1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 230 Ronan, you are drifting!

In the past, Ronan’s restaurant had only four or five tables of artists drinking rosé at most.

Now you can see people holding glasses of rosé wine in every corner of the restaurant every day, and the busiest day we sold was 6 boxes of rosé wine.

The first key factor that attracted artists to Lourmarin was Ronan’s restaurant.

Just a few photos published in magazines attracted countless Provençal artists who had a strong interest in "aesthetics".

No one in Provence understood the Chinese style, and Chinese culture was also considered an unpopular category in France in 1986.

Everyone was attracted by this restaurant which displayed Chinese elements everywhere.

Even if there are no artists' gatherings, there will be artists who come here to visit. They will order a glass of rosé and a dessert and sit here for a whole afternoon.

It is no exaggeration to say that Ronan's restaurant style is a small shock and impact on the Provence art world.

In the territory of the self-proclaimed extraordinary people of Provence, is there still culture and art that they don't understand?
Definitely worth looking into!

The second factor that attracted artists to Lourmarin was Ronan himself.

In the magazine interview, Ronan not only introduced weaving, a craft that has been passed down in China for thousands of years, but also made a lot of "radical remarks" about rosé wine, which attracted many like-minded people.

In Provence, there are many people who speak out against the injustice done to rosé wine, many of whom are artists who do not set any boundaries on the ideological level.

"Wine critic? Expert? That's bullshit!"

These advanced-minded and bold people regarded Ronan's restaurant as a base for resisting "ideological constraints". They drank rosé wine wantonly and vowed to anger the wine critics and experts to death.

The third reason that attracted the artist craze, and the most crucial reason, was Zoe.

Zoe is undoubtedly the brightest star in the recent Provence art world.

Her works have a very strong personal style and focus on the social topic of animals and nature. Especially after she received the order from tourism tycoon Mr. Thuram, her reputation and fame have soared.

Artists who have read the magazine have discovered that this brightest star in Provence has an excellent appearance and strong personal charm that is no less than that of a celebrity.

It can be said that Zoe has all the potential to be a 'benchmark leader'.

'One person can change a city' is by no means an empty statement.

Because Zoe lives in Lourmarin, not only are there more people visiting her, but more and more people, like Batti and Marini, are moving or planning to move to Lourmarin.

Art needs atmosphere and environment.

Who says there can only be one 'Saint-Remy' in Provence?

The couple Ronan and Zoe directly brought Louis' income to a new level.

Louis no longer expected Vieri to be the best farmer in Lourmarin, but the best real estate sales heir in Lourmarin.

He believes that the housing frenzy in Lourmarin will continue!
Of course, Louis is not the only one making money.

After the Mermaid exhibition, Zoe became a pricing anchor for new artists in the secondary art market in Provence.

Once a new artist appears in the public eye, if an authoritative organization is willing to give him the evaluation of "potentially the next Zoe", his works will immediately be priced at a 300% premium.

Ms. Zoe, the anchor, has her works sold at the latest art exhibition in Apte for prices ranging from 3 to 8 francs.

The price of the newly made thrush was hyped up to 15 francs in the secondary market, but its price will definitely not stop there when it circulates in the market in the future.

Godill also made a fortune from the equipment he stockpiled a few months ago.

The cups and plates she bought for 400-600 francs were all marked up to more than 3000 francs.

The appreciation rate is even more exaggerated than that of a house!
However, those 20 or so pieces were quickly sold out after artists flocked to Lourmarin.

Cotillard has no money to sell Zoe's artwork, so she urges Zoe to make some more utensils every day.

Zoe refused, so she came to harass Ronan, coming to the restaurant several times a day.

"Did Zoe agree today?" Cotillard ordered a bottle of pink wine as a friendly gesture.

She had read the magazine and knew how obsessed Ronan was with pink wine.

Ronan shook his head:

"It's not profitable to make plates and dishes, each one only costs a few thousand, but a work of art can be sold for tens of thousands."

Cotillard explained anxiously:

"Who said a few thousand? We can sell it for tens of thousands, isn't that a piece of cake?"

Ronan burst out laughing:

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to charge so much for plates and cups?"

"Who says it's inappropriate!" Cotillard said in an unquestionable tone, "Zoe has now become a cultural symbol of Provence. It doesn't matter how much her products are sold for!"

Art is priceless!!
Ronan shrugged.

"Try it yourself next time you see her. I've told you many times."

Cotillard angrily downed the pink wine in one gulp.

Zoe loves Ronan so much that even if Ronan’s persuasion is useless, it would be even more impossible for her to succeed.

Cotillard suddenly looked at the cup and plate in front of him and came up with a new idea:

"Ronan, how about you sell me a few of your cups and plates?"

Ronan shook his head repeatedly:

"No, that won't do! What would I do with it if I gave it to you?"

Zoe worked overtime to make these for me. I won't sell them for any money.

"Giving me a few sets won't affect your business." Cotillard said with a beaming face, "Having a girlfriend who can make so much money must be very stressful, right? Every bit of money counts. A man without money has no say at home!"

Ronan said happily:
"Isn't it a blessing to be able to eat Zoe's 'soft rice'?"

Living off others is just a joke.

Ronan still cares a lot about income.

House prices in Lourmarin have risen dramatically.

The activation terms stipulate that the purchase is based on a percentage of the market price, and he will only feel at ease if this matter is completed as soon as possible.

Near the end of the month, Ronan checked the accounts with his parents.

“How are sales after opening?”

The restaurant only had long queues in the first few days after opening, but that never happened afterwards.

Although the prices of dishes returned to their original prices after the "trial operation", Ronan still had no idea about the revenue situation.

