1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 435 The 'Almost' Principle

Provence boasts rural beauty that Paris lacks.

The people of Provence also possess a passion that Parisians lack.

Zoe's plans for tonight's get-together with her girlfriends include Thor, who has come all the way from afar.

But Thor had spent the afternoon wandering around Lourmaran and was already quite full.

Without the immense appeal of food, Thor, who had few friends since childhood and was used to being alone, unsurprisingly refused when Ronan invited him to a party.

“I love your yard. You guys go have your party. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself.” Thor sank into the soft sofa, stretching out comfortably. “This place is wonderful. I’m glad I brought my books. I’m going to stay here all day tomorrow.”

Based on Ronan's understanding of Thor.

This guy prefers lively places and goes wherever it's bustling; he's just 'afraid' of interacting with strangers.

"You can come to the backyard anytime, but parties aren't always possible. Are you really not going?"

On Thor's first day in Lourmaran, Ronan didn't want to leave him alone and hoped to take him with him.

Thor patted his round belly and said:
"But I really can't eat anymore, I can't eat anything."

Ronan and Zoe exchanged a glance, both seeing the unease in each other's eyes.

In fact, in Provence, the core of a gathering is not eating, but drinking and chatting. But after revealing the truth, Thor should be even less interested.

“Actually, I’m not hungry at all,” Zoe said to Ronan in a probing tone. “How about we change the theme of the activity?”

With the arrival of the travel season, everyone is busy during the day. The girls had agreed to meet after 8 pm, which is after everyone has eaten dinner. The barbecue was just a gimmick for the gathering; they weren't actually going to eat it.

Ronan nodded without hesitation:

"Okay, let's go do something else then."

Ronan looked at Thor and said:
"How about we go catch snails? What do you think? Are you interested?"

Thor's comfortably narrowed eyes returned to normal, and he asked uncertainly:

"Can you make snails like those for French-style baked escargot?"

It turns out that this guy's mind is filled with nothing but playing and eating.

The snail automatically transformed into the shape of a dining table.

Thor's reaction had already provided the answer, Ronan nodded and said:

"Yes, very fresh Provençal gray snails. This is the season when they are most active. I'll make a call; Pierre will surely know whose land has those little creatures. We'll catch some to eat tomorrow."

Thor glanced down at his watch, tapped the dial, and said:
"But it's already 8 o'clock, isn't it too rushed to plan the itinerary at the last minute?"

Ronan dusted himself off and stood up:

"Then let's hurry up. I'll make a call. We'll leave after you finish this drink."

Thor sat up straight, looking bewildered.

Your party theme changed so easily?

20 minute later.

Ronan, Zoe, and Thor appeared in Henry's vineyard.

Accompanying the three of them were more than twenty people, including Cotillard, Vivian, Paulette, Pierre, Cornell, Troisi, and Aldi.

That's right, it wasn't just Zoe and her girlfriends who changed the theme of their gathering.

Many gatherings in Lourmaran village have also changed their themes.

People in Provence will find any excuse to get together to eat and drink, and dozens of parties of all sizes will be held simultaneously in Lourmarin late at night.

Hearing that Ronan was going to catch snails, a few guys who were drinking at Pierre's house came along, and the rest were people who came after hearing the news.

Who would refuse to go out and have some fun?
Thor looked around at the increasingly excited villagers and whispered to Ronan:

"Is this also one of the attractions in Lourmaran?"

So many people came through one phone call?

And it's only a short 20 minutes.
Ronan shrugged and said:
"Maybe so, but it was only 'set up' 20 minutes ago."

Without continuing the conversation, Ronan placed the headlamp on Thor's head:
"You've probably never caught a snail before, have you? Let me teach you."

Thor lowered his head obediently and said eagerly:
"I've only ever eaten snails, since I watched a documentary about snails on the agricultural channel."

The sounds of playful fighting rose and fell all around, as the mischievous Pierre and the villagers made a bet and started a game of catching snails.

Half an hour later, whoever has the most snails in their bucket can designate anyone present to do something.

The competitive people of Provence would not refuse any opportunity to compete. Not only farmers and villagers joined the betting, but even several female artists rushed into the 'competition area' with buckets in hand.

