1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 575 Visit
Ronan collapsed into bed as soon as he got home, sleeping like a dead pig.

He was exhausted that day.

He had no idea what time his wife Zoe came home at night, what time she left in the morning, or what she did in between. When he opened his eyes again, it was already 9 a.m. the next day.

For people living in the city, 9 a.m. might not even be considered sleeping in.

But the biological clock of Lourmaran people usually wakes up around 6 a.m., and older people wake up even earlier. Even Theo, the ultimate lazybones, will get up around 7 a.m. to eat breakfast.

Having slept until this time, Ronan's mindset has actually calmed down—it's time to give myself a break today.

He lingered in bed for a while, then got up at 9:30 to take a shower.

After tidying myself up, I went downstairs hungry to find something to quickly fill my stomach. I immediately saw the lovingly prepared breakfast that Zoe had placed in a prominent spot in the kitchen, and a feeling of happiness rose from my feet to the top of my head.

Unable to wait until he finished breakfast to see his wife, Ronan grabbed his plate and ran to his studio.

This is the advantage of working from home: if you miss someone, you can see them in less than a minute!

Zoe was polishing glass when Ronan arrived. With her extremely high standards of hygiene and safety, she sternly issued an 'expulsion order':
"It's full of dust here, get out now, and don't come in without protective gear next time."

Ronan ignored the powder on Zoe and hugged her affectionately, saying:
"I haven't seen you for more than ten hours, I miss you."

Zoe had no temper whatsoever with Ronan's sharp tongue.

Heaven knows that he, who is shy and reserved in public, is completely unrestrained when it comes to sweet talk at home, saying all sorts of cheesy things.

Zoe, abandoning her previous sternness, coaxed Ronan to leave:

"Sweetie, you go out first. I'll be done soon. I won't work this afternoon and will spend all my time with you, okay?"

She's been busy for a while now, it's time for her to take a break.

Ronan excitedly agreed:
"Okay, I'll pick you up for lunch."

Zoe made a nasal sound indicating doubt:

"Are you going out again this morning? I thought you were taking the day off today."

Ronan gave Cornell and Henry, who were also participating in the marathon, a day off, and Zoe assumed that Ronan himself would also take a break.

And at this hour, why do you still have to go out and be busy?

Ronan nodded:

"I need to go to the wine cellar in St. Scotts to check the inventory. We used up quite a bit of wine yesterday. I need to quickly inform Lucas and Theo, who are far away in Avignon. That's the only thing I need to do today."

Yesterday saw a retail sales boom.

When inventory changes, the quantity of goods supplied must also change accordingly.

Ronan really hopes September will come soon so he can start making the new wine.

Even if we have to sell everything we own, we can't live such a frugal life anymore!

However, the thought of selling everything he owned immediately brought out the rational little voice in Ronan's mind, reminding him that he couldn't be like Lucas.

Ronan doesn't know how Lucas is doing now, but he suffers from severe Lucas PTSD—every time he plans to spend a lot of money, he thinks of Lucas last year, looking like he was carrying a mountain on his back and struggling to move.

But thinking of Lucas, Ronan also thought of the man who had asked him to look after his wife and son before he left. The two hadn't spent a summer in Lourmaran for many years, and Ronan was worried that they wouldn't adapt to life there.

“Shall we go see Emily and Gilani today?” Ronan suggested.

Zoe and he were both off work today, which was a rare occasion, so they could finally get this done.

Ronan went to Sters to check the inventory, then left a message on Lucas's pager, asking him to contact him that evening.

Today was market day in Lourmaran, and Ronan went to the market again to buy a lot of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.

After Lucas became wealthy, he bought houses in the city, first in Avignon and later in Marseille. During those years, the family of three would only return to stay for a period of time during the truffle harvesting season.

Lucas spends a slightly longer time there, at least four months each year.

Gilani had to attend school in the city, and the mother and son only came back for one month during winter break, but they couldn't stay still and often went back to the city.

Lucas said that Emily and Gilani preferred life in big cities and might not have come back for a year if it weren't for being with her husband and father.

