1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 33 Spring Outing
Louis was right—the cold in Provence came and went quickly.

The cold air from Siberia seemed to have just come over for a look, leaving behind a heavy snow and then hurried away, and the weather became noticeably warmer.

As the temperature rises, the snow in the forest melts into water and returns to the soil, and the traces of truffles become clear again.

Most of February has passed, and no one can say how many days are left to harvest in March. Maybe it’s a whole month, maybe it’s just one day. This is the randomness of relying on the weather for a living.

In order to dig as many truffles as possible before the end of the picking season, Ronan had to solve logistical problems.

One night when talking to his parents on the phone, Ronan raised this need:
"I work outdoors every day. Is there anything that is good to eat cold? Meat dishes would be best."

When he first arrived in Provence, Ronan would borrow Louis's phone to report his safety to his parents. When there were outsiders around, he would not say too much about himself.

Later, he got a phone call and forgot to mention it again.

The news received by Ronan's parents far away in Paris was that Ronan was still alive and had not starved to death.

This was the first time Ronan mentioned what he was doing in Provence.

"Did you find a job?" Ronan's mother Feng Zhen asked unexpectedly.

In the eyes of his parents, it was not easy for Ronan, who had no roots in Provence, to find a job in just one month.

"I didn't look for a job. I went to dig truffles. Luberon is full of gold." Ronan said in a joking tone.

"Digging truffles?" Feng Zhen couldn't help but raise her voice.

How can a son who can’t even keep flowers alive dig truffles?
Was he tricked into working as a laborer?
Ronan shrugged awkwardly on the other side of the phone.

If I tell his parents that he also manages 8 acres of vineyard, would they be even more unable to accept it?

He decided not to mention the matter for the time being. The grapes had not been harvested yet, so he would at least wait until they bore fruit.

"I know a few truffle hunters, and they taught me some techniques for picking truffles," Ronan said half-truthfully.

"This is a waste of time. You should continue to be an interior designer. There are many big houses in Provence. You can take over several small apartments in Paris. Even if you can't guarantee to make more than 3000 per month like before, the average annual income will not be too bad." Feng Zhen suddenly lowered her voice, as if she was on guard against someone, "Do you still have money?"

She knew that her son had taken out a loan of more than 100,000 francs for the farmhouse in Luberon.

Feng Zhen couldn't understand this at all.

Interior designer is a very promising job. If you do well, you can enter the upper class.

Why go to Provence and start from scratch?

Ronan's heart softened immediately.

Although the mother spoke sternly, she was still thinking about him in her heart.

It was easy to conquer her, but the difficulty lay in her father who was more stubborn than a donkey.

After arriving in Provence, he never answered the phone once. Even when Ronan asked him to give the receiver to his father, he would refuse for various reasons.

Ronan deliberately made his tone cheerful:
"If I had money, I would have bought a car."

"You didn't buy it with a loan again?" Feng Zhen's voice gradually became distorted.

"No, I paid in full." Ronan patted his chest in fear.

Thanks to Nelson for bringing him back to the right path.

I must have been crazy at the time, even taking out a loan to buy a new car!
Afraid that his mother would not believe him, Ronan added:
"Not only did I buy a car, I also got a dog. Mom, I'm doing very well here."

Feng Zhen guessed that her son was too proud to show off, so she couldn't bear to continue the topic and brought it back to the topic:

"You want to make something to eat while you dig for truffles?"

"Correct."

"You can make some steamed buns yourself. Oh, forget it. You definitely can't make the dough well. You'd better not make your own staple food. Why do you want to go so far? If you live nearby, I can deliver meals to you every day." Feng Zhen said distressedly, "Wait a moment, I'll call you back later."

Two minutes later, the phone rang. "Do you have a complete cabinet?"

"All, everything."

"What about the seasoning? I mean Chinese seasoning."

"Chinese seasoning. Um, no."

"Your father suggested making some braised beef with soy sauce to take with you, or he could teach you how to make chicken, but both require Chinese seasonings."

"I'll go buy it this weekend." Ronan shouted into the phone, "Dad, you have to teach me!"

We were going to Mena on Saturday, but Ronan only brought less than half of the truffles to the market in Lourmarin on Friday.

This week's harvest was pretty good. Less than half of the truffles were sold for more than 6000 francs. By the time he finishes selling them in Mena Village tomorrow, he will have 35000 in savings.

He kept 5000 in reserve and deposited the rest in a bank in Avignon to pay off part of his mortgage. He would then stop by the Chinese supermarket there to buy seasonings he would need in the future.

But this raises a problem - what will happen to Zoe if he doesn't return to Lourmarin Village after the market?
Let her find another way to come back by herself?
But she will bring a lot of equipment tomorrow, so it will be difficult to find a car.

Then let her wait for me in the village of Mena, and I will pick her up when I finish my business in Avignon?
But the fastest round trip takes four or five hours
Or should he explain the truth and suggest that she drive to Mena Village by herself tomorrow?
As his thoughts were swirling, a pair of slender hands appeared in front of Ronan.

The hand waved in front of Ronan's eyes.

"What are you thinking about? I asked you if you want to have lunch together at noon." Zoe repeated what she had just said.

"Ah." Ronan came back to his senses and nodded twice in confusion, "Sure, I'll treat you."

Zoe slowly turned around, took out a glass from the box on the ground, and put it on the table:

"No, you don't know how much unsold inventory I have. We'll have to move three or four times tomorrow. I'd feel bad if I didn't treat you to a meal."

Ronan helped Zoe put things away:
"It's just moving some things. It's not a big deal. Do you have to make it so grand of a dinner?"

Zoe shook her head stubbornly:
"Since I've been sharing a stall with you, I've almost saved enough to buy a car. Based on previous conditions, I'll need to save for at least another six months."

In Provence, as long as you are a little bit ruthless, you can buy a second-hand car for one or two thousand francs, and there are many of them. Ronan doesn't think this is something worth mentioning:

“You don’t need to buy a car now.”

It's such a waste to drive two cars
"Well, I decided to use the money to upgrade the kiln." Zoe was almost led off topic by Ronan, "Can you please stop being so polite to me?"

They would argue about this every time they had lunch.

Ronan flattened his hands and said with a smile:
"Okay, okay, I won't be polite to you. I want to ask you because I have to go to Avignon after setting up my stall tomorrow. Would you like to go shopping in Mena Village and wait for me to pick you up, or should I help you find a car to come back by yourself?"

Zoe tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears:

"You are still too 'polite' to me. Why didn't you think of me going with you?"

"Are you going to Avignon too?" Ronan's eyes widened.

Zoe's time is also valuable.

Each of her works is planned on an hourly basis.

Zoe raised her right hand to cover her forehead, squinted her eyes and looked up at the sun, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose:

“Spring is coming”

"What?" Ronan asked, confused.

Zoe's bright light blue eyes curved into a beautiful arc:

"Just think of it as a spring outing."

(End of this chapter)