1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 411 What Ronan is unwilling to do, I will do.

Ronan felt that Lucas's attitude was too 'exaggerated'.

Who would dare say rosé wine is bad to his face?

To be honest, it's something to be hidden away.
But he couldn't dissuade Lucas from insisting on going back with him.

“It’s fine to have a couple of drinks over there, but you don’t need to worry about anything else.” Ronan led Lucas back to the restaurant in Como.

The popularization of rosé wine in Provence is not something that can be achieved overnight. He doesn't care about the villagers' attitude towards rosé wine; he's just a little worried about whether he can recruit employees.

Lucas took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth:

"I just went there to rest my feet; I was tired of standing in the square."

Ronan wasn't sure if Lucas had gotten tired of standing in the square, but he did see many villagers sitting or standing by the roadside listening to the radio on his way there and back.

Although the conference was not over yet, the villagers were no longer paying attention to anything else and gathered in small groups to talk about things that were more interesting to them.

There are so many topics to discuss at this conference!
"The museum on the commercial street is actually themed around rosé wine. No wonder the government has kept it hidden for so long and refused to tell us what's inside, and never allowed people to see it."

"I used to laugh at Mena Village for opening a corkscrew-themed museum; it's so bizarre. A rosé wine-themed museum is also...—"

"So what?" A cold voice suddenly appeared behind them.

Several villagers who were chatting turned around, first seeing Lucas with a serious expression, and then seeing Ronan behind him, they quickly corrected themselves:
"It's quite unique! I heard it's the first museum in Provence dedicated to rosé wine!"

Ronan is here, so we can't say rosé wine is bad anymore!

Lucas glanced at them for a few seconds, then walked past them alongside Ronan:

When will the rosé wine museum open?

Ronan said in a calm tone:

"Trial operation will begin on April 8th, and official operation will commence on Easter."

The Rosé Museum and Stryker are inseparable.

Although Stellar's factory in Lourmaran has not yet been built, preliminary work such as the 'membership system' and brand value building will be launched simultaneously with the opening of the museum. This is why Ronan is in a hurry - he will need his employees to work soon.

Lucas nodded and said in a loud voice:

"After the opening, I will invite all my friends in Provence to come and visit. Please reserve a few seats in the restaurant for me. I want to treat them well and give them a good introduction to Lourmarin now."

Ronan smiled and shook his head.

The image of Lucas buying Anna a purebred Camargmar as a birthday present in front of everyone flashed before his eyes.

What kind of financial situation do you have that you still treat so many friends to dinner?
But behind them, several villagers looked at each other, and no one dared to say anything more.

Lucas is also interested in rosé?

When did this happen?
Moreover, Lucas is one of the richest guys in the village, and all his friends are rich too. All the rich guys went to visit the rosé museum. Aren't they the ones with the problem?

Although Lucas has become more confident and less withdrawn, he still doesn't talk much.

Ronan and he walked back to Como's restaurant, chatting casually. As soon as they entered, Ronan waved to Como.
"Another glass of wine, please."

Como's restaurant was packed, so Lucas decided to sit with Ronan and his parents. However, upon hearing that Ronan had ordered red wine for him, Lucas called out to Como:
"No red wine, give me a glass of rosé."

Before Ronan came to Lourmaran, Lucas had helped many villagers. He was the epitome of 'righteousness' and never refused a friend's request. The villagers treated him with relative respect.

Como, cigarette in hand, approached Lucas and explained in a fairly reasonable tone:
"I don't have rosé wine here, only Moli wine. If you don't want wine, I'll get you a bottle of beer?"

"No rosé?" Lucas's eyebrows shot up immediately. "Why not?"

Cuomo resorted to his long-used 'excuse':
"Because the Moli Brewing Cooperative has a partnership with Lourmaran. I've been working with them for decades, and they give me the most favorable prices."

Cuomo said the same thing many times today.

At first, he was worried that Ronan would hold a grudge against him because when the three of them came to the meeting last year, Cuomo said a lot of bad things about rosé wine.

When they learned today that there was still no rosé wine, Ronan's family didn't say anything and ordered other things. The other people who ordered rosé wine at most complained a couple of times and then moved on.

But Lucas was not easily fooled:
“The liquor in Stella is not expensive, so your excuse doesn’t hold water.”

Cuomo gave a perfunctory "hmm" twice:
"Let me get you a glass first, how about a beer?"

Lucas's voice reached the ears of every customer in the restaurant:
“Stesga is going to be located in Lourmaran. Rosé will be closely related to our lives in the future. What will outsiders think of us when they come and see that our own pubs and restaurants don’t sell rosé? The development of rosé is a government decision, and it’s not something you can change whether you want to or not.”

