1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 34: First Experience in Mena Village
Perhaps it was Zoe's words "spring outing" that served as a hint, and Ronan actually dreamed of a spring outing.

He dreamed of going to Mena Village in the season when flowers bloomed all over the mountains, to Avignon, to the village of Danfonte which he had heard of once or twice, to the Stone City which he had only seen on TV, and to Cannes where many celebrities gathered.

These cities and villages, which Ronan had never visited, appeared in his dreams in the form of his imagination.

After waking up, Ronan forgot the details of the city, but could clearly remember the mood in the dream - it was a kind of happiness surrounded by great joy.

He hopes to visit every town in Provence in the future, and the first step of this plan is the village of Mena.

It takes less than twenty minutes to drive from Lourmarin to Mena.

As he neared the foot of the village, Ronan realized that he had 'seen' this famous village in Provence countless times in the past month.

Ronan would occasionally eat or drink in the backyard while admiring the distant mountains. The mountain he was looking at was where Mena Village was located.

Mena Village is a typical "bird's nest" village, with houses built against the mountain and streets flowing downward along the mountain range. Like Lourmarin Village, it also has a central integration model, but an unreachable watchtower stands at the central commanding height of Mena Village.

Zoe said that Mena Village is a place where classic and modern are intertwined. The hillside area is home to ancient buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries, while in the plain area built in recent decades, you can see modern museums that are only found in big cities. All of these belong to Mena Village.

Ronan drove into the entrance of Mena Village and saw several large cast iron characters posted on the ancient wall. They read:

“Life is good.”

Ronan said it unconsciously.

Zoe, who was in the passenger seat, smiled and looked over:
"Isn't it?"

Ronan scratched his hair twice:

"Life is certainly good, but there are too many people here, right? I'm almost dizzy."

so many people!
What Ronan was afraid of was not the people, but the accents of these Provencal people.

The Provence region has a very strong accent, which is what Ronan finds most difficult to adapt to.

They are accustomed to making words into a kind of incantation with high-pitched notes, which are uttered from deep in the throat, rise several octaves through the nasal cavity, and then added with a strong uvular sound, and finally spurted out from the brain.

Ronan's heart began to tremble as dozens or hundreds of people launched Provence-style mental attacks at the same time.

Zoe said in a comforting tone:

"It's winter now, and even the flow of people to the market in Mena Village can be described as 'low'. People like to stay at home and take a good nap, and don't want to leave their warm beds to go to the morning market. Now I'm afraid how will you survive during the peak season?"

Zoe's words reminded Ronan of the joke he heard in the old tavern:

“So many people in Provence have birthdays at the end of the year?”

In winter, the most important thing for people in Provence is to make children!
Zoe turned her head away, pretending not to understand:
"The market is in the small square, let's go there quickly."

The small square has a strong Renaissance style and is not very large. On one side is a small palace and on the other side is a bell tower, which is now the office of the village government.

Ronan and Zoe arrived fifteen minutes early, but most of the stalls were already set up, and many customers were already holding things in their hands.

The two looked at each other and said in unison:

"You need to come half an hour earlier next week."

We cannot treat the market in Mena village with the same attitude as the market in Lourmarin village. This is the Golden Triangle area!

The two men stopped talking, and no longer observed the surrounding buildings with the mentality of tourists, and walked towards their own stall area.

Their stall was in the extended area on the side of the palace, in a 'right-angle' shaped area. The long side was where Zoe sold plates and cups, and the short side was where Ronan sold half a box of truffles he had brought with him. The two of them were very well off.

Market management in commercially developed areas is much more formal, and the tables and parasols used for stalls are arranged by the management center, so there is no need to prepare them yourself.

Ronan was talking busy while setting up the stall. He learned from the flower stall owner next to him that their stall was previously used by a baker, but later someone got sick from eating the pizza bread bought here, so the stall was closed down by the management bureau.

"We've taken care of what happened last week this week. The stalls in Mena Village are really in short supply." Ronan whispered to Zoe.

Zoe's face suddenly turned ugly:
"The truffle season is about to end. Will you come again later?" Ronan shouldn't miss such a rare opportunity, but what will he sell next?

Ronan said firmly:

"Come on, of course. I'll find something else to sell."

Five minutes ago, a system prompt sounded in his ears:

[Attending a lively market increases happiness by 3 points]

For the sake of happiness, you must participate every time!

The markets in the Golden Triangle are just different.

The flow of people is at least three or four times greater than that of Lourmarin Village, and the characteristics of the guests are also quite different.

A coffee shop owner bought 10 cold plates of similar style but different colors from Zoe's stall. This single order was worth half a month's income for Zoe.

Ronan also met several shop owners who came here to purchase. Some bought dozens of small truffles at a time, while others came specifically to pick out the big ones. Things that would take more than three hours to sell out in the village of Lourmarin were almost sold out in two hours in the village of Mena. It turned out that truffles are always in great demand no matter where they are.

At 11: am, pedestrians on the street gradually moved towards the restaurants and cafes on both sides of the road, which indicated that the market was coming to an end.

The two people each calculated the profits.

Ronan sold over 7300 and Zoe sold 2500, making their first Mena Village Market experience a huge success!

Cars were not allowed to drive in the market area. Zoe stood there watching the stalls while Ronan continued to load things into the car.

After moving back, Ronan seemed to have revealed some big secret and said excitedly:
"I just took another route to the parking lot and found a huge open space with a beautiful view of the plains and fields below the mountain."

There, he gained 3 points of [Happiness].

Zoe pointed in a direction:
“The best viewing platform in Mena Village is there, where you can see green vineyards and golden wheat fields in autumn.”

"Where is it?" Ronan looked around curiously.

Zoe looked at Ronan's profile and said with a smile:
"Clear up the stall first, I'll take you there after that."

Ronan moved the things four times by himself, and Zoe accompanied him once, and finally all the things were moved into the car.

"Where is the best viewing platform you mentioned?" Ronan still remembered this incident.

He wanted to go over there to gain some experience. Are there more better viewing platforms than the one at point 3?

Zoe opened the passenger door first and sat in.

"It takes four or five hours to go to Avignon and back. It gets dark early now. We should try to get back before dark. Don't drive in the mountains at night. Let's go to the observation deck next time."

Ronan was a little disappointed, but what Zoe said did make sense.

He got in the car and started it:

"Then let's find a place to eat something, it's time for dinner."

Then let's settle for the next best thing and get some experience in eating.

Will I be happier if I eat in Mena Village?
The next second, a soft object appeared in his mouth, and at the same time, there was a loud bang in his ear:
[Increase happiness by 5 points after tasting croissant]

5 points for a croissant?!

Bah, you are that kind of system! !
Zoe stuffed the croissant into Ronan's mouth and looked ahead:
"That's also the theme of next week's spring outing. Let's go to Avignon today."

How is it possible to visit them all in one day?
So what excuse can I find to go on a spring outing with you next week?

(End of this chapter)