1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 310 True Hope

Mareczer was not exaggerating; as the curator of the sculpture exhibition at the Gold Center, he had been so busy that he hadn't had a proper meal in over two weeks.

When a Provençal person gives up those precious two or three hours at the dinner table each day and instead eats cold bread or sandwiches for every meal, it means he is really taking something seriously.

For example, Mareccher always talks about the prestige of the Provençal art world.

The Gold series of art events was initiated by British sculptor Andy Goldsworth's desire to create a work on-site at Gold.

A British sculptor who doesn't create art in Britain but travels all the way to Gold to create art, and makes such a big fuss about it—isn't that a slap in the face to the Provençal art world?
Especially a slap in the face to the sculptors of Provence!
Do you think we're easy to bully?
Since being appointed as the curator of the official sculpture exhibition, Mareccher has been holding a grudge—he wants to show the British that they chose the wrong place!
The weapon to counter Andy Goldsworth is whether the central sculpture exhibition will be successful.

It's not just about the quality of the artwork, but also the voices of tourists, the media, other artists, and visitor numbers.

No matter how good a work is, it's useless if no one reads it.

That's a failure too!

Every piece in the sculpture exhibition at the center was selected by Marechal and his team of experts, and he was very confident in this, but the number of visitors was not something he could control.

Especially in February, with so many art events taking place in Gold, tourists with limited time or artists from out of town may have to choose which ones to attend.

But Marecchall was completely taken aback when he heard Simmons say that Rodrigo's 'garbage' exhibition could get more than 1 visitors a day.

He has been completely immersed in his work this past week and hasn't been actively seeking out news from the outside world.

In 1987, an art exhibition with more than 4000 visitors per day could be described as a 'success'.

If it attracts more than 10,000 visitors, it's considered an 'unparalleled success,' causing a sensation and sparking widespread discussion in the local art scene.

How come so many people are watching Rodrigo's trash?

Mareczer was not convinced, he was truly not convinced.

Even when Simmons told them that what attracted tourists was the dessert called 'Hope', Marecchall still didn't understand.

That noon, he took advantage of his lunch break to visit Rodrigo's exhibition once again.

He could skip the meal, but he had to see for himself what was attracting so many people.

Marechal, like any other tourist, picked up an exhibition brochure at the entrance of Gold Castle.

Upon opening it, I found it was the same as what I received a few days ago, meaning that nothing new had appeared in the past few days.

Marechal then noticed that the number of people at the castle was significantly higher than the last time he visited.

The last time he and Simmons came here, they visited every exhibition room without any obstacles.

But today, there was a traffic jam on the way to the central exhibition hall.

Before him appeared a loosely arranged line, stretching like a straight line, leading to a certain location within the castle.

"They're not all going to see 'hope,' are they?" Marecchall muttered to himself.

Soon, the tourists following behind him answered his questions.

"Why are there so many people at this exhibition? The other exhibitions are all empty."

Is this your first time here?

"What do you mean by 'first time here'? You're not here for the first time?"

"Haha, no, I come here every day to see what state 'hope' is in."

"Huh? You come to see the exhibition every day?"

"Oh dear, it's hard to explain to you. You'll understand when you go in and see a work called 'Hope.' Everyone who has seen it wants to see what it looks like every day, so they come every day as long as time allows."

"Okay, okay, where is the 'hope'? I'll definitely go and see!"

"Just follow the crowd. I bet many people ahead of me are going to the same place."

"Do so many people come to see 'Hope' every day?"

"No, there weren't that many people in the first few days. It accumulated little by little. Think about it, four or five hundred people with 'curiosity' like me appeared every day, and the number just kept growing. But this work is now very popular in Gold. People talk about it everywhere you go, and even people who didn't plan to come here have been recommended it."

Mareczer touched his chin in confusion.

Those people in front really were queuing up to see 'Hope'.
After figuring out the problem, a second question immediately came to his mind—was that dessert worth coming to see every day?

Counting the days, 'Hope' has been on display for 6 days.

Maybe all that's left inside the glass dome is a puddle of melted chocolate and cream. What's so interesting about that?
Lost in thought, Marecchar finally reached the central exhibition hall.

There were many tourists surrounding the 'Hope' sign, and it took him some effort to squeeze in.

Mareczer has already begun to regret it.

Is it really worth wasting so much time watching this work?

However, the chatter of the people in the front row piqued his interest, compelling him to see what 'hope' looked like.

