1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 353 Theo and Henry: Clashes of Titans
Before January of this year, Lucas would take a fixed day off each week to give Margaret a break.

But after the cold wave, he no longer had any days off, and he had to leave early and return late every day.

During this period, he did not drink with the villagers or associate with anyone. If it weren't for delivering truffles to Ronan's restaurant every day, Lourmaran would have been as if Lucas didn't exist.

At first, the villagers joked that Lucas had no life left because he was making money, their tone full of envy.

Who doesn't want to make more money?

But as time went on, Lucas remained in the same state, and no one could envy him anymore.

Giving up life for money is not something a Provençal person should do.

Because he was too busy and had almost no contact with the farmers, Lucas's prestige in Lourmaran plummeted.

Private discussions about Lucas were growing in the village, but thanks to Theo's unwavering protection, everyone just thought Lucas wanted to make more money.

But Ronan's current form is a stark contrast to Lucas's.

It would be abnormal if the villagers didn't suspect something.

Ronan was overjoyed every day. He and Zoe were inseparable whenever they met. Although he also had to go into the mountains, he would make time to listen to his mother tell stories and have a couple of drinks with his father. He could often be seen having gatherings with friends at restaurants, and sometimes he would even treat everyone to a meal when he was in a good mood.

Lucas not only looked visibly older and darker, but he also rarely spoke to anyone and always had a furrowed brow.

Why is this happening?

Lucas put the truffles down and started talking to Ronan about the truffle supply chain.

He found a more expensive channel, but he wasn't familiar with it and wanted to ask Ronan for his opinion.

Ronan and Lucas chatted at the restaurant entrance.

The farmers sat in the restaurant watching them chat.

"Theo, has something happened to Lucas?" Even Fabian couldn't help but ask curiously.

Theo glanced at the doorway and said in a relaxed tone:

"What could possibly happen to Lucas? He's perfectly fine."

Fabian took a sip of his drink and continued to ask Theo:

Have you been seeing him frequently lately?

Before the cold wave, Theo always delivered things to his brother and parents' house, but recently we only hear about his parents from Theo, and we don't hear Lucas's name anymore.

Theo shook his head carelessly:
"Lucas said he doesn't want Margaret to be too tired and will consider retiring her after this winter, so she'll be going to the mountains a lot lately and won't have any rest days. But we've made plans to go hunting together in March."

Suddenly, Theo looked at Bian with some impatience:
“I just explained this to Cornell a few days ago, and you were there. Why are you asking again?”

Fabian scratched his head and said in a simple and honest manner:
"I feel like Lucas is no longer just making money. God, he's working way too hard. I've never seen anyone work so hard to make money."

Henry, sitting at the next table, interjected with a sneer:

"It's either making money or paying off debts. Paying off debts is good. Without a rich brother, let's see how arrogant someone can still be."

"Do you believe I'll hit you—" Theo jumped up.

They say he's good, but they say Lucas isn't.

Theo decided to teach Henry a lesson; he had been holding back for a long time.

Henry is now incredibly tough, and he's ready to fight back:
"Come on, let's see if your fists are hard enough, you who always flaunts your brother's power!"

Just as tensions were about to rise, two voices appeared one after the other.

"Stop!"

"stop!"

Lucas looked at Theo with a serious expression:

"Do you know this is Ronan's restaurant?"

Theo retorted, unconvinced:
"It was Henry who said—"

"Come out." Lucas called Theo outside, intending to speak to him privately.

Theo glared at Henry and left the restaurant with his brother.

Ronan watched the two brothers leave, then frowned and asked Henry:
"What did you two argue about this time?" Theo and Henry fight once a week.

Henry muttered and cursed:

"Lucas is in such a state, and Theo is like an 'idiot,' still talking about Lucas all the time, bragging about him endlessly. I can't stand it anymore!"

Ronan was taken aback, and subconsciously asked in return:

"How is Lucas?"

Henry dared not disrespect Ronan, and angrily pointed to the ground and said:
"If Lucas has money, why would he work so hard? This is clearly strange. There must be something wrong. We can all see it, except Theo!"

Henry was extremely unpopular in Lourmaran.

Normally, when he and Theo argue, the people around them tend to side with Theo. Whenever Ronan and Pierre try to mediate, some voices around them will criticize Henry, making Henry even angrier.

But today, not a single person showed up to interrupt.

Although they didn't say anything in Henry's defense, Ronan could tell that these people probably agreed with some of what Henry said, such as Lucas's condition.

Ronan sighed inwardly, wondering if he could no longer keep it a secret.

He glanced at Lucas, who was talking to Theo outside the French windows, and confirmed that the man he respected was not as upright as he was last year, and had also lost weight.

Immediately, images of Lucas from Ronan's memory of what he should look like last year came to mind.

Lucas, who had gathered many prominent figures from Lourmaran, enthusiastically introduced Ronan to them one by one.

Lucas was driving an American pickup truck past Ronan's house in the dark of night, asking Cafu's men if they could meet his needs.

And then there's Lucas, the one who arm wrestled with a young man in the old pub, threw his car keys at him, and told him, "Go pick up your parents, don't lose face."

Ronan suddenly realized that Lucas was helping him in every scene here.

Help him establish himself in Lourmaran, help him solve the artisan problem, and help him gain face with his parents.
Ronan's attitude towards those who had helped him remained consistent—he would repay them tenfold.

Ronan looked at Henry:

Theo has explained why Lucas works so hard many times.

Henry's arrogance completely subsided; he didn't believe Theo, but he believed Ronan.
"Understood, Mr. Ronan."

Then Ronan looked at the tables of farmers and said:

“Lucas will always be my ‘big brother,’ and that will never change. I don’t want to hear you say anything more about Lucas.”

The farmers looked at each other nervously.

Ronan rarely spoke to them so seriously and earnestly.

It seems I was overthinking it?

Outside the restaurant.

“If he doesn’t want to listen, then don’t say anything. It’s such a simple thing, why are you arguing?” Lucas lit a cigarette and said calmly.

"Why should I stop talking just because he doesn't want to listen?" Theo said angrily. "I can say whatever I want. He's just jealous, jealous that you're my brother!"

Lucas was amused by Theo's antics:
"Alright, in short, you don't need to argue with others for my sake anymore, especially in Ronan's restaurant. You know how much Ronan has helped you, don't make things difficult for him, understand?"

Theo lowered his head:
"understood."

The restaurant door opened behind them, and the two brothers turned around to see Louis and Vieri coming out.

Lucas nudged Theo, signaling him to go back.

Lucas then caught up with Louis and asked him:
"Have house prices in Lourmaran gone up or down recently?"

Louis said with a broad smile:

"Thanks to those guys in Torronen, house prices have gone up again. Are you still going to ask about your house? It should be worth over 60 francs now."

Lucas came to Ronan's restaurant every day, and Louis came almost every day as well. Whenever they met, they would talk about housing prices.

Louis had already anticipated what he was going to ask and took the initiative to give the answer.

A faint smile of relief finally appeared on Lucas's weary face, though it vanished in an instant:
"Hopefully, this momentum can be maintained in March and the price will continue to rise."

(End of this chapter)