1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 135 Maasai Wirehaired Dog

Ronan squatted down and looked carefully at the group of puppies in the fence with a smile.

Steel grey fur with dark brown spots, and a face covered in whiskers that even covered his eyes.

He simply couldn't connect the 'simple' puppies in front of him with the other majestic hounds.

They look more like scribbled 'mops' or prototypes of some cartoons.

Benito proudly introduced:

"This is a breed that originated in Germany, called the Cordal Griffon Wirehaired Dog. The Germans bred them to hunt in dense bushes and by the water. Later, they were introduced to France, but they can only live in the north. These little things like humid environments too much. However, I have bred a breed suitable for southern France."

Ronan's smile widened.

He has already imagined what this furry little creature would look like when it comes into contact with water. It should be more like a 'mop', right?
Benito also squatted down and said in a more proud tone:
"Look, they are in such good condition."

Ronan pointed at the puppies and asked:

“Is it still suitable for hunting after the improvement?”

"Of course!" Benito swirled his fingers around their heads, and the puppies pounced and grabbed left and right cleverly, being both smart and agile.

"Does he have a keen sense of smell? How's his learning ability?" Ronan continued to ask.

This is what he is more concerned about.

Benito patiently explained:
"Sir, this is the purest hound. They are born for hunting, so they have a keen sense of smell. They are also very smart and gentle, and are happy to please their owners. They are very suitable for training, but they cannot be kept in a cage. They need enough exercise. Do you have these conditions?"

"I live in Luberon." Ronan shrugged, no further explanation was needed.

Benito exclaimed in surprise:
"Then you are very suitable to raise this kind of dog. It will be your best helper when hunting."

Most men in Luberon are hunters.

"How big can it grow?" Ronan looked at Benito.

Xiao Hei is almost 50 pounds and has a muscular body. Occasionally, he runs from a distance and fails to brake in time and hits Ronan, which is very painful.

Ronan was worried that the dog was too small and would be "bullied" by Xiao Hei in the future.

Benito put his palm to a height of about 60 cm:

"It is a medium-sized dog, females can grow to 15-25 kg, and males can reach 25-30 kg."

"So big?" Ronan was a little surprised.

It seems that this little guy is definitely not as "harmless" as he looks, and there are many hidden things under his honest appearance.

Ronan had asked about the price over the phone before coming. Benito's purebred wirehaired dogs range from 500 francs to 6000 francs.

He ignored Benito's introduction of professional factors such as coat color, face shape and size, parents' background, etc., and chose an 8-week-old male dog that might not be perfect in appearance but had a lively personality.

Ronan pays more attention to "eye contact", he just feels that the one has the best affinity with him.

Unexpectedly, by mistake, I picked the cheapest one.

"Well, it's pretty good too." Benito showed a subtle smile of 'seeing but not saying'.

Although Ronan only spent 500 francs to buy the dog, he experienced the "shopping experience" of spending 5 francs.

First, Benito gave Ronan three documents: the dog's birth certificate, the names of the dog's parents, and the name of the dog breeder.

"Give me your name, age, occupation and detailed home address." Benito took out a pen and paper.

"What do you need these for?" Ronan asked puzzledly.

Benito pulled open the ears of the male dog Ronan bought to show:

"There is an identification number here, and this number, along with the dog owner's information and address, must be entered into the computer for registration. This is done for all purebred wirehaired dogs sold."

Ronan obediently informed him of his information, but this was not enough. Benito forced Ronan to give the dog a name, a formal name that could be entered into the central computer system, and there were requirements for this name.
"According to the regulations, dogs born in that year must have a name that begins with a legal letter. This dog was born in the year M, so you have to give it a name that begins with M."

"Are you serious?" Ronan asked, smiling and annoyed, "Does the government need to determine what name to give my dog?"

Benito shrugged.

"It's just for registration and use. You can call it whatever you want when you go home. The state won't care."

Ronan said casually:

"Marseilles."

This was the first word beginning with M that flashed into his mind.

"Okay, Marseille." Benito handed 'Marseille' to Ronan, "You can take it home."

Before leaving, Ronan asked another question:
"Excuse me, what breed of dog did you say this is?"

The name was too long and Ronan didn't remember it.

"Cordal Griffon Wirehaired Dog," Benito added, "but this is a modified breed and cannot be called that anymore."

Ronan nodded:
"Yes, Wirehaired Provencale."

"Oh, no, no, no..." Benito shook his head repeatedly, "To be precise, they are Maasai Wirehaired Dogs. Their personalities are similar to those of the northern wirehaired dogs."

Ronan thought Benito was just joking.

How can a dog have Maasai characteristics?
Until he fed 'Maasai' his first meal.

This fellow pounced over as if he had been hungry for a week, and with a grin on his face, he ate up in just a few bites the food that was enough for Xiao Hei to eat for half a minute.

"Isn't this name a bit auspicious?" Ronan separated Marseille, who was licking the empty plate frantically, from the bowl.

