1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 250 What a hard-working man!

Pascal's work for the afternoon was to meet Llorente.

During the waiting period, he gave Ronan a detailed introduction to Llorente's background and current work.

Member of the Provence Gastronomy Association, President of the Vaucluse Gastronomy Union, etc. are just some empty titles held by Llorente.

His official identity is the consultant of the famous Provence livestock family, the Arno family.

According to Pascal, the Arnault family owns the largest sheep farm in Provence and also monopolizes part of the cheese supply chain, accounting for 1986% of local cheese exports in 25.

Moreover, this century-old family continues to integrate resources by acquiring small cheese cooperatives, and its export share is increasing year by year.

Llorente's job was to help the Arnault family integrate the resources of the Vaucluse province and continue to acquire local handicraft workshops.

"This job is a good fit for Mr. Llorente," Ronan commented.

Ronan was not familiar with the Arnault family and the cheese industry, but he knew that Llorente had a very good eloquence and this was a good use of his talent.

Pascal patted his round belly and said with a smile:
"But you may not know that when I knew Llorente, he was still a shepherd, and the only people who listened to his speeches were the sheep of the Luberon."

Ronan said with deep emotion:

“This shows that Mr. Llorente must have worked very hard over the years.”

Pascal's face turned red, but he couldn't help but burst into deafening laughter:

"Yes, he tries hard to please women. His wife is the youngest daughter of Pierre Arnault, the second-generation heir of the Arnault family. She is 21 years older than Llorente, and his stepson is even older than him."

Ronan tried hard to control his facial expression:

“This is also a form of hard work.”

It's ruthless!

Ronan was not interested in this kind of family gossip, so he asked:
"The last time I saw Mr. Llorente, he was with the Vaucluse Tourism Bureau. Does he have a good relationship with the government?"

That day, Llorente gave many reasons to persuade Ines to agree to cooperate. Ronan could tell that he had helped the government negotiate cooperation more than once.

Where did he get these resources?

Pascal crossed his arms and gave Ronan a serious analysis:
"The Arnault family has a very close relationship with the government. They are a key cooperative enterprise of the Ministry of Agriculture. A few years ago, they purchased small farms at low prices, which caused collective protests from local farmers. The government helped them suppress the protests. Llorente has recently been helping the Arnault family with the 'Shepherd's Journey' tourism project and has frequent dealings with the Tourism Bureau. Don't underestimate this family that has been developing for more than a hundred years. They have a network of influence in the local area that you can't imagine."

Ronan nodded silently, but was shocked at the same time.

If a family that has been developing for more than a hundred years is so powerful, then an aristocratic family that has been developing for nearly a thousand years must be even more powerful.

Zoe had told Marquis Ronan Copsard that this family had been famous in Provence as early as the Crusades.

How strong must Astrid's background be?
At the same time, Ronan paid more attention to Mr. Llorente who was about to arrive.

The fact that a sheep farmer has started to engage in tourism shows that he is also eyeing the money in the Tourism Bureau's pocket.

This is definitely a smart businessman.

Not only do you have to find a way to join the 'Vaucluse Gourmet Alliance' he founded, but you also have to find a way to get to know him.

But it’s been almost a year since we last met. Could Mr. Llorente still recognize him?
Llorente arrived a few minutes earlier than the agreed time.

The moment this guy who liked to wear a suit and a top hat appeared, he dispelled Ronan's concerns.

Although Mr. Llorente couldn't call out Ronan's name, he could match his nickname:
"Of course I remember you. How many yellow-skinned guys are there in Provence? By the way, how are Ines and Jacques doing recently?"

Ronan took the initiative to kiss Mr. Llorente on the cheek:
"They are all good. I will give them your regards at the next gathering."

Llorente tilted his head slightly and said humorously:
"Just say hello to Jacques for me. Ines probably doesn't want to hear my name, so don't disturb the 'strong woman's' mood for drinking."

After greeting Ronan, he turned to look at Pascal:

"Take me to see the first batch of olive oil this year. Our whole family can't wait. That——"

Ronan sensibly gave his name:
"Ronan!"

Llorente waved enthusiastically to Ronan:
"Ronan is coming too. The olive oil here in Pascal is the best in the Luberon. It has a special aroma. Our family only uses it every year."

Ronan quickly followed:

"Then I'll have to buy more. My restaurant consumes more than 100 liters every month."

Llorente paused, turned around and asked:
“You opened a restaurant?”

Llorente remembered that Ronan was just a stall owner selling rosé wine at the market.

Pascal patted Ronan on the shoulder and introduced him to Llorente:

"Remember the Chinese restaurant that saved my café in Lourmarin that I mentioned to you last month? That restaurant was opened by Ronan."

Llorente suddenly laughed heartily:

"I was wondering why that cold-hearted guy Jacques would not give me any face for you. It turns out you are very capable. Come on, let's talk while we walk. Tell me about your restaurant."

It is a very happy thing to chat with a guy like Llorente who makes money through interpersonal relationships. No matter what Ronan says, he will immediately give a positive response and make very comfortable comments.

Ronan talked about the opening promotion, and Llorente praised Ronan as the most courageous young man he had ever met.

Ronan said he organized a Halloween event, and Llorente commented that Luberon lacked such young "entrepreneurs" with progressive ideas.

Ronan also said that the northwest wind had a huge impact on the restaurant. Llorente comforted him and said that if possible, he would definitely find a way to bring some traffic to his and Pascal's cafe.

No matter whether he does it in the end or not, it makes people happy anyway.

Ronan calmed down and thought, the words "Pink blood pulsates in the veins of the land of Provence, and pink memories flow through it" which he had used many times at critical moments were copied from Llorente.

