1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 322 Ronan is a form of protection

Ronan followed Batty on foot to his art gallery.

Their plan was to find tourists who stopped in front of the artwork and introduce Ronan's name and identity 'naturally'.

But as soon as he entered the exhibition hall, Ronan was recognized by several tourists from the Hauts-Alpes department who were about to leave.

Ronan touched his face somewhat uncertainly.

Is he that famous in Gold?
But he only visited Gold for half a day two weeks ago.
Ronan greeted the tourists politely and then asked the question out of curiosity.

A tourist pulled out today's "Provence Daily" newspaper, pointed to the huge front-page photo, and said:

"You're in the newspaper, it's today's!"

The Gold Art Exhibition is undoubtedly the hottest topic in Provence recently. The Provence Daily has dedicated a special section to introducing the latest information about the event, and it also has a headline every day.

Ronan was surprised when he looked at the photo at the top of the headlines; it was indeed him.

He took the photo when he was introducing 'Hope' at Mr. Rodrigo's art exhibition.

He then looked at the headline next to it—"Ronan, a rising star among Provence's artists, will bring his new works to the Gordes Centre sculpture exhibition; can pastry art once again sweep through Gordes?"

Ronan's eyes widened.

Am I now a rising star among Provence's artists?

When did this happen? ?

The enthusiastic tourists didn't give Ronan much time to read the newspaper; after asking a few questions about the sculpture exhibition, they asked him:
Are you here to see the exhibition today?

Ronan nodded:

"Yes, my teacher's works are on display here. I haven't had a chance to come and see them for the past few days."

"Your teacher?" The group hesitated for a moment. "Is it that woven art piece from Hall D?"

Ronan glanced back, and Grondin immediately came over.

Afterwards, Ronan began to get down to business for the day, smiling as he said to the tourists:
"Yes, we also brought other knitted products, which are not far from here."

Grondin stopped in front of Ronan and asked respectfully:
"Mr. Chairman, how can I help you?"

Ronan couldn't chat with these customers for too long; he and Batty needed to go to Hall D to find more tourists.

Moreover, he's just a 'brand'; the 'sales' team is responsible for the rest.

After chatting for a few more minutes, he said goodbye to the group of tourists and continued on to their destination, Hall D, with Bati.

"Goodbye, Mr. Chairman, goodbye, Mr. Secretary-General." Grondin leaned forward slightly as he watched them leave.

The tourists also watched Ronan leave.

This person keeps calling Ronan "Chairman"?

What kind of chairman is he?
This was the first time Grondin had dressed like this in front of customers, and he was very nervous.

After silently reviewing Cafu's training of them, Grondin decided to start with value:
"Chairman Ronan started a handicraft cooperative that specializes in weaving. We brought our works with us this time. The temporary exhibition area is not far from here. If you would like to take a look, I can explain it to you."

Grondin wanted to continue bringing up those "degrees" (referring to the degree of sexual activity), but the tourists spoke first:

"The handicraft cooperative started by Ronan?"

Grondin nodded:
"Yes, Mr. Ronan is the chairman."

“Okay, then take us to see it.” The tourists quickly made their decision.

Ronan had only glanced at the photos and headlines in the Provence Daily, without reading the contents, but these tourists had read the whole thing.

This article portrays Ronan as a rising star in the Provençal art world!
He is the only artist to have made his mark on the Provençal art scene with his dessert creations. He also possesses niche weaving skills and has a very charismatic personality. In addition to being an artist, he is also a restaurant owner and a truffle hunter.
Ronan has so many admirable and desirable qualities.

Now he has started a handicraft cooperative.

Who wouldn't want to go and see for themselves, and learn more about Ronan?
Grondin was taken aback.

Are you leaving now?

Is the boss overestimating the difficulties?

It's not that difficult.

the other side.

Batistuta frowned as soon as he entered Hall D:
There are more people than usual; there weren't this many before.

Ronan was here for the first time and couldn't tell how many people were there.

"Perhaps because Andy Goldsworth started creating today, the crowd of tourists has arrived."

Andy Goldsworth will be creating art on-site outside Gold Castle.

Because his works aim to reflect the 'chance' of nature, they may be completed in a day or in half a month; no one can say for sure.

The newspaper said that Andy Goldsworth himself didn't know what kind of revelation nature would give him this time.

Fearing the great British sculptor might lose his 'inspiration' and the battle would end in a day, Gold's visitor numbers will peak today, with everyone who wants to see Andy Goldsworth arriving in Gold.

Ronan also plans to take some time today to see what the master's work looks like.

“No.” Barty was tall, and he could see even further when he stood on tiptoe. “It was the headline in the Provence Daily that made the difference; there were the most people in front of my work!”