He had a feeling that the house was going to be lively. This was different from Ronan's trepidation when he first came to Provence.

After Feng Zhen and Luo Tianhai decided to move to Provence, they were extremely excited.

They work like slaves in Paris, but when they arrive in Provence, they live a life like gods!

When Feng Zhen thought about waking up every morning and opening the window to see her son's vineyard and beautiful valley, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep and wished she could fly there immediately.

But Luo Tianhai spent nearly two months in Paris for an all-round "advanced study", learned a lot of new dishes, and visited many restaurants and food shops of all sizes in Paris, which he only recently finished.

He said that his son's life in Provence was not easy and he should take more skills with him. As long as Ronan wanted to continue working in the catering industry in Provence, he would be able to help.

Luo Tianhai went out to "study" every day, and all the luggage he was going to take to Provence this time was packed by Feng Zhen.

The day before departure, Luo Tianhai was so angry that he laughed when he saw the room full of luggage:
"You're never going back to Paris, are you?"

Why did you take away even the desk lamp and curtains?

They just moved to Provence, but they still wanted to keep the small apartment in Paris.

"If you bring one more thing, my son will have one less thing to buy." Feng Zhen was busy packing, unable to rest. "Ronan is so sensible. Have you forgotten how much money he spent on buying things for the house last time you went there? He definitely won't listen if I tell him, so I'm bringing everything with me."

Luo Tianhai smiled bitterly and said:
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

Feng Zhen and Luo Tianhai came to Marseille train station for the first time.

I had just arrived in a strange city with a lot of luggage. When I got off the train, I didn’t feel excited at all. I just wanted to find Ronan as soon as possible.

This time they agreed to meet at Exit F, but the old couple waited there for five or six minutes and didn't see anyone.

"Hasn't it arrived yet?" Luo Tianhai glanced at his watch and the train was not late.

"Impossible, Ronan is never late." Feng Zhen said with a frown.

She looked around and took a step in a certain direction:

"I'll try and find it."

"Don't go!" Luo Tianhai stopped her. "This is your first time here. If you get lost, you need me and my son to find you."

Feng Zhen shook his head proudly:

"Am I such a brainless person? Ronan is a celebrity in Provence. Maybe someone around here has seen him. I won't go far if I go ask."

"Celebrity?" Luo Tianhai said speechlessly, "It's just a name. Who knows who Ronan is?"

Feng Zhen pointed with her chin at the volunteer handing out flyers nearby:
"Have you forgotten? Our son is in that guide! They post it here every day, how could they not have read the contents?"

But it’s so smart!

She walked proudly to the nearest volunteer and asked politely:

"Hello, have you seen a yellow-skinned boy around here? He's the one who sells the special pink wine in Mena Village as mentioned in the manual."

Feng Zhen is undoubtedly a social 'master', but her smile soon froze on her face.

She found that the volunteer was not handing out the "Guide to Mifal" but something else.

Luo Tianhai saw the whole thing and followed over, laughing and joking:

"Marseille is the capital of the Bouches-du-Rhône department, and the Mifal Guide is about the Vaucluse department. Are you trying to make me laugh to death?"

Luo Tianhai grabbed his wife's arm and was about to take her away, but the volunteer actually spoke:

"I did see a yellow-skinned vendor selling pink wine just now, but he wasn't in Mena Village, but in Lourmarin. I didn't see him in a guidebook, but in a magazine. I wonder if he's the person you're looking for?"

Luo Tianhe and Feng Zhen turned their heads at the same time:

"Ronan is in a magazine again?!"

There are two Exit Fs at Marseille Train Station.

Feng Zhen and Luo Tianhai were waiting at F1, while Ronan went to F2. If the volunteers had not seen Ronan going in that direction, the family would not have known when they would be able to reunite.

"Son, you really have become a celebrity in Provence? Even the girls in Marseille know you—" Feng Zhen muttered excitedly, "We have only been gone for more than a month, so many things have happened?"

Has my son's name spread throughout the two provinces?
There are only four regions in Provence
Ronan pushed the bags of things his parents brought and shook his head with a smile:

"It's not that exaggerated. It just so happens that the person you asked has seen it."

The distribution area of magazines such as "Coast" is not only in the Vaucluse department, but in the whole southern France. The probability of Marseille people seeing it is still very high, as people here have the habit of reading magazines.

Feng Zhen was helping to find a car in the parking lot and asked casually:

"Are you driving your own car or a friend's car this time?"

Ronan took them to his Citroen:

"My friend wanted to lend it to me, but I refused."

"You take your mother and the luggage with you, and I'll take the rest away in a car." Luo Tianhai was thinking about practical things. They brought too many things and one car definitely couldn't fit them all.

Feng Zhen opened the trunk and said to her son in a "teaching" tone:

"Favors are the hardest to repay. In the future, if you can avoid not using other people's things, then don't do it."

"That's right, so we'll use our own." Ronan walked to another gray car and inserted another key into it.

He opened the car door and said happily:
"Mom and Dad, welcome to Provence!"

(End of this chapter)