1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 242 Two? No, maybe three
Blanco returned from a business trip to Avignon and immediately plunged into the daily work of Lourmarin.

There were too many things piled up this week that were not dealt with, and as soon as he got to work, all the people came to him to report.

"The sewage pipe upgrade has entered the third phase, which is expected to be completed by the end of December. The fourth phase will begin in March next year, when more than 12% of the old pipes in the village's households and shops will be replaced."

"The parking space plan has been initially drawn up. A parking lot with a capacity of 50-80 parking spaces will be built at the entrance of the village. A temporary parking lot with 27-20 parking spaces will be set up near the D30 highway for market visitors to park. A temporary parking lot will also be set up in the farmland between the commercial street and the Château de Lourmarin, with about 30-50 parking spaces. Is this number okay? Do we need to continue to increase parking spaces?"

"Blanco, this matter is urgent. Please confirm the tax data for October as soon as possible. I need to report it."

Blanco picked up the tax list and stopped at the section titled "Professional Tax":
"The occupational tax increased so much this month?"

There are less than 50 businesses in Lourmarin, and local taxes and fees are very fixed and transparent every month.

In the past, the tax situation would decline significantly in October because tourists would leave and business turnover would decrease accordingly.

But the occupational tax actually increased in October this year.

Occupational tax is paid based on the actual wages of the enterprise and employees, which means that the enterprise has made money this month.

A colleague from the finance department said:

"Ronan's restaurant accounts for the vast majority of the business. Driven by him, other shops on the commercial street are also doing quite well, better than in August and September."

Blanco laughed twice:
"Forget about him being a big taxpayer."

Speaking of Ronan, Sylvie asked Blanc:

"Did the trip to Avignon go smoothly?"

Before Blanc went to Avignon, he told Sylvie and others that Ronan recommended a distinctive development path for Lourmarin. The purpose of Blanc's trip was to find out whether this path was feasible.

After being there for so long, is there any result?

Blanco pondered for a few seconds, and finally sighed:

"We got some information, but it's still not accurate enough."

Before meeting Corentin and Joliet, Blanc had already given up on developing Lourmarin around rosé.

But after discovering that Ronan had a very good relationship with the two government officials, and even witnessing with his own eyes that the two officials were a bit "fawning" towards Ronan, Blanco's heart began to waver again.

He was sure that Ronan must have deep connections in the Vaucluse government, and perhaps he knew a friend who held a very high position.

So the inside information Ronan said is true?

Does the tourism board really want to protect the traditional production techniques of rosé wine?

But Blanco knew that asking directly would not yield any results.

He also has some familiar officials in the Vaucluse department, and he has asked his friends more than once to help inquire about the attitude of the Tourism Bureau, but the response is always ambiguous.

Blanco also went to the Tourism Bureau several times in person. The attitude of the other party was quite good. They talked to him about development and possibilities, but they just didn't tell him whether it would work or not and always told him to "do it first and talk later."

The attitude when talking about pink wine is the same, and the attitude when talking about embroidered quilts is the same, and it is impossible to guess anything.

So Blanco turned his attention to those wine cooperatives.

A dozen kilometers north of Avignon, there is an area called Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where there are dozens of wineries and wine cooperatives. It is the area with the most concentrated wine industry in the Vaucluse department.

Blanco wanted to find out if anyone had approached the winemaking cooperative there about switching to rosé.

The Lourmarin government has only about 20 staff members, 12 of whom are full-time employees, but most of them have to hold multiple positions, and one person may be the head of an entire department.

The rest are all part-time workers, working in the government in the morning and doing other things in the afternoon.

Blanco didn't want to add pressure to the regular employees, nor did he want to delay the other work of the part-time employees, so he went to Avignon alone to do "research".

After some inquiries, he found out that someone was indeed contacting the leaders of the wine-making cooperative to make rosé wine, but these leaders could not confirm the other party's identity and only said that it was initiated by a certain organization.

So is this an action taken by the Tourism Bureau?

Seeing Blanco's sad face, Sylvie advised:

"It's okay, we'll figure it out together."

Blanco did not bring anyone with him on this business trip. He traveled all over Châteauneuf-du-Pape in more than a week. He must have done his best.

Blanco smiled and said to her:
"It's okay. Just focus on improving people's livelihood and don't worry about applying for the budget next year."

Claude, the head of the Tourism Management Center, said worriedly:
"You've been working too hard lately, so you should take a few days off. It's the off-season for travel, so there's not much work to do there. I'll go find a special route with you."

Blanco said seriously:
"You can't be distracted by doing other things. You have to find a way to promote Ronan's restaurant. He alone can drive the tax revenue of the entire village. This is the most important thing."

