1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 574 Female Nuns

The beautiful vision of "leaving no one behind" has not been realized.

Because he failed to pay the 100 franc entry fee, Marseille was disqualified as a 'race participant' by the organizing committee and was unable to provide a completion certificate, making him the only member of the Lourmarin 'morning exercise team' without a result.

However, the results are no longer important; today it was undoubtedly the focus of the entire event.

During the post-competition photo session, whether it was a group photo or individual shots, the contestants liked to pull it along, as if they regarded it as the mascot of the event.

Of course, accompanying the mascot was its great owner, Mr. Ronan.

Ronan finished in 3552nd place, a '3' higher than he had expected.

But to everyone's surprise, despite his poor grades, he reaped a huge reward, far exceeding his expectations.

Each runner came to Lourmaran for different reasons to participate in the '42.195km Happy Journey', but after finishing the race, they all remembered a wire dog named Marseille and its owner with the Stella logo on its chest.

"This marathon is really interesting. I just wanted to come and have some free lunch, but I didn't expect to be surprised at every turn."

"What impressed me most about today's game was the girls at each aid station, the chilled rosé wine in their hands, and that man named Ronan."

"Drinking rosé wine in this weather is so refreshing, why didn't I realize that before?"

"It's not too late to find out now. Summer still has several months to go. You can buy some. By the way, buy it here. Stellar Winery is located in Lourmarin."

"Come on, let's go take a look!"

The marathon is over, but the chain reaction it caused is not over.

On the afternoon of the match, the shelves of Stellar Rosé wine in every grocery store in Lourmaran were 'looted'.

Full of wine – sold out – full of wine – sold out. This went on countless times, with tourists enthusiastically going to the visitor center to ask if they had any rosé wine for sale.

The guys, busy driving around delivering goods, jokingly told Ronan that the 'rosé wine country' was beginning to take shape.

Every visitor to Lourmaran leaves with two bottles of rosé wine. This joke, which is usually only made after a few drinks, has actually come true?
Despite running a marathon with its ups and downs, Ronan stayed with his crew until almost sunset before leaving. With such a large number of tourists, he couldn't rest easy without keeping an eye on him personally; even lying in bed, he felt uneasy.

After settling things with Stella in the afternoon, he went to the restaurant.

If there's nothing going on at the restaurant, he plans to go check out the weaving courtyard.

It's true that being a boss is tough, especially for someone like Ronan who's always worrying.

"What a long day." Ronan walked towards Lourmaran's busiest pedestrian street as the sun set.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel tired at all.

As Sylvie said, holding events is too important for Lourmaran.

Today, Stellar's sales in Lourmaran are dozens of times higher than usual.

If every event could be this successful!

With the arrival of the tourist season, there are always long queues outside Ronan's Chinese restaurant, and today was no exception.

He didn't see Isabelle at the door and guessed she might have brought guests inside, so he asked Vieri, who had come to help:
Is everything alright at the restaurant?

Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen had a brief meeting with Luo Nan after the match before rushing back, which shows how busy the restaurant was.

Vieri was so busy he was practically a blur, moving swiftly through the crowd; Ronan almost couldn't keep up with him.

"I'm so busy. I used to have time to catch my breath, but today I haven't had a moment to rest."

Ronan patted him on the shoulder:

"You've worked hard. You and Isabel can take turns doing the work. I'm going in to check on things."

Being a greeter is not something anyone can do.

"If you work hard, you can definitely get it done; Ronan means you can do it well."

A competent greeter must first have a good appearance and good manners to leave a good first impression on customers.

Business operations cannot be neglected either—it's necessary to calm the waiting customers outside the restaurant, maintain order, understand the table turnover situation inside the restaurant, and have the ability to quickly handle emergencies.

Ronan was quite lucky to have two talented and handsome 'generals' under his command, and on special days, Isabelle and Vieri could take turns.

Vieri looked up to the sky and roared:
"Isabel? I'm afraid she won't be out anytime soon."

Ronan paused, turned around, and asked:
"What's up with her?"

