1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 64: A Battle of Wisdom with the Toilet

Ronan did not send an invitation to his parents immediately.

Easter is in mid-to-late April, before Labor Day, which is still a month away. He plans to contact them when everything is almost ready.

Moreover, during this period of time he had been frequently going in and out of the fields throughout the village of Lourmarin to help out, and one could never tell what might happen, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

"I didn't expect to see you here again." Cornell, who had done backfilling work with Ronan, exclaimed.

There is indeed a cooperative system in the valley, but now everyone has a lot of work to do in the fields, and only a few can squeeze out time to help.

But Ronan and Cornell can be seen in most group activities.

"Aren't you here too?" Ronan learned his lesson and put on his hat.

"I don't have my own land yet, but you have a vineyard, and..." Cornell shrugged. After working together for several times, he felt that he and Ronan were familiar with each other, "and you are so rich."

He had no idea how much money Ronan made at the market now, but when Ronan was selling truffles he could make in a week what they made in a year!

My God, such a rich guy is actually keen on sweating in the fields?
After Lucas became rich, he never worked on the fields again.

Ronan took off his hat and fanned himself:

“The knowledge on TV is limited.”

Every dark-skinned farmer in the fields is a "teacher" who is no less capable than the system.

Who can guarantee that there is nothing in reality that the system doesn’t know about?
Especially since he doesn't have the energy to upgrade [Planting] to level 3. He can only learn more and ask more questions.

Experience points are extremely valuable nowadays, so Ronan decided not to act rashly before he has a clear goal and to save them up.

"Okay." Cornell shrugged again and changed the subject. "Today we're planting grape branches again. Has anyone planted other crops in the past half month?"

The news that the Moly Wine Cooperative had its brand approved stimulated all the farmers in the village of Lourmarin.

Whether they were growing watermelons or vegetables, they have all switched to growing grapes, fearing that they will miss this opportunity to make a fortune.

"Oh..." Ronan sighed deeply and began to worry about the autumn harvest.

I hope the Moly Wine Cooperative can work hard to collect all the grapes.

"Can these grapes only be made into red wine?" Ronan asked Cornell, who works at the winery for a while every winter.

The Moly Wine Cooperative produces only red wine.

But Pierre said that there are more than a dozen different types of grapes in Provence, and many people grow each type. The variety in Ronan's vineyard is called Grenache.

"Of course not." Cornell pointed to the grape branches that were to be planted today and explained to Ronan, "These are Cabernet Sauvignon. It can be made into red wine or rosé wine."

"Is this possible?" Ronan knew nothing about winemaking.

Cornell relished the opportunity to show off his knowledge in front of the wealthy Mr. Ronan:
"The main grape varieties in Provence are: Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Tiburon, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Hore, Ugni Blanc, Clairette, Semillon, and Boublanc. Among them, Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Cinsault, and Cabernet Sauvignon can be used to make both red and rosé wines."

"Syrah provides color and tannins to add aroma to the wine; Grenache is the most common in Provence, it can provide the aroma of red fruits and a full body, and it will have the taste of cured meat after aging; Cinsault is a native variety of Provence and an edible variety, it has a strong fruity flavor; Tiberon is the first choice for making rosé wine; Carignan has small fruit bunches and compact grains, but it likes heat and grows slowly. It can mature faster under the breeze, so it is suitable for planting on limestone soil; Carignan is more suitable for planting on poor land, but the soil in Provence is too fertile, so the yield is not large. It can bring vibrant color to the wine."

Ronan was stunned. Sure enough, every farmer could be his teacher. Even the ordinary Cornell could pass on so much knowledge to him.

"Cornell, if I own a winery in the future, I will definitely invite you to work there!"

Ronan's physical strength has improved a lot recently, so he has the energy to stay at the vineyard owner's house to enjoy a sumptuous dinner tonight.

The weather was getting hot, reaching 25 degrees during the day. Everyone drank ice beer as if it were water. Ronan drank too much "water" in the afternoon and a lot of wine in the evening, so he inevitably had to use the host's toilet.

In fact, Ronan is very afraid of going to unfamiliar toilets because he has had too many "horrible" experiences.

The toilet used in Provence is called the 'Turkish toilet'. I heard that it was designed by a Turkish designer to make people feel convenient, but in Ronan's opinion it is too 'convenient'.

The main body of the 'Turkish toilet' is a shallow ceramic basin with a hole in the middle, a footboard on each side of the basin, and a high-pressure flushing device behind it.

The water flow from this jet device often has uncertain directionality and must not be turned on while squatting. Don't ask Ronan how he knew this.

And the ceramic basin is very shallow. If you are not careful, your feet will be integrated with the entire toilet and your excrement.
After two months of observation, Ronan summed up two rules for using Turkish toilets:

First, back off to the door and pull the flush lever, but this requires an arm that is over two meters long.

Second, don’t flush.

The second situation often occurs in public places.

Many shops in Provence have installed automatic power-saving devices - the light switch is outside the toilet door, and the timer will automatically turn off the light 30 seconds after the user enters the toilet, plunging the room into darkness.

This energy-saving system combined with a Turkish toilet makes the toilet as terrifying as hell!
Should I open the toilet door and turn on the light first, allowing my excrement to be viewed by others, or should I pull the flush lever that represents fate in the dark and admire the masterpiece it creates with the people outside?

The people who invented these two things are so smart!
Ronan would never enter an unfamiliar toilet unless it was absolutely necessary, as he didn't know what was waiting for him inside.

But unfortunately, now is the last resort.

But the good news is that it looks very clean on the surface.

After more than a minute, Ronan retreated to the door and chose to use the first rule.

Fortunately, the toilet was not big, and Ronan's arm was long enough to reach the flush lever.

The next second, a stream of cold water like a sharp sword hit his face, his chest, and his lower body.
The owner heard a strange noise in the toilet and ran to the door nervously:

"Damn it, I was so drunk that I forgot to remind you. We were fed up with the torture of the 'Turkish toilet', so we improved it. The flush pipe can be picked up and used to adjust the angle. If you don't pick it up, it will become a shower head."

Just one door away.

Ronan was shaking with anger.

He never wanted to see a 'Turkish toilet' again in his life, ever again!

Ronan seemed to have heard his clean-loving mother screaming in fear of it.

The plan to change the toilet must be mentioned as the first step! !

(End of this chapter)