Ronan couldn't understand, as if he was spitting out all the words that he had been holding in his stomach for the past few days.

Ronan guessed that this was his way of diluting the 'sadness of parting'.

Provence is a beautiful place, and Ronan firmly believes that anyone who leaves this land will be reluctant to leave.

"I look forward to seeing you again next time." Ronan said in a cheerful tone in response to Thor.

"Yes, I will definitely come again." Thor waved goodbye to Ronan.

But he had just taken two steps out when he ran back, patted Ronan on the shoulder and said:
"That girl likes you."

"What?" Ronan was stunned.

Thor patted Ronan's shoulder even harder:

"I can see that the girl likes you very much, the girl who went out with us at night."

Seeing Ronan's expression change several times, Thor finally understood what he wanted to say and left happily:

“I hope the next time I come to Provence is to attend a good friend’s wedding.”

After saying this, he turned and left, leaving behind only the sound of "cow mooing" that gradually faded away.

Ronan looked in the direction where Thor left with a complicated expression.

He would miss Thor.

After sending Thor off, Ronan went to the sawmill outside Avignon, where he and Zoe had come before to buy wood.

The income provided by the Mena Village Market to Ronan became increasingly stable, and the income from the Lourmarin Market was also gradually increasing.

Ronan's financial situation finally improved significantly in May, and he had nearly 3 francs in his hands. He was able to start the second phase of renovation at home with sufficient funds.

He planned to make another set of beds and cabinets before his parents arrived so that if there were any guests at home, they could accommodate them.

Most of the trees in Provence are coniferous, and soft wood is not suitable for making furniture.

If you want to make furniture, you usually choose European beech. This hardwood is relatively affordable in Provence, easy to process, and has many colors and textures to choose from.

When Ronan drove into the sawmill, workers inside were processing logs.

Depending on the application scenario, logs can be sawn into tangential boards parallel to the round surface of the wood, which are marked by arcs and flames in the end grain.

Quarter-sawn boards can also be sawn perpendicular to the surface of the wood, which are characterized by straight parallel lines in the end grain.

Sawn lumber is more prone to bending, but the processing cost of quarter-sawn lumber is higher than that of sawn lumber, and the wood utilization rate is low.

For these reasons, the most common lumber found in lumber yards is string-sawn lumber.

Ronan got out of the car and looked for a while, and found that the workers were indeed cutting strings and boards, and one side was full of unused tree cores.

Ronan called ahead and said he would come today, and someone would come to receive him soon.

Seeing that Ronan was not curious about the tree core on the ground, the man smiled and asked:
"This is the first time I've seen someone who couldn't help asking why the tree heart couldn't be used. Aren't you curious?"

Ronan raised his eyebrows:
"The center of the tree is the pith, which is full of fibers and ducts. If it's soft, it can't be used."

The man let out a barely perceptible 'wow'.

He is actually an 'expert'?
Ronan ordered a lot of wood this time and put it in the donkey shed so he can use it whenever he wants.

"Can we deliver on Wednesday?" The man from the lumber yard arranged a delivery time with Ronan.

"Wednesday? No, no." Ronan shook his head quickly, "That day won't work."

The man asked in a joking tone:

"You're so nervous, are you going on a date with your girlfriend?"

Wednesday.

Ronan drove to Zoe's door twenty minutes early.

It's amazing that in the first three months, he spent time alone with Zoe twice a week and went to other places together, but he was never nervous.

He was nervous about going to Aix the night before.
This morning I couldn't sit still at home, so I just came out early.

"There are still twenty minutes left, so get yourself in good shape," Ronan comforted himself.

But Zoe didn't give Ronan much time to adjust.

6:45.

She opened the door fifteen minutes early, catching Ronan off guard.

Ronan tried to take the luggage from her, but he couldn't pull it even after trying hard.

He looked over and saw a faint smile on Zoe's lips:
"What are you nervous about?"

"I'm not nervous." Ronan went to open the car door.

Zoe stood there, the smile on her face becoming more cunning:
"Then why don't you dare look at me?"

(End of this chapter)