1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 432 The Clever Little Boy
With Ines in charge, the photo session and interviews went relatively smoothly.

Ronan, Zoe, and Batty finished all their work and still managed to catch the tail end of lunch.

Ines hadn't finished chatting with Ronan, so he invited them to go for a couple more drinks.

Although the editor-in-chief didn't say it explicitly, it was clear that only Ronan and Zoe were on her invitation list, since she only spoke to these two people throughout the entire event.

This situation put Ronan and Zoe in a difficult position; there were four of them together.

“Don’t hesitate, go quickly.” Returning to the dressing room, Cotillard looked at Zoe and Ronan and said, “I have other things to do at noon, let’s split up.”

Zoe pressed on:
"What are you going to do?"

Cotillard gestured to the editors behind them and whispered to Zoe:
"You handle the contacts at the top, and I'll handle the contacts at the bottom. Let's work together to completely 'master' Michelin Magazine!"

Is Ines able to participate in every project?
Someone of her stature would probably only devote more energy to this publication during the initial period after its release, since there are so many other publications that require her attention and effort.

Therefore, it is essential to cultivate good relationships with the editors of the Provence Art Review, and today presents a great opportunity.

Seeing that Ronan and Zoe were still hesitant, Cotillard continued to explain to them in a low voice:
"Don't underestimate these magazine editors. They have a wealth of connections. They have ties with sponsors, local tycoons, and leading figures in various fields. Getting to know more editors will be very useful in the future."

Zoe glanced at Ronan, and seeing that he didn't object, she said with relief:

"Okay, let's go our separate ways and meet here."

Codia waved to Batistuta, saying in a less-than-friendly tone:
"For the next two hours, your mouth will only be used for eating. Don't cause me any trouble!"

Without a second thought, Batty followed Cotillard with great enthusiasm:
"Okay, okay, I promise I won't interrupt your work conversation!"

“This Barty,” Zoe muttered under her breath, shaking her head with a smile, “does he even remember who the ‘goddess’ is?”

Seeing that Ronan didn't react for a while, Zoe gently touched Ronan's arm:

"What are you thinking about? You haven't said anything in a long time."

Ronan snapped out of his reverie and explained to Zoe with a smile:
“I didn’t realize before that the magazine editor knew so many people. Cotillard reminded me that maybe I could ask a friend for help to develop the market for Stella in the Gold Coast area.”

If the editors of the newly launched "Art Guide to Provence" magazine are this capable, then isn't Chernot, the editor of "Coast" magazine, even more capable?
The Coast is the most influential magazine published by Michelin Magazines, and its influence and scale are unmatched by other newly launched magazines.

The Gold Coast region, which Chernot is primarily responsible for, happens to be the most important market for rosé wine in Provence. Could he possibly help promote rosé wine?
Upon returning to Lourmaran, Ronan immediately contacted Cerno.

Ines already knew that Ronan had taken over Stellaco and kept encouraging him to do a good job, telling him not to hesitate to ask for help if he needed anything. Ronan was very direct when he made his requests.

Cherno's stance was also very clear.

First, Cherno knew that Ronan was Ines's friend, and a very important one at that.

Secondly, Ronan, who has multiple identities and considerable influence in Provence, is also one of the resources and connections that he needs to maintain diligently.

Finally, Cherno will never forget that Ronan took the initiative to call him a friend.

Isn't it only natural for friends to help each other out?
but--

"How can I help you?" Cherno asked, unsure.

He did know many important figures in the Gold Coast region, but he didn't know which one Ronan needed.

"Where do you usually work?" Ronan asked.

“I rarely have the opportunity to sit in the office. I’m wherever there’s an event. I’m currently in Nice and will be there until mid-May.”

“That’s wonderful,” Ronan said happily. “One of my partners is going to Nice soon. If time permits, could I arrange for you two to meet?”

Lucas is planning to visit Nice next month.

“No problem,” Cherno readily agreed. “I’ll take good care of your partner when he arrives.”

