1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 389 The Moment to Fulfill the Promise

Seeing Blanco's serious expression, Ronan knew he must have something important to say, so he quickly called Henry, whom he trusted most, to his side:
"Go find my classmate Thor, the tall, strong guy you called over, and give him a good welcome. I'll be right back."

Henry said seriously:
"Don't worry, Mr. Ronan, I'll go find your classmate right now."

Ronan then kissed his fiancée Zoe again:

"I'll be right back after a short while."

Zoe gently stroked Ronan's back a few times:

"I will take good care of everyone for you."

After doing all this, Ronan nodded slightly to Blanco:

"Talk while we drink?"

Ronan and Blanco had known each other for a year, but they had only drunk together twice.

The first time was the night they decided to make the rosé wine a signature dish of Lourmarin. Blanco got drunk at Ronan's restaurant and bragged a lot, which Ronan always remembered.

The second time was when Ronan went to the government building to talk to Blanco, and Blanco specially sent someone out to buy Ronan some rosé wine.

In Provence, it's extremely rare for friends who have known each other for so long to have only had drinks together twice, which can only mean that every time they meet, they talk about work.

"Let's chat over drinks today."

Ronan brought Blanco home, where family and friends were visiting the studio or taking photos and having fun in the beautiful courtyard, making this place the quietest.

“Don’t pour too much.” Blanco gestured slightly to stop it. “You don’t belong to me today. I’ll get straight to the point.”

Ronan's eyebrows involuntarily twitched slightly:

"It's okay, Zoe won't mind."

His fiancée is the best girl in the world!

“Oh, that’s not what a gentleman should do,” Blanco shrugged humorously. “But this gift has been in my hands for too long, so giving it to you on this memorable day is a good choice.”

Blanco said the word 'gift' twice, and Ronan looked at him with a puzzled expression:
"What on earth is going on?"

Blanco picked up the pink wine bottle on the table and carefully examined the label and production information.

Then he smiled and tapped the name 'Strasga' twice:

"this."

"What's wrong with this?" Ronan asked, puzzled.

Blanco held up the large Stellaris logo in front of Ronan:
"The Lourmaran government has bought the Strath winery."

"Did you buy it?" Ronan seemed to be possessed by Vivian, uttering a deafeningly loud voice that didn't belong to him.

"You already know this news?" Blanco, who was confident, was somewhat surprised.

Ronan calmed down a bit, but his tone was still quite forceful:
“I am friends with Jerome, the owner of Sterling.”

Blanco tilted his head and put the bottle back in its place:

"I never expected you to have so many friends, but this is good news."

Blanco's smile grew even brighter, like a blooming flower:
"This means you may not be starting from scratch. We have carefully evaluated your proposal and believe that Lourmarin truly needs its own rosé brand. Are you willing to take on this important task?"

It is no exaggeration to say that Ronan saw before his eyes that path of light, paved with candles and flowers once again.

He's exactly the same Zoe he was just over an hour ago!

A huge surprise appeared before his eyes without warning!

However, the excitement of the successful proposal protected Ronan's mind well; he didn't fall into a state of mental chaos caused by the shock and surprise. His brain could still think.

"The budget request has been approved?" Ronan blurted out, his face beaming with joy.

Ronan himself probably didn't realize that his first reaction was to be happy for Lourmaran, rather than for himself.

But Blanco captured all of these moments.

It was definitely worth it; Ronan was a good investment!

“Yes, we have received verbal approval.” Thinking of the misunderstanding, Blanco added, “Officials from the Vaucluse Tourism Bureau are already stationed in Lourmaran to guide the work. The budget is on its way and will arrive in installments over the next three months.”

Quincy confidently asserted that this time there would be no mistake.

If another blunder occurs, it must mean the numbers have gone up again!
"That's fantastic! That's fantastic! That's fantastic!" Ronan said "that's fantastic!" three times in a row, clapping his hands each time.

The next second, he suddenly became serious:
"Have the disaster relief funds been allocated? What is the proportion?"

Ronan didn't ask Lourmaran how much funding he had received, because that wasn't something he needed to know.

But Blanco knew that every penny Lourmaran received was inseparable from the guy in front of him.

Blanco patted Ronan's arm twice as he waved it excitedly.

“You don’t need to worry about those things. Let’s talk about this first.” “Okay.” Ronan had returned to normal by now. He sat up straight and listened attentively to what Blanco was about to say.

Even now, Blanc is still unsure of Ronan's attitude towards the winery.

You said he was calm, but he still screamed once.

