1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 241 Stop Fusion!

Ronan and Zoe happily decided to install the heating.

But Feng Zhen and Luo Tianhai, who came to Provence for the first time to spend the winter, thought that this matter did not need to be treated so impulsively.

Now is a critical time to save money to buy a house.

Is it really necessary to spend more than 5 francs to install heating?
Isn't this a Mediterranean climate?

This is the misunderstanding most people have about Provence.

They believe that Provence will have warm sunshine even in winter, and people can wear their best clothes to attend balls all year round. Maybe God will be kind enough to let them swim in the Mediterranean Sea in winter.

In order to give his parents a good lesson on Provence meteorology, Ronan organized a party.

After the restaurant opened, all gatherings among friends would be held in Ronan's restaurant.

In the past, Luo Tianhai and Leah could not leave the kitchen, so there were always a few people missing from the gatherings.

Now the employee training has begun to show results. Not only do Luo Tianhai and Leah have a day off every week and can "leave home early" for an hour or two during the workday, but Nicola and Flossie can also come out to attend parties.

The staff in the restaurant are all acquaintances in the village, so everything is easy.

"Can it really freeze people to death?" Feng Zhen widened her eyes in surprise when she heard Freddy say that the winter in Provence could freeze people to death.

This was completely different from the Provence she had heard about.

Freddy spoke in the tone of a meteorologist:

"Provence has a Mediterranean climate, but this is Luberon. The temperature in the mountains cannot be compared with Marseille and Lyon. The lowest temperature here drops below 0 degrees every year, and the heating period is 3-4 months."

Alan looked at his wife Nicola:
"Winter in Luberon is really cold. Nicola and I have discussed saving money this year and upgrading the heating system next year."

In the past, Alan was the only earning money in the family, and the pressure of changing the heating system was too great, but now Nicola also has a job, so it is easy for her to save enough money to buy a heating system in a year.

Life has gotten better without us even noticing!

Old Karl's words carried the most weight. He looked at Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen and said:
"Don't underestimate the winter in Provence. Even in a city like Avignon, temperatures have dropped to minus 1976 degrees Celsius. In 15, Provence experienced a cold snap that was still fresh in our memory. The lowest temperature reached minus 30 degrees Celsius. The cold snap lasted for two months, and % of the olive trees and grapes near Lourmarin were frozen to death."

Louis said seriously:

"I remember that year when Karl was still the village chief, the village's water pipes frequently froze and cracked, and the longest power outage lasted four days. He was doing emergency repairs almost every day. It was really cold that year, and there were strong winds."

Luo Tianhai said with emotion:
"Then we really need to solve the heating problem."

He asked Ronan and Zoe:
“How long will it take for the heating to be installed?”

Zoe frowned and said:
“需要4-6周，订购设备加运输1周、现场施工2-4周、调试和验收1周，这是极致压缩后的工期，也就是说最快要到12月中旬才能用上暖气。”

Zoe has been working hard on the heating thing lately, and everyone knows she's definitely trying her best.

Luo Tianhai said to Ronan:
"Let's use the fireplace first. Isn't February the coldest month in Provence? There will definitely be no problem relying on the fireplace during these two months."

Ronan nodded:

"There is still some firewood at home. You can use it first. I will order some new firewood tomorrow."

Freddy interrupted the conversation between father and son:
"Wait, you're going to use it directly? Without cleaning it?"

Ronan looked at Freddy and smiled:

"At the beginning of the year, I cleaned the chimney. Halfway through the cleaning, you brought Xiao Hei here. Did you forget that I went to greet him with a big black face?"

Looking back, if it weren't for that scene, Ronan might have given Xiao Hei a more formal name.

The name Xiao Hei doesn't sound like a good match for Margaret.

Freddy crossed his arms and said in a serious tone of a 'security expert':

"I remember you only had a broom in your hand when you came out, Ronan. That level of cleaning is not enough. When the weather gets cold, the fireplace will be lit every day, and a chimney that is not cleaned properly can easily catch fire."

Louis put down his glass and became serious:

"Freddy is absolutely not exaggerating. In Provence, chimney sweeping is a very serious matter. I wonder if your home insurance agent has told you that if you can't produce a chimney sweep certificate, the insurance company will not pay the claim if the house catches fire."

Ronan heard the most absurd thing in his life:

"If my house catches fire, the certificate of cleaning will be burned with it. No, how can I prove that I have cleaned the chimney?"

