1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 243: Soft Rice and Hard Force
Suddenly, a major issue in his mind was resolved, and Blanco was finally able to relax temporarily after being tense for a long time.

In the evening he came to Ronan to drink again, and he drank too much.

Blanco's personality changed after he drank too much. His calm and reserved self disappeared, replaced by a lot of "lofty ambitions".

He and Ronan fantasized wildly about the future of Lourmarin:
"When the government has money, the first thing I will do is upgrade your restaurant, both inside and outside. We want to make it the best restaurant in Provence. I will ask TV stations to report on you every day."

"I will also set up a subsidy tax for rosé wine. Selling rosé wine in Lourmarin will get government subsidies. Of course, the policy given to you must be the best. The government will strongly support you in selling rosé wine!"

"Open another school to teach students the art of hand-making rosé wine, just like the chimney sweeps you hired, and promote their professional rating. You will be the principal!"

"In the future, Lourmarin will be the rosé wine capital of Provence. Tourists from all over the world will come here to taste and buy rosé wine. Your birthplace will definitely not be able to accommodate so many people. When the time comes, I will give you a shop, a bigger shop, and the government will pay for the decoration!"

"Ronan, I will give you many benefits to thank you for your contribution to Lourmarin!"

Blanco felt relieved, but Ronan still felt reassured.

He interrupted Blanco's fantasy and asked seriously:

"Let's not talk about the future for now. What is the buyback price for my shop now?"

Blanco will not apply for a budget until next spring. Although the Tourism Bureau always says "do it first and talk later", neither the Lourmarin government nor Ronan has the funds to "do it" now.

Blanco will make handmade rosé wine a specialty of Lourmarin and write a development plan for the next three years. The plan will then be submitted to the Tourism Bureau along with other special advantages of Lourmarin. If the Tourism Bureau is interested in the information and is willing to provide them with certain support and assistance, then specific actions will be taken next.

So what Blanco is envisioning now are scenarios that will happen a few years from now, which is too far away.

Please tell me first, when can I buy this house!
Blanco immediately fell from the sky to the ground, and said down to earth:
“House prices in Lourmarin have gone up recently.”

It’s because the price has gone up that I keep asking anxiously. I know the previous price. Ronan complained in his heart.

"I know." Ronan shrugged. "Have you forgotten what Zoe's father does for a living?"

Blanco laughed and said:

"It seems like you and Zoe have a very good relationship. Louis doesn't even deserve to have a name."

Ronan smiled and waved his hands, then asked seriously:
"Tell me quickly, how much has it increased?"

Blanco has already confirmed the price this morning:
“Now it has risen to 24.”

Ronan sighed helplessly.

It was only 7 at the end of July and 19 in November. The housing price increase is too scary.

But according to Louis, the rise in Lourmarin’s value is not the craziest.

In some of the star villages in the Golden Triangle, some people have gone so crazy as to list their houses for sale for 100 million francs, while the price of that house was only 20 francs 3000 years ago.

Seeing Ronan sigh, Blanco said awkwardly:
"The commercial street project has given shop owners many subsidies and concessions. The government has done its best."

What I mean is that although we are good friends and comrades fighting side by side, I cannot give you any help and you can only buy it at this price.

Ronan took a sip of wine silently and expressed his understanding:
"okay, I get it."

Blanc reminded Ronan:
"The price changes every day. This month it's 24, and next month it will definitely be more than 25. Maybe it will rise to 1 in January next year. Everything is possible. If you really want to buy it, make a decision as soon as possible."

He continued to mutter in a complicated tone:
"If I were as rich as you, I would definitely buy it as an investment without hesitation. Don't hesitate. The house on the commercial street will definitely appreciate in value if you buy it."

Ronan drank like crazy, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The problem now is not whether to hesitate or not, but that I have no money.

This hat of "rich man" can't be taken off anymore.

Sometimes good news always comes one after another.

The day after Blanc decided to develop rosé wine as the future specialty of Lourmarin, Thomas also gave Ronan good news.

He said Pascal, the owner of a café on the commercial street, would be coming to Lourmarin this week and had offered to meet Ronan.

