1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 24 A serious situation

Ronan knew that Louis could definitely help him.

Sure enough, he recommended to Ronan a heating merchant who claimed that he could "make your home summer in a second."

Without any hesitation, Ronan called the heating dealer named Simon.

Mr. Simon first introduced his "strengths" to Ronan, and there are various types of heaters including solar, gas, and diesel for you to choose from!
Ronan was glad to have found such a professional person.

After he described his problems and needs, Simon gave professional advice.

"You need to keep warm while also fighting the cold wind blowing in from outside. Ordinary heaters won't do the trick. You have to choose the best way to keep out the cold. I suggest you install a cast iron heater."

Simon talked about the heating as if he were talking about his beloved lover, and he kept talking:

"This is not French. The boilers made by the French are rubbish. The Germans and Belgians are real geniuses in making boilers. With this, even if the temperature outside drops to minus 10 degrees, the temperature inside can be kept above 20 degrees."

"Great, Mr. Simon, this is exactly what I need." Ronan said excitedly, "Can you come and install it today?"

He didn't want to wait even a second and wanted to lie down in the 20-degree bed right now.

"Oh, not today." Mr. Simon said regretfully, "It's minus 6 degrees today and it's snowing outside. It's too dangerous for a 55-year-old man."

Ronan was about to say that he could drive to pick him up, but Mr. Simon added:
"And today is the day my wife is going to perform with the orchestra. She is going to play Bach's music. She is an excellent amateur pianist. It's a pity that she has only studied for two years, otherwise there would be another piano master in the world."

Mr. Simon talked even more eloquently about his wife.

Ronan took great effort to politely bring the topic back to the heating issue.

"Let's do this. I'll go over when the weather gets warmer." This was the result of Ronan's hard work. Simon even suggested that he start construction in the spring.

I really hope Simon can learn some professionalism from Louis!
"Okay, I'll pick you up when the weather gets warmer." Ronan took the initiative firmly into his own hands.

Before hanging up, Ronan remembered that he hadn't asked about the price yet, so he asked about the approximate budget.

Simon gave a quote based on Ronan's description of his house's structure and area:
"About 45000 francs."

"How much?" Ronan almost knocked over the cup in front of him.

45000?

This is the annual income of many French families!

"Oh la la (the interjection means 'oh, God'), your family's situation is special, so you can only use cast iron. Angle iron is expensive, so I have to quote you this price. You should blame the government. They charge 18.6% transaction tax, while caviar only charges 6%! The financial system is too unfair, and those politicians are the most evil and despicable people." Simon began to complain about social problems again.

Ronan had to interrupt his plan to buy heating because he could not get a loan from Mr. Simon.

He asked Louis about several heating suppliers and got basically the same response: if he wanted to heat a leaky house, he had to use the best heater.

Ronan immediately changed his mind and repaired the leaky windows first, but still didn't get any good news.

Louis went directly to Ronan's house and apologized for not being able to help in this matter:
"There has been a wave of holiday fever in Provence in the past two years, and many wealthy people have bought houses here, so the craftsmen who do renovations have made a lot of money in the past two years because they don't work in winter."

Ronan is also a decorator himself, so he knows roughly what the cost of repairing windows is. Even if you multiply it by two, it is still a few zeros less than the cost of replacing the heater:
"I can raise the price." Even triple it!

Louis tilted his head and spread his hands:
"Every Easter, summer and Christmas, these rich people fly in from all over the world, and when they arrive, they always think that the villa needs to be renovated before the holiday can be considered complete - such as adding a sauna, making a fountain in the swimming pool, etc. So, they will call the builders or craftsmen in Provence at the same time and give instructions such as "must be done before we arrive", and such instructions usually represent generous rewards. Unfortunately, it is the peak period before Easter now. Are you sure you want to compete with those businessmen who own several multinational companies in spending money?"

Ronan and Louis have highly consistent ideas.

Why should the money he earns from digging out truffles go into other people's pockets in the form of a premium?
Louis persuaded Ronan optimistically:
"The cold in Provence comes and goes quickly. February is almost halfway through, and the temperature will rise again in March. Wait until those wealthy merchants who only care about speed and not money leave before replacing the windows. Buy more cold-weather items at the market next time."

"This is all we can do. Thank you, Louis." Ronan said a little disappointed.

After seeing Louis off, Ronan looked at his house and fell into deep thought:
If everyone is a "non-proactive" businessman like Mr. Simon, or if competitors in any business are wealthy businessmen who "only care about speed rather than money", how many troubles will we have to face in the future?

After thinking it over, he turned on the system.

[Level 1 Construction: 0\100]

[Level 2 Planting: 0\500]

[Level 2 Collection: 0\500]

[Level 2 Cooking: 0\500]

[Level 1 Fishing: 0\100]

[Level 1 Hunting: 0\100]

[Usable experience: 79]

Ronan's eyes were on the first row of [Level 1 Construction: 0\100].

He had never thought about upgrading this skill before, he just wanted to use his experience to make money.

But now he has changed his mind.

[Construction] Although it cannot help him make money directly, in France where labor costs are extremely high, having the ability to repair houses can save him a lot of money, and what he saves is what he earns.

And with his experience in interior decoration as a foundation, [Construction] can play a huge role.

However, Ronan has been concentrating on making money these days, and his [Happiness] has not accumulated much. Most of it was caused by the snow yesterday, and it cannot be upgraded directly now.

He picked up Xiao Hei and forced it to stand.

"Get up and get to work!"

Isn't it easy to obtain happiness?

This is Provence, a paradise on earth!
　Please give me some votes for recommendation, everyone, please give Xiaopujie some motivation, the days of playing single-player games are too scary!

(End of this chapter)