1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 189 Purple Ocean

Ronan has been selling things at the market since January and can be considered an old stall owner.

During his several months of stall experience, there was one thing that always bothered him, and that was the problem of eating while selling things.

The market starts at 8 o'clock, and the stall owners have to finish breakfast at 5 or 6 o'clock and start to get busy. Sometimes they have to look for something to eat after 9 o'clock, and they are still hungry at 12 o'clock, so they have to eat twice in the morning.

The people of Provence care a lot about eating and believe it is a sacred thing, but it is almost impossible to eat well in a busy environment. Most stall owners will choose to bring some bread and cheese and have a bite when they are hungry.

But when you are chewing bread, when you see people passing by holding delicious pies, freshly roasted chicken, olives soaked in oil and various fresh game in their hands, the "gourmet" gene in your blood will awaken.

Zoe, a picky eater, would rather starve to death than eat bread, and she managed to hold on until the end to have a good meal.

However, the market ends at the peak time for restaurants, so you may have to wait for a table.

The market in Mena Village has a huge flow of people. Even if the sales are not good, there will be a constant stream of customers in front of the stalls. The stall owners cannot leave the stalls too far to buy food. If they are greedy, the most they can do is buy a little from the surrounding stalls to satisfy their cravings, but it is impossible to eat there every week.

In short, eating is a problem that gives stall owners a headache!
Ronan often thought that it would be nice if someone could deliver meals here, and if it was a choice, then he would be willing to be a little busy in the morning.

He believed that there were definitely many stall owners who had the same problem as him. After all, this was Provence, where "gourmets" were everywhere, and wouldn't boxed lunches be the perfect solution to the problem of everyone's difficulty in eating?

I have a dozen options and I can send them to you, how perfect is that?

Providing meals to stall owners is only the first step in Ronan’s plan; the subsequent steps are the most important.

The base of stall owners is too small, and it is unrealistic to rely on them to make a name for yourself.

The stall owners act as mobile 'billboards'.

Ronan didn't believe that the nosy Provencal people were not curious about what the stall owners were eating.

He also didn't believe that the Provençal stall owner, who loved to exaggerate, would not "exaggerate" the taste of the lunch box.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the lunch box itself. It just lacks an opportunity, an opportunity to persuade a stranger to try it.

If Ronan's plan succeeds, the entire market will be filled with Ronan's lunch box 'advertisements'.

Tourists will leave Provence, but its 'advertisement' will always remain here, welcoming wave after wave of new guests.

Ronan had a good idea, but I don’t know how it would be implemented in practice.

While making sweet and sour pork, he looked around for his father.

"I've been walking for half an hour. I wonder if the stall owners will accept this method?"

Today, it is Vieri who replaced Luo Tianhai to help.

This guy was 'laid off' for two months, and when he got the chance to work again, he couldn't wait to show all his abilities to his boss.

Taking orders, collecting money, maintaining order, distributing food samples to children, and taking care of the lunch box area. Even Feng Zhen said that Vieri can do the work of two people.

"Come and rest for a while and drink some water." Ronan called Vieri back.

How am I going to explain to your mom, dad and sister when I get home that I’m so exhausted?

Vieri wiped his sweat and asked Ronan energetically:

"Did I perform well?"

Ronan smiled and said to him:
"Very good. I'll give you an extra 100 francs today."

Every time Vieri came to help, Ronan would give him 100 francs as a reward, which was higher than the market average.

The heavy-smoking female stall owner opposite him only gave her relative 75 francs.

Ronan heard that Vieri was saving money to go to Marseille to watch a football match recently, so he took this opportunity to give the kid more "sponsorship".

"Thank you!" Vieri became more motivated and returned to his post.

"I'll pay the 200." Feng Zhen rushed to pay.

Ronan has been under tremendous financial pressure recently as decorating the restaurant is too expensive.

The old couple mentioned several times that they wanted to give Ronan some financial support, but Ronan refused every time and always found various reasons to give them money.

My son won't give up the big money, are you still fighting with me for the 200 francs?
"No, Mom, this is the salary I give to Vieri."

"This job is to replace your father, so I should do it."

"It's only 200. There's no need for us to rob it, right?"

"Yeah, it's only 200 and you're still trying to snatch it from me!"

Suddenly, a loud voice appeared behind the mother and son.

"I'm out!"

It was Luo Tianhai who came back with a smile on his face.

"How is it?" Although Feng Zhen already knew the result, he still asked expectantly.

"When the stall owners heard that I was selling pink wine and sweet and sour pork, they were very enthusiastic." Luo Tianhai took out the notebook from his pocket, "21 orders were sold, and 5 people have ordered for next week."

There are only 300 stalls in the market of Mena Village. Selling more than portions for the first time is definitely not a small number. Don't forget that this is an "unknown" Chinese food in Provence.

Luo Tianhai patted Ronan's back twice:

"You have made a name for yourself, and everyone is looking up to you for your reputation."

Selling lunch boxes went much more smoothly than Luo Tianhai had expected.

He was prepared to work hard on the "sales" but he didn't expect that he wouldn't have to waste any time at all.

The name 'Ronan' speaks louder than any words.

