1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 369 Ronan Deserves the Best
On his way home, Ronan saw Blanco and other important government officials seeing off a black car in the parking lot at the village entrance.

Guessing that they might be from the Vaucluse tourism bureau, he slowed down and waited for the black sedan to drive away before driving past.

"Are you from the tourism bureau? Why are you leaving so late?" Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Ronan rolled down the window and asked, "How did the inspection go?"

It's already 6:30 pm. If we calculate the time, the tourism bureau must have spent the whole day in Lourmaran and only left after having dinner.
Sylvie, who had been tense all day, finally relaxed and, holding onto Ronan's car door, said:

"They're from the tourism bureau. These people are so talkative, especially the guy in the lead. They wouldn't have left if it weren't getting dark."

Ever since the topic of developing rosé wine as a specialty came up, Quincy seemed like a different person. He not only talked at length about rosé wine, but also asked to have another dinner at Ronan's restaurant, as if he wanted to observe something.

Claude rubbed his thigh:

"That female official couldn't stay idle either. She went from house to house to visit, and the women all complained to me that she kept asking questions and was delaying their money-making."

Ellian also wanted to observe the women and children of Lourmaran more closely and didn't want to leave too soon.

She visited almost every weaving family in the village and encouraged them to continue developing their handicrafts. She also told them that if they needed any help, they could write to the Vaucluse Tourism Office, and she would definitely read the letter as long as it came from Lourmaran.

Sylvie and Claude's words left Ronan unsure of whether the day would go smoothly, so he looked to Blanco for help:
Did the tourism bureau say anything?

The day Blanco took the tourism bureau on a tour of Lormaran was also a day for him to reflect on the development and changes in Lormaran over the past year.

At this moment, Blanco was deeply moved by the tremendous changes in Lourmaran and Ronan's contributions to the region.

He said with deep gratitude:

"Although they didn't say much to express their stance, their reaction seemed satisfactory. Before leaving, they urged us to submit this year's application and reminded us to make the content as comprehensive and detailed as possible so that they could re-evaluate it."

Upon hearing this topic, Ronan remembered his serious business:

"When do you submit your application? I went to Grasse a few days ago and visited the International Perfume Museum there. There were many things I could learn from there, and with some modifications, perhaps I could apply them to the Rosé Museum in Lourmarin. I'll go to the government office tomorrow to talk to you. Do you have time tomorrow?"

Logically speaking, after a busy week, the tourism bureau staff should finally be able to rest and catch their breath before discussing work again.

But upon hearing that Ronan had something important to share, Sylvie agreed before Blanco could say anything:
"The meeting room hasn't been cleaned up yet. Why don't you come back with me and we can talk first?"

Claude also straightened up:
“I’ll go with you. The Rosé Wine Museum is my main responsibility.”

Ronan honked the horn and said to them eagerly:
"Get in the car, I'll take you back, but you'll have to squeeze in, there's only one seat."

This matter has been delayed for several days, and Ronan wants to get it done as soon as possible.

"It's okay, I'll squat in the cargo box." With that, Claude bent down and squeezed inside.

Blanco, standing behind the car, said to the group with a wry smile:

"No need to rush, Ronan hasn't had dinner yet."

He then got into the car as well.

It is his honor to have such a highly efficient and responsible team!
Of course, the most honorable thing is that there is a villager named Ronan in the village!
Blanco and the others thought Ronan was just sharing his experiences and that it would end quickly, so they could let him go home and have a good meal afterward.

Unexpectedly, Ronan's "observations" were very important and contained a great deal of information.

Ronan spoke for a while, everyone discussed for a while, and then analyzed how to apply this experience to the Rosé Wine Museum. Before they knew it, it was 8:30 pm.

"Let me think about it." Ronan looked at the notes Claude had made on the whiteboard and muttered to himself, "Membership system, tour themes, start the tour by arousing everyone's interest in rosé wine, develop different customized projects for different classes of customers, use children to keep their parents here. Hmm, that should be it."

After confirming that there were no oversights, Ronan lowered his head and ate a few mouthfuls of rice.

The first thing Ronan did upon arriving at the government office was to call the restaurant and tell them he would be back later because he had important business to attend to.

Seeing that her son hadn't returned home yet, Feng Zhen asked Isabel to bring Ronan a staff meal, but they had been chatting so enthusiastically that they hadn't had a chance to eat much, and now it was all cold.

Claude and the others, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, continued to expand their discussion on Ronan's sharing.

These are all valuable experiences!

Write this down quickly and digest it rapidly!!

Blanco looked at Ronan and said:
"Stop eating, it's getting cold. Let's stop here for today."

Ronan spent a day in the mountains without even drinking hot water, and upon arriving in Lourmaran, he immediately began to "share the burden" for the government.

Even when I travel, all I think about is the museums in Lourmaran.
How could we let Lourmaran's greatest contributor eat cold food?
Ronan raised his head, shook it, and said:
"Besides what I saw and heard in Grasse, there's something else I'd like to tell you."

The tourism bureau has already visited Lourmaran, and the government's report is certainly due soon.

