1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 81 Men's Topics VS Women's Topics

There are more people attending the party today than usual.

The people of Provence are accustomed to spending Easter with their families, so the gatherings during the Easter holiday have a sense of "celebration". No matter how small the circle is, it will be more lively with more people.

Ronan brought his parents.

Freddy brought his sister and brother and their families.

Alan's wife's parents also came.

There is also Carl's young son and his fiancée.

Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen became nervous instantly when they saw more than twenty people.

The last time I had dinner with so many unfamiliar people was at their wedding.

What’s even more terrifying is that each of these people is more enthusiastic than the other, and they simply can’t handle them all.

Before the three men had finished their greetings, the next group of people came over with wine glasses.

No matter what was discussed earlier, later people can join in without any obstacles and express their own opinions.

Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen even suspected that they had lost a piece of memory.

Is this really their first time in Provence?
Why does everyone look so familiar to them?
"You'll get used to it." Ronan waved at them from a distance and said in Chinese, "The people of Provence are so enthusiastic."

I still remember the first time he went to Louis's house for a party, he had a "debate" with the crowd for half an hour.

This is a special way for the people of Provence to help new partners integrate quickly.

Ronan believed that his parents, who had seen the "big world", could handle it.

It takes some time to get used to the language.
Carl's restaurant is the largest and can accommodate more people, so the party was decided here.

But Carl's wife is in her sixties, and it is inhumane to ask her to host a dinner party for more than 20 people.

Ronan, Leah and Alan entered the kitchen at the same time.

Normally, there is only one chef in the kitchen, but today is a holiday, so the kitchen also needs to be lively.

Before Ronan entered the kitchen, he went to Luo Tianhai and said hello.

He was surrounded by Louis, Freddy and Carl, discussing the profound topic of "whether France's humanitarian aid to the Third World is sufficient."

"You continue chatting with them, I'll make the sweet and sour pork." Ronan said to his father.

Luo Tianhai had never encountered such a profound topic in Paris and was reluctant to leave. He told Ronan:
"Do it well."

The men talked about national affairs, while the women talked about their own small families.

Feng Zhen and Karl's youngest son's fiancée Teresa were both fresh blood, and they briefly huddled together for warmth.

"When do you plan to get married?" Feng Zhen asked Tereza.

"Christmas." Theresa smiled happily.

"That's great." During the conversation, Feng Zhen learned that Theresa's fiancé was only one year older than Ronan.

Look at people!

Look at Ronan again!
Hey. Where's Ronan?
Feng Zhen looked around but did not see Ronan.

She also wanted to observe Ronan's words and actions to determine who the "friend" he was talking about was.

Where can she check if the person is missing?

Feng Zhen had to ask Theresa:
"Do you know my son?"

Theresa nodded:
“There is no one in Lourmarin who doesn’t know Ronan.”

Feng Zhen was delighted, it seemed that Ronan was doing well in the village.

She tried her best to portray herself as a mother who cared about her son's life-long affairs, but was definitely not a gossipy mother:
"Do you know which girl my son is close to in the village?"

Theresa gave an ambiguous smile:

"In Lourmarin, many girls were 'close' to Ronan."

Feng Zhen widened his eyes and stammered for a long time without uttering a word.

Theresa covered her mouth and laughed, then she remembered that Ronan's mother was from Paris and didn't understand Provencal jokes, so she stopped teasing her:

"You have a very outstanding son. Many young girls in the village have a crush on Ronan and deliberately create opportunities to get in touch with him."

"Really?" Feng Zhen's mood changed from hell to heaven. Is my son so popular?
Theresa nodded seriously:
"Really? A friend of mine once approached Ronan but was rejected by him. As far as I know, he rejected many girls."

Feng Zhen grasped the key point and continued to ask:

"Everyone rejected it? No one got close to him?"

Theresa pointed somewhere outside the crowd:
"That's not the case. Ronan attends the market with Zoe every week. They are very close."

Feng Zhen looked in the direction of Teresa's finger and saw a quiet girl wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

The girl has long golden cascading hair and eyes as blue as a beautiful lake. One look at her will make you fall in love with her.

She was chatting with a person of the same age away from the crowd, holding a calico kitten on her lap. The person opposite her spoke with gestures and exaggerated expressions, but the girl just looked at the other person's eyes intently while talking, occasionally nodding and smiling.

Feng Zhen's eyes suddenly lit up:

"She's in love with Ronan?"

Feng Zhen noticed Zoe as soon as she came in.

Her style was completely different from that of the other people in the house, as if she was a noble lady who had mistakenly entered a noisy market.

So clean!
The temperament is so good!
Feng Zhen likes it so much!
"In love?" Theresa paused slightly, "No, Zoe and Ronan are just friends."

"Ah?" Feng Zhen fell back into her chair in disappointment, "Not her?"

Theresa shook her head slightly:
"Zoe is the 'bright pearl' of Lourmarin. Ordinary people cannot make her heart beat fast. No one even knows what kind of man she likes."

Feng Zhen completely gave up.

I see, it's our Ronan who is not worthy of that girl.

Feng Zhen continued to ask:
"Besides Zoe, are there no other girls close to Ronan?"

Tereza immediately guessed what Feng Zhen was trying to find out by beating around the bush. She decided to help the mother and comforted her by saying:

"I'll go ask someone else, please wait a moment."

The enthusiasm and kindness of the people of Provence are beyond description.

In less than 3 minutes, Theresa got the 'answer'.

She returned to her seat and said to Feng Zhen in a low voice:

"Freddy introduced Ronan to his niece Alice two months ago. Someone saw them chatting in front of the fountain. Look, that's the girl eating the Chinese snacks you brought."

Feng Zhen looked in the direction where Theresa's finger pointed and immediately exclaimed:
"she?!"

Feng Zhen has also been paying attention to that girl for a long time.

I kept eating the melon seeds she brought me, and my mouth was never idle, as if I had been hungry for three months.

Feng Zhen looked at Zoe, then at Alice, then at Zoe again, and then at Alice again, feeling extremely upset.

Ronan, you are not doing well!
Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen encountered the same situation.

The men talked about everything under the sun, but no matter who they talked to, there was one topic they could never escape, and that was Ronan.

In the eyes of Ronan's friends, Ronan is a perfect man without any flaws.

He can make money, has a good personality, cooks delicious food and is hardworking. It seems that even the air Ronan exhales is "fragrant".

He was definitely filled with pride and arrogance, but as a competitive man, Luo Tianhai couldn't help but feel a little bit of complaint in his heart - I was the one who taught that kid how to cook, so you should praise me too.

He began to regret that he should have been the one making the sweet and sour pork today.

Let these Provencal people have a taste of what authentic Chinese flavor is!

Luo Tianhai planned to make a few comments on the sweet and sour pork when it was served, giving his son enough face while kindly "reminding" these people not to forget that Ronan learned this dish from him.

　Recently many people have asked about adding updates and putting the game on shelves. I will give a unified reply here.

　　The time of listing is not decided by the author, but generally it will follow the principle of recommending if there is a recommendation, and listing it immediately when the recommendation stops.

　　With everyone's support, this book has achieved good results and has been recommended continuously. Although Sanjiang is not good enough, it is not a problem to get all the recommendations in the channel. So it will not be put on the shelves for the time being. It is expected to be put on the shelves at the beginning of next week, and there will be updates after that.

　　As for the new book period, additional chapters will only appear at the critical moment of seeking follow-up readers. If two more chapters are updated, more readers will be attracted, so that I can get on the next round of recommendations. My situation is stuck in the middle. I can't get on Sanjiang, and it's useless to add more chapters to seek follow-up readers. There is no pressure to seek follow-up readers from other recommendations. It's not easy for small authors. They are all trying to make a living. I will make up for it after the book is on the shelves.

　　Think about it from another perspective. You can still read tens of thousands of words for free! Doesn’t it make you feel better if you think this way? Haha

(End of this chapter)