“Thank you so much,” Ronan said gratefully. “I have some things to take care of in Lourmarin recently. Once I’m done with what I’m doing, I’ll definitely come to Nice to see you.”

Nice is Zoe's favorite city.

Logically speaking, given the opportunity to go to Nice, Ronan should have accepted and taken Zoe there for a trip.

But as the end of April approached, Ronan not only had to host his good friend Thor, but also had to prepare for a bread competition in Mena village.

The reception for Thor is almost complete.

The separate area in the backyard has been built, and the guest rooms on the second floor have been cleaned up, all waiting for Thor's arrival.

But Ronan had no idea what the bread competition was about or how to do it.

As Luo Tianhai said, this is the restaurant's first "debut" in Provence, so it still requires some effort to prepare.

Rankings are not important; what matters is showcasing their unique characteristics.

Fortunately, Zoe had taken Ronan to see the bread-making competition in Mena Village last year.

The wide variety of breads there opened a door for Ronan to the 'world of bread,' so he gained some understanding of this culinary activity.

Some participants were particularly creative in their designs, creating enormous, wider, flat, square, or round shapes, while others crafted them into works of art.

Some participants focused on the type and flavor of bread, such as last year's bread competition winner, who came from a bakery in Cabreu village.

Ronan clearly remembers that when he visited the bakery's stall last year, the portly owner gave everyone samples of seventeen or eighteen kinds of bread, and each kind of bread was eaten with different foods.

But which path will Ronan take this time in the competition?

In fact, Ronan is more adept at making fun of appearances.

He can carve beautiful patterns on desserts, and turning bread into 'works of art' is very easy and effortless for Ronan.

However, Ronan's purpose in participating in the bread competition was to increase the restaurant's exposure and attract more tourists. Considering this reason, the restaurant's unique features also had to be taken into account.

If that's the case, focusing on 'taste' seems more appropriate—letting tourists try some distinctive Chinese-style bread would pique their interest in Chinese food and make them want to visit Lourmaran, which is not far from Mena village, to try something more unique.

I think I've figured out the approach.

But Ronan's 'ambition' didn't stop there.

Ronan reaped the benefits of killing two birds with one stone while participating in the Gold series of events in early February.

While achieving remarkable results himself, he also tries his best to bring attention to his partners.

For such a large-scale event with specific themes, Ronan is never content with achieving only one goal. So how could this "play-and-dry" bread contest possibly have only one objective?

"We'll also add a rosé!" Ronan's thinking was very clear.

In addition to creating Chinese-style bread to attract customers to the restaurant, Ronan also wanted to make bread that could be paired with rosé wine, thus drawing more customers to Stella.

Who says the stalls at the event can only display bread?
Ronan decided to put the wine on the table too! With the goal set, the next task was to find the 'recipe'.

Rosé wine pairs well with seafood, meat, or traditional Mediterranean dishes like Nissin salad.

But how do you combine them to make bread?

Both times Tol visited Provence, he took the train to Avignon and then hitchhiked to Lourmarin.

This time, Ronan insisted on going to Avignon to pick him up.

Thor's temper, like his laughter, is very much like a bull.

He absolutely refused Ronan's offer to pick him up, saying that he could do it himself and that he didn't want to waste Ronan's time.

Although Ronan outwardly compromised, fearing his good friend might go back on his word, Thor only told Ronan the day he was coming to Provence, without telling him the train schedule or the time of arrival.

Sitting on the train, looking out at the increasingly Provençal scenery, Tolle happily hummed a classic French children's song, "The Clever Little Boy."

This children's song tells the story of a clever little boy who uses his wisdom to solve problems one by one.

“There was a little boy who was as clever as a fox.” Thor couldn’t help but laugh out loud halfway through his hum.

His cleverness wasn't just shown in not telling Ronan the train schedule in order to prevent Ronan from coming to pick him up.

This is also reflected in the fact that he took two days off and arrived in Provence ahead of schedule.

The last time he came to Provence by train was during the Easter holiday. The train station was so crowded that he couldn't even see where the exit was.