Ronan and Batty had rehearsed many times beforehand, devising 'natural' ways of introducing Ronan's name and identity should they encounter tourists interested in weaving. They even devised 'code words' and gestures for this purpose. But they had completely overthought things.

Marecchaer set today's headlines a week in advance to dilute Andy Goldsworth's popularity on the day he started writing, but no one expected Ronan to come to Gold today.

There will always be people reading the newspaper who can recognize Ronan because his yellow skin is so striking.

One person recognized him, and a group of people surrounded him.

Making the headlines in the Provence Daily on peak traffic days ensured that Ronan and Batti's knitting promotion plan proceeded very smoothly.

No, it went too smoothly!
Ronan thought 30-odd sales would be enough, but it turned out to be insufficient. In front of Batti's works, tourists were already waiting to be picked up, just like customers waiting to enter a luxury store.

Batty and Ronan apologized and explained that their 'one-on-one service' was to improve everyone's experience. Knitting is a niche skill, and they didn't want people to just skim through it; they wanted to provide a professional introduction.

In the 1980s, electronic guide technology was not yet popular in museums and art exhibitions, and most visitors would not pay for a professional guide.

After spending several days wandering around exhibitions alone, especially in the abstract art exhibition where they couldn't quite understand about 90% of the works, someone suddenly said, "I'll arrange a personal 'guide' for you. He will serve you exclusively throughout the entire process and answer any questions you may have."

God, this is practically a VIP experience!
We're willing to wait!
People not only understood the reasons Ronan and Batty gave, but also encouraged them, saying:
"If everyone could be as attentive as you guys, that would be great."

As Ronan exchanged artistic insights with tourists and fellow artists, he inwardly marveled:

"They're forcing me to open a luxury goods store! These people seem to really like this?"

Cafu, who stayed behind at the olive oil workshop, was also surprised.

He was fully prepared for a tough battle, but the young men who went out soon returned one by one, each with guests by their side.

Is Ronan's plan really that effective?

Grondin was the first to return, and he was also the first to finish receiving his guests.

Seeing that he had some free time and was about to go back, Cafu stopped him and asked:

Why did it go so smoothly?

Grondin shrugged:

“I don’t know about the others, I just said ‘it was initiated by Chairman Ronan,’ and they came with me. Boss, I think Batty is right, Ronan is the greatest value.”

Cafu nodded at him with a hint of disbelief:

"Okay, you can go back."

After Grondin left, Cafu went to a secluded spot to smoke and get some fresh air.

He's too muscular; wearing a suit is suffocating for him, so he came here to unbutton a few buttons to relax.

Just then, two tourists who had just finished looking at the woven products passed by him.

"Although there aren't many items on display here, it feels quite professional."

"Yes, handicrafts are priceless, and with such good service, I even think their prices are a bit low."

"This Ronan is quite interesting. He's involved in so many industries, and he's done them all quite well. We all felt that his restaurants were great when we went there."

“I think Ronan’s name is a guarantee. I knew this place would be good even before I came to see the knitted products, after all, his dessert art is so amazing.”

"It's not just seeing Ronan's name that makes me aware of the quality of the products when I see the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative. It's a very high-end cooperative because it was founded by Ronan."

"Oh, isn't this exactly what I meant?"

Cafu didn't even finish his cigarette before quickly buttoning up his shirt.

We must not let Ronan ruin the good impression he has worked so hard to make on his customers.

Cafu struggled to button his shirt while muttering to himself with a laugh:

"I knew following Ronan would definitely make us happier. How did we, a bunch of decorators, end up being associated with high-end?"

When Cafu finished his cigarette and went back, he saw a guy who had probably talked too much, drinking water in big gulps, with water running down his neck and onto his shirt.

Cafu lunged forward and smacked him hard on the head:
"How did I teach you! Go back and watch 'The Godfather' 20 more times, and see what the characters look like in suits!"

“Boss, I’ve watched The Godfather 20 times,” the guy said, holding his head.

Cafu knocked him even harder:
"Then watch 'The Godfather Part II' 20 times!"

As Cafu was instructing his men on how to dress properly in suits, four men in black suits walked past their stall.

Cafu and the others couldn't help but be drawn to it.

Today is the first time many of them have worn a suit, and even after watching "The Godfather" a hundred times, they still can't quite capture the aura they should have; they're just putting on a show.

However, these four people look completely different when they wear suits.

Cafu thought to himself, “These are all experts in suits.”

A meter in front of the four men in suits, a young girl was looking around lightly. When she saw the flag of the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative, she exclaimed "Eh!" in surprise and was about to go over to take a look.

But the bodyguards behind her stopped her:
"Miss, you can't play anymore, we're already late."

The girl pouted and stomped her foot:

"It's so annoying! If Dad can't attend, he can just cancel. Why does he have to make me go? What does the reputation of the Provençal art world have to do with us? I don't want to go to that conference at all!"

(End of this chapter)