The stall owners believed in Ronan's food quality and were willing to try it. This also confirmed the correctness of the marketing strategy of "word of mouth".

Ronan encouraged his father:

"As long as they are willing to try it, more and more people will come to buy lunch boxes."

Luo Tianhai has regained his spirit from yesterday, and is full of energy preparing lunch boxes for the stall owners:
"There is still more than a month left. We will definitely be able to spread our reputation further before the restaurant opens."

His son's brain and his craftsmanship gave Luo Tianhai full of confidence!

"Let's cheer together!" Feng Zhen raised a fist.

Vieri ran over anxiously:
"Take me with you!"

You and I are a family too!

'Family' Vieri helped Ronan a lot at the market, and her sister Zoe helped Ronan even more.

One morning, Zoe went to the restaurant and gave Ronan some great news:
“I found the artist who can weave rattan.”

"God, did we really find it?" Ronan took off his layers of protective gear, revealing a smiling face dripping with sweat.

Zoe wiped his face distressedly, allowing the "pretty boy" to regain his former glory:
"Remember the ironwork friend I told you about?"

Ronan nodded:

"Remember, you said she was your best friend in college."

"Yes." Zoe took Ronan to a cooler place. "She knows the artist named Batty. They live in the same village now."

"Where?" Ronan asked anxiously.

Zoe shielded her head from the sun with her hands:
"Valensole, Haute-Provence-Alpes."

Zoe got in touch with the artist who was good at rattan weaving through her friend and expressed her desire to learn.

The other party readily agreed, saying that rattan weaving is too niche in France, and he is very happy to have another "disseminator" shoulder to shoulder with him.

In order to meet the deadline, Ronan set off for Haute-Provence-Alpes the next day.

However, because the trip was too sudden, Zoe was unable to accompany them.

The wealthy Ms. Zoe did not slack off, but worked even harder. She set a very strict work plan for herself. The days when Ronan was going to Haute-Provence-Alpes were the days when she fired the kiln.

Every time the kiln is opened, Zoe has to stay by the side to monitor the temperature in real time and cannot leave for too long.

Ronan settled the affairs at home and in the restaurant, took a change of clothes, and headed north alone to embark on the journey of "studying".

Valensole is on the Valensole Plateau. To get there from Lourmarin, you need to take the D8 highway. Ronan also took this highway to go to Apt before, but when he drove here again after a few months, the scenery on both sides of the D8 highway had changed significantly.

The green farmland turned golden yellow, with patches of purple occasionally interspersed in between.

It turns out that the harvest season has arrived without us noticing.

As we drive north, the purple area becomes larger and larger, followed by golden and yellow. The bright colors extend infinitely from under your feet all the way to the azure sky, with no end in sight.

The purple ones are the fragrant lavender fields, the golden ones are the mature wheat fields, and the yellow ones are the sunflowers. This is Ronan’s first impression of the Valensole Plateau - a visual experience that is completely different from the Luberon mountain scenery.

These three iconic objects have paved the Valensole Plateau with a colorful brocade, which reminds people of the warm and flowing colors in Van Gogh's paintings.

Continuing to drive northwards, deep into the heart of the plateau, everything in sight was eventually replaced by a purple cloud.

At this moment, the Valensole Plateau has transformed into an endless purple ocean, and every corner is filled with the faint and gentle fragrance of lavender.

Then, Ronan's mind flashed with many words spoken by villagers, farmers, and friends:
"There are no large lavender fields in Luberon, only a few large ones at the foot of Bonnieux. If you want to see lavender, you have to go to Valensole, Yèze or Sault. But if you want to see a large sea of lavender, the best place is Valensole, which is known as the base camp of lavender."

The month when Ronan arrived was past the best time to appreciate lavender, but he was still shocked. It was hard to imagine how beautiful Valensole would be during the best viewing period.

Valensole is a small town with a permanent population of about 2000.

Just like Saint-Remy has a strong artistic atmosphere, the "business card" of this place can be clearly seen as soon as you enter Valensole.

Lavender-colored shops and doors and windows can be seen everywhere on the streets.

On the small table at the entrance of the shop, there are bunches of fresh lavender and various souvenirs made of lavender.

The gallery windows are filled with paintings featuring lavender or sunflowers.

Lavender or golden ears of wheat are also hung on the iron fences of the houses.

A few little girls on the roadside were singing while helping their mothers to tie lavender into bundles.

The fact that they are the bastion of lavender is reflected everywhere in Valensole.

Ronan strolled along the way and arrived at the meeting place agreed with Zoe's friends - the entrance of Valensole City Hall.

Zoe's friend recognized Ronan immediately:
"Zoe's friend?"

Ronan looked at the girl with flaxen hair and a few freckles on her face and responded politely:

"Hedley?"

Hedeli nodded, without much greeting, and pointed in a direction:
"You're staying at Batty's house for the next two days. Let's go there first."

Batti is the artist who will teach Ronan rattan weaving.

Ronan's eyes were constantly attracted by the scenery on both sides, and he couldn't help but sigh:

“Valensole is such a great place to live, the style here is so impressive.”

Hedeli tilted her head and smiled softly:
"You are also very impressive. Zoe has been talking to me about you for a few months."

(End of this chapter)