1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 159: Romeo and Juliet

Ronan did not specifically ask for the details of Astrid's visit to Lourmarin, but he learned a lot from the farmers who were talking about it.

These people recognized Astrid's Porsche luxury car, and also knew that the last time she appeared in Lourmarin was to have dinner at Ronan's house. So when they heard or saw Astrid appear again in her Porsche, they immediately gathered at Ronan's house despite the scorching sun.

"She was wearing a lily-colored off-the-shoulder dress today, holding a small gold clutch, and wearing the same sunglasses as the stars in Cannes. When I saw her getting out of the car, I thought a star had arrived!"

"Her hair is tied up! But it's still as gorgeous as ever."

"Built up? Isn't it just hanging down naturally? And she was wearing a champagne-colored dress."

"Did you see her?"

"I didn't see it. I heard about it. Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"I heard that, too. She got off the car and went straight into the government building. It was such a short time that I couldn't run over there."

Ronan sat on the sofa and took a sip of water:

"So Astrid came to Lourmarin to go to the government?"

He finally found something useful among the messy information.

"Yes!" This time everyone nodded.

Cornell asked anxiously:
"Did she tell you before she came?"

Ronan made an exaggerated frightened expression:

"Of course not. I don't know her at all."

Cornell said disappointedly like a deflated ball:
"I thought she was coming to see you."

This way I can get close to her.

Ronan crossed his legs, stroked his chin, and thought about everything.

Astrid lives in the village of Lacoste, why would she come to the Lourmarin government?

There's no intersection between the two.
Combined with recent events in the village, Ronan discovered a possibility - it was for the commercial street project!
This guess surprised and delighted Ronan.

The Lourmarin government not only attracts investment internally, but also externally, the only difference is that the villagers in this village receive greater preferential subsidies.

So is it Astrid, or the family behind her, who thinks Lourmarin Shopping Street has room for development?

That would be awesome if that’s the reason!

Through his observations during the first two meetings, Ronan believes that Astrid can get information that ordinary people cannot. Is Lourmarin going to "take off"?
Fabian pointed outside the door and asked Ronan:

"Don't you want to go to the government to check the situation?"

Fabian was also full of curiosity and fascination about Astrid, but he had a family and did not dare to be as naked as Cornell.

Even if they went to the government gate, they could only watch from afar.

But if Ronan went, they would have a legitimate reason to get up close and personal with Astrid.

'Hello beautiful lady, I am Ronan's best friend, how about getting to know each other?'

Why can't there be a story between a country boy and a noble woman?

Maybe a modern version of "Romeo and Juliet" will be staged in Provence!
Ronan left the sofa and walked towards the kitchen area:
"No, she's here to do some business."

"Go say hello to her!" The heat and excitement made Cornell's skin as red as a sun-baked Englishman.

Ronan became even more resistant when he saw his red skin:

"Go ahead, Cornell, show her your 'Yihong' system. She will definitely like it."

"Go, Ronan. Please." Cornell clenched his fists and placed them in front of his chest, saying in a pleading voice.

"No, no, it's time to eat." Ronan shouted upstairs, "Mom, what are we having for lunch today?"

"Do you mind eating with one more person?"

Everyone turned their heads and saw a lady in a white floor-length skirt and a black wide-brimmed hat leaning lazily against the door of Ronan's house.

Cornell looked like he was betrayed and asked Ronan using lip language:
"And you still say you don't know each other?!"

"After finishing my work, I found that it was already lunchtime. I wanted to find a random restaurant on the roadside, but then I suddenly thought -" Astrid drank the iced pink wine in the glass, "Doesn't Lourmarin have the best chef?"

"Welcome, welcome." Ronan was busy in the kitchen, afraid that Astrid would say something dirty to him.

His parents were at home, and there must be villagers eavesdropping at the windows and doors. He didn't want to lose his right to be a "human being" in Lourdes.

"Did I bother you? I didn't know your parents were here." Astrid asked, looking at the scenery outside the kitchen window.

"I'm not disturbing you. I often have visitors to my house." Ronan forced a false smile.

Ma'am, luckily there's someone at home, otherwise I wouldn't have let you in.

Do you know how 'dangerous' you are?

"Sorry for the trouble." Astrid nodded politely and left with the bottle of wine.

Ronan called her over:

"Want something spicy?"

Astrid smiled like a flamboyant white rose:
"Of course, I love spicy food."

Astrid is a very 'pure' person.

At the Pink Wine Lovers Association, he was only focused on drinking. When he said he came to Ronan's house for dinner, he ate seriously. Except for occasionally saying a few words of thanks to Ronan's parents, he didn't say a word during the whole process.