On Friday afternoon, Ronan met this neighbor for the second time at the restaurant door.

As Thomas said, Pascal had gotten fatter after not seeing him for a few months.

Pascal seemed to see the doubt in Ronan's eyes and took the initiative to explain:

"My wife has been obsessed with making desserts in recent months. I don't know if you have a wife, but as a husband, it is my unshirkable responsibility to eat every dessert my wife makes."

Ronan smiled and said:
"I don't have a wife yet, but my girlfriend will soon be my wife."

Pascal said happily:
"No wonder you can run such a great restaurant. In Provence, men who can't manage a marriage well can't run a restaurant well. Obviously, you are the best among them."

Ronan agreed with Pascal.

All the restaurant owners around him have great marriages.

Ronan smiled and invited Pascal into the restaurant:

"Come in quickly, it's too windy outside."

Pascal put the pipe in his mouth and said humorously:
"Don't worry, this level of northwest wind can't blow me up, but I can't wait to visit the restaurant that saved my cafe."

Although Pascal's main business is an olive grove owner, he is very familiar with and knowledgeable about restaurants.

He can point out many "small details" in Ronan's restaurant that ordinary people cannot discover, such as the location of the special menu sign and the knowledge in the menu, etc., just like a real restaurant expert.

However, Pascal became a layman in front of Ronan's restaurant decoration.

“I’ve never seen a restaurant like this in Provence.” He was attracted by the variety of furniture, lighting and wall decorations.

Ronan asked curiously:

"You seem familiar with the restaurant?"

Pascal sat down on the rattan chair and said with a smile:
"Of course. I've been dealing with restaurants all my life. There's no restaurant in Provence that I'm not familiar with. Um, you're an accident. It looks like I need to reorganize my client list."

"Client list?" Ronan was stunned.

Pascal spread his hands:
“My olive groves also produce olive oil, and restaurants are my customers.”

"You are also a supplier!" Ronan said in surprise, "I don't know if Thomas told you that I am also a supplier of the restaurant. I supply truffles to the restaurant."

Pascal smoked his pipe:

"Thomas told me about your alter ego. I'm willing to purchase truffles from you."

"How much do you need every month?" Seeing Pascal so straightforward, Ronan asked directly.

Pascal tilted his head:

"About 2 kilograms."

Unlike restaurants, cafes have fewer food varieties, and the consumption of truffles is correspondingly less.

Ronan felt a little disappointed, but still said gratefully:

"Okay, I'll deliver the goods to you twice a week, but we're so close, you can always come and get them if you're out of stock."

Pascal asked:
"I heard from Thomas that you seem to have a lot of truffles but nowhere to sell them?"

Ronan nodded:

"Yes."

Pascal took off his pipe and held it in his hand:

"How much unsold goods do you have?" Ronan counted carefully.

After entering the dense forest, the shipment volume of truffles increased significantly.

Previously, he estimated that he could sell about 50-60 kilograms per month, but now the number may reach 55-65 kilograms.

After deducting the supply to Arthur's restaurants, the monthly truffle surplus will be around 25 kilograms, which is the most conservative figure.

"At least 25 kilograms." Ronan said frankly, "I will sell these at the market."

Pascal suddenly patted his stomach a few times:
"I'm scared to death. I was worried that it might be a large amount on the way. Let me help you find a seller for these 25 kilograms."

Ronan almost exclaimed:

"Can you help me find a channel?"

Pascal lowered his body with difficulty and whispered to Ronan:
"Without the help of your restaurant, the coffee shop I opened for my wife's brother might have gone bankrupt. Then I will give him another sum of money to start other businesses! You have saved me a lot of money, I must thank you!"

Ronan: "."

Thank God, Vieri only loves football and has a business acumen that is no less than Louis.

"Can you find a restaurant that can eat all this food?" Ronan asked curiously.

Pascal shrugged:

"That's too easy. I'll ask at the next Vaucluse Gastronomy Union meeting. I'm sure a few people will give me a chance."

The cup next to Ronan was almost knocked over:

"'Vaucluse Gourmet Alliance'? The one started by Mr. Elliott?"