Henry came to Ronan's side and said to him tenderly:
“Mr. Ronan, why don’t you go catch snails too? I’ll teach your classmates.”

Ronan shook his head and said:
"It's okay, you go ahead and do your thing."

Henry stubbornly said:

“I have no interest in competing with those people. Catching snails is something I’ve been good at since I was three. It would be too much of a slap in the face for me to participate! You, on the other hand, should be aiming for first place. I heard Pierre say that if he wins, he’ll make you eat a whole bowl of garlic sauce that he made himself. That guy is too much!”

Ronan's friends all know that he dislikes garlic sauce and is quite averse to it.

Pierre, who loves playing pranks, almost made Ronan eat food covered in garlic sauce several times, and he never tired of it.

Thor covered his mouth and made a cow-like mooing sound; he naturally knew that eating garlic sauce was the greatest punishment for Ronan.

That guy named Pierre is so interesting.

Pierre's favorite food is garlic sauce, especially the kind with double the amount of garlic sauce.

Just thinking about making Ronan eat Pierre's homemade garlic sauce makes him so angry he'd practically emit poison gas!

Ronan, with a 'fierce' air, picked up the plastic bucket from the ground and joined the fray:

"Henry, take care of Thor for me. I want to win first place and make Pierre kiss a donkey's ass, and a big black donkey at that."

Thor laughed so hard he could barely breathe.

I want to see that big black donkey's butt!

Henry politely gestured for Thor to enter.

"Mr. Thor, please come with me, I'll teach you!"

Snails prefer to be active at night and in the early morning, but Ronan and his team arrived a little too early, and there weren't many of the little creatures out foraging yet.

Even a seasoned snail hunter like Pierre didn't reap much of a reward, and the competition naturally came to an end.

However, everyone's enthusiasm did not wane at all; in fact, they played even more enthusiastically—if they couldn't determine a winner in catching snails, they would compete to see who had the best mouth.

The sounds of bickering rose and fell, more lively than the croaking of frogs on a summer night, interspersed with the mooing of cows.

Although Henry demonstrated diligently for a long time, Thor couldn't find a single snail because his eyes and ears were on other people.

Listening to these people with thick Provençal accents bickering is so much fun, it's even more interesting than listening to a French farce at the Paris Opera.

Everyone played happily in the field for a while, but they didn't find many snails; instead, they got hungry.

Vivian shouted to Zoe and the others from the ridge in the field:

"Should we go get something to eat?"

Catching snails is too tiring!
Cotillard responded immediately:
"Let's go for a barbecue! I've already prepared the meat." The original plan for tonight's gathering was to have a barbecue at Codia's house.

Several farmers who were acquainted with the artist made no attempt to be polite:
Can we go together?

Cotillard has left the field:
"Come on, let's go together, it's more fun with more people."

As art shops began to recruit local villagers, the artists from Lourmaran who had migrated there gradually began to integrate with the villagers. The two groups occasionally crossed paths.

Ronan found Thor, who was earnestly 'listening to the joke,' patted him on the shoulder, and said:
"Let's go get something to eat together."

Thor had indeed digested the food in his stomach, but he glanced at the watch on his wrist:

But now it's already—

Ronan grabbed his arm and pulled him to catch up with Cotillard and Zoe ahead:

"In Provence, time is the cheapest thing; forget about your watch these days."

In the end, Thor followed Ronan to Cotillard's barbecue party.

The farmers knew that Thor was a very good friend of Ronan's, and they took good care of him at the gatherings.

"Shall I pour you another glass of wine?"

Do you need some new ice?

"Beef, chicken wings, or asparagus?"

Last Easter, when Thor went to a friend's party with Ronan, there was only one thing he did—eat, eat, eat.

But this year he has one more thing to do.

“None of you are wearing watches,” Thor concluded after observing everyone.

Ronan said with a smile:
"Remember when I explained 'Provençal time' to you? Do you think it's effective to regulate the concept of time for people from Provence?"

Thor began eating his fifteenth roasted asparagus of the night:

"So how do you arrange a time? For example, you want to meet first thing tomorrow morning."