Ronan rarely cooks, and only cooks when entertaining important guests. Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen saw that Ronan took the initiative to cook today, and knew that an important guest was coming to their house, so they finished lunch as quickly as possible and left the entire first floor to Ronan and Astrid.

"Are you here to see the commercial street?" Seeing that the atmosphere was too quiet, Ronan took the initiative to bring up the topic.

Astrid elegantly put a piece of 'spicy chicken' into her mouth:
"The old guys at home don't want to run around, so let me take a look."

Ronan nodded. Just as he guessed, it was Astrid's family that took a fancy to this place.

"Is it settled?" Ronan asked expectantly.

Astrid shook her head.
"No, it's not appropriate."

Ronan felt a little lost.

It seems that he was only half right, Astrid's family did not get any "inside information".

"Why is it not suitable? What kind of store do you want to open?" Ronan was a little curious about what Astrid's family did, and the people in the Pink Wine Association didn't know much about it.

"Leather goods," Astrid deadpanned.

"Cough cough cough--" Ronan quickly took a sip of wine to calm himself.

Damn, ancestral 'craft'?!

Astrid laughed so hard that she fell backwards, put down her cutlery and wiped her mouth:

"You believe it?"

Ronan sighed helplessly, no longer wanting to know if it was true or not:
“I booked a shop there to open a restaurant.”

As Artur said, when Ronan's restaurant opened, the army of tourists had already left Provence, and if he wanted to have customers during the winter, he had to take advantage of his 'circle of friends'.

Astrid is very receptive to Chinese food, so it is necessary to tell her this news.

"I know." Astrid picked up the wine glass lazily, "Just now they tried to use your case to convince me to sign the contract."

"But persuasion failed." Ronan shrugged.

Astrid took two sips of pink wine:

“Maybe that was a good option, but they rejected my proposal.”

"How do you want to cooperate?" Ronan asked puzzledly.

Lourmarin and Blanc are not pedantic people. They are very open to cooperation. Did they reject you directly?
Astrid was reluctant to go into too much detail, but simply explained:

“We wanted to buy it along with the museum, but the Lourmarin government refused and wanted to run the museum themselves.”

Ronan curled his lips in shock.

The museum at the end of the strip mall is ten times the size of his restaurant.

As a person from another village, who cannot enjoy any government subsidies, yet wants to buy the museum as well, how rich must he be?
Haven't the French nobility declined?

Putting Astrid's personal life aside, she was definitely the highest-level person Ronan could get in touch with, higher-level than President Ines and those Vaucluse civil servants.

Ronan couldn't help but ask Astrid:
"How do you think I should run my restaurant? You know good cooking alone is not enough."

At the 'Vaucluse Pink Wine Lovers Association' gathering more than a month ago, everyone gave Ronan some advice on their experiences, except Astrid, who said nothing.

Astrid propped her head up with her hands:
"I don't know anything about business, but if you want to gain a foothold in a place, you have to learn to 'take advantage of the situation' and 'borrow strength'. Roussillon is surrounded by ochre ore, so the ochre industry nearby is well developed. La Sorgue Island is the second-hand goods trading center in Europe, so there are many antique shops there. Instead of asking me, you might as well ask your government what 'characteristic' path Lourmarin is going to take?"

After Ronan savored these words carefully, he smacked his lips bitterly:

“Whatever Lourmarin decides to do, it won’t be Chinese food.”

"Then find something else to do." Astrid said listlessly.

Ronan smiled and shook his head:

“But I’ve signed on.”

"Then I can't help it." Astrid picked up her black hat, "Thank you for the treat, I should go now."

Ronan saw Astrid off. The farmers waiting at the door saw them coming out and kept winking at Ronan, as if to say:

Please give us a chance to appear!
Ronan had no choice but to say in a complicated tone before Astrid drove away:

"My friends want to say hello to you."

Astrid chuckled a few times and lifted the brim of her hat so that she could see Ronan's face:
"Not just anyone is worthy of me taking out my leather goods."

At Ronan's door, she heard part of their conversation.

She looked up and continued to speak to Ronan outside the car:
"But I can have a chef at home who makes me happy."

After Astrid left, Ronan went to the government in the hot sun.

"Everyone has left, what are you doing in the government now?" Fabian said distressedly.

They all heard what Astrid and Ronan said.

damn it!
Don't you even have the qualifications to be a 'slave'?

"Ask about the real thing!" Ronan quickened his pace.

Although Astrid didn't give him any practical advice, she did give Ronan a reminder.

Roussillon has its ochre mines, Ile-de-la-Sorgue has its flea market, but what does Lourmarin have?

(End of this chapter)