Ronan's mind had already seen the scene of him being homeless in the fierce northwest wind, and being forced to argue with the insurance agent.

What the hell is a chimney sweep certificate?

Alan shrugged and said something that broadened the horizons of the Paris family:
"In the Luberon there are still many professional chimney sweeps that have existed since the Middle Ages, and they will give you a legal certificate for cleaning."

Luo Tianhai frowned and asked:
"Can cleaners issue cleaning certificates with legal basis? Are they a department under the government?"

Freddy made a surprised expression:

"Oh, don't underestimate these chimney sweeps, they need professional certification."

Louis, who has seen a lot, recalled:
"That exam is called CAP. It involves learning about combustion principles, safety regulations, and first aid knowledge. I heard it's even harder to pass than Leah's pastry chef qualification certificate. Not many people have this qualification certificate now."

The Paris family looked at each other.

Provence is truly a magical land.

Chimney sweeps also need a certification?!

The Ronan family are all very active people.

After returning home from the party, Luo Tianhai immediately opened the "Telephone Yearbook" published by France Telecom, which is China's "Yellow Pages", to look for this type of job that is said to have been passed down since the Middle Ages.

The French Yellow Pages appeared in 1883, when the Wyoming Telephone Company commissioned a local printing publisher to create the first telephone yearbook. Because the white paper had run out, part of it was written on yellow paper, and the name of the Yellow Pages became popular.

Subsequent telephone yearbooks refined this concept by defining two categories: white for individuals, classified by name; and yellow for professionals, divided by field of activity.

Generally speaking, in France, if you own a landline phone, you will be included in the regional telephone yearbook.

If you do not want your information to appear in the white pages of the telephone yearbook, you can also apply for "number non-disclosure" after applying for the phone. Government officials and public figures, such as police, judges, politicians, etc., can apply for compulsory hiding of information. Victims of domestic violence can also keep their information permanently confidential based on court decrees.

The white pages data is based on France Telecom's user account opening files and is updated annually. For example, if Ronan applied for a landline phone in February this year, his information will appear in the telephone yearbook updated next year.

The display format is name + home address + home phone number.

Occupations will not be disclosed and will be listed alphabetically.

If you want to find someone based on their occupation, you have to look in the 'Yellow Pages' section.

The 'Yellow Pages' are divided into major industry categories, such as restaurants, hospitals, auto repair shops, etc., and each category is arranged alphabetically or by region.

A telephone yearbook is a must-have item for every family that has a telephone. It is also a very commonly used item. Some people will take out the yearbook and flip through it even if they are not looking for their phone.

In Luo Tianhai's concept, there are dozens or hundreds of institutions under each profession, and you can "choose at will".

But when he found the 'chimney sweep' column, he discovered that there were only two establishments in the Luberon region to choose from. If this was a craft, it was in danger of being lost.

Luo Tianhai called at around 9 o'clock with an attitude of giving it a try. Not only was the other party not angry, but he was also received warmly.

But the price offered by the old man scared the Paris family again.

"He said it would cost 400 francs for one cleaning." Luo Tianhai covered the receiver and said to his wife and son.

"Why doesn't he just go and rob it!" Feng Zhen grumbled in dissatisfaction.

The firewood for a whole winter only costs 1500!

Ronan said helplessly:

"Let him come, isn't it for the safety of the house?"

The next day, Luo Tianhai stayed at home to receive the professional chimney sweep, Feng Zhen went to the restaurant, and Ronan went to the mountains of Frasier to pick truffles as usual.

Over the past week or so, Ronan had been moving in a zigzag pattern around the periphery of his "secret garden" and had not entered the extremely dense broad-leaved forest in the spring.

I don’t know if it’s because of improved efficiency or just good luck.

After expanding the search area, he was able to pick truffles all the way and had to turn back before reaching the 'secret garden'.

Now, after more than a week of hard work, he has dug up all the truffles along the way and can finally enter his real secret garden.

This time when he entered the dense forest, he did not move in the direction of spring, but changed direction.

Truffles take 3-8 years to mature and be harvested. He had almost dug up all the truffles in that area, so there was no need to waste time.

But after working for an hour, Ronan clearly felt something was wrong.

The improved efficiency only means that the area that can be searched in a day has become larger, but the frequency of "no grass growing" should not change.

Ronan dug through the woods, and never stopped so often when spring came.