If you only return to Lourmaran during the winter, you'll definitely miss out on a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.

But these are the true 'essence' of Provence; the fresh, seasonal ingredients taste even better than meat.

Now that they're back, Ronan naturally wants to help them make up for this regret.

After shopping, Ronan went home and took Zoe with him, and they went to the other side of the village together.

Lucas's wife, Emily, was sweeping the yard when she saw the unfamiliar car approaching. She stopped what she was doing, looked at it warily for a moment, and then, seeing that Ronan and Zoe were inside, she smiled, put down her broom, and went to greet them.
"Why didn't you call ahead? Come in quickly, it's hot outside."

People living in the countryside never call ahead to visit their neighbors; "uninvited visits" are the norm because everyone visits each other so frequently.

I can go borrow something, deliver some delicious tomatoes I bought, share funny jokes I hear, have coffee, drink alcohol, or go out whenever I'm bored.

People living in big cities must make an appointment in advance to visit each other, and their social activities are very purposeful. They may live there for more than ten years and still not know their neighbors' names.

Ronan opened the car door and got out, asking Emily:
Why were you so nervous just now? Has anyone been here recently?

He was absolutely certain that Emily was very alert when she saw the car, and her first reaction was to grip the broom tightly.

Emily shook her head and said:

"This was the first time we had guests at home after Lucas went to Avignon. I was nervous because we don't usually have guests."

She looked at the lush forest behind the house and sighed:
“This place is too remote, really too remote, which is one of the reasons why Gilani and I didn’t like coming back before.”

This house is Theo's bragging right there in the village—Lucas's house is in the forest, and I can shoot birds from the roof. You have no idea how fun that is!

But this joy became a safety hazard in Emily's eyes.

Zoe got out of the car from the other side and gave Emily a cheek kiss:

"Are you alright, darling? Lourmaran is relatively safe during the travel season. Thieves only come out in winter, and they don't dare to steal from inhabited houses."

Ronan also offered words of comfort:

“My newly purchased experimental forest is nearby. The government has strengthened security measures around here, and the experimental team patrols every day. Please believe me, it is very safe here.”

Ronan's newly purchased forest extension is now very close to Lucas's house.

That forest is Lourmaran's hope for winter tourism, Professor Fernand's life's work; they wouldn't allow anything to happen near it. Emily patted her chest and said with a smile:
"Sorry for making you listen to so many complaints as soon as you arrive. Okay, okay, come in quickly, it's too hot outside."

Ronan and Zoe had something to get, so they were a little delayed.

While bending over, Ronan quietly asked Zoe:
Is Emily a native of Lourmaran?

Zoe knew what Ronan meant and gave a succinct answer:
Are you a native Parisian?

Ronan understood immediately.

He lived in Paris for 21 years, but was assimilated after only one year in Provence.

Emily is indeed a native of Lourmaran, but she has lived in a big city for nearly 10 years and is now a 'veteran'.

Ronan's vegetables and fruits filled the entire island counter, and Emily warmly invited:
“God, you bought too much stuff. Why don’t you stay and eat with us? Gilani and I can’t possibly finish all of this.”

Ronan and Zoe had no other plans for lunch and afternoon, so they readily agreed.

When Lucas is away on business, they have an obligation to spend time with his wife and children.

Emily happily walked in one direction, stood in front of a room, and shouted:
"Gilani, get up quickly, we have guests. Mom will cook, you chat with the guests."

Ronan and Zoe both looked at the clock on the wall; the hands had now reached the middle of 10 and 11.

The two exchanged a knowing smile.

No wonder Lucas was worried before he left and even made a special trip to Ronan's house.

The mother and son haven't adapted to the pace of rural life yet.

Lucas's son, Gilani, is three years younger than Vieri and will be a sophomore in high school after the start of the school year.

The boy played a significant role in the family's decision to move back to Lourmarin, standing firmly on his father Lucas's side because the high school in Luberon was less strict than the one in Marseille.

I heard that he had only been in high school for less than a month when he started asking Lucas if he could go into the mountains with him to look for truffles, thus choosing the ending for his high school life three years in advance.