This time he was smarter and arrived two days earlier than the tourists.

Of course, the reason he did this was also because he missed Ronan and this land.

Thinking of this, Thor began humming the melody of "The Clever Little Boy" again.

The train announcement said that they would arrive in Avignon in thirty minutes, but Thor had already taken his luggage and was waiting at the carriage door.

He carefully protected his suitcase.

Last time he only brought one change of clothes, but this time he brought five, including one specifically for cooking, because Ronan said on the phone that he wanted to take him to Provence for a few more days, and that there was a very interesting bread competition.

Thor loves everything related to food.

He looked expectantly at the city outside the glass, confident that he would find the exit smoothly today.

Surprisingly, the line of people getting off behind Thor grew longer and longer. Although it was only two days before Easter, there seemed to be more people getting off than when it arrived at Easter last year.

The good news is that Thor successfully found the exit this time.

Because the flow of people is so large, he doesn't need to look for it himself; he can find the exit simply by being pushed along by the crowd.

Having successfully left the crowded Avignon train station, Tor's next plan was to find a car to Lourmarin.

This step is probably the most difficult part of the entire journey.

Lourmaran is not a popular little village, and finding a car is very difficult.

Last month, Tor came to Provence to attend Ronan and Zoe's engagement ceremony. He spent more than an hour looking for a ride near the Avignon train station, but could only find one that went to Gordes.

Forced into a corner, Thor had no choice but to get on that car. But after it took him to Gold, it became incredibly difficult to find another car to take him to Lourmaran. Thor had to beg and plead to finally get a driver to take him there.

So this time, the 'little boy who's as clever as a fox' decided that he had to find a ride directly to Lourmarin near the Avignon train station, even if it meant waiting for five or six hours.

To carry out this plan, the 'clever little boy' also prepared two 'weapons'!
One is a small cushion where you can sit down whenever you're tired, and the other is a sign that says 'Lourmaran'.

With these two powerful tools, Thor believed he would be able to reach Lourmaran without any trouble.

"There was a little boy, as clever as a fox." A cheerful song rang out from the crowded throng.

Thor, carrying a small mat, a sign, and a suitcase, headed towards the main road outside the parking lot, which was bustling with traffic, following the route he remembered.

He found a ride on this road both last year and this year when he came to Provence.

But before they even left the parking lot area, a stranger approached the 'clever little boy' and struck up a conversation.

"Going to Lourmaran?" a middle-aged man wearing a woolen hat asked Thor.

Thor stopped and replied in a muffled voice:

"Yes, to Lourmaran."

The man pointed in the direction of the parking lot with his thumb:
"You're in luck, young man! We can leave right away. 50 francs!"

Thor carefully examined the stranger in front of him:

When is "immediately"?

Ronan once explained the 'Provence Time' to Torco.

He told Thor that in Provence, 'right now' means not knowing what time it is today, but it was only a little past 11 a.m.

The man was taken aback, then said impatiently:

"It'll be right away! I'll leave as soon as you get on the bus. There are already four people on the bus."

"They all went to Lourmaran?" Thor asked innocently.

The driver made an unlucky gesture, turned around, and drove away.
"Are you crazy? Go or don't go, there are plenty of people going to Lourmaran anyway."

Thor quickly chased after him.

He didn't know what had happened that caused more people to go to Lourmaran and for cars to be easier to find, but he couldn't miss this car.

But after taking only two steps, a second stranger stopped him.

A thin old man carefully examined the sign under Thor's arm with glasses as thick as bottle caps, confirming that it read 'Lourmaran' before speaking:
"I'm going to Lourmarin, 45 francs, I only need 45 francs, come with me, young man."

A dilapidated minibus travels on Luberon's most important highway, D943.

Throughout the train carriages, you could hear tourists discussing what to do and eat in Lourmaran.

Thor, traveling alone, was cramped between two strangers, unable to move his arms and legs, but he was humming a cheerful song.

There was a little boy who was as lucky as a four-leaf clover.

(End of this chapter)