After the restaurant opened, Ronan asked Arthur if he could recommend him to join the 'Vaucluse Gastronomy Alliance'.

Arthur said with embarrassment that they had not received any official notification after joining, nor had they met Mr. Elliott. They could only try to ask through an intermediary, but there has been no reply for more than a month.

It turns out that this association has always existed, but is there a threshold for gathering?

Pascal asked unexpectedly:
"Do you know Elliot? He lives in Golden, too. We've been neighbors for decades."

Ronan said in surprise:

"I have long heard of Mr. Elliot Xing's name, and he helped me once. I have always wanted to find an opportunity to thank him."

Pascal said with a smile:

"That's easy. I've made an appointment with Thomas and Cotillard to come to my olive orchard to pick olives in a while. You can come with me. I'll introduce you to each other."

Ronan held Pascal's fat hand gratefully:

"Thank you Pascal, you helped me a lot!"

Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen have always been thinking about buying a house.

After knowing that Ronan had asked the village chief about the market price, he took the initiative to talk to him about money.

"How much money do you need now?" Luo Tianhai asked straight to the point.

Ronan sat on the sofa and played with Xiao Hei:
"Running out."

Feng Zhen smacked her lips:

"How much is a little? Have you ever calculated it?"

Of course Ronan had calculated it, he did it every day.

He is the one who wants to marry the most!
But there is indeed still a big gap now, and there is no use in being anxious.

After September, the market's revenue has been greatly reduced, and it is mainly based on advertising effects.

Even with the inclusion of boxed lunches, the two markets each week can only bring in sales of more than 5000 francs, with a profit of around 3000 francs.

I made more than 2 yuan in two months.

Ronan used part of the money to pay off his mortgage, and all his daily expenses were paid from it. He also had to keep some for emergencies. Now he only had 6000 francs to spend.

In October, 10 yuan of the restaurant's income was saved.

Due to the strong winds in November, the number of customers in the restaurant decreased a lot. On the bright side, there were probably 11 or 4 customers.

Although there is 9 francs from selling truffles, there is still 5 francs to spend on heating equipment this month.

24 is just the purchase price, and there is 7%-10% tax, so the total cost is about 26.

There is still a gap of at least 10 francs.

I estimate that I will be able to save enough after December, but I have to pray that house prices don’t rise too much.

After Ronan settled the accounts with his parents, Feng Zhen said in frustration:

"I should have known not to rush to install the heating. Your father and I have more than 7 yuan in savings. We thought we could pool our money together."

Ronan looked over in surprise:

"Sure, you two saved a lot in Paris."

"How much can we save in Paris?" Feng Zhen rolled her eyes at her son. "You gave us money little by little after we arrived in Provence. Today you gave us 2000, tomorrow you gave us 3000. You were afraid that we would starve to death in Provence. We are so old now, how can we spend all that money?"

Ronan smiled and said to them:

"Okay, save it and you can buy it in January."

The next day was the market in Mena village.

After setting up the stall, Ronan went to Louis's house to find Zoe in the afternoon.

"Have you put it there? Or should I take you to the bank to deposit it?" Ronan put the money on Zoe's workbench.

Zoe stopped working, took off her mask and asked him:
"What is this money?"

Ronan nodded her head and said:
"It's the money for the heating. What else could it be?"

Zoe looked up with an expression that said, "Are you okay?"

"Do you want to be so clear with me?"

Ronan was startled:
"What do you mean?"

Zoe waved at him impatiently, signaling him to get out quickly:
"I have already paid the money. Your home is my home. If you are so clear with me, I dare not marry you."

"No, no, no—" Ronan said in astonishment, "These are two different things."

Zoe said to Ronan in a warning tone:

"Times are different now. I am still in the early stages of my career. As I develop further, I must let you experience the feeling of being supported. I can sell more than 50,000 francs for one handicraft. Take the money and leave quickly. Don't delay me from making money."

Ronan argued with Zoe for a long time, and was eventually kicked out of the door by the powerful female artist, who almost hit his fair little face.

Ronan whispered to the door:
"Times have changed. Is this called forced feeding?"

He took two steps and suddenly stopped.

Wait, is there enough money to buy a house now?

(End of this chapter)