1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 354 The Blooming 'Flowers' in Lourmaran Village

February is the coldest month in Provence.

Only people like Ronan and Lucas, who need to make money in the mountains, would leave their warm homes at the crack of dawn.

Other villagers wait until the sun is fully up and the temperature rises before going outdoors; this is the proper way for people in Provence to experience winter.

However, one day at the end of February, as Ronan was driving away from Lourmaran village and onto Highway D943, he was surprised to find the door of a house by the roadside wide open, and its owner had come out to the outside.

And this strange fellow happened to be an acquaintance of Ronan's.

"Hey Marini, up so early?" Ronan drove up to Marini's house, rolled down the window and greeted him.

Marini wasn't wearing his usual expensive suits and wool coats today; instead, he wore denim overalls and tattered leather boots.

"Hello, Ronan." Marini put down the ladder he was holding and walked towards Ronan's car with a smile. "Are you heading into the mountains?"

Ronan rested his arm on the car window and said in a very good mood:
"Yes, there are a lot of people trying to steal my business lately, so I need to go protect my garden."

Marini chuckled twice, pointed to his house behind him, and said:

"What a coincidence, I also plan to protect my garden."

Ronan noticed many tools placed by the door, along with some wooden signs he couldn't understand, seemingly carved by Marini himself. Curious, he asked:

"Are you going to repair the house? But isn't it too early now?"

Marini suddenly became excited, showing none of the lethargy he had shown earlier that morning:

"It's not about repairing a house, but decorating one. Last night I chatted with some artist friends, and they decided to come to my house today. I wanted to leave them with a special impression, so I got up early to start preparing."

"A special impression?" Ronan was even more curious and continued to ask, "What special impression?"

Marini was happy to share with Ronan and explained in detail:

"Recently, a 'decoration' craze has swept through the Lourmaran artist community. Everyone is racking their brains to add something different to their houses. Haha, isn't that interesting? We don't want to be outdone by the new artists who have moved in."

Ronan nodded in sudden realization:

"So that's it."

Recently, artists who have moved to Lourmaran have started renovating their homes, and Ronan sees trucks carrying renovation materials coming and going in Lourmaran every day when he comes home.

Because many people's houses are used for commercial purposes, and the government supports people changing the appearance of their houses, several houses with particularly beautiful exteriors have appeared in Lourmaran.

Artists like Marini, who moved to Lourmarin early on, also took action in response to this trend.

If they can't handle a large project, they'll choose to decorate their houses themselves, mainly the exterior walls.

Artists may not know how to decorate, but they have a knack for beautifying houses, and they are driven by a strong desire to make their houses the most beautiful.

Marini pointed to his house and said with a smile:
"Alright, today's task is to paint the main gate and windows before noon, and also to put up some decorations. We'll try to finish all the decorations within a week."

Ronan and Marini say goodbye:

"Go ahead and get busy. I hope your house leaves a very good and lasting impression on your friends."

Marini's house is on Ronan's usual route in and out of Lourmaran.

On his way back to Lourmarin in the afternoon, Ronan deliberately slowed down to see the results of Marini's early morning efforts. He found that the windows and doors of his house had indeed changed and become more vibrant in color.

That may not be its final form, but it's still beautiful.

"Not bad at all." Ronan smiled as he left. Perhaps because he had talked with Marini that morning about how artists decorate their homes, Ronan had been quietly observing as he drove and noticed that the streets of Lourmaran, which were originally only dark yellow and blue, were now filled with many vibrant colors.

They are like blooming flowers in a quaint medieval village, bringing new vitality and hope to the place.

Some people buy houses and then use the exterior walls as canvases, painting them with graffiti.

Ronan guessed that the house might become an art gallery in a few months.

He heard that several people are planning to open art galleries here recently.

Some people simply draw something on their front door or the exterior wall of their house, but they can still leave a deep impression.

The more you look at Ronan's face, the brighter his smile becomes.

Artists and professionals continue to flock to Lourmarin to look at houses, and judging from the smile on Louis's face, this phenomenon will not change for a long time to come.

I believe that Lourmaran will be absolutely stunning in spring, when the travel season begins, with its flowers, trees, and shrubs creating a beautiful blend of classic and modern charm.

“By then, tourists won’t complain that there’s nothing fun to do in Lourmaran anymore; just strolling around the streets will be a lot of fun,” Ronan muttered happily, already looking forward to Lourmaran’s new look a few months from now.

Ronan parked the car and walked back to the restaurant with Truffle. He was surprised to find that the quaint medieval houses on both sides of the road were also full of 'details', which were places he had previously overlooked.

Many houses have replaced their door handles with more artistic ones, and some people have even replaced the lampshades on the exterior walls of their doors.

It can be said that the concentration of 'art' in Lourmaran is increasing dramatically.

These small details make Lourmaran even more charming.

The Cotillard Art Shop on the shopping street had also completed its renovation and upgrades several days prior.

She painted the windows a brighter green.

However, Ronan hadn't looked at it closely before. Today, observing the place with the eyes of a 'tourist,' he discovered that it was full of details.

He almost overlooked the decorations.

“God, there’s so much to see in Lourmaran now,” Ronan muttered in amazement.

What surprised Ronan even more was that, even though it was getting late, there were several customers in Cotillard's shop, and they were all villagers.

In the past, the people who went to the art shops were tourists from other villages.

Are the villagers of Lourmaran now appreciating art?

Filled with curiosity, Ronan pushed open the door and heard villagers asking questions about doorknobs, window railings, and decorations, all in an effort to make their houses look more beautiful.

Seeing Ronan's 'ghostly' expression, Cotillard took a moment to explain to him:
"Don't look at art that way. Artists and I both need to eat, and I sell cheap things here too."

A woman smiled and said to Ronan:

“A lampshade here at Codia costs only 60 francs, which is much cheaper than what’s sold at the Aix-en-Provence art shop.”

Ronan joked:

"The benefits of artists clustering together have emerged; art is beginning to become more integrated into our lives."

Ronan was just there for the spectacle, and once he learned that the decorations in the village had been sold by Codia, he turned to leave.

But Cotillard suddenly called out to him from behind:
"Wait a moment before you leave, I need to talk to you about something."

(End of this chapter)