After the meeting, Sylvie found Blanco again:
"Ronan has come to you twice, wanting to know the current buyback price on Commercial Street. I've put the real-time price on your desk. Please check with other departments. If there's no problem, I'll call Ronan over."

Blanco shook his head:
"No need to ask him to come over. My wife likes the taste of his restaurant. We're going there for lunch at noon. I'll meet him and talk."

Sylvie reminded:

"Ronan goes into the mountains to pick truffles every day recently, and he doesn't necessarily stay in the restaurant."

Blanco thought about it:

"That's okay. I'll go back again tonight. I haven't tried many of the dishes on the menu."

Sylvie curled her lips:
"I've never seen a village chief so eager to help the villagers!"

Blanco was so dignified when he was working with them, but why did he lose his airs as a village chief when he got involved with Ronan?

Blanco corrected with a smile:

"Ronan is not an ordinary villager. He is a 'hero' of Lourmarin. Even if he has to make a few more trips, it is what he deserves."

At 11 a.m., Blanco left the government office building and walked towards the commercial street.

There has been a strong wind in Provence recently, and there are few pedestrians on the streets. You can only see a few people when you walk to the commercial street, but it is still a lot less than the last time I came.

In addition to complaining that the weather drove away customers, Blanco thought of other problems.

Winter is coming, and municipal construction will once again face a severe test.

I hope the weather will be better this year. The old water pipes and electrical wires in Lourmarin will not be able to withstand such severe tests.

"We have to raise enough funds as soon as possible." Blanco suddenly felt more pressure on his shoulders, and at the same time he became more expectant and anxious about the Tourism Bureau's budget.

More than a decade ago, Mena was just a small village like Lourmarin, with less than 1000 villagers.

But in the late 70s they successfully transformed their economy from agriculture to tourism, and received millions of francs in aid from the Vaucluse Tourism Board.

Today, tourism in Mena Village contributes 60% of the village’s GDP, while agriculture accounts for only 15%.

The town is three times the size of Lourmarin and has its own small hospital and school.

After that, several other villages in Luberon followed the example of Mena and successfully transformed themselves, all of them with the support of the Tourism Bureau.

Provence is gradually stepping onto the world stage, but Lourmarin is still a village dominated by agriculture, and there is really not much time left for Blanche to "revitalize" it.

Whenever Blanco thought of these annoying problems, Ronan would appear in his mind.

Should I continue to believe in Ronan?
Blanco didn’t talk to Ronan the last time he came to the restaurant, so he planned to have a chat with Ronan soon no matter what.

So as soon as he entered the restaurant, he asked Isabel:
"Is Ronan in the restaurant today?"

Isabel shook her head regretfully:
"Ronan is in the restaurant today, but he is entertaining friends today. Do you need me to tell him that you are here?"

Blanco thought for a moment and shook his head.
"Then let him be busy, I'll come back in the evening."

He wanted to have a good chat with Ronan without any outside interference.

"Okay." Isabel nodded and took Blanco to a table inside.

It was so windy outside that even though the backyard area was open, customers would choose to dine indoors, so Blanco saw Ronan and his friends again as soon as he sat down.

This time, there were fewer people sitting with Ronan, only six.

But the shock these six people gave Blanco was even greater than the day he met Corentin and Juliet. Aren't they the two people who had received him at the Tourism Bureau?
Are people from the Vaucluse Tourism Office coming to Lourmarin?

Came to Ronan's restaurant?

Blanco, who was full of questions, immediately stopped Isabel who was about to leave:
"Tell Ronan secretly that I want to talk to him."

Isabel said awkwardly:

"I informed Ronan the same way last time, but you left first."

Even if you are the village chief, you can't let me cheat my boss again and again!
Blanco said solemnly:
"I won't leave this time. I have to talk to him today."

When Isabelle brought wine to Ronan's table, she helped Blanco convey his words.

This time Ronan didn't have any bad intentions, so he asked Isabelle to convey Blanco:

"I'll be there in a minute."

After saying this, he stood up and said goodbye to everyone:
"Then I won't disturb you all from eating. I wish you all a pleasant meal. Feel free to call me if you have any questions."

This was not a party organized by Ronan, but a work dinner for Juliet.

As the restaurant owner, Ronan was just introducing the decoration style, woven decorations and artist atmosphere to everyone. He was not qualified to stay for dinner.

What these people were going to talk about next was not something Ronan wanted to hear.

What Blanco and Ronan were going to talk about next was not something anyone else could hear.

Seeing Ronan walking towards him, Blanco stood up first, went to the outdoor area, stood by the fence and looked at the Château de Lourmarin in the distance.

Ronan soon appeared beside Blanco, stood side by side with him, and said with a smile:
"It's not the beginning of October today. Are you getting hot again? Why do you have to go out and enjoy the cold wind instead of sitting indoors?"

