1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 201: Your 40s are the right age to work hard!
Zoe returned home and did not go into her bedroom. Instead, she sat on the single sofa in the living room and stared at her parents and brother with a serious expression.

The last time this happened was when Zoe informed the whole family that she liked Ronan and asked them to stop interfering with her good deeds.

When the same posture was used today, Vieri was so scared that his football shoes fell off his hands:

"Zoe, you didn't break up with Ronan?"

"Get out! Vieri!" Three curses hit Vieri's ears from different directions.

Vieri picked up his football shoes and obediently went back to the bedroom. As soon as he stood up, Zoe said to him coldly:

"You stay too. This matter has something to do with you."

Louis, who was leaning on the three-seater sofa, sat up straight.

Although he knew that there would never be any problem with Zoe and Ronan's relationship, it seemed like a matter of equal importance as this.

"What happened?" he asked nervously.

Optimistic Leah thought it must be nothing serious.

My daughter and Ronan were fine in the afternoon. As long as they have a good relationship, nothing else will be a problem.

She stood up and went to the kitchen:
"I've left you a piece of madeleine, eat it and talk."

Zoe said to her mother:

"Mom, wait till I finish talking before you get this. This is about you."

Vieri and Louis both snorted in confusion.

Leah (mom) stays at home every day, what big things can happen to her?

Zoe used concise language to summarize the difficulties Ronan was facing and the solutions they had come up with. Then she carefully asked her mother:

"Mom, Ronan wants to hire you as a pastry chef in his restaurant. Are you willing to go?"

Zoe also had mixed feelings.

Not to mention Ronan, even her own daughter couldn't imagine her mother leaving the family.

What will become of their home?
For a housewife who has been a housewife for more than 20 years, the first reaction to hearing about an opportunity to leave the home is excitement and excitement, but soon she will hesitate and retreat due to various complex reasons:
"Then there will be no one at home to take care of you."

Zoe said seriously:

"Vieri and I have grown up. We are no longer at the age where we need your constant care. Don't you want to have your own career?"

France attaches great importance to dessert culture. Pastry chef is a highly respected profession that can be rated and participate in competitions, and has broad and bright development prospects.

Before Vieri started playing football, his biggest dream was to become a pastry chef so that he could eat chocolate every day.

Leah rubbed her apron a few times, stood up and went to the safest place for her:
"You're already over 40, what kind of career do you want? I'll get you Madeleine."

in the kitchen.

Leah stood in front of the oven, looking at a certain spot in the corner with unfocused eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.

"Not ready yet?" Louis' voice appeared behind her.

Leah came back to her senses:

"I toasted some more honey-dried apricots and Vieri said he wanted some."

Louis leaned against the cupboard and looked at his wife tenderly:
"You really don't want to go?"

Leah said with evasive eyes:

"I have never worked in my life, and suddenly hearing this makes me feel 'terrified'."

Not a waiter, not a helper, but a dessert chef. Leah never thought that she would be associated with this word.

She just loves to cook and make desserts, but is that a career?
"Really?" Louis said with a smile, "But one day I heard a crybaby called her sister and said that her daughter's career was getting better and better, her son was about to go to college, and her husband's performance was rising steadily. It seemed that she was the only one who was a failure in the family."

"You didn't knock!" Leah yelled in a low voice, "You shouldn't have eavesdropped on my phone calls!"

Louis used his warm embrace to calm his wife's anger:

"My dear, I don't want family to be a bondage to you."

Leah said dejectedly:

"But I'm already in my 40s, and all the women around me are housewives - Freddy's wives, Alan's wives, Carl's wives, all of them."

Louis hugged his wife tightly:

"What's wrong with being over 40? I didn't switch to selling houses until I was 36. Am I not the Louis that you are proud of now?"

Now is the peak period of theft.

With the experience of Ronan's family, Leia will pay extra attention to the safety of her home and check whether the doors and windows are closed before going to bed every day.

When I patrolled the bathroom today, I unexpectedly saw Vieri with his butt sticking out, fiddling with something in the sink.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" she asked seriously.

Vieri turned around and said apologetically:
"Did it disturb your rest?"

Leah walked to the sink and saw that it was full of foam. It seemed that half a bottle of detergent was put in it:

"What are you doing, Vieri?"

Vieri fished out two black football shoes from the pool:
"I'm cleaning my shoes."

Leah snatched the shoes away:
"Didn't I tell you that I'd help you brush it tomorrow morning?"

Vieri lowered his head and whispered:

"Mom, I can actually take care of myself."

He shook his hands, not daring to look his mother in the eye:

"When I said I liked playing football, my whole family was against it. You were the first person to support me. You told me that a hobby can make life extremely happy and interesting. Ronan's restaurant needs a pastry chef, which is exactly your hobby. You are so lucky to be able to make a hobby your career. You should go. I don't want to hold you back."

In Vieri's opinion, he, as the youngest, is the one who needs the most care from his mother.

Leah hugged her son's head excitedly:

"Vieri"

Vieri secretly wiped away his tears in his mother's arms:
"I'm 16 years old, an adult. You really don't need to stay at home for me. I hope you can stick to doing what you like." "My son has really grown up." Leah said with tears in her eyes.

The next morning, Leah knocked gently on Zoe's studio door.