Gilani doesn't like studying, but he has good upbringing and manners.

Upon hearing his mother's call, he appeared before Ronan and Zoe in just 10 seconds, but the price of his efficiency was that his hair stood on end as if struck by lightning.

Ronan recalled that when they met at the wedding, Gilani's hair was so long that he almost blurted out "Miss" just from seeing her back.

As you can imagine, his current look is absolutely amazing.

Even the usually calm and reserved Zoe couldn't stand it anymore, and took off the rubber band from her wrist and handed it to Gilani:
"I remember you've been growing your hair since you were little. You've been growing it for so many years?"

When Gilani was a child, he was also a big fan of Zoe. He cried so hard when his family moved to the city because he was reluctant to leave his beautiful older sister.

"Oh, thank you." Gilani took the hair tie and started fixing her hairstyle. "My dad wanted a daughter, so he raised me like a girl since I was little. Later, I got used to this hairstyle and never changed it."

“It looks great,” Ronan praised sincerely. “Many artists in the village have this hairstyle, and you remind me of the bandmates who formed with Cotillard.”

Before opening his shop in Lourmaran, Cotillard played in a band in Aix-en-Provence.

The band reunited at Ronan and Zoe's wedding and delivered several amazing moments.

“You mean that heavy metal band? They’re super cool!” Gilani fiddled with his hands above his head. “I’ve always loved rock music, especially psychedelic rock, but Lourmaran doesn’t get music radio, and we don’t usually see bands perform.”

Ronan hesitated for a moment:
“These are indeed hard to find, but there are many things to do in Lourmaran. What else do you usually like?”

Without thinking, Gilani blurted out:

"I like rock music, I like watching movies, I like reading gossip magazines, and I also like fishing."

Ronan was speechless for a moment.

If Gilani hadn't been caught off guard by a lack of time to think, he would have assumed the other party was deliberately making things difficult for him.

Lourmaran has none of these hobbies!

He then looked to his wife, Zoe, for help.

Quick, help me, I'm about to say it!

Zoe lowered her eyelids and quickly came up with the 'answer':
"Codia knows rock music, I can introduce you two, maybe you can form a rock band for Lourmaran; there are often open-air movies in the old church square, I'll pick you and Emily up next time; if you like gossip, wander around the village more, I swear, even if it's inconvenient to buy magazines in Lourmaran, you can still get the latest news, even more 'detailed' than outsiders; as for fishing, there aren't any good fishing spots around Lourmaran, but there are plenty of other sports activities, there's a football team in the neighboring village of Mena, they play matches often."

Gilani's expressions gradually became more varied:

"What level of competition is that football team participating in? Can cold fireworks be lit on site? Uh, wait a minute."

He suddenly stood up and ran to the kitchen:
"Mom, help me, I just can't tie this hair tie."

Ronan and Zoe on the sofa exchanged another knowing glance and asked in unison.

"Lucas has a really tough life."

"Doesn't it look familiar?"

Ronan shook his head helplessly and said in a low voice:
“I see the shadow of his uncle and aunt in Gilani. Why does the Lucas family always produce ‘giant babies’?”

Lunch ended quickly because people used to living in big cities don't waste time on eating.

After just two hours of interaction, Ronan knew that it would take a considerable amount of time for Emily and Gilanie to adjust to their new life.

That evening, Ronan received a call from Lucas, who, after providing an update on the inventory situation, inquired about the progress in Avignon.

“It will take some more time,” Lucas said calmly.

Lucas is a proud man, and such a response is tantamount to saying 'not going well'.

Ronan's voice was also calm:
"I'll come visit you in a while."

Avignon is his 'territory', and the development of the market here may depend on him.

Lucas didn't refuse, but said with some concern:

"This business trip will last much longer than expected. I'm worried about Emily and Gilani. Please visit them as much as you can when you have time."

What Ronan could see, Lucas naturally understood as well.

He was very worried about his wife and son.

Ronan hesitated for a moment, then said decisively:
"Okay, I will definitely try my best to help them adapt to life here as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)