1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 471 Lourmaran gains another fierce general!
"Weaving art?" Rodrigo rewound in slow motion. "Tell me more about it."

Rodrigo is interested in all kinds of niche and unusual art forms; even broken bricks and stones are treasures to him. Ronan has come to the right person.

Ronan gave Rodrigo a brief introduction to the origins and contemporary development of weaving techniques, then reiterated the advantages of woven furniture that he had just explained to the people around him, and finally emphasized one point:
“This art category is not very popular in Provence at the moment; only my friend Batti and I are creating works around it.”

Rodrigo tried hard to recall:

“I saw your friend’s work in Gold, at an art exhibition.”

Knitting is still too niche. What did that piece look like again?

Seeing the hesitation in Rodrigo's eyes, Ronan casually picked up a piece of hemp rope from the table beside him, quickly braided it into the shape of a flower, handed it to Rodrigo, and said with a smile:
"Actually, weaving has a vast category, and many things can be used for creation. You can even use seaweed. I have a handicraft cooperative in Lourmarin that specializes in woven furniture. The main material we use is the relatively common rattan. In Provence, we are the only ones selling furniture of this kind on a large scale. You can come and take a look sometime when you have time."

Upon hearing Ronan mention "selling on a large scale," Rodrigo's eyes immediately lit up.

Collecting bizarre art is just a 'camouflage' for Rodrigo. Peel back the disguise and look at his core; he actually buys those strange artworks to make money!

Rodrigo once bought the ownership of an artwork and licensed it to a furniture manufacturer to design a sofa that was very popular in France. For every sofa sold, Rodrigo would receive a share of the profits.

He also industrialized several artworks, making a fortune.

First, Ronan's weaving art has been 'scaled up'.

Secondly, it's the furniture category where he had previous successful experience. Isn't this what fate had arranged for him?
Rodrigo warmly shook Ronan's hand again:
"Great! Your handicraft cooperative is in Lourmaran? Looks like I'll definitely have to go to Lourmaran this time!"

Ronan shook hands with Mr. Rodrigo, celebrating their renewed collaboration, though it remained to be seen whether he would be stood up again.
"Yes, in Lourmaran. Then I'll wait for you in Lourmaran."

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely go, I'll definitely go!" Rodrigo snatched the woven flower from Ronan's hand.

Ronan stared in disbelief, his little hand instinctively reaching out to grab something, but he only grasped at thin air.

Hey, hey, hey, I was just showing you, how could you take it away?
As Rodrigo stuffed the flower into his suit's inner pocket, he laughed heartily and said:
"Once your work goes up for auction, it might bring up some kind of national treasure privileges and special bidding rights. Attending dozens of auctions is too exhausting, so consider this as compensation for me!"

Seeing the unusually rich and complex expressions on the faces of the onlookers, Ronan could only smile and shake his head.

"It's my honor if you like something I made casually."

Rodrigo grabbed the things and ran away:

“Even the things you casually make, Ronan, are priceless. I’m off. I’ll call your agent before I go.”

Ronan watched Mr. Rodrigo leave with a satisfied expression.

Oh well, take it or leave it. Consider it advertising fees.

Rodrigo's reaction was the best publicity.

Everyone saw how quickly he put the flower away from Ronan's hand, as if he was afraid someone would try to take it from him.

Although this collector is known for collecting exotic and niche artworks, he does indeed manage to drive up the prices of those artworks.

Putting aside the art category, Rodrigo's attitude and reaction gave those who were not so familiar with Ronan a relatively concrete understanding of the Provençal artist's situation.

Anyone who isn't blind can see that Ronan's status in the Provençal art world seems to be quite outstanding.

Do you think just anyone can know such a big collector?
Look, is Rodrigo even paying attention to anyone around him?
As a result, everyone's attitude towards Ronan's woven furniture underwent a complete 180-degree change.

"Ronan, when is that special themed 'press conference' you mentioned before? Can I reserve two tickets now?"

"Hey, right, add two more for me too, I want to broaden my horizons."

"What other activities do you have planned? Please tell us about them as well."

Ronan noticed the change in the attitude of those around him; it was completely different from their previous perfunctory attitude.

The advertising expenditure has clearly been effective!

But you're just wasting your time, my friends.

“That special-themed ‘launch’ event will only be open to VIPs, and only 100 of the VIPs will be invited,” Ronan explained the rules, following Sandrine’s instructions.

Pianist Eribel pressed for an answer:
How can I become a VIP?

Ronan gave a shy smile:

"We're just starting out, so the rules are relatively simple and easy to achieve; you just need to spend a total of 5 francs within a calendar year."

"Buy 5 francs worth of furniture? And within a year?" The people around were in an uproar again.

Are you crazy?

Do they really think they're selling luxury goods?
Ronan has more memories than others from one lifetime, especially since he paid close attention to the category of woven furniture due to his profession.

Not only in Provence, but in fact throughout France in later generations, no brand has made woven furniture so well or on such a large scale.

Well-known woven furniture brands are concentrated in Italy and a few Nordic countries, and the woven furniture market in France is divided up by these few companies.

In the 90s, a woven furniture brand called DEDON was founded in France, but their core team came from Germany, and they didn't do well, barely surviving.

However, even if it is poorly made, an outdoor chair will still cost between 2000 and 6000 euros, and a set of modular sofas will start at 8000 euros. It can be seen that woven furniture is destined to take the high-end route no matter the era or country.

Those Germans who are not used to the local culture dare to set such high prices. Ronan has the perfect combination of timing, location, and people in Provence, as well as the status of a well-known artist. The Lourmarin Craft Cooperative will definitely be more high-end than DEDON.

Moreover, foreign brands have not yet entered the French market, so the market is entirely dominated by Ronan.

The business is now on track, and Ronan's next step is to improve the products and pricing. Previously, selling a chair for 3000-6000 francs was considered their "grand opening promotion." When he returns this time, he will start to gradually increase the price of the new furniture styles.

Is 5 francs expensive?

It might not even be enough to fill one restaurant.

Faced with doubts from those around him, Ronan responded with a confident smile:

"5 is just the standard to become a VIP. The threshold for attending our special themed launch event is much higher. 5 francs is a bit difficult to achieve."

"He's gone mad, this person must be insane!" — This was the unanimous thought in everyone's mind.

Sandrine said that as long as you connect on brainwaves, can tell a story, and make customers feel incredibly valued, your furniture will sell no matter the price. She told Ronan not to feel pressured, to speak confidently about VIP memberships, and to add that 5 is just a "starting price," as their membership standards are updated annually.

Ronan thought about it and realized that it made perfect sense. If something is related to art, it must be priceless. He could sell a dessert that he made that was inedible for more than 40 francs, let alone furniture that was so practical.

He obediently explained the VIP system of the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative to some people, and what he received in return were mostly surprised looks and some silent curses.

Ronan didn't take it too seriously; he could only say that these people weren't his target audience!

However, words alone are not enough. Once their flagship store opens and is properly decorated, I believe that in that environment and atmosphere, people will definitely feel that it is worth the price.

After attending the event in the morning, they were given a work-related lunch at noon. Before the main competition in the afternoon, Ronan and Zoe were already "out of fuel".

This intense social interaction was more tiring than doing physical labor at home. After they entered the stands for the main event, neither of them had the energy to speak. They just wanted to lie