1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 390 Best Friend
Ronan escorted Blanco out of the vineyard.

If it weren't for the many guests he had to entertain, Ronan might have driven Blanco all the way back to his doorstep.

This engagement gift is really too expensive.
It's not just about money and resources; it's also about the government's high regard for him.

In the future, he and Lourmaran will truly be inseparable.

"Go back now!" Blanco said to Ronan, who refused to leave. "If you don't go back soon, I'll regret coming to see you today."

"Aren't you really going to stay and have something to eat? My parents are preparing it." Ronan tried to persuade him to stay one last time.

Upon receiving news of Ronan's marriage proposal, Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen immediately closed the restaurant and went home to prepare food and drinks for everyone.

Even though it's just a simple meal, let's stay and have some fun together.

Blanco waved his hand:
"The tourism bureau gave me a lot of tasks, and I have to go back to prepare. Have fun."

Ronan finally stopped:
"Alright then, I'll come find you again first thing tomorrow morning. Be careful on the road, there are no streetlights around here."

"The installation of the streetlights is already in the planning stages. Come tomorrow afternoon, and I'll introduce you to the tourism bureau officials. He'd like to meet you too." After saying that, Blanco patted Ronan's arm and gave him his familiar, kind smile. "I wish you and Zoe eternal happiness."

How could Ronan not be happy?
The marriage proposal was successful, putting an end to a major concern in my heart.

Then he "got" the Stella Garnier winery for free. Ronan is definitely the happiest person in Provence now!

It's no exaggeration to say it was free.

After purchasing the name 'Stella' and the winemaking recipe from the traditional crafts preservation fund of 100 million francs, there was still some left over. With the additional 30 francs in regional development subsidies from Blanco, it was enough to buy a complete set of handcrafting equipment.

The government gave away the land for nothing.

The government will build the factory for you free of charge.

Pipeline costs and various development taxes have been waived, employee employment taxes have been exempted for 5 years, and the government may also have to cover a portion of the employees' salaries.
Ronan only needs to bear the costs of planting and marketing.

Moreover, who knows, maybe in a year or two we can get another high-end hotel?
"Pinch me a few times to see if I'm dreaming."

As soon as he got home, Ronan ignored the stares of those around him and hugged Zoe from behind, who was chatting with her friends.

Zoe smiled and touched Ronan's face without saying a word.

But the farmers started whistling.

"Zoe has already woken up, and you're still dreaming?"

"Ronan, I think you're urging Zoe to get married soon, aren't you? Are you in such a hurry? You just proposed today."

“It’s understandable that Ronan is anxious. That’s Zoe, the shining jewel of Lourmaran.”

"Now it's the shining jewel of Provence!"

Ronan ignored the laughter around him and hugged Zoe even tighter.

"I have more confidence in our future."

Zoe turned back happily and said firmly:

"Me too, things will definitely get better and better for us."

Tonight, villagers are flocking to Ronan's house.

Normally, the village lights would be off by 8 p.m., but today, Luo Nan's house was brightly lit inside and out at 8 p.m.

The two most promising children in the village got engaged. This is a day worth celebrating, just like a festival, and we must come and offer our congratulations.

It's a good thing to receive blessings.

But this caused great hardship for Luo Tianhai and his wife, Feng Zhen.

You have to entertain the guests, right?
Whether or not people stay for a bite, we still have to prepare something.

"That little brat Ronan!" Feng Zhen chopped the kitchen knife in her hand with a clanging sound. "It would have been better to surprise Zoe. We're too old for this kind of shock! If it weren't for the fact that our family owns a restaurant, we wouldn't even have anywhere to get the ingredients!"

Luo Tianhai had already kneaded the dough, and he wiped his sweat:

"We're in a rush and there are so many people. If there's not enough food, we'll have noodles. I've already made the soup. Could you cut some more meat? That's all we can have for today."

People in Provence have a sweet tooth, so Lia came to help bake some desserts.

She counted the number of small cakes on the tray, clicked her tongue with some concern, and turned to Louis, who was carefully washing the dishes, and said:
"Go clean up the oven in the yard, I'll bake another batch there, I'm afraid these won't be enough."

“Okay, darling, I’ll go right now.” Louis immediately accepted the new task.

Louis is gone, but someone else has taken over his job.

Seeing that Vieri had gone to wash the dishes, Leah urged him on:

"Don't wash the dishes yet, cut the fruit and serve it to the guests."

She had already said this to Vieri a few minutes earlier.

Today is really too urgent.

Even Vieri is being used like an adult.

Vieri turned to his mother and said:
"Thor has washed all the fruit and cut it into a nice fruit platter. They don't need me there anymore."

Luo Tianhai, Feng Zhen, and Liya said in unison:

"Is Thor still working? Let him rest! He's done so much today!!"

After delivering Blanco, Ronan still couldn't find Thor.

Henry blamed himself, saying that whenever he wasn't looking, Thor would go into the house to cook for Ronan's parents or go to the backyard to see who was short of alcohol and just couldn't stop drinking.

That was Ronan's classmate, so he didn't dare to be too forceful.

Ronan comforted Henry, saying it was alright.

After circling the yard twice, I finally found Thor squatting on the ground picking up flower petals on the path of light.

"What are you doing?" Ronan quietly walked over.