Vieri's men had vanished without a trace, but they left a message for Ronan:
"You'll know when you go in and take a look."

Ronan thought something unexpected had happened at the restaurant and was quite nervous.

Upon entering, everything was in perfect order, even quieter than usual.

After a quick scan, he soon found Isabel and also discovered why the restaurant was quieter than usual.

Isabel was standing by a long table, bending down to listen attentively to a guest dressed as a nun. All the guests at the table were dressed like that, numbering about twenty or thirty.

"Who are those female nuns?" Ronan quietly asked his mother, Feng Zhen, who was behind the cashier.

Why are there so many religious people in the restaurant all of a sudden?
"They are members of a medical order, providing support for today's marathon," Feng Zhen said, knowing everything about what was happening in the restaurant.

She was startled when the nuns came in, so she quickly transferred the quick-witted Isabel over, and they soon obtained the 'client files'.

For religious reasons, Provence is the birthplace or an important base of many Catholic churches. Although the locals are not as enthusiastic about religion as they used to be, these religious orders are still quite active.

Some of these types have existed for nearly a thousand years.

The first category is monastic orders, which place great emphasis on a secluded life of prayer, labor, and spirituality. The remote mountains and countryside of Provence provide them with an ideal environment.

The most famous are the Benedictines, the progenitors of Western monasticism. Although not as well-known as the Cistercians, there are many small Benedictine groups or monasteries in Provence.

The most famous order in the area is the Cistercian Order, renowned for its magnificent architecture. The three monasteries known as the "Three Sisters of Provence"—Sénanque Abbey, Le Tonen Abbey, and Silvacanet Abbey—are all masterpieces of the Cistercian Order.

The second major category is mendicant orders, also known as 'begging orders'. These orders emphasize spiritual poverty, preaching the gospel, and serving the people in cities.

Among the more famous are the Franciscans and the Dominicans.

The former emphasizes poverty and simplicity, and is active among ordinary people.

The latter are known for their academic research and public preaching. They place more emphasis on pastoral work among intellectuals and urban residents. There are many Dominican activity centers in university towns such as Marseille and Aix-en-Provence. They also communicate with the public by writing articles or giving lectures.

Besides the two types of long-established religious orders mentioned above, many other religious orders and apostolic communities have emerged in modern times. These orders were mostly founded after the 17th century and focus on specific social services, such as education, healthcare, and overseas missions.

The group that appeared at Ronan's restaurant this time was one of them. Given that they were all female cultivators, Ronan immediately recognized that they came from the Benevolent Society.

This is a female religious order composed entirely of nurses and doctors who often provide medical care in the local area as volunteers.

This information also corresponds to what Blanco said at the dinner party.

They are the unsung heroes of the marathon, providing free medical care. Since we know their identities, it's inappropriate to accept money from them.

"Don't worry about the money for that table," Ronan said to Feng Zhen.

Feng Zhen chuckled.
"How could I not offer them a free meal? But they refused. Not only did they refuse, they kept thanking us, saying thank you to the owner for donating the first pipe organ to Luberon and funding the renovation of the church. They said they would help us anytime we needed it."

Ronan leaned against the counter and clicked his tongue, thinking that the organ was finally bringing some tangible 'rewards'.

Thinking of something, he asked Feng Zhen:

"Mom, are you interested in the Assumption of Mary activities?"

Feng Zhen countered with a question to Ronan:

"I see flyers for this event posted all over the village, but what is this event about?"

Ronan shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either; it was a local religious event.

"I don't know, I only know it's a major local festival, but you can get up close and listen to the organ performance."

Feng Zhen did not hesitate for long:

"Okay, I'll go listen to it. I'll buy two tickets at the visitor center tomorrow."

These two tickets naturally belonged to her and Luo Tianhai.

Ronan leaned over the counter, raised his eyebrows, and said:
"Let's buy a couple more tickets, Zoe and I will go take a look too."

"Oh? You're interested in music again?" Feng Zhen was overjoyed, believing that her courageous decision had awakened her son's long-dormant musical talent.