Seeing that Como didn't say a word, Lucas stood up with a cigarette in his mouth:

“I’ll go get a few cases of rosé wine for you to sell. I’ll cover everyone’s drinks today. Como, get everyone’s glasses ready.”

"Wow, Lucas, you're buying us drinks?"

"Really? Are you inviting everyone?"

Lucas left without looking back.

"Whenever you want to drink rosé wine, come find me anytime. I'll treat you to as many as you want."

In less than half an hour, the news that Lucas was treating people to rosé at the Como restaurant spread like wildfire, and villagers who were tired of listening to the radio gathered over to get a couple of drinks.

With so many people, there was nowhere to sit, so everyone had to stand. But even standing, one had to choose a good spot, like next to Ronan.

"Ronan, what kind of jobs does Stellagas need? How much do they pay? Am I qualified?"

"Are there any temporary jobs, like the forestry bureau jobs you found for everyone, that I can do for a few months? I plan to do them during the off-season."

"Where is Stella supposed to be built? How far is it from the village center?"

On the periphery of the crowd.

Lucas and Pierre drank and smoked.

Pierre smiled and said to his older brother Lucas:
"Your personality hasn't changed at all over the years; you never hesitate to spend money."

Lucas had the grocery store deliver a full ten cases of rosé to Como's restaurant!

That would cost three or four thousand francs!
You just gave people drinks for free like that?
Lucas drank silently, saying nothing.

Pierre sighed:

“I know you want to help Ronan, but there are other ways.”

Lucas finally smiled, a truly hearty laugh:

“You know what? Ronan is such a kind guy, and he always thinks of others. He knows that everyone can’t accept rosé wine for the time being, but he will never make things difficult for others, only for himself. But some things can’t be pushed through without being firm. I’ll do the things he’s unwilling to do.”

Pierre said, both amused and exasperated:
"Do you think he's The Olympics? Ronan can solve these problems."

Lucas lit a cigarette and said stubbornly:

“He has too many things to deal with right now, and I don’t have much to do, so I’ll help out in any way I can.”

Pierre shook his head and sighed.

Ronan helped more than just Lucas; he helped himself too.

If it weren't for Ronan, Pierre wouldn't be in the mood to sit here drinking and smoking right now.

He's probably crying in the field right now.

“Then I should get moving too.” Pierre sat up straight and stretched lazily.

"Where are you going?" Lucas raised an eyebrow and looked over.

“I will implement the uprooting plan and then carry out the planting of new grape varieties,” Pierre said firmly.

Lucas asked Pierre nervously:

"I understand the removal plan; we can apply for more subsidies for everyone. But what are your thoughts on new grape varieties?"

Before becoming a truffle hunter, Lucas was a farmer.

After listening to the content of today's plenary meeting, he felt the same way as most farmers: there were too many changes, and they happened too fast.

Disasters, uprooting vines, and now we have to switch to new grape varieties – isn't this just making things difficult for us?
Pierre's attitude was fairly positive:

“Ronan is helping us apply for free seedlings, so someone will cover that cost. The next challenge is the technical aspects of planting them.”

"Free seedlings?" Lucas thought of something. "Is your project also a 'test field' project?"

“Yes, yes, it’s an experimental field!” Pierre raised his chin slightly. “I can never remember this technical term.”

Lucas nodded thoughtfully:

"Oh, so that's what Ronan and that woman were talking about in the car that day."

"Which woman?" Pierre asked, puzzled.

Everyone was working on experimental projects, and Lucas felt there was nothing he couldn't say:
“A female official from the Agriculture Department of Vaucluse province, through whom Ronan applied for his experimental field project, and she helped us apply for subsequent subsidies.”

A character immediately came to Pierre's mind:
"Is that female official quiet, unsmiling, and always has a stern face?"

Lucas's lips twitched slightly, almost involuntarily.

"Yes, it should be her."

Pierre, a very important figure in the Ministry of Agriculture, exclaimed in his heart with delight.

Ronan's got some nerve, getting so close to that powerful official.
At this moment, the person speaking through the loudspeaker became Claude, but Pierre couldn't wait to go out.

He downed the last bit of rosé wine and left Como's restaurant excitedly.

"If there is any important information, have someone go and inform me tonight."

"Where are you going?" Lucas called out to Pierre from behind.

Pierre waved his hand at Lucas a few times:

"To find land, Ronan gave me some requirements, asking me to look for suitable farmland near Lourmaran."

(End of this chapter)