1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 14 Bullying Children

No one would believe that Ronan could pick truffles.

Hasn't he been drinking in the old tavern?

Even though their noses told them that there were truffles in the bag, someone suggested that Ronan take the thing out and have a look, which only made them even more incredulous.

As big as a tennis ball?

Pierre picked up some dirt with his little fingernail, put it to his nose and sniffed it twice:
"Fresh, unearthed no more than 5 hours ago."

This rules out the possibility that Ronan bought it.

There are no such fresh truffles in places where you can buy them, and those who can dig up fresh truffles are unlikely to sell them to Ronan because it is now the competition period and everyone wants to win first place.

Theo was sobered up from the alcohol and said in amazement:

"What's even more bizarre is that he actually knows how to preserve truffles. Every one of them is moist, Pierre. Did you teach him?"

Once truffles are dug out of the ground, they begin to dehydrate and dry out, causing their weight to decrease.

Truffles are priced by weight, so what evaporates is not water, but money!

Experienced truffle hunters pay great attention to keeping truffles moist, and Ronan does the same.

Pierre's expression became serious for once:
“I didn’t teach him that.”

He never thought that Ronan could dig out truffles, so how could he teach him how to preserve them?

Could it be that there was something in the place he randomly found, and Ronan, the obedient child, dug it out when he went there to practice?
My God, that was a truffle the size of a tennis ball!
This is the largest piece that appeared during the competition week!

"Where did you dig it?" Pierre asked to confirm his guess.

Ronan raised his eyebrows at him:
“Every truffle hunter has his own secret garden.”

After saying this, he carefully packed up the truffles and drank the last sip of wine:

"Drink slowly."

"Drink for a while longer! Don't leave in a hurry!" He was surrounded by voices trying to keep him.

Everyone was curious about Ronan's ability to dig out truffles and wanted to get as much information as possible out of him.

"No, I have something important to do tomorrow." Ronan smiled and waved his hand, pushing open the door of the old tavern.

After Ronan left, the atmosphere returned to the beginning, but the topic still revolved around him.

Everyone guessed that Ronan was a very lucky guy, because everyone who has dug truffles knows how much luck is involved in this endeavor. Maybe the dog's mood can even affect the final result of the search.

Suddenly, Theo looked like he had seen a ghost, his eyes were fixed, staring at something empty in front of him.

Pierre glanced at him:
"Go dig if you're not convinced. The game isn't over yet."

Many people, including Pierre himself, were affected by Ronan's "luck" and did not understand why the goddess of luck favored others instead of themselves.

Is it because Ronan is better looking?
But it is useless to be dejected. If you are not convinced, then fight back! Use the farmer's way!

Anyway, he decided to go home after drinking this cup and set off before dawn tomorrow.

Theo trembled and said:

"No, that's not it, Boss. It suddenly occurred to me that Ronan doesn't have a truffle dog. How did he dig it up?"

The old tavern was in an uproar and could never calm down again.

Ronan went home early today because tomorrow is Friday.

He was going to the market with Zoe, and it would not be nice to smell of alcohol.

The next day, Ronan arrived at Louis' door a few minutes early and waited, just like he did last week.

Only a week had passed, but the temperature had dropped a lot, and Ronan had to keep pacing to keep warm.

This made him think of his winter plan.

The fireplace has been turned on, but the temperature has not been raised. Every day, the man and the dog keep each other warm.

This may be caused by many windows leaking air.

The previous owner, Mr. Michel, only came to Provence in the summer, so he did not install heating in the house and neglected the insulation of the house in winter. However, both installing heating and replacing windows require a lot of money, and Ronan is now in urgent need of buying a car.

He couldn't ask Louis for money every time he went out to pick truffles.

And with a car, his range of movement can be expanded, which is very important for gaining experience points.

Money, I’m so short of it!

Zoe also showed up a few minutes earlier.

Seeing Ronan standing at her door with empty eyes and footsteps, she suppressed her laughter and asked:

"Are you still drunk from yesterday?"

Of course she also heard Ronan's new title.

Ronan awkwardly took the thing from Zoe's hand. Zoe was not as resistant to it as she was last week. Then he said embarrassedly:
"I didn't drink yesterday."

"Oh?" Zoe deliberately drew out her tone, and she seemed to be in a very good mood.

Ronan quickly changed his words with a guilty conscience:
"I didn't drink much."

"So what were you doing just now?" Zoe didn't continue to make things difficult for him.

"It's a bit cold, let me move around." Ronan couldn't say that he was worried about money, right?

The smile on Zoe's face disappeared instantly:
"The weather is getting colder. Don't go today."

I took Ronan to the market last week because he had never been there before.

There would be no reason for him to follow this week.

Is it just because you want to treat him to a meal?
But that would also allow Ronan to come find her at noon. Zoe began to blame herself for her inexplicable handling of the matter.

Ronan smiled widely:

“I’m going to sell things today too.”

"What are you selling?" Zoe asked with her big eyes blinking.

She didn't see Ronan bringing anything.

Ronan carefully took out the truffles that he had carefully preserved in his pocket:

“How should I sell this thing?”

Zoe was stunned and didn't know what to say.

An application is required to participate in the market. With the help of Zoe, the approval process was very smooth and Ronan was able to set up his stall that day.

But he didn't have time to prepare the necessary items for setting up a stall, so he had to stay together with Zoe for the time being.

Zoe's stall was huge, and even if she only used one-tenth of the space, it still seemed empty for Ronan's six truffles.

Seasonal products such as truffles are one of the best-selling items at the market, and they attract customers as soon as they are put on display.

The tennis ball-sized truffle was sold in less than ten minutes, and the smaller ones were sold within an hour and a half, bringing Ronan a total income of 2100 francs.

Not only did Ronan make a lot of money, but Zoe's business also improved.

Her cups and plates are among the more expensive items on the market, costing between 100 and 200 francs each.

On weekdays, I would consider my mission accomplished if I could sell two or three pieces in a morning. However, thanks to the truffles, I actually sold five pieces today.

Ronan had already sold out, and Zoe had also exceeded her sales target, so she started to close the stall half an hour early:
"Let's go, I'll treat you to dinner."

Ronan wisely stood up to help:
"I'll treat you today. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know who else to turn to."

Ronan is in urgent need of money, and truffles can only show their greatest value when they are fresh.

If he waited until next week to sell it, it would probably lose some weight, so Zoe saved his wallet.

Zoe's golden hair fell down like a waterfall. She tilted her head and said cheerfully:

"I was invited to dinner by my brother who is two years younger than me twice in a row. People will say I am bullying the 'little kid'."

(End of this chapter)