Ronan's 'big secret,' which he had kept hidden for over two months, had reached the point where it needed to be revealed.

Blanco asked, both touched and heartbroken:
"what's up?"

The others in the conference room also turned their attention to this.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Ronan took a sip of his now-cold coffee, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said carefully:
"Based on what I saw at the Grasse Perfume Museum and the actual situation in Lourmarin, I believe that Lourmarin should have its own rosé brand. We have our own grapes, so we can definitely do it."

The topic of the winery came up too suddenly; Ronan needed some build-up before revealing his true purpose. Don't forget, his goal was to borrow money from the government!

When Ronan previously shared his thoughts on museums, the officials reacted very enthusiastically, with a single sentence sparking dozens of discussions.

But after Ronan finished speaking, the conference room suddenly fell silent.

Everyone looked at Blanco with complicated expressions.

Ronan's heart skipped a beat.

Did we discuss this topic before but it wasn't approved?
In an effort to persuade everyone, Ronan continued, "..."

“I once told Blanc that the Vaucluse Tourism Board wanted to protect the traditional artisanal winemaking techniques of rosé, and if there were rosé wineries, they could include that in their report, which would definitely help with their budget applications.”

Seeing that everyone remained unmoved, Ronan seriously raised his right hand:
"I swear I'm telling the truth, this will definitely help us get more budget!"

Everyone simultaneously sensed the sincerity in Ronan's tone.

He considered Lourmaran in everything he did, even the budget application.

The people in the room cast grateful or moved glances at Ronan, but no one dared to speak.

The winery is a top-secret item for the Lourmaran government, and they deliberately concealed this from the tourism bureau today, only saying that they were considering it.

After a long silence, Blanco finally reacted.

His kind voice, like the warm sunshine of spring, enveloped the somewhat impatient Ronan:

"We believe you, but it's late today, let's talk about this another day."

Ronan looked at Blanco seriously and said:
"Don't postpone it, let's do it today. Let's finalize it so you can include it in the report. We've waited so long, even until the tourism bureau arrived, and still haven't submitted the report, all because we were waiting for all the chain reactions we caused in Gold to fully manifest before submitting it. I think Lourmaran is good enough now—"

The fame, the artistic atmosphere, the villagers' mentality, the Lourmaran handicraft cooperative—all of this was sparked by the Gold art activities.

Ronan believed that the wave he had personally stirred up had all reached Lourmaran, and there was no need to wait any longer; the application should be submitted as soon as possible to prevent any unforeseen complications.

But Blanco suddenly patted Ronan's arm a few times, and said hesitantly:

"Let's think about it, and wait a few more days before discussing this topic again."

Ronan believed the best time to be honest had come.

But the best time, as Blanco believes, is still far off.

The government building in Lourmaran was still brightly lit at 9 a.m.

Blanco clearly didn't want to talk about this topic, and Ronan couldn't force him, so he could only leave in a bad mood.

But after Ronan left, the officials continued to work overtime.

Because Blanco announced that Lourmaran had to submit their application materials, which they had been preparing for more than half a year, to the Vaucluse Department of Tourism within three days.

In the conference room.

Sylvie didn't complain about working overtime, but she was unhappy with the village chief's reaction:
“Blanco, why didn’t you tell Ronan? He looked extremely upset at the time, and he must have misunderstood that we didn’t understand his intentions.”

Claude didn't have as many complaints as Sylvie, but he still felt sorry for Ronan:

"He truly gave everything for Lourmaran. The throngs of artists, the wonderful living environment, the women who stepped out of their homes, the hopeful smiles, the attention from all over the world for a single villager, even worrying about the museum's operation and application reports. Blanco, I propose establishing an award for Ronan—the Best Resident Award, Ronan a lifetime honorary villager!"

While organizing the documents, Blanco said without looking up:
"It's precisely because Ronan has done so much and given so much for Lourmaran that we can't let him worry anymore. He's done enough; let's leave the rest to us."

He looked at Sylvie with a calm expression:
"Once you're done with these few days, go and make contact with Stella Rosé Winery."

Starting in January, Blanc has been explaining the costs of opening wineries or winemaking cooperatives at different levels.

One possible path is to try taking over a well-established rosé wine brand directly.

Upon inquiring, Sylvie discovered that a winery was indeed willing to sell, and it was the best rosé wine brand in Provence.

Sylvie knew what Blanco was up to from his tone; this guy hadn't even got the budget yet, and he was already thinking about spending money on Ronan.
"But Stellar is too expensive! Just the name 'Stellar' costs 50 to 80 yuan, not even counting their equipment!!"

Blanco said in an unquestionable tone:

"Ronan deserves the best."

Although the tourism officials did not explain today, Blanco had already realized that things were going as they expected—Lourmaran had impressed them in many ways.

The day the budget request is approved will surely be a day of great celebration for the entire village of Lourmaran.

On that day, he wanted Ronan, who had contributed the most to Lourmaran, to be the happiest person in the village.

This most famous rosé winery in Provence is just a small thank-you gift; Lourmarin will make up for everything he owes Ronan!
(End of this chapter)