1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 197 The opportunity to contribute to the family has come

The weather in Provence in early September is completely different from that in August.

The daytime is still dry and hot, but the nights are cool and pleasant. The air during this period is particularly fresh and comfortable.

Many people who are not used to night travel will also go out of their homes on September nights, walk along the country roads, and feel the new gifts given to them by nature.

Ronan and Zoe's night tour team has grown.

Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen would go out for a walk every night, and occasionally Louis and Leah would join them.

Once parents join in, the nature of the situation will inevitably change.

Talking about love turned into "countryside gossip", and Ronan had to shift his attention away from Zoe and towards the trees, grass, houses and other things around them that they were talking about.

It was amazing that he actually discovered some information worthy of attention.

Since some day, many beautiful old houses in and around the village have closed their doors and windows again, no lights are seen anymore, and the doors are heavily locked. I guess those rich people who regarded this place as their "second home" have returned to their first hometown, and these houses will be uninhabited before Christmas.

Even an 'outsider' like Ronan could tell which houses were empty, and those famous Vaucluse thieves must have discovered it as well.

Could it be that they have already gathered together and are gearing up to start this year's work?

Ronan's family has not yet purchased home insurance, so it's time to think about it.

Ronan's restaurant has purchased all the insurance, and Ronan communicated with the insurance agent, hoping to learn about the situation of the house insurance.

The old man had the same working habits as Louis and liked to invite clients to his office in Bonnieux, a dozen kilometers away from Lourmarin.

Ronan drove here and found that there were more than a dozen people who wanted to put a 'lock' on their house, and most of them were high-risk people who were about to leave their 'second hometown' and return to their 'first hometown'.

After living in Provence for a long time, Ronan gradually developed the habit of "socializing" in any place, especially when queuing, so he found a guy with the most serious expression to talk to, hoping that both sides could happily start a denunciation meeting against the thieves in Vaucluse Province.

"My house was robbed before. Has your house been robbed too?"

Unexpectedly, the reason for that guy's serious expression had nothing to do with the thieves.

"I've been harassed a lot in the past few months," said the poor guy with a bald head and a little rosacea with a sad face.

"What kind of harassment?" Ronan asked curiously.

This person's appearance shouldn't warrant this kind of treatment.

The man looked at Ronan's face, smiled bitterly and said:
"You are also here in Provence for vacation, right? Don't you have any friends who want to stay at your house?"

Ronan smiled awkwardly:
"I don't have many friends."

Ronan doesn't have many friends in Paris, and he rejected several calls asking for a place to stay.

Thor was the only friend Xia Tian had ever received, but Thor did not cause any trouble to Ronan, and even left him with many unforgettable memories.

In the early spring of next year, Ronan will take the initiative to contact Thor and ask him if he wants to continue to come to Provence for "vacation".

"You're so lucky!" the poor guy on the other side hissed, "I won't entertain any of my friends next year!"

His voice was quite loud and attracted several people in the same situation.

These people launched an emotional denunciation meeting against their 'friend'. Ronan listened for half an hour and summarized a few sentences that they were most tired of hearing based on their common experiences and descriptions.

"Why can't I use credit cards here? I can use credit cards in Paris (London, Berlin, Rome, Venice). What should I do? Do I have a lot of cash?"

"Can you pay for this meal first? I only have a 500 franc note, and I'll return it to you later."

"I'm sorry, my daughter (son, grandson, granddaughter) didn't break it on purpose. I'll definitely send you a new one when I get back."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know your toilet (shower head, faucet) broke so easily."

"You're out of red wine (whiskey, white wine, vodka) at home."

"How much is a long-distance call to Paris (London, Berlin, Rome, Venice, Los Angeles)? I'll pay you before I leave."

"We didn't cause you any trouble, did we?"

After hearing these people's stories about clogged pipes, inexplicable evaporation of alcohol, and damage to houses, Ronan felt that thieves were not so scary after all.

The poor bald guy said indignantly before walking into the office:
"For those guests, I have to buy adequate home insurance!"

"Hello, Mr. Ronan." The insurance salesman named Manny welcomed Ronan warmly.

This insurance salesman has a different "aesthetic" from his peers. He wears a pair of bright red bloomers under his green shirt, and brown pointed leather shoes with a pair of bright blue socks.

Every time Ronan saw Manny, he was dressed like a butterfly, and he especially liked bright blue.

Every time, Ronan couldn't help but imagine that maybe this was also a young artist who had a dream of music. He had shown off his figure and singing voice in the streets and bars of Aix, but his dream was eventually extinguished by reality.

"Hello Manny, you look so energetic today." Ronan sat on the chair opposite him.

Manny laughed happily twice, showing his excellent chest resonance ability:
"Let's talk business, Mr. Ronan. Did your house get vandalized by your friends too?"

