1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 51 Happiness is actually very simple

Cafu received another job to lay tiles for a wealthy family's swimming pool, which was just enough to fill the other days of the six-day construction period. Due to the long journey, Ronan's completion ceremony was completed three hours ahead of schedule.

Ronan had no complaints about this.

If they hadn't helped Duoku reinstall several stone countertops that had been installed upside down, perhaps the project could have been completed in three days and four hours.

Ronan has two opinions on this matter.

Doku is a genius in making stone furniture. He should just stay in the stone yard and make furniture instead of taking on the delivery and installation tasks in order to attract customers.

Deliveries are only made on the road.

I don't understand how to install it.

If it weren't for the fact that his work was so impeccable, Ronan really wanted to carve his name on the list of "never contact again in this life".

The second point of view is about 'Provence speed'.

Cafu's engineering team not only worked quickly, but also accepted jobs quickly. Ronan heard him and others complain more than once that someone who was "reluctant to spend money" called him to inquire about "unprofitable small jobs".

Ronan didn't dare ask whether the work at his house was considered a small job, but he was indeed interested in doing engineering work in Provence.

However, Cafu told him that the injury rate of these guys who worked hard was surprisingly high. Two of them had broken bones in one month, and another had a broken finger. The medical expenses had to be paid by him as the boss.

"Let's do something safe." Ronan pulled out a sharp kitchen knife and swung it twice.

The updated kitchen and dining area are clean and open.

The floor, walls, cabinets and countertops have all been upgraded, and the stove has been replaced with a new one, which can cook four dishes at the same time.

He also owns a 'high-tech product' range hood, which has completely bid farewell to the days of smoke.

The embellishment of off-white stone furniture adds a touch of nobility and warmth to the entire kitchen and dining area.

Today's kitchens must be both professional and beautiful, and outside the window you can see the rolling vineyards and the Luberon Mountains in the distance.

Without a doubt, the kitchen and dining area is Ronan’s favourite spot in the house at this moment.

Every time I pass by, I can't help but want to do something.

There were still a lot of ingredients left for the 'football team' lunch, so Ronan opened the two sets of windows in the kitchen completely, cut off a corner of bread, and took out cheese and pepper sausage, intending to make a sandwich.

He ate this for three days straight, from morning till night, but he would have been willing to eat it for three more days in the warm sunshine, in the fresh air, against the backdrop of the beautiful scenery, and in the company of his beloved kitchen.

He had just cut the bread in half while humming a song when an unexpected sound suddenly rang in his ears.

[Cooking food in a pleasant environment increases happiness by 2 points]

Ronan was speechless at first.

You're telling me, adding some slices of sausage to bread is called cooking?

Then he felt happy again.

There is one more way to gain [Happiness]!

Before today, Ronan summarized the following ways to obtain [Happiness]:
Sleeping, eating, drinking, shopping, playing with pets, seeing the scenery, being fed by the opposite sex, having physical contact with the opposite sex. Is cooking one more thing?
He took a bite of his sandwich, looked out the window at the Luberon Mountains, and said incoherently:
“In fact, happiness is really simple.”

[Increase happiness by 1 point when tasting sandwiches]

After fully updating the hardware conditions, Ronan began to solve other difficulties.

He had to quickly accumulate 500 happiness points to upgrade [Cooking] to level 3, while also traveling as much as possible through Provence and learning about the prices of Provence's delicious food.

The wheat in the fields showed signs of turning green, and tender green buds grew on the grape vines. When the breeze blew, Ronan smelled a scent called "early spring".

Spring is here, and it’s time to plan a real spring outing!
The first stop he chose was Bonnieux, which is also in the Golden Triangle. Bonnieux is also not far from Lourmarin, and can be reached in 20 minutes by car.

I heard from Louis and the others at the party that it takes a lot of effort to visit this village because all the roads in the village will eventually lead you to the top of the mountain.

The altitude of Bonnieux Village is several hundred meters higher than that of Mena Village.

Ronan did not go deep into the village when he first visited it. As soon as he entered the village, he saw a restaurant hidden under a sycamore tree.

A country dog was lying on the floor next to the French window, sleeping peacefully.

Several workers in dark blue work clothes came out of the restaurant. They washed their hands in an old sink by the wall, got into a Citroen car with their hands still dripping, and drove away.

In a casual chat with Cafu a few days ago, he told Ronan that if he wanted to find the authentic taste of Provence, he should follow the footsteps of the workers.

These people who travel all over the country every day know the taste of every restaurant clearly. A restaurant that is worth driving to during their work breaks must be a delicious restaurant.

Thinking of this, Ronan pushed open the wooden door in front of him.

The square hall was empty, without a single guest.

The furniture around is beautiful Provence antiques. The dining tables are arranged in a staggered manner, and the space between the tables is just right, so people don’t feel crowded at all. This kind of decoration style is usually only seen in luxurious large restaurants.

There was a sound of kitchen utensils colliding with each other, and it sounded like someone was washing dishes.

You can smell the aroma of food coming from all directions.

Ronan looked around and guessed that it was past dinner time. He hadn't worn a watch for a long time and had forgotten the existence of "time". He quickly and carefully stepped back, planning to come back at another time to taste the flavor of Provence.

"Who is this?" an old voice asked.

An old man walked out of the kitchen and looked at Ronan in surprise. The light coming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows at noon stung his eyes, causing them to squint unconsciously.

"Please take a seat. We never refuse friends who come from afar." He waved briskly towards the empty tables.

Ronan sat down gratefully. The man staggered over with a bottle of water and a bottle of wine.

"Did you drive?"

Ronan pointed out the window:
"It stopped at the entrance of the village."

The old man hid the wine bottle that represented "danger", put the water on the table, and asked curiously:

"Korean? Japanese?"

"Chinese." Ronan said proudly.

"Very good, very good." He also said proudly, "The restaurant has a new customer from a new country."

Ronan exchanged a few pleasantries with him and asked if he could see the menu.

He guessed that the nearly 80-year-old man was so engrossed in the conversation that he forgot he was there to eat.

"We don't have a menu here." The old man was tired of standing and talking, so he simply sat down opposite Ronan.

"No menu? What to eat?" Ronan raised his eyebrows.

"My wife prepares five different dishes from Monday to Friday. Customers eat what she cooks." The old man showed even more pride. "Whatever my wife cooks is delicious. I have been eating it for 55 years and there has not been a bad day."

"Okay, give me one." Ronan's mouth corners gradually rose.

It seems that I found an interesting place inadvertently.

　Thanks to [book friend 20220317125719119], [Chen Fan Mu Mu Zhi Mi], [book friend 20222014202415697] for their monthly ticket support, thank you~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)