So just listen to what Llorente says, and don't take it seriously.

If you are serious, you will lose.

Similarly, it is very difficult to make friends with such a person. Ronan felt that his friendship with Llorente would not make any progress in the short term. His plan was to subtly mention his desire to join the Vaucluse Gourmet Alliance before leaving today. With Pascal around, Llorente would most likely not reject him.

After figuring this out, Ronan shifted his attention away from Llorente and focused his attention back on the yellow-green olive oil.

After two hours of processing, the batch of olives brought by Ronan and his companions had been "first pressed".

The processing method of olive oil labeled "extra virgin" and "virgin" olive oil on the market is the same, that is, fresh olives are washed and then physically cold-pressed at low temperature.

The difference is that the fruits of "extra virgin" olive oil must be strictly screened. In addition to those with intact skins, overripe and overraw fruits must be picked out.

'Virgin' olive oil allows for slight imperfections in the fruit, and because of overripe fruit, the acidity will be slightly higher.

Chemical solvents are added to ordinary olive oil and olive pomace oil, and the processing method is no longer physical cold pressing, but refined extraction.

The branded olive oils sold in Provence supermarkets are differentiated more finely. In addition to being marked with early-ripening and late-ripening, they also have green fruit flavors, ripe fruit flavors, black fruit flavors, etc. The difference all lies in the olives used for pressing.

Ronan took a little bit with a spoon and put it in his mouth to taste:

"It really has a special aroma. It must be great to use it to mix salad."

Pascal slapped the table proudly:
"Of course, Llorente is so picky but he only recognizes my olive oil."

Llorente, who was counting the goods, followed suit out of habit:

“Yes, the olive oil here is the best.”

This time he came to buy a lot of oil, the kind that can only be hauled by a truck.

Ronan was shocked at how many "family" Llorente meant.

Maybe he needs to please not just his wife but the entire family behind her.

You work really hard!
Ronan looked at Pascal:
"I'm going to order oil from you later, can you deliver it?"

This is not flattery or fawning, Pascal's oil here is really great.

"Of course!" Pascal smiled happily. There would be one more line on his client list. "When I come to pick up the truffles from you this week, I'll bring the oil to you."

Pascal did not introduce the truffle buyers directly to Ronan, but he would have someone pick up the goods from Ronan twice a week.

Llorente, who was counting the goods, suddenly turned back to look at Ronan:
“You still sell truffles?”

Pascal pointed at Ronan and said:
"Don't you know? This guy can dig more than 50 kilograms of truffles a month. He is one of the best truffle hunters in Lourmarin. Isn't this new 'friend' of mine not bad?"

Llorente put away his formal smile and asked seriously but with a hint of expectation:
"Ronan, would you like to join the 'Vaucluse Gourmet Food Alliance'? This is an association that allows local gourmet merchants to exchange information and experiences with each other."

Ronan let out a long sigh:
"Of course I do."

The small stage goal is finally completed!
Ronan and Llorente exchanged contact information.

Llorente told Ronan that someone from the association would contact him in a few days.

After a while, Cotillard and Thomas, who had played around in Gold, returned to the mill.

The three men rejected Pascal's suggestion to keep them for dinner. Lourmarin and Gordes were some distance away, and they had to walk along a mountain road. It would be completely dark after dinner, and for safety reasons they wanted to get back before dark.

But next time they will definitely come earlier to try the desserts made by Pascal's wife.

On the way to pick up the car, Ronan finally got a good look at the scenery of Gold.

Gold has another name, Stone City.

The streets, houses, fences and all the buildings in the village were all made of stone. Ronan looked down the "cliff" and found that the entire Gold was like a "big fortress" built of stone.

At this season, the leaves of the sycamore trees in the village have fallen off, and the branches are trembling in the autumn wind. The streets are empty, but on the contrary, in the shops on one side of the road, you can always see groups of three or five people.

They didn't look like tourists, nor did they look like shop owners.

"Those are also artists gathered together." Seeing Ronan looking at the shops on both sides, Cotillard took the initiative to introduce them to him.

Ronan said in surprise:

“There seem to be more artists than in Saint-Remy.”

Cotillard smiled and said:
"Nearly 1900 of the more than 300 permanent residents in Gordes are engaged in art-related work, which is a much higher proportion than Saint-Remy. I don't have time to take you to the village center today. There are many new boutiques there. Wow, opening in this season, you can imagine how confident these people are."

In addition to the strong artistic atmosphere, Ronan discovered that Gold was also very commercialized. They were now walking in the outermost part of the village, but they saw many shops along the way.

There are not only the common ones such as galleries, art shops, cafes and restaurants, but also jam shops, wine shops, pottery shops, etc. Every road in Gordes seems to be a 'commercial street'.

Everyone got back in the car and drove back to Lourmarin.

I don’t know if it’s because the sun is setting, but the color of the sunset makes people feel sad.

Cotillard looked back at Gold in the night reluctantly:

"I hope that one day the artistic atmosphere of Lourmarin will be as strong as that of Gordes, so that I won't be reluctant to leave every time I come here."

Ronan also looked back and murmured:

"Most definitely."

He discovered a pattern - the prosperity of many villages and towns in Provence was closely related to art.

Gordes, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Meine Village
The places where these artists gather are all wealthy towns with developed tourism.

If Lourmarin wants to revive, it absolutely cannot do without artists and artistic atmosphere.

Artists are inseparable from rosé wine.

Perhaps under some kind of fateful arrangement, Lourmarin has really embarked on the best and fastest path to revitalization!

(End of this chapter)