Ronan shook his head:

"My parents and I live alone at home, and I want to learn about insurance for the safety of our home and property."

Manny said in surprise, seeming to be happy about Ronan's realization:
"If only everyone in Provence were like you."

You can make more money, right? Ronan thought to himself.

The rate of home insurance purchase in Luberon is not high, and he has never heard of any farmers around him buying it.

In fact, Ronan just came here for "consultation" today. If the price exceeds his ability, he will consider this matter again when he has more money.

After that, Manny began to ask Ronan many professional questions that would affect the price of insurance premiums.
"How many months a year do you live in your home?" "All year round."

“When was the last time you replaced your windows and doors?”

“This year.”

“Is there a dedicated exhaust duct in the kitchen?”

"Yes, I renovated the kitchen this year."

"How high off the ground is the chimney?"

After asking a few more questions, Manny spread out his pen-holding hand:
"You've really done a lot this year, Mr. Ronan."

Ronan also spread out his palm:

"I can't sit still."

Manny continued to ask with a smile:

"Okay, so do you have a dog at home?"

Ronan nodded:

"Yes, a Doberman and a Wirehaired Pointer."

Manny quickly recorded:

“What are their personalities like?”

Ronan hesitated.

Manny looked up and explained:

“That will also impact premiums.”

Ronan frowned and said:
"Very fierce, very fierce. I have the fiercest wirehair dog in Lourmarin, and the whole village knows it."

Manny put the pen cap on with satisfaction:
"I've recorded all the information. I'll take some time this week to visit your home to verify that the information you described is true. I'll then be able to tell you the price of the premium."

If it weren't for the danger lurking around him, Ronan really wouldn't consider buying home insurance at this time because his financial situation was too tight.

After paying Hedeli for the iron chair, he only had 3500 francs left, and he really was counting the days until the market.

To make matters worse, with a large number of tourists leaving in September, the revenue of the next two markets will drop sharply.

But it's not without good news.

The bulk of the expenses, including the construction labor, stone materials, and iron chairs, have all been paid. In the next month, I only need to buy wood, vines, green plants, and pay Henry's family 1200 francs in labor fees. There may be some miscellaneous expenses, but they should not be too much.

And last week's boxed lunches brought in an extra 1000 francs in income, and next week there might be more, so these are all blessings in disguise.

But Ronan still wants to reduce the price of the insurance premium as much as possible, and strive to ensure that the whole family is protected in September. Who knows what those thieves who have been hungry for a year will do when they just start working?

If you want to reduce your insurance premiums, you have to find ways to improve your own safety factor.

The higher the safety factor, the lower the premium will be.

There is no way to upgrade the house itself, and the only things that can be upgraded are the two dogs.

The afternoon when I came back from Bernie.

Ronan called Xiao Hei and Ma Sai to him and said earnestly:
"This is your chance to contribute to your family."

Xiao Hei tilted his head, seemingly not understanding what it meant.

Although Marseille was sitting in front of Ronan, his eyes were always looking towards the kitchen.

Feng Zhen took a red plastic bag to buy vegetables today, and Marseille stared at it for a long time.

Although several months have passed and Marseille is almost half a year old, he has lost his baby voice and his cry has become deep, but he still has not changed his habit of liking red.

Ronan rubbed Marseille's head:

"Especially you, young man. I've already earned the reputation of being a vicious dog for you."

After the mobilization, Ronan went to his bedroom and took out another pair of blue socks from the bottom of the box. These socks were also bought in the winter for training Xiao Hei.

He put two socks on his hands, tore the red plastic bag in front of Marseille, smashed a tomato, and threw away his mother's red slippers.

"What are you doing?" Feng Zhen gave Ronan a look, "Are you crazy? Why are you teasing Marseille? It's already doing the splits."

Luo Tianhai ran in from the yard, hugged the already 'crazy' Ma Sai and scolded Ronan:

"You are sick?"

Xiao Hei didn't know what was going on, but he would follow Marseille when she called him. However, he couldn't find his target, so he could only circle around the house anxiously. At this time, Ronan's house was as lively as a circus.

Ronan used his 'blue gloves' to tear the red envelope paper that Luo Tianhai bought to write the menu into strips, and said to Marseille:
"Remember? This is blue, the color of evil!"

Three days later, a big red car, raising a cloud of dust, stopped on the asphalt road in front of Ronan's house.

A 'spirited young man' with sleek, shiny hair, wearing a bright blue shirt, yellow trousers and green moccasins knocked on Ronan's door.

Ronan laughed out loud the moment he opened the door. Today it wasn't socks, but a shirt!

Good boy Masai, it’s up to you how much money you can save for daddy.

(End of this chapter)