Ronan glanced at the table where the female nun was sitting, and replied thoughtfully:

"No, no, no, I was worried you wouldn't understand. If Zoe were here, she could explain it to you. Besides, I also want to participate in that activity and experience it for myself."

Ronan didn't want to miss the opportunity to attend the event.

Religious activities have many limitations, but the presence of this group of nuns today shows that it's not all fruitless.

Even if you come back empty-handed, consider it a trip with your family.

Although it wasn't the answer she wanted, Feng Zhen still excitedly agreed:

"Okay, I'll buy four tickets tomorrow, so the four of us can celebrate the holiday together!"

After leaving the restaurant, Ronan took a look around the weaving courtyard.

Today, Batty, Sandrine, and Cafu are all in Lourmarin overseeing things, and everything is normal except for a slight shortage of sales.

After completing his tour, Ronan was finally able to drag his exhausted body home.

Around 6 p.m., the streets of Lourmaran were still bustling with people, and there was a sense that the 'carnival' was not over yet.

The same thing happened at the Bonnillo goat race, where many people partied until very late.

Today, not only tens of thousands of tourists and more than 300 volunteers came to Lourmaran, but sponsors also came in groups to watch the match.

Many temporary stalls and logo signs appeared on both sides of the street, which were the rights of the sponsors.

Due to work commitments, Ronan paid extra attention to the situation of the other sponsors today.

He discovered that besides Stellar, another client also had a substantial profit today.

That was a customer selling athletic shoes; they set up their stall around 7 a.m. to sell their products.

It's worth noting that many athletes came with a playful attitude; Ronan even saw some running in flip-flops. However, after this sports shoe customer recommended the shoes, quite a few athletes bought a pair before the race.

But many of them, after suffering greatly from the discomfort of their shoes during runs, decided to buy themselves a new pair to protect their feet.

"What a smart customer." Ronan thought this customer who came to the marathon to sell running shoes was incredibly talented, and he had made an absolutely correct decision.

Passing by this customer's largest stall in the village, Ronan unexpectedly discovered that there seemed to be something else behind this 'correct' decision.

He actually saw Llorente at that stall.

The inspiration for this marathon came from Llorente, who is said to have contributed significantly to it. He was the one who coordinated the manpower to provide food for thousands of people.

Ronan was wondering why he hadn't seen Llorente all day; it turned out Llorente had once again turned this place into a social battleground.

He picked up a pair of running shoes from the stall, and Llorente greeted him humorously:
"I'm not saying anything, but you changed careers without even telling me? Of course I have to support you."

Llorente exclaimed in surprise and instantly hugged Ronan:
"Look who's here! It's our hero! I was hoping to come over for a couple of drinks after I'm done with this!"

Ronan never invited Llorente to his home; their relationship wasn't that close. Clearly, this facade of 'intimate intimacy' was just for show.

Sure enough, after exchanging a few pleasantries with Ronan, Llorente said to an old man with a white beard beside him:
"You two are so lucky! You said you wanted to meet Ronan, and here he is! Come, let me introduce you—"

The person Llorente introduced to Ronan was the owner of a sports shoe customer.

Ronan exchanged a few pleasantries with the other party, but in his heart he was thinking—the new measures from the Ministry of Agriculture are really hitting the livestock industry hard; even Llorente has left the culinary world he knows so well and is now currying favor with sports clients.

However, Ronan also had something he needed Llorente's help with this time, and the customer for this sneaker was someone Llorente had brought to Lourmaran, so he had to cooperate both professionally and personally.

After leaving his contact information, Ronan left, citing 'physical exhaustion,' but before leaving, he whispered in Llorente's ear:
"I would like to meet Bernard. Could you please ask him if he's been busy lately?"

In fact, dealing with people who prioritize profit is quite worry-free.

Ronan helped Llorente, and Llorente will surely grant Ronan's wish.

He held Ronan's hand, looking reluctant to part.

“Bernard has been very busy lately, you know. The grapes are about to ripen, and he has so much on his mind. Every single thing involves business worth hundreds of thousands or even millions. But don’t worry, my friend, I will make sure you see him this month.”

(End of this chapter)