1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 23 The First Snow
After an exceptionally starry night, the first snow of the New Year in Provence arrived as expected.

Ronan woke up in the middle of the night and found that it was snowing, and his biggest concern was the road conditions.

I've become addicted to making money these days and all I want to do every day is go digging for truffles.

The heavy snow has greatly affected his progress in making money.

"God bless, the snow on the road must be cleared." Ronan wiped the window and muttered to himself worriedly.

He was terrified to drive out on sunny days, and he was even more afraid to confront the crazy Provencal people head-on on the snow.

However, he guessed that the village had not yet organized snow removal work at this time, so he went back to sleep until 8 o'clock, then put on all the warm clothes and pushed the door open to check the road conditions.

The heavy snow added an extra sense of silence to Luberon. The area within a radius of several hundred meters seemed to be isolated from the world, and nature was all his own. Only occasionally could he see a few squirrel footprints on the snow.

Ronan walked around and found that the deserted roads were covered with snow and the car could not drive out at all. However, with the mentality of "I'm here anyway", he walked towards the village center where the population was more densely populated.

The village government's snow-clearing plan has begun - several strong men have cleared snow-free roads centered on important strongholds (grocery store, butcher shop, bakery, old tavern, etc.).

Ronan unknowingly walked to the old tavern and saw the owner smoking a pipe and congratulating the people sweeping the snow:
"Great! We have once again survived this natural disaster with our tenacious spirit!"

Ronan became the first guest in the old tavern:
"Cinnamon buns, fried eggs, and a cup of coffee."

The snow clearing work had just begun and it was impossible to leave the village for a while. Ronan sat by the window, enjoying the scenery outside while eating breakfast.

Thanks to this heavy snow that only appears in Christmas cards, he finally saw a large number of villagers pouring into the roads on non-market days.

They walked and slid excitedly on the streets, their steps disordered, much like Louis after drinking too much.

A child who was sledding accidentally hit a tree on the side of the road. His father shook his head disapprovingly and said with the usual exaggerated rhetoric of the Provencal people, "The heavy snow has caused another major car accident."

The car covered with snow was parked in the parking space more obediently than a docile sheep.
[Enjoy the beauty of nature with your heart and increase your happiness by 5 points]

The unexpected system prompt sound made Ronan's mouth curl up.

"A glass of aniseed," he called to the boss.

The boss pointed to the window on the other side.

Pierre led the farmers and drove a tractor to clear a path on the road that was large enough for one car to pass.

“You’ll be able to drive into the mountains soon.”

The tavern owner knows these truffle hunters too well. As long as they have breath left, they will not stop going into the mountains.

Of course, if he had the same superb skills as Ronan, he would definitely not stop.

Unexpectedly, Ronan shook his head:

"The weather is bad, take a few days off."

His mentality changed because of the heavy snow.

You can make money every day, but if you miss the scenery, you will lose it.

You shouldn't be too eager for quick success and instant benefits. You should do both to make money and enjoy life.

The boss gave Ronan an approving look:

“It’s wise to start your day with aniseed wine.”

[Taste authentic anise liquor to increase happiness by 3 points]

Against the backdrop of the beautiful scenery outside the window, even the happiness of drinking ouzo increased.

After drinking two glasses of wine in the old tavern, Ronan returned home.

All the children in the village came out to play in the snow, and he also wanted to take the children out to play.

Xiao Hei is more than two months old. This is his first time seeing snow and he is so excited that he dives into the snow like a hare, comes out covered with snow, and jumps on the open snow.

In order to help his family learn more about the world, Ronan brought it to an ice surface.

The dog, which was so majestic on the snow, became completely panicked on the ice.

After slipping a few times, it immediately ran back with its tail between its legs. Within half a minute, it curiously stood on it again, then slipped and fell again. It had a lot of fun doing this.

Ronan laughed out loud at its "craving for dog food".

Previously he believed that each of the dog's feet had equal propulsive power.

After observing Xiao Hei playing on the ice for a while, I realized that something seemed to be wrong.

When Xiao Hei runs on the ice, his front half of his body can remain straight, but his two hind legs are completely out of control, twisting left and right, and his tail also swings from side to side, as if each leg has its own mind.

"Come back soon, don't let the dog conspicuously appear!" Ronan shouted with laughter.

[Playing with your beloved pet on the snow increases happiness by 4 points]

[Playing with your beloved pet on the snow increases happiness by 5 points]

In the evening, Ronan made a pot of braised lamb chops, and the man and the dog ate until their mouths were full of oil.

As a result, Ronan obtained the highest [Happiness Level] in a single day since he came to Provence - 49 points!
What is the level of 49 points a day?
After it snows twice, he can upgrade a level 2 skill!

It would have been a perfect day filled with happiness, but at night, even though he was sitting by the fireplace in a thick coat and drinking steaming hot water, he could still feel the cold wind blowing on his face from all directions, and there was white mist in front of him when he breathed.

Before nine o'clock, Ronan crawled into bed and prepared to go to sleep.

When I lifted the quilt, I found a black object hidden inside.

"You're cold too, aren't you?" Ronan held Xiao Hei in his arms and made up his mind, "We'll solve the temperature problem at home tomorrow."

The next day, Ronan slept until after nine o'clock.

After washing with freezing cold water, I heard strange noises coming from downstairs, as if someone was hitting something with a heavy object.

He went tremblingly to the first floor to check the situation and found that it was Xiao Hei who was banging his frozen basin against the bathroom door.

Ronan quickly restored everything.

Xiao Hei was thirsty, but the water was frozen and he couldn't drink it, so he licked and licked until he reached the bathroom door.

It turned around and looked at Ronan with a questioning look, as if asking:
"Why could I drink it yesterday but not today?"

"Because the weather is getting colder." Ronan touched its little head.

After changing the water for Xiao Hei, Ronan picked up the phone and called Louis.

After buying the car, he participated in two fairs and saved up 28000 francs. However, because he still had a loan, he could only do one of the two things, repairing the windows or buying a heater.

The leaky windows were definitely the culprit. Alan's house didn't have any heating installed, and although it was still a bit cold at night with just a fireplace, it wasn't as extreme as his house.

So let's fix the windows first?
But if there is heating at home, the temperature inside the house can reach more than 20 degrees, so even if some wind leaks in, it is not a big deal.

If the heater is really hot, those cold winds blowing in from Siberia might be quite 'comfortable'.

Which one should be solved first?

"Hello?" The line was picked up.

"Louis, can you introduce me to a businessman who sells heaters?" Ronan made a decision.

(End of this chapter)