1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 388 An Engagement Gift for Ronan

Zoe realized what was going on in just 0.01 seconds, and her mind went into a state of confusion.

Ronan has been with me these past two days. When did he set up this place?

What clothes am I wearing today?
Is your current makeup look elaborate enough?
Is it too late to touch up my makeup now?
As Zoe entered a state of cognitive dissonance, Ronan's mind was also racing with thoughts.

His plan for Thor included simply providing a few candles along the way to guide them to the prepared proposal venue.

But where did the candlesticks on the ground come from?
Who planted the flowers?

What's with the light above my head?

Upon seeing the scene before them, both individuals' minds went into overdrive, but this only lasted for a short time.

Soon, the group of people, including Codia, who were walking behind, also saw the scene in the courtyard.

The three girls were about to scream almost instantly, but a few guys appeared behind them and forcefully covered their mouths.

Cotillard, Vivian, and Paulette were taken away from the area by a group of burly men as if they had been kidnapped, and could only watch helplessly as their best friends Zoe and Ronan walked hand in hand toward the end of the path of light.

"When I see Zoe again, will she have a ring on her ring finger?" The moment he was freed, Cotillard was about to chase after her again.

Cornell behind her made a shushing gesture:
"Come this way, we're all waiting there to watch."

"They even set up audience seating?!" Codia suddenly realized that this wasn't the time to be a bystander, but rather to hold people accountable!
She turned around and angrily said to Cornell:
"How could you keep something so important from me? You should at least let me participate! Do you think a bunch of farmers can understand a romantic marriage proposal?"

Codia thought the place had been set up by the farmers.

Ronan was insane to leave this to the farmers!
You should have come to me!
Cornell said with a smirk:

"We arrived only half an hour earlier than you."

"Who set this up?" Vivian exclaimed in surprise for the umpteenth time today.

Cornell led a few girls to take a shortcut to the end of the path of light:
"I don't know. A big guy suddenly appeared at Ronan's restaurant this afternoon and said that Ronan was going to propose and that we should hurry up and witness it."

Zoe and Ronan hadn't finished walking a short distance of just a few dozen meters in three minutes.

For the first half of the journey, the two fell into a tacit silence, neither of them speaking.

Having reached the middle, Zoe suddenly asked:

"How long has this been in the planning stages?"

Ronan couldn't help but grin:
"Since I started planning to build this studio, I can't propose empty-handed, can I?"

Even an eight-year-old probably knew what he was going to do next, so Ronan simply stopped pretending.

Seeing all the surprises in the studio just now, Zoe felt like crying.

For some reason, as she walked down this road, she realized she was even more agitated than before, because her hands were trembling. But the urge to cry suddenly disappeared; perhaps too many questions were popping into her head, causing her brain to become overloaded, and the part responsible for crying was doing something else.

“But you left me empty-handed,” Zoe said, biting her lip.

She's in such a mess right now, both emotionally and mentally, she can't even figure out whether the woman should give the man a ring during the proposal.

Do we need it?
How could I not remember?
At the same time, she also began to worry about other things.

This is a very important moment in her life, and her father, mother, and brother must be present.

If you were to tell Ronan now, "Wait a minute."

Will he have a breakdown if I call home?

Oh, and your friends should be there too.

What about Cotillard and the others?

Why is there no movement?

Almost at the same time, Zoe met her long-awaited family and friends at the end of the road paved with flowers and candles, even more than she had expected.

She saw the owner of the sog shop, the kind fellow who always haggled with her but always helped her carry the items she didn't want back to her car.

Zoe often joked with Ronan that he was her benefactor, and that without his shop, she might have starved to death long ago and given up art to do something else.

He actually came?
Zoe also saw the couple across from the market stall in Mena village, Urbana and her husband.

They never saw Zoe again after she stopped setting up her stall.

I miss her so much!

More than a month ago, she told Ronan that she wanted to go to the market in Mena village again to experience being a street vendor, but she kept forgetting.

Zoe then spotted Hadley, an ironwork artist living in Valensole, who was her best friend from college!

While drinking by the sea yesterday, Zoe was complaining to Ronan that she hadn't seen Hadley in ages and that she would visit her old classmate when the lavender blooms this year.

Zoe saw many familiar yet delightful faces in the crowd.

“These are the people I’ve mentioned to you,” Zoe murmured softly.

Ronan had never met the owner of the antique shop; he learned about him from his own words, and there were several others like him.

Ronan said with a smile:
“These are all very important people in your life, and I invited them over.”