"Did I disturb you?" Leah asked, sticking her head in.

Zoe put down her work:
"Of course not. Have you thought about it?"

Last night Leah said she would think about it and reply to Zoe today.

Leah sat next to Zoe and asked anxiously:

"I would like to hear your views."

Zoe is the most independent-minded and accurate person in the family.

When Leah was unsure about a decision, she wanted to hear her daughter's opinion.

Zoe spun her chair around to face her mother:
"I think you should try it."

Leah said anxiously:

"But I can't do anything except take care of the family. I don't have Louis's eloquence, Vieri's brain, or your talent. I can't even sew a quilt."

Zoe took her mother's hand and encouraged her:
"But you have good cooking skills. Have you forgotten how everyone evaluates your cooking skills? It is no exaggeration to say that the desserts in Aix are not as delicious as yours. Otherwise, how could you raise two picky eaters like me and Vieri?"

"But--"

Leah wanted to continue to deny herself, but was stopped by Zoe's powerful words:
"Don't define yourself in advance because of other people's lives. Just because other women in Lourmarin didn't leave their families doesn't mean you can't either. I, Dad, Vieri and Ronan will all help you."

Leah already had the answer in her heart, she just needed someone to slowly open her heart:

“Zoe, do you think I still have a chance to have my own business?”

The word career is too far-fetched for most women in Lourmarin.

But who doesn’t want to have a career?

Once the housewife has a decent job, the family income will double.

Zoe smiled brightly:
“You’re in your 40s, the right age to work hard!”

Leah took a deep breath:
"I think I'm ready to start a new life."

For a better family and for the things we love!
Zoe hugged her mother gently, picked up the thick pattern reference book in front of her and said:

"Then let's give this 'new life' a beautiful start. I'll help you."

Zoe told Ronan that Leah had accepted his invitation to be the restaurant's pastry chef.

And Zoe also said that Leah was well prepared for her first job in her life.

One night, Ronan came out of the restaurant and went to Louis's house to keep an appointment. Today was the day when Leah would show everyone her "results".

But when he entered the house, he found that Leah, Louis, Zoe and Vie were not in the living room:
"Where are the people? Why aren't Leah and the others here?"

Alan pointed to the kitchen:
"They're all in the kitchen."

"Four people?" Ronan's facial features twisted together.

Louis, who is always causing trouble, Vieri, who only knows how to make cheesecake, and Zoe, who never cooks, are all in the kitchen?

Did I hear that right?
The kitchen door was tightly closed, so no one knew what was happening inside, but they didn't hear any sound of plates or cups being broken, which meant that Louis had himself under control.

Just as Freddy suggested going out to find something to eat, the kitchen door of Louis's house opened.

Leah appeared nervously but excitedly holding a uniquely shaped cake, followed by Zoe with a smile on her face.

Leah carefully placed the cake on the table in the restaurant and said in a trembling voice:
"Ronan, I know you want the dessert to have some Chinese elements, so Zoe helped me design this cake. It's called 'Hibiscus'. I heard that in China, hibiscus means 'wealth and good fortune'. Before you learn how to make Chinese desserts, why don't you try it out?"

Feng Zhen stared at the cake with an exaggerated expression:
"It really looks like Furong!"

Freddy and the others were so shocked that they bit their fingers:

"I've never seen a cake like this before, Leah, you're amazing!"

Leah excitedly hugged her daughter's neck:
"Zoe designed it."

Zoe said modestly:

"I just designed it. You, Dad and Vieri made the cake."

"Make way!" a voice came from the kitchen again.

Louis and Vieri appeared at the kitchen door.

The father and son put down an exquisite dessert that was all red.

Leah continued to explain:
"This mousse dessert is designed based on the shape of a plum blossom. I heard that in China, plum blossoms are—"

Ronan suddenly hugged Leah and Zoe tightly and said excitedly:
"Why should I learn Chinese desserts? You have already made the best 'Chinese desserts' in Provence. I am so lucky!"

"And me!" Vieri squeezed in. "I helped mom make the cake base and dad beat the eggs!"

Louis laughed and hugged these people:
"Leah, we will always support your 'career'!"

As soon as these people separated, Freddy's wife, Alan's wife and Old Carl's wife hugged Leah again, and encouraged her with envy and excitement:
"My dear, work hard to make a name for yourself. You definitely have what it takes."

Not only was the dessert made by Leah's family of four, but tonight's dinner was also the result of their joint efforts.

Leah has become a 'professional' woman, and needs help sharing the burden of housework, but everyone is very positive about it.

"Try the steak. It's cooked using the method Leah taught you. Try to see if there is any difference in taste." Louis tried hard to promote the steak he fried.

"Mom instructed Zoe and I to make the pies. Why don't you eat them?" Vieri actively distributed pies to everyone.

"Ah - try the Nicoise salad I made." Zoe fed the food to Ronan's mouth, "Let's see who between me and Vieri can take over the honor of the best chef in Lourmarin."

Tonight was the most 'chaotic' meal Ronan had ever had at Louis's house.

The taste is definitely not the best, but it is definitely the most memorable one.

Leah's "career" has brought about earth-shaking changes in Louis' family, but Ronan firmly believes that all changes will be for the better.

This was true of the Louis family and also of Lourmarin.

(End of this chapter)