"My God, who would have thought there was something else inside? This author is amazing."

“Nature, this is nature. I spent four days in Gold, and this is the theme that best fits the theme of ‘nature’ that I have ever seen.”

“Ronan, have you heard of this name? The Provence Festival is truly full of talent. Such an ‘unknown’ artist has created such a clever work. I’m starting to look forward to the ‘main stage’ that’s about to begin.”

"But what is the stuff inside made of?"

Mareczer was extremely anxious.

Let me see it!

What on earth is that?!

Two minutes later, Marecchall finally reached the front of the line and could see the state of 'nature' today. The vines, fruits, and flowers had withered and fallen, lying forlornly on chocolate shavings that symbolized 'earth'—nature had finally revealed its 'cold and ruthless' side.

The original white dessert body collapsed, but something else appeared inside it.

Marechar practically pressed his face against the glass to see what was inside.

Those were a few 'flowers', some still in bud and others already sprouting, and a few that would never wither.

Marechar couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"The work is called Hope, but how can hope be 'shattered'? After disaster comes rebirth, and a rebirth that will never be destroyed again, but will be even more tenacious than before. This is hope, and this is the kind of hope that the people of Provence most want to see."

He suddenly looked at the name 'Ronan' on the author list.

Ronan, I'll remember you.

This work, titled 'Hope', truly gave Marecchal a great surprise.

"Can anyone tell me what the things inside are made of? They look so strange."

"It looks like some kind of plant?"

"This artist named Ronan is so talented! Do you know where his other works are exhibited? I want to go see them!"

"Hey, I'd like to know, does anyone know this information?"

Suddenly, a cold, emotionless voice rang out from the crowd of tourists:

"This is a weaving technique, made from grass."

Then the voice carried a hint of amusement:
"It really touches on the theme everywhere. Grass is something that can be seen everywhere in nature, but such an ordinary grass has made such an extraordinary thing. Amazing, really amazing."

Weaving is a niche art form in Provence, and not many people know how to do it.

Marecchal only had a slight understanding of it.

However, this basic understanding is sufficient for the average person.

Several people immediately exclaimed excitedly:

"Knitting, is it really knitting? There seems to be an artist displaying his knitting artworks in the central art exhibition. If I can't find Ronan's work, I'll go check out the knitting stuff!"

"Me too! Me too! This looks like a lot of fun."

"The artists in Provence are amazing! They can even combine desserts and knitting together?"

Mareczer turned to look at the departing people.

Is it true that anyone associated with Ronan is this popular?
in the afternoon.

After finishing lunch, Simmons returned to their usual spot and watched the presentation of the work with Marecchall.

But Marecchal, who is always punctual, did not return at the appointed time.

Simmons watched for a while before Marecchal finally appeared.

“You’re late too?” Simmons joked with a laugh.

Marechar tapped the table twice:

"Simmons, go and tell Normand that we want to see Ronan's sculptures."

Simmons looked up in surprise:

"Didn't you say that was a waste of time?"

Marechal paced anxiously around the room:

“But he’s popular.”

“You’ve seen Ronan’s popularity, haven’t you?” Simmons was pleased that Marecchal had accepted his proposal, but he added with slight concern, “However, should our expectations of him be on par with those of other sculptors?”

Marechar sighed:
"We can't lower our standards a bit to give Normand face, but we can't lower them too much either. Let's take a look at the work first."

Simmons nodded and said:

“Okay, I’ll go and inform Normand right away.”

When they parted on New Year's Eve, Lucas told Ronan that he would inquire about other truffle sources in the next few days.

He agreed that the two of them could continue working together, but if prices went up, they would no longer do business with a fixed daily weight requirement.

Lucas still didn't want to keep Ronan tied up in the forest.

Ronan had no objection to this; he just told Lucas to find out and let him know.

In the new year, Ronan not only grew a year older, but also became a happier person.

The system has increased the "Happiness" value, indicating that Ronan's future development path will be smoother.

He definitely needs to set aside some time for other things.

For example, learn how to operate a winery and a perfume museum.

However, the most urgent thing right now is to quickly upgrade [Cooking] to level 5.

On New Year's Eve, Ronan gained a massive amount of "Happiness Points," finally reaching 5000.

During a break while digging for truffles, Ronan tapped the '+' next to 'Cooking'.

"5000 experience points? Let me see what good stuff you can bring me!"

(End of this chapter)