1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 128 Noble Descendants
Ines responded later than Ronan expected.

After Ronan upgraded the hot pot soup base twice, the meeting date of the 'Vaucluse Pink Wine Association' was finally confirmed.

President Ines explained to Ronan:

"Astrid went to Burgundy a while ago and wasn't sure when she would be back, so we waited for her for a while."

Although he knew the "glorious deeds" of Astrid's ancestors, Ronan was still full of curiosity about this descendant of the nobility.

Is it true that Astrid has more face than the president if she follows a member on the party date?

But these are not the main point; the main point is the party itself.

"No problem, I will make all preparations and look forward to your arrival."

After the Labor Day holiday, Lourmarin returned to a brief period of peace.

There are not many tourists, and the villagers live their lives peacefully, rarely disturbed by the outside world.

Whenever any distinctive stranger appears, he will immediately become the subject of discussion among the villagers.

"See that guy in orange? I saw him taking pictures in the village this morning, and he's still doing it now. What's he been doing all day? Hasn't he finished exploring Lourmarin yet?"

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, more and more farmers gathered in the old tavern. Theo passed the time while drinking and talking about some "boring" topics.

Pierre glanced at the man he pointed at and spurted beer out of his nose:

"That's the 'surveyor' that Blanco hired from Bonnieux to do the architectural planning for Lourmarin."

Theo, who considered himself to be 'well-informed', would not admit that he had made a fool of himself, and said stubbornly:
"Anyway, he's just a strange outsider."

Before the mid-twentieth century, the development of Provence was limited to the coastal areas and large towns. The Luberon Mountains were remote, the roads were narrow, and the scattered road signs often made people dizzy. Only the bravest tourists would set foot in this area, and strangers were rarely seen.

Although times have changed, the unfriendly term "foreigner" has been retained to this day.

Moreover, the so-called "outsiders" are not necessarily foreigners or people from other provinces. Two villages that are no more than 30 kilometers apart can also be called "outsiders".

Because in the past, villagers only lived within a few kilometers from birth to death, and many people had only been to the nearby market town or to the neighboring village to attend weddings or funerals.

So people living in Bonnieux completely fall into the category of "foreigners".

"Maybe he was a thief, a robber, or even a murderer. I think Lourmarin should organize a 'guard team' to carefully inquire about the information of every foreigner who enters!" Henry, as always, disliked the whole world.

Fabian asked Pierre:
“What architectural plans does Lourmarin have?”

Pierre, the farmer leader, has a good relationship with the government and is better informed than them.

But Pierre was not very clear about this question:
"It seems that in order to accommodate more tourists, as you can see, there were so many tourists during the Labor Day holiday, and there will be even more people coming during the summer vacation. The government has allocated some money to improve the tourism infrastructure, but I don't know what it is specifically."

Farmers have a different mentality than businessmen.

They do not welcome the arrival of tourists, and even reject all foreign things and changes. They just want to farm quietly and make money.

"It would be better to use this money to invest in building a new wine-making cooperative, so that the grapes can be sold at a higher price. Why spend money on those 'outsiders'?" Henry said with a grin, as if he wanted to eat those 'outsiders' alive.

The farmers were highly unanimous on this point. Theo touched his cup and said:
"In short, those 'outsiders' don't deserve our attention, and there's no need to waste time on them."

Suddenly, a mechanical roar was heard outside the old tavern, coming from far away.

A cool convertible drove past the door, attracting the attention of the entire street.

The curious farmers naturally wanted to chase after the car to check it out, but the car was driving too fast and they could only see the back of the car moving away from them.

"What a cool car!" Theo looked over with envy.

He didn't recognize the make or model of the car, but he was certain it was worth more than the ones parked in Lucas's garage.

"Where did these wealthy tourists come from?" Pierre squinted his eyes. "But it's a bit late to come at this hour. It's almost dinner time."

"It could also be a star from Cannes. You know, those actors like to come to Luberon to enjoy the scenery when they have nothing to shoot." Fabian retracted his gaze.

The farmers guessed several more identities, and without exception, they were all related to "wealth".

Anyway, the owner of the car definitely has nothing to do with Lourmarin, there is no such rich person here.

They were about to go back to continue drinking when another Mercedes drove past the door of the old pub.

"Damn it, there are so many rich 'outsiders' here today?" Theo muttered speechlessly.

In the past, you wouldn’t see a luxury car in Lourmarin for a month, but today there are so many of them?
"Rich 'outsiders' are still 'outsiders', and Lourmarin does not welcome them! Their cars will only pollute the blue sky and air here." Henry snorted coldly.

Suddenly, a louder roar came from a distance.