Blanco pointed to the castle and said:
"You know, I have invited people from the Tourism Bureau several times, hoping that they can come and see the current Lourmarin Castle, but every time they refused with various reasons."

Ronan didn't want to pretend to be an upper-class person. He explained to Blanco in a matter-of-fact way:

"In fact, I am not familiar with government officials at all. I just have a friend who seems to have some powerful government connections. After I opened the restaurant, she helped me promote it, so many officials came."

Blanco paused:
"The friend who told you that the Tourism Bureau was interested in the artisanal production of rosé wine?"

Are you finally going to talk to me about pink wine? Ronan muttered to himself.

But he shook his head:
"Not that."

Blanco felt a chill in his heart.

He knew that Ronan must have an extremely powerful friend around him, but he didn't expect him to be so powerful.

But isn’t that what this friend said?

Unexpectedly, Ronan gasped:

"But this great friend said that Lourmarin's budget application was rejected by the Tourism Bureau. It was also her suggestion that Lourmarin try to make rosé wine its specialty."

"Is this true?" Blanco couldn't calm down at all.

Is this the path pointed out by the big boss behind the scenes?

After thinking it over, Ronan said to Blanco:
"Even though she's my friend, she's so arrogant that it's hard to even get her to talk. She won't provide us with any practical help."

Ronan hadn't finished his sentence yet, saying that she wouldn't do it even if she had the ability.

At a party, Ronan asked Ines and others if it was really impossible to change the status of rosé wine in Provence, and everyone looked at Astrid.

No one said anything, but Ronan knew that Astrid definitely had the ability.

Ronan continued:
"Today I also asked the people from the Tourism Bureau indirectly about their attitude towards rosé wine, but I got nothing out of them. It seems like they have received training and are very good at 'playing Tai Chi'."

Blanco smiled and shook his head:

"They have too much budget, so there must be a lot of people targeting them. This is probably a form of self-protection in disguise."

Ronan patted the guardrail:
"I know you're in a difficult situation. After all, this is a major event that could affect hundreds of people in Lourmarin. Think about it carefully. You don't have to reply to me right away."

Blanco also took a pat on the fence:
"I don't think I need to think about it anymore."

Ronan turned his head to look at him, confused.

Blanco looked at the Luberon Valley in the distance with a smile:
"You can stand here and talk to me about this matter on an equal footing, which means you have the ability to make this decision with me. I respect your choice and suggestion."

Ronan can get in touch with people that Blanco cannot get in touch with, and know things that Blanco cannot get in touch with.

His vision and judgment may be more accurate than Blanco's.

And Ronan has an unfathomable friend behind him.

Ronan looked over in surprise:

"Will you not think about it again?"

Blanco shook his head expressionlessly:

"Actually, any choice of specialty is a gamble. Now it's just a matter of seeing which one has a greater chance of winning. Now it seems that rosé wine may really be the dark horse."

If rosé wine is not considered, Blanco's first choice now might be an embroidered quilt, but that is not unique.

Pink wine is unique, but the problem with it is that there are too many negative voices about it.

However, Ronan can get housewives to work outside the home, so it is not completely impossible to solve these problems.

He suddenly patted Ronan's arm:

"You don't have to feel any psychological burden. This decision was made by me. If it fails, I will bear the responsibility alone. It has nothing to do with the rest of you."

Ronan immediately became anxious:

"How can that be? It was my idea."

Blanco waved his hand:
"Just do what you need to do. Let me study it and make a detailed plan. Then I'll talk to you about the next steps. Before that, don't worry about anything. Just run your restaurant well."

Ronan became even more anxious and said to Blanco seriously:
"You want to handle this alone? Are you crazy, Blanco? This is not just your problem."

Blanco smiled and said:
"Everyone is already very——"

Ronan patted his chest and said in an unquestionable tone:

"Friends in Provence are all true friends, especially farmers. We worked on this together, and I can't let you shoulder all the responsibility by yourself."

Blanco wanted to retort, I am the village chief, if I don’t take the responsibility, who will?
But then I thought, he has been shouldering everything by himself, has he solved the problem?

The distinctive path has not been found for so many years.

Isn't that the advice Ronan gave through the message from his friend?

Now it was Ronan who made him make up his mind.

Blanco turned his head to look at the Château de Lourmarin and said with a suppressed smile:

"But I'm from the Pyrenees."

Seeing Ronan was about to speak again, Blanco immediately smiled and said:

"Okay, okay, I admit this is a Provencal joke."

Ronan knew that Blanco agreed and patted him on the shoulder:

"We will work together in the future."

Blanco suddenly laughed:
"Maybe it's more than just the two of us. In fact, your powerful friend has always been helping you, Ronan. How can you be so sure that she won't continue to help you in the future?"

(End of this chapter)