You might think he's excited, but he keeps asking other questions, never mentioning the winery.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Blanco showed all his sincerity without reservation, his attitude as earnest as a marriage proposal.

However, it is from Lourmaran's perspective that he 'proposes' to Ronan.

“You should know how difficult it was for Lourmarin to get this funding. Revitalizing Lourmarin is a matter that cannot be taken lightly, and as you said, the key to this is rosé wine. So I don’t trust anyone else to take over the winery. Only you, and only you, will be given a 100 million franc fund for the preservation of traditional craftsmanship to purchase the operating rights and winemaking recipe of Stella.”

Ronan's heart skipped a beat.

100 million francs?
That's more than Jerome's asking price. And Blanco said 'give,' not 'lend.'

My God, how much funding did Lourmaran actually receive?

However, this was not something he should consider; he nodded in agreement.

I do!
But Blanco didn't give him a chance to speak and continued:
“Developing rosé wine is the most important thing for Lourmarin this year, and it is also what the Vaucluse department requires of us. We will give you full support in all aspects, so you don’t need to worry about not being able to do it. First of all, the government will sell you a piece of land for 1 franc so that you can build a new winery.”

Ronan's eyes widened suddenly.

how much is it?
1 franc?

Did I hear that right?

Blanco showed no sign of stopping and continued:

“You can hire someone to design and arrange the infrastructure, but the government will cover the water and electricity connection costs, waive all the winery’s license fees, and exempt the winery from employment tax for five years. If you hire unemployed villagers, the government can also provide a 30% salary subsidy for three years.”

Although he felt dizzy, Ronan forced himself to calm down and think about the actual meaning of these clauses.

Lourmaran is a rural area, and it is very expensive to get water and electricity connected to new buildings.

The studio in his backyard cost over 1 francs just to connect it to the water supply. If it were a large open space, the cost would be even higher, because this is a mountainous area.

Ronan had previously estimated the cost of this part, and including manpower, it would be at least 10.

The costs of permits are even more complicated; Ronan only knows that a water permit costs 8000 francs per year, and other miscellaneous permits would cost at least tens of thousands.

The restaurant pays tens of thousands of dollars in employment tax for its employees every month, and salaries are an even bigger monthly expense. Blanco's policy is for 3-5 years. In other words, Ronan's financial pressure will be minimized for at least three years after taking over Stella.

Calm down, calm down, let me think of other places where I can spend money. Ronan's brain was calculating rapidly.

We have the brand, the land, and the factory and equipment.
“Remember when I told you about the ‘château winery’? Lourmarin needs a high-end accommodation in the future—” Blanco’s words interrupted Ronan’s thoughts.

Ronan glanced over unexpectedly.

Are you still not finished?
Blanco picked up his glass and finished the last bit of his drink, signaling that he was finally about to finish speaking:
"As the tourism industry develops in the future, we want to reach tourists from all walks of life. So we will definitely oversee the construction of this winery castle and connect it with your winery, so that tourists can walk less."

Seeing Ronan's blank expression, Blanco winked playfully:
"That way you won't have to spend your own money to build a winery."

Are you going to make me pay for the factory building too?!

Ronan stopped thinking and calculating, and asked with utmost seriousness:
"The government has provided so many resources, what do they need me to do? I mean, anything other than taking over this winery."

You've given us too much!!

Blanco also asked Ronan with the same seriousness:

"When you provide job opportunities for women, organize villagers to do handicrafts, and introduce farmers to the work of the State Forestry Administration, do you think about what else you want in return?"

“I—” Ronan was speechless for a moment.

Blanco suddenly smiled kindly:

"This is what Lourmaran owes you. You've provided so much help to everyone, now it's Lourmaran's turn to repay you."

Gratitude was not enough to describe Ronan's emotions; he clenched his fist and said:
"I will definitely run Stersga well."

Blanco picked up the clothes, preparing to return Ronan to Zoe:

"It's not you, it's us. When Lourmarin encounters difficulties, you will always stand with me, Sylvie, Claude, and others. If the winery faces problems in the future, please don't forget that you will always have me, Sylvie, Claude, and Lourmarin behind you. The government will provide you with another regional development subsidy of 30 francs."

Blanco stood up and patted Ronan on the shoulder with a sigh of relief:

"I guess this money should be enough for you to bring Stella over."

Blanco once said in an internal meeting that Ronan had done enough for Lourmaran and he didn't want Ronan to worry about it anymore. He wanted Ronan to take over Stella without having to worry about anything.

A few days ago, when the support funds were 430 million, Blanco wouldn't have been so confident, but now the subsidy funds have reached 600 million...

He finally fulfilled that promise.

(End of this chapter)