Feng Zhen, the finance officer, held up a calculator and said, "Your father and I have been wanting to reconcile your accounts for a while now. It's not that sales are bad, son, don't be afraid!"

Luo Tianhai said to Ronan:
"We want you to pay off your loan as soon as possible."

Feng Zhen looked at the bill and said:
"We've been open for 18 days, and our total turnover is 406781 francs. After deducting costs and various taxes, we should have more than 7. There are still a few days until the end of the month, which is enough to cover the operating costs for next month. I've discussed with your father that you should use the 7 to pay off the mortgage."

The restaurant has 140 seats. After stabilization, the daily turnover rate is 2. The average customer spending for customers who order dishes is 110 francs, and the average customer spending for customers who order set meals is 35 francs. However, most people still order dishes, so the average spending is around 80 francs. (Data provided by DS)

However, after opening a restaurant, you will inevitably have to deal with taxes and fees.

In 1986, when transactions were made with cash, it was difficult for the government to regulate taxes, but now the issue cannot be avoided.

France is a country with heavy taxes, and a lot of taxes need to be paid every month.

The first tax to be paid is the VAT:

Dine-in service: 7%
Alcohol sales: 17.6%
The second thing to pay is corporate income tax:

Monthly profit ≤ 38.12 francs: 42%
Monthly profit > 38.12 francs: 50%
Newly-established companies can enjoy a 2% tax reduction if their profits in the first two years are less than 20 francs, but Ronan's restaurant has exceeded this range.

The third tax to be paid is occupational tax:
This part is paid based on the house rental price and local tax rate. The local tax rate in Provence is 2.1%. Ronan has already paid this part to the Lourmarin government.

The fourth thing to pay is social contribution, namely "employee insurance", the rate of which is 40% of the employee's pre-tax salary.

Other taxes and fees include:
Business tax: about 150 francs/month

Garbage disposal tax: about 50 francs/month

If the restaurant owns its own property, it must also pay a municipal facility fee of 100 francs per month.

All in all, these taxes and fees will account for about 17.6% of the turnover.

"So much?" The turnover of 18 in 40 days was much more than Ronan expected.

He thought it would be difficult to maintain an average of 2 francs per day, but he didn't expect it to exceed that.

Luo Tianhai smiled and sighed:

"Have you forgotten what you did? It was you and Zoe who attracted the group of people who increased the sales."

Without those artists, it would be impossible to maintain a daily turnover of 2 francs, but those artists drank very quickly when they started chatting, and made a lot of contributions to the restaurant.

Feng Zhen brought the topic back on track:

"You still have 7 yuan left on your loan, right? Pay it all back quickly. The interest rate is too high, and all you're paying now is interest!"

Ronan's housing loan interest rate is 10%, which is a medium figure in France today, and the highest may reach 12%.

Ronan hesitated:
"I do need money, but not right now or to pay off the mortgage. Mom, after the end of the month, you and Dad can take 2, and save the rest for me."

Feng Zhen frowned and asked:
“What are you going to do if you don’t pay the mortgage?”

Ronan told his parents for the first time about the "buyback" clause in the lease contract.

In fact, Feng Zhen and Luo Tianhai had discussed the matter of Ronan needing a house for his marriage in private several times.

Ronan and Zoe's relationship is so good that marriage is almost imminent.

They are now living a comfortable and fulfilling life in Provence, and the probability of them returning to Paris is very small.

In the future, they will definitely be wherever their son is.

They were thinking of selling their small apartment in Paris and buying a house in Lourmarin.

I didn't expect Ronan to have already solved the house issue.

"Then we really need to save money to buy a house first," Feng Zhen immediately changed her mind.

After meeting Louis more often, they also realized that housing prices in Lourmarin are becoming more and more expensive.

The rate at which house prices are rising is definitely higher than the interest rate on mortgages.

Luo Tianhai said to Feng Zhen seriously:

"Whatever money is in the account at the end of the month, send it to the bank and deposit it with Ronan."

Ronan waved his hands repeatedly:

"No, no, no, you guys take out 2 for your living."

Feng Zhen glared at Ronan:
"2 to live on? You can't even live on 2 in Paris, get lost!"

They eat in restaurants every day, so where do they have any place to spend money?

Are you drifting?!

Ronan said with a grin:

"Mom, to be honest, I can earn enough money to buy a house by myself, but I just want to do it sooner. The 2 is your pocket money. After we buy the house, I will definitely let you experience the feeling of being a 'rich woman', but before that you have to bear with it for a while."

"You're the only one making the money?" Luo Tianhai was furious. "Ronan, let me be honest. The restaurant can't run without me and your mom, you know?"

Ronan pointed to the calendar on the wall.

"The restaurant can't do without you and mom but I have other ways to make money."

There is only one week left in November.

Ronan's 'harvest season' is truly about to begin!

In November, Ronan must spend a lot of time in the mountains, so at the end of October, he invested a lot of energy in the restaurant.

First, there's Astrid's problem.

The restaurant now has a strong rosé atmosphere, but the lady is too busy to spare and has to postpone her visit to the restaurant.

This brings us to the second question.

If Astrid doesn't come, those big shots won't come. Ronan needs to think of some other ways to attract customers.

He cannot rely solely on artists to support his sales; the hundreds of thousands of permanent residents in Provence are his biggest source of revenue.

But now he is trying to save money and definitely does not have the budget to continue handing out flyers.

So how can we attract the most people with the lowest cost?

One night, Ronan overheard an impassioned speech by a customer who was obviously drunk.

"This is a land that produced Voltaire, Racine and Moliere, but now we are being trampled under the feet of the Americans. We gave them everything, but did the Americans give us anything?!"

Ronan stroked his chin in thought.

(End of this chapter)