Ronan said in a local's tone:
“We follow the ‘good enough’ principle, and everyone is in sync.”

"What is the 'almost' principle?" Thor asked honestly.

Vivian handed Thor a plate of freshly baked food and answered quickly:

"The 'almost' principle means that if we agree to go strawberry picking early tomorrow morning, then everyone should just set off at about the same time."

Thor turned to look at Ronan, his face full of incomprehension.

Is she answering a question, or creating one?
Ronan patted Thor on the shoulder and said:
"It's okay, you'll find out when you pick strawberries tomorrow morning."

"Going strawberry picking tomorrow morning?" Thor, always eager for excitement, perked up again. "Is that also a tourist activity in Lourmaran?"

Ronan gestured with his lips:

"No, I made the decision on the 10th of last minute."

Several heads immediately appeared around Ronan.

“Are you going strawberry picking tomorrow morning? I’ll go too!” Codia raised her hand.

She hired two local villagers for her shop, so it's fine for them to go out for a trip.

“I’ll go too, I’ll make some strawberry jam for lunch,” Paulette was the second to respond.

“Then I’ll take my easel and go sketching. I’ve been sketching in the village for several days now.” Seeing that the other sisters were going, Vivian joined them as well.

"How can you go strawberry picking without me? Do you know whose strawberries are the freshest this season?"

The farmers also joined in on this impromptu activity.

Thor grinned happily, his appetite increasing even more.

He liked the people of Provence because they, like him, loved to join in the fun!
Thor did not understand Provence's "almost" principle.

Even after the party ended, he still hadn't heard any details about tomorrow's strawberry picking, such as what time, where to go, how to get there, or how to pick the strawberries.

It seems like nobody cares about tomorrow's schedule.

However, before going to sleep, Ronan confidently assured him that the strawberry picking activity the next morning would definitely not be canceled, and that he could get a good night's sleep so they could set off as soon as they opened their eyes the next day.

"What time should I set my alarm?" Thor asked, holding up his watch.

Ronan pressed his wrist down again, laughing as he said:
"Please remember, the first step of the 'almost' principle is to forget about time. Tomorrow you can sleep peacefully, and I will come to wake you when it's 'almost' time."

Thor had a perfect first day in Lourmaran.

In the afternoon, he visited several tourist attractions in Lourmarin, watched a sunset in the Provençal style by a tranquil fountain, and enjoyed many authentic Provençal snacks.

Nightlife has become more vibrant.

My first time trying to catch snails, although I didn't find much, I did get to watch a wonderful Provençal 'comedy' and eat some delicious roast meat.

No, strictly speaking, it's grilled vegetables. Those fresh, seasonal vegetables taste even better grilled than meat.

Lying in bed, even with his eyes closed, Thor still had a smile on his lips.

He loves strawberries the most.

Looking forward to tomorrow's itinerary!
Although he didn't set an alarm, Thor woke up around 7 a.m. the next morning.

It wasn't because he wasn't used to sleeping there or felt uncomfortable, but because he smelled a wonderful fragrance.

Thor sat up without any hesitation.

He went out of his bedroom and found that Ronan and his parents' bedrooms were both open, and no one was inside.

Thor went downstairs again and saw Ronan busy in the kitchen.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" Ronan greeted Thor with a smile.

"That's fantastic." Thor, wearing an oversized bear pajama, sniffed a few times. "What are you doing?"

"The broth for cooking wontons," Ronan said considerately. "It'll take a while to cook. Go get some more sleep."

Having lived in Paris for decades, Ronan understands very well the significance of holidays for working people.

Thor turned back before even reaching the top of the stairs.
"I'll go wash up now, I'll be right there. There's a strawberry picking activity too, so don't be late."

Ronan, without even looking up, said:

"Everyone played so late last night, so they won't have to get up too early today. Don't worry."

Thor's voice came from upstairs:

"Then cook me a few more of those 'wontons' stuff, I want to eat a lot!"

Ronan shouted upstairs:

"Would you like cherry juice, apricot tea, or lemon juice? They're all freshly picked yesterday, very fresh."

Thor poked his head out, a toothbrush clenched in his mouth:

"Can I try them all?"

(End of this chapter)