Thor turned around and gave him an incredibly honest smile: "Picking up flower petals, this path is so beautiful, it wouldn't look nice with petals on the ground."

Ronan gave Thor a big hug:

"Thank you, my friend, you gave me the most wonderful day of my life. You decorated this place so well, a million times better than I could have designed it."

Thor patted Ronan's back with his bear-paw-like hands and said:

"You and Zoe are like the prince and princess in a fairy tale, and your engagement ceremony must be as beautiful as a fairy tale."

“Thank you.” Ronan helped Thor up. “Let’s go. My parents and Zoe’s parents have prepared some food. Let’s go get something to eat.”

Thor obediently stood up, but he still talked about the life in 'fairy tales'.

“Ronan, when you get married, you could consider having Zoe appear on a long carpet made of roses. That’s the way princesses like to make their entrance.”

"Okay, I'll try my best."

"The place for taking the oath is under an archway entwined with vines and flowers, and preferably with lanterns hanging from the dome like fireflies."

"This is a great idea. I can make those lanterns myself. They will definitely be very beautiful."

"The pastor declares you husband and wife, and suddenly the fountain outside the door bursts forth with sparkling water."

"Is this possible?"

"It's possible! Will you invite me to your wedding? I can help you decorate the venue."

"Of course, my friend, I will not only invite you, but also invite you to be my best man."

What is a best man?

"To put it simply, it's the groom's best friend."

Many friends came to congratulate them, but in the end, the people who stayed for dinner were the same few that the young couple knew best.

The group includes farmers represented by Pierre and Theo, artists represented by Cotillard and Batti, friends of the parents' generation such as Freddie and Alain, and an unexpected friend.

“Lucas, you’ve finally decided to have a few drinks with us!” Pierre grabbed Lucas by the neck and 'angrily' punched his chest a few times.

Lucas also took a jab at Pierre:
"Don't you even know what day it is today? Do you think I wouldn't come?"

Ronan was very grateful for Lucas's appearance and excitedly patted him twice:
"Let's have a couple of drinks today."

"Absolutely!" Theo opened six bottles of red wine in one go. "No one's leaving this door easily today!!"

Cotillard tied her hair up:

"Who's afraid of who! Drink up, all of you!!"

Even after a year apart, Thor is still like a child.

Once seated at the table, all they see is the food.

Aside from occasionally exchanging a few words with Ronan and Zoe, he ate quietly the entire time, as if they weren't even there.

But today, Thor was undoubtedly the most 'outstanding' guy, so Ronan sat next to him the whole time, giving Zoe the best food and drinks first, and then Thor.

Knowing that Thor is used to being alone and not comfortable or willing to socialize with too many people at once, Ronan thoughtfully said:
"Tomorrow I'll take you around the village. Lourmaran is different this year than last year; they've got lots of fun things to do. We'll have lunch at my restaurant, and I'll have my dad cook some of his best dishes for you. In the afternoon, how about I take you lemon picking? It's lemon season!"

Thor arrived yesterday afternoon.

Judging from the state of the yard today, he definitely hasn't been idle in the past 24 hours.

Now that the proposal is done, he can take Thor to explore the area for a couple of days.

Thor suddenly put down his fork, his mouth greasy, and said:
I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning.

"Leaving first thing tomorrow morning?" Even Zoe exclaimed in surprise.

She hadn't even had a chance to properly thank Ronan's classmate for giving her the most wonderful proposal.

Thor laughed:

"Yes, I have to go back. I saw your proposal ceremony and I have to go back to work in Paris."

Ronan and Zoe exchanged a glance, both noticing the regret and reluctance in each other's eyes.

The last time Thor left Provence, he insisted that Ronan not see him off.

This time he still insisted on going by himself, and this time he learned his lesson and booked his return trip in advance.

The next morning, Ronan saw an old pickup truck at the entrance of the village.

Worried that Thor was unfamiliar with social etiquette, Ronan knocked on the glass while Thor was putting things in the cargo box, wanting to chat with the driver for a bit.

The car window rolled down, and he immediately exclaimed "Huh?"

Isn't this the lead singer of the band who sang at his house yesterday?

He was too busy yesterday and didn't have time to chat with these people, but when Zoe went to 'settle the bill' for them, the lead singer said it was free.

They were just an amateur 'band' in the neighborhood, and having the opportunity to sing was enough for them.

"You know Thor?" Ronan asked in surprise.

The driver smiled and said:
“I didn’t know him. I saw this guy near Gordes. He could only catch a bus to Gordes in Avignon, and when he got there he couldn’t find a bus to Lourmarin. When I saw him, he was very anxious, his neck and face were red, and he begged me to take him to Lourmarin. He patted my shoulder hard and said that his best friend was going to propose. He was his only friend. I felt sorry for the boy, and when I heard that there was a singing opportunity here, I brought him here.”

Thor got into the passenger seat:
"Go back now, goodbye."

Ronan pulled hard on the passenger door:
"Please come back to Provence for Easter or Labor Day!"

The familiar mooing of cows could be heard from inside the carriage:
"Next time I can stay here for about 4 or 5 days."

The pickup truck started moving, and Ronan jogged after it.

"I've prepared Cavallon melons for you in advance, and also bought the ingredients for sugar-cream pancakes. I didn't get to eat them last time!"

"Okay!" Thor poked his head out and waved to Ronan in a simple and honest manner.

(End of this chapter)