He weighed the bag of truffles in his hand; it was already one pound in one hour.

This is definitely not as simple as improving efficiency.

"There are more wild truffles this year," Ronan concluded.

He also guessed that the sharp drop in truffle prices this year must have been affected by this reason.

The situation this year was caused by a large influx of wild truffles into the market, coupled with the bursting of the 'bubble'.

Level 2 [Collection] brought Ronan a lot of botanical knowledge, and he quickly figured out the reason for the sudden increase in wild truffles this year.

Because this year is a rainy year.

The rainy season came early and ended late, which stimulated the growth of mycelium. Especially the heavy rain in September, which directly promoted the physical expansion of the fungus.

Ronan believes that not only this year, but also in the next few years, there will be more wild truffles in Provence than before because there are still many mycelium under his feet that have not been stimulated but have been formed by rainfall.

The increase in wild truffles is mixed news for all truffle hunters. The shipment volume has indeed increased, but it also means that the price of truffles will most likely remain the same in the next few years. What everyone wants to see is that the price of truffles will continue to grow.

Ronan looked up at the sky.

Weather and nature have a huge impact on the people of Provence.

It affects not only the mood of the people of Provence, but also their livelihoods.

A few rains have affected the development trend of an entire industry in the next few years.
"No wonder the people of Provence have always disliked any bad weather." Ronan muttered with a frown.

He felt that he had digested a large piece of the process of "integration" with Provence.

Professional is indeed professional.

When Ronan returned home from the mountains, he discovered that the professional chimney sweep had not yet finished his work.

Ronan racked his brains but couldn't figure it out - did the chimney that was only four or five meters long take so long to clean?
Although the work was not completed, the tall gentleman still issued the legendary "cleaning certificate" to Ronan.

Ronan guessed that the few black fingerprints on it were the seals that could be recognized by the insurance company.

"Okay, now you can rest assured. The insurance company will definitely not default on its debt. I will come back tomorrow to finish the remaining work." The man said professionally.

After learning from his father that there was only a small amount of work left to do, Ronan said considerately:

"It's all right. You don't have to make this special trip. Just wait until you can come back to work in Lourmarin."

There are only two agencies listed in the Yellow Pages, which suggests that these people travel to various areas of Provence every day.

The gentleman smiled and said:
"I'm afraid this is difficult. This is the first time I've received an order from Lourmarin since I started working."

After watching the man leave, Ronan asked Luo Tianhai:

"What does he mean? What do you mean he never took orders from Lourmarin?"

Luo Tianhai smiled and shook his head:

"You didn't see how many people came to our house during the day. The villagers said it was the first time they saw a chimney sweep in Lourmarin, a profession that was almost extinct in the Yellow Pages. They also said that you are indeed a rich man, so rich that you don't know how to spend your money. These 400 francs really confirm your identity as a rich man."

"Didn't Freddy and Louis say they needed a chimney sweep certificate?" Ronan felt like a fool.

Luo Tianhai snorted coldly:
"I called Freddy and Louis, and they said that they clean the chimney every year, so how could the house catch fire? If it won't catch fire, what proof do they need?"

Ronan stamped his foot angrily.

Why do you only talk about the importance of receipts, but not mention that you all cleaned it yourself?
He decided to end his 'fusion' with Provence!
He doesn't want to become one of these unreliable guys!!
At around 8 o'clock in the evening, the phone at home rang.

Ronan was in mixed emotions the entire night, so his tone when he answered the phone wasn't very good.

"Who is it? Tell me."

The person on the other end was obviously stunned. After a few seconds, a female voice came from the other end of the phone:
"It's me, Juliette."

"Juliet, what's the matter?" Ronan's tone changed immediately.

Juliet asked cautiously:
"Did I call at a bad time?"

Ronan immediately showed Juliette the storytelling skills he had learned from the people of Provence:

"No, no, my dog was making trouble just now."

Juliet finally felt relieved:
"That's great. I'll be going to Mena Village for a meeting tomorrow. After that, I might bring a few colleagues to your restaurant for dinner. Can you reserve a seat for me in advance?"

"Of course." Ronan said with a smile, "How many people? Any special needs? I'll prepare in advance."

There was a smile in Juliet's voice:

"These colleagues of mine are very interested in history and art. They are from the Tourism Bureau, Ronan. You must introduce the characteristics of your restaurant to them tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)