A few seconds later, a silver-white sports car that looked even more stylish than the previous two cars appeared in everyone's sight, and slowly slowed down and stopped in front of them.

Theo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He knew this car!

The latest Porsche 930!

This is an absolute luxury car that even Lucas can’t afford!!

The other farmers weren't as well-informed as Theo, and didn't know what kind of car it was. But that didn't stop their excitement, because the driver was a charming and beautiful woman. This woman, dressed in a red dress and sporting a fiery red lipstick, looked younger than she actually was. Her every smile and frown captivated these rough-hewn men, igniting their hearts and bodies.

Their hearts were lifted at the same time!
Both nervous and excited!
Astrid took off her sunglasses and said:

"Where is Ronan's house?"

The enthusiastic farmers wanted to personally guide the lost lady.

But the Porsche drove away mercilessly, without even saying thank you to them after getting the answer.

At the same time, the hearts of these farmers also disappeared.

"Where did Ronan meet such a rich woman?" Theo muttered unwillingly, with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

Will Ronan have a chance to sit in this Porsche, or even take it for a spin?
If it were him, he would definitely do that!

Damn it, why didn’t that woman go to his house?
Henry curled his lips proudly:
"It's normal for Mr. Ronan to know this kind of 'upper class'. He is so outstanding, unlike those of us who have been dealing with land all our lives."

Fabian refused to look away for a long time:

"It's almost dinner time. Will Ronan have dinner with that beautiful lady?"

God, he would have been excited to go out and do another five hours of farm work if he had the chance to have dinner with that charming lady.

No, 8 hours is fine too!

The fat boy Cornell looked expectant:
"Will she come here often in the future?"

Pierre laughed and lit a cigarette:

"You're not rejecting 'outsiders' anymore?"

Everyone shrugged at the same time:
"That depends on the situation, doesn't it?"

Mr. Jacques was one of the earlier guests to arrive.

Upon learning that Ronan wanted to cook authentic Chinese cuisine, the owner of the two-Michelin-star restaurant took the initiative to ask to be his "deputy".

"Let me help you prepare the food." Jacques took off his expensive suit.

"No need, Mr. Jacques. Today's meal is simple and I can handle it by myself." Ronan said while washing the vegetables.

Jacques knew very well how huge a project it was to host a dinner for 10 people. He was worried that Ronan didn't want to cause trouble for the guests, so he said considerately:

"I often cook for my wife. Let me help you."

Ronan pointed to the vegetables in front of him:

"Really, there's no need. Once you wash these things, the 'meal' will be ready. We can eat whenever we're hungry."

Jacques was stunned for a moment:
“No need to cook?”

Ronan smiled and waved at him, then directed Jacques to a pot of soup that was simmering over low heat:
"Put the vegetables and meat in here and blanch them. Once they're cooked, you can eat them. It's simple, right?"

Ronan lifted the lid slightly, and a rich mushroom aroma poured out, directly hitting Jacques' face.

Jacques did not avoid the high temperature steam. Instead, he took off his foggy glasses and leaned closer:
"Can I see what's in here?"

"Of course." Ronan handed him a long-handled spoon and a small bowl.

Jacques scooped out some ingredients, stirring them while analyzing them in a low voice.

Suddenly, he scooped up a piece of mushroom with a bumpy skin, put it in his mouth and chewed it:
"Baroque lily mushrooms. Did you pick them yourself?"

It turns out that the scientific name of 'French Lily' is Baroque Lily Mushroom?
"Yes, I picked them myself. They are hard to find. I went there twice and only found a dozen or so, but—"

"But the flavor of these dozen mushrooms is richer than a handful of other mushrooms, and they also have a unique nutty aroma, which elevates the taste of the soup." Jacques said the second half of the sentence for Ronan.

Ronan said with conviction:

“You are indeed an expert.”

"The best way to cook Baroque lily mushrooms is to make soup—" Jacques said seriously, "I'm starting to look forward to dinner tonight."

Ronan turned around to check if everyone had arrived. If they had, they could start eating.

"Astrid, do you need dinner?" Ronan muttered with a smile.

There were already two empty bottles of pink wine at Astrid's feet. And she had only been there less than an hour.

This guy can get enough of it just by drinking.

Mr. Jacques didn't understand the 'cold joke' and looked at Ronan in confusion.

Ronan quickly found an excuse to get away with it:
"I mean, a lot of young girls don't like dinner."

"Young girl?" Jacques turned around and put his glasses back on. "Astrid is already in her forties."

"What?" Ronan was completely upset.

Astrid is in her forties?
His mother is only in her forties.
(End of this chapter)