Influenced by religion, traditional Southern French ethics, and French Romanticism, marriage proposals in Provence are considered incredibly sacred. A traditional Provençal proposal requires the presence of a prescribed number of elders from both families; if the number is insufficient or one party is absent, the proposal may be rejected by the family.

Some people with outdated ideas even believe that getting married without a proposal is a moral stain.

After learning about the local customs, Ronan planned this grand proposal ceremony, inviting Zoe's important friends and family members.

For the naturally enthusiastic and lively people of Provence, being invited to witness a sacred marriage proposal is more important than making money. Everyone puts aside what they are doing to come here and offer their best wishes to the newlyweds.

Zoe saw even more familiar faces in the crowd.

There were farmers with mischievous smiles, artists from Lourmaran who had eaten with her just hours before, a neighbor aunt who had watched her grow up, and a child who blushed as he brought her an apple.

Then came Freddie, Frosty, and Alan—the elders who had watched her grow up.

Some of them were laughing and waving, some were biting their fists in restraint, and some were quietly wiping away tears.

Zoe is still a child, how did she grow up so much without us noticing?
Seeing so many familiar faces, Zoe's emotional system finally regained some feeling, and her nose started to sting again.

However, she was struggling to control herself and didn't want to cry in front of so many people.

Today is a happy day, don't cry.

Suddenly, under a tree, Zoe saw her younger brother Vieri with a bright smile, as if he had returned to his childhood.

Vieri grinned, showing her tiny white teeth, and gave her sister a cheering gesture from afar. Then she smiled, pointed at Ronan, and gave him a thumbs up, as if afraid her sister might reject Ronan's proposal.

Seeing Vieri's familiar smile, Zoe's emotions became overwhelming, and she couldn't breathe through either of her noses.

Then, Zoe met her father's red, tear-filled eyes.

“My dear daughter, you must be happy.” Louis’s shoulders trembled violently.

This is just a proposal, not a marriage proposal. Why am I so heartbroken? Since receiving the news, Louis has also been in a state of cognitive dissonance.

In the very end, Zoe hugged her mother, Leah, who was also struggling to control her emotions.

Leah gently nudged her daughter's shoulder and said in the same soft tone she used to soothe Zoe to sleep when she was a child:
"Go quickly, Ronan is waiting for you."

The proposed location was actually under the thickest and largest tree in Ronan's backyard.

The proposal was originally scheduled for the daytime, but plans changed and it was postponed to the evening.

Ronan had thought that nighttime would affect the atmosphere here because there were no lights around, but when he walked along the path of light, he noticed a change—there were lights hanging on the tree!
This made the proposal ceremony more romantic and enchanting than he had imagined.

With encouragement from her parents and younger brother, Zoe finally reached the end of the road, where Ronan was standing under the tree.

Ronan took out the ring he had prepared for two months from his pocket and knelt down on one knee.

His marriage proposal was devoid of flowery language, because he and Zoe didn't need any grand vows. Everything was already clear:
"From the first day I set foot in Provence, we have been together in various forms: strangers, friends, lovers. Now I want to change my identity, an identity that will never change."

I hope that the first person I see every morning is you, the first person to say good morning is you, the first person to share bread and coffee with me every day, the person who eats Cavallon melons with me every spring, the person who goes to see the lavender fields with me every summer, the person who shares the joy of the harvest every autumn, and the person who snuggles up to keep warm every winter. I want to spend the rest of my life writing our happy story in the three meals and four seasons of Provence.

Ronan looked up at his girl:

"Will you be my wife, Zoe?"

Zoe's tears had already overflowed, and pearls streamed down her face, scattering onto the Provençal landscape.

But those weren't tears; they were the happiness they had sown.

"I do." Even more happiness flowed forth.

Zoe, with tears in her eyes and a smile in her eyes, hugged Ronan tightly.

She is no longer afraid to shed tears in public.

Because when happiness reaches its peak, people can also cry.

Every tear she sheds in the future will be for happiness.

The proposal was a great success.

A large part of the credit goes to today's venue setup.

After Ronan and Zoe received blessings from family and friends, a small band unexpectedly appeared at the scene. They played a series of popular love songs, making the proposal even more beautiful.

Ronan searched everywhere for Thor.

I want to properly thank this old classmate from Paris.

But where are they?

Thor didn't find it, but he found Blanco, who came to offer his blessings after hearing the news.

As is well known, in Lourmaran, what one person knows, the whole village knows.

Soon, Ronan's house will be packed with villagers coming to offer their blessings!
This time, Blanco didn't just politely say hello and leave; instead, he urgently said to Ronan:
"I'm here to deliver your engagement gift."

Who says only girls can receive gifts?

Boys can do it too.

(End of this chapter)