1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 307 Happy New Year!

A while ago, whenever Ronan saw a bare host tree and a patch of truffles on the ground, he would stop to smell it and dig around.

However, not every truffle that has frozen to death will smell rotten. Some dead truffles do not smell strange; they are simply dehydrated.

However, after listening to more, Ronan gradually summarized new patterns and methods, and his efficiency improved compared to the first few days after the cold wave.

Although they hadn't spoken, Ronan knew that Lucas had also come up with new insights.

The weight of truffles he brought back each day also increased, and the lower limit was raised.

The two are becoming increasingly familiar with the forest environment after the cold snap, and it is becoming easier for them to collect 4 kilograms of truffles every day.

On New Year's Eve, Ronan found 2.5 kilograms of truffles by 2 p.m., which meant he could go home for the New Year.

This was an agreement he and Lucas had made the night before: Ronan would weigh 2.5 kg and Lucas 1.5 kg, and they would stop once they reached that weight.

On the way back, Ronan felt a little uneasy.

I wonder if my friends have received his gift?

Do you like it or not?

Apart from a few kilometers around Gold, there are no road signs in the Luberon Mountains.

People who want to go to Lourmarin usually use Lourmarin Castle as a landmark to determine when to leave the main road.

However, even before seeing the castle today, Ronan knew that Lourmaran had arrived.

He saw a newly appeared sign on the side of D943 that said his restaurant was 3 kilometers away.

That's right, it's not that it's 3 kilometers away from Lourmaran, but that it's 3 kilometers away from his Chinese restaurant.

Ronan thought he was seeing things, because he was in a hurry to get home and was driving quite fast, so there was a possibility that he was mistaken.

But after driving for a while, he saw a sign with the same message, only the distance had been changed to 2 kilometers.

Ronan counted along the way, and the sign appeared a total of 7 times. It would appear every few hundred meters after entering Lourmaran. When he saw the eighth sign when he was only a few hundred meters away from the shopping street, there were two other people with it.

Ronan stopped the car and walked towards Cornell and Fabian, who were nailing signs to the road.

"You installed all of these?"

Cornell turned around, his face instantly lighting up with a happy smile, and then he ran over and hugged Ronan tightly.
"Ronan! You're finally back!!"

Ronan patted him on the back with a smile:
Did you receive the gift I gave you?

Cornell would come to the restaurant every night to collect truffles, and the two saw each other every day, but he never hugged Ronan.

This person is clearly happy to have received a gift!

Cornell lifted Ronan up in one swift motion:
"I received it! Thank you for the hunting rifle!"

Cornell not only had no land of his own, but also no hunting rifle of his own.

Previously, when they went hunting together, he would always borrow a gun from Theo or Fabian.

“If you like it, that’s good.” Ronan broke free from Cornell’s embrace and asked Fabian, who was still putting up the sign, “What are you doing? Did Claude make you put on this act?”

There are some signs and road markers in the village of Lourmaran, which were installed by Claude, who is in charge of tourism.

Fabian shouted to Ronan from afar:

"No, it was our own initiative, but Henry talked to Claude and he had no objections."

Ronan felt a chill run down his spine.

Were Henry sent to 'chat' with them?

"What are you doing—" Ronan had barely opened his mouth when his feet left the ground again.

Cornell excitedly lifted Ronan up once again:

“We know you want the restaurant to run better and better, so we put up these signs so that customers who plan to come here won’t get lost. You know, the roads in Luberon are hard to find, and people passing by might be curious to come and take a look. Don’t underestimate the traffic on the D943 highway; it’s the most important road in Luberon.”

It was precisely because it was the most important road in Luberon that it couldn't be installed so casually. Ronan felt a surge of emotion, but at the same time, many concerns arose.

Never mind, now is not the time to say anything discouraging.

Ronan said to them gratefully:
"thank you all."

After Fabian finished installing the sign, he came over and hugged Ronan.
"Hey buddy, you've had a tough year. Happy New Year!"

Cornell loudly echoed:

"Happy New Year, Ronan! This past year with you has been the most fulfilling, happiest, and most blissful year of my life. Thank you!"

[Affirmation from others increases happiness by 30 points]

Cornell and Fabian did not return to the restaurant with Ronan.

The farmers will install signs at all entrances to Lourmaran and around the area, indicating that they should return around dinnertime.

The farmers were Ronan's largest group of friends in Lourmaran, and without them, the restaurant certainly wouldn't be lively.

Ronan has been looking forward to going home for a lively and festive Chinese New Year.

But as soon as he stepped into the commercial street, he heard the sounds of children laughing and playing.

Immediately, a beautiful little girl, as pretty as a porcelain doll, opened her arms and ran towards him from fifty meters away:

"Uncle Ronan, you're back!"

Behind her, a dozen or twenty children, some whom Ronan knew and some he didn't, rushed toward him.

Anna, wearing a thick coat, ran like a cute little penguin. Ronan, swaying from side to side, quickly went to meet her, bent down, and picked her up.

"Are you cold?" Ronan wanted to kiss her little face, but was worried about having dirt on his face.

Due to the nature of her work process, Anna always came back covered in dirt, especially her face. Theo had mentioned many times that Anna had a severe case of mysophobia.

But Anna didn't mind at all this time. She hugged Ronan's neck and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Uncle Ronan, for the gift. I really like it."

The children surrounding Ronan chimed in, chattering away.

"Thank you, Uncle Ronan, for the remote-controlled car!"

"Thank you, Uncle Ronan, for the new clothes!"

"Thank you, Uncle Ronan, for the Valrhona chocolate!"

Ronan walked around in one spot, thanking each of the children individually, without neglecting any of them.

He intended to put Anna down so they could continue playing, but Anna grabbed Ronan's clothes tightly and protested:
"I haven't finished the task Dad gave me yet."

"What mission?" Ronan asked, looking into her big eyes.

Anna turned her head to face her friends, raised her two little hands, and tapped them in the air a few times like a conductor:

"1, 2, 3!"

The children's innocent and energetic voices instantly drowned out Ronan:

"Uncle Ronan, thank you for everything you've done for Lourmaran! We love you forever!!"

"Yay—" The children jumped and skipped around Ronan.

Ronan is now as happy as a blooming flower.

[Affirmation from others increases happiness by 35 points]

Ronan played with the children on the shopping street for a while and felt younger himself.

However, worried about the progress of the New Year's Eve dinner, Ronan declined the children's suggestion to play games and returned to the restaurant.

He thought that since the farmers had gone out, there wouldn't be many people in the restaurant, but to his surprise, it was packed with people, and many of them were standing.

Without bothering to check what the group of people were doing, he went to the cashier to ask his mother how many dishes were still needed for their New Year's Eve dinner, and hurried inside to help. But sitting behind the cashier wasn't Feng Zhen, but Vieri.

"Did my mom go in to cook?" Ronan asked, shoving the bag of truffles behind the cashier and pointing to the kitchen.

Vieri shook his head and pointed to the top of his head:
"No, she's upstairs."

Ronan frowned, rolled up his sleeves, and walked towards the kitchen:

"Is my dad in the kitchen? Is all the food ready?"

Vieri stopped him from behind, pointing in the direction where a large group of people were standing:
"Your father is there, the kitchen is packed with people, don't go in."

Ronan, half-believing and half-doubting, first went to the back kitchen and scratched his head, then immediately came out.

There were at least 30 people huddled together inside, chatting and laughing.

Rebecca and several farmers' wives were spreading spices on two prepared sheep, while several restaurant staff had several bowls of chopped vegetables in front of them, and a group of skillful women, led by Aknina and Josephine, were kneading dough.

Isabel, carrying the iron basin, saw Ronan and waved excitedly at him:

"Ronan, you're finally back!!"

Ronan's face immediately lit up with a smile. Everyone was 'looking forward' to his return home today, and it felt wonderful.

However, he asked unexpectedly:
"Why are you all in the kitchen?"

In fact, Ronan told his friends that they were coming to the restaurant for a "New Year's Eve dinner," but he didn't expect the restaurant to be "packed" so early, not only in the front of house but also in the kitchen.

Rebecca explained to Ronan as she washed the basin:

“I heard that in the past, it was just the three of you celebrating the New Year together. It wasn’t lively at all. But we all know that you love being around people, so we all came without thinking.”

After a summer downpour, Ronan also organized a 'festival'.

During that holiday, Ronan said he liked the atmosphere.

Holidays should be celebrated in a lively and festive manner.

So everyone arrived early for the holiday, hoping to see this lively scene as soon as Ronan returned.

Josephine said somewhat nervously:
"Mr. Ronan, thank you for taking care of our family this year. Happy New Year."

As soon as Josephine began, the women offered Ronan their best New Year's wishes.

The usually stern Aknina flicked the flour from her hand and gently gave Ronan a hug:
"Good child, we'll come and keep you company during the New Year from now on."

"I'm coming too!"

"Me too!!"

The women, laughing, chased Ronan out of the kitchen:

"Ronan, you've worked so hard this year, doing so much for us. Today you can finally rest and we can do something for you. Happy New Year!"

[Affirmation from others increases happiness by 40 points]

Ronan was swept away by the heartwarming gestures of his friends, feeling as if he were floating on air.

Overwhelmed with happiness, he walked towards the most crowded and busiest part of the restaurant.

Actually, he could 'hear' what was going on inside even before he got there.

"Tell me quickly, why did he win like this? And why did he draw a card from the very back?" the onlookers whispered among themselves.

Ronan squeezed into the crowd and found Luo Tianhai leading everyone in 'playing mahjong'.

Luo Tianhai immediately stood up when he saw Luo Nan arrive:
"You guys have fun, we need to go prepare the New Year's Eve dinner."

Barty and several artists 'rudely' pushed him back into his chair, forcing him to keep playing.

Freddie, who was watching, waved to Luo Tianhai:

"There's no room for anyone in the kitchen. There are people who can cook the dishes and people who can make the dumplings. You don't have to do anything today."

"That won't do, we can't let you do it all." Luo Tianhai had just stood up when he saw his opponent discard a winning tile, and he immediately sat back down excitedly, "I won!"

Batty, who had a deep understanding of Chinese culture, advised:
"Look, you've won again, so don't leave! Your luck is so good, keep playing!"

Luo Tianhai thought for a moment, then said hesitantly:

"Okay, let's play a little longer. Just a little while."

“At least one more lap!” Batty shouted.

"Oh, son, you're back!!" Ronan turned around and saw his mother, Feng Zhen, dressed in beautiful clothes and with exquisite makeup, walking down the stairs accompanied by Zoe, Cotillard, and several other young girls.

"Like a big star!" Ronan left the mahjong area and went straight to support his mother.

Feng Zhen excitedly spun around:
"Really? Will it fit me? Isn't this only for young girls?"

"How could it not be suitable?" Zoe smiled as she straightened her clothes. "You're a young girl yourself."

Cotillard touched up Feng Zhen's makeup like a professional makeup artist:

"That's right, how could it not suit you? Let me tell you, even many big stars at Cannes couldn't pull off this makeup I did for you. But look how beautiful you look with it on! Your skin is so smooth."

Feng Zhen was so flattered she was practically dizzy, and eagerly asked Zoe:

"How about I try on that strapless dress?"

Without a word, Zoe and Cotillard pulled her upstairs:

"We told you that one suits you better; this one is too conservative. You have such a great figure!"

Feng Zhen waved to her son like a big star:

"Don't go too far. Let me change and you can see if it fits."

Ronan smiled as he looked at his mother, then at his father.

What are these people doing?
Suddenly, a hand appeared on his shoulder.

Barty had somehow appeared beside him, and together they were looking towards the stairs.
“We know you care about your parents a lot. The first thing you did after settling in Provence was to bring them here. Don’t worry, no matter how busy you are in the future, we will take good care of them and keep them company. Don’t say thank you. What we have done is not even a tenth of what you have given to everyone. Ronan, I’m so glad that I met you last year and became your friend. We’ve done so many great things together. I hope that next year we can do even more crazy but great things together!”

Theo suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

This lazy fellow certainly wouldn't go out and do hard work.

However, it's also possible that he had a lot to say to Ronan, so he waited here.

He still had that same chuckled, cigarette-smoking look on his face, and gave Ronan's shoulder a hard bump:

"I, Theo, will remember your kindness to me for the rest of my life. Whenever you need me, I will stand behind you and support you without hesitation. I don't care if it means going against the whole world, brother. Happy New Year, we will always love you."

[Affirmation from others increases happiness by 45 points]

The Spring Festival of 1987 was the happiest Spring Festival in Ronan's two lifetimes.

His parents now have many more 'children' who love them, and their lives are comfortable and fulfilling.

His lover was always there to support and accompany him, and they were hailed as the happiest couple in Lourmaran.

His friends came from all walks of life, and they all loved and protected Ronan.

Actually, Ronan originally wanted to use the 'Chinese New Year' as an excuse to heal everyone's spirits, which had been dampened by the cold wave.

Unexpectedly, he was also cured.
With such wonderful parents, a loving partner, and friends, what is there to be unhappy about?
He was clearly surrounded by happiness all the time!

After the New Year's Eve dinner began, everyone asked Ronan to say a few words.

Ronan was unprepared and had never spoken in front of so many people before. He said a few simple but heartfelt words:

In China, the Spring Festival signifies the transition from the old to the new. Whatever hardships, sorrows, and suffering we experienced last year, let's leave them in the past. In the new year, each of us will have a fresh start! Friends, let's raise our glasses to welcome this new and wonderful beginning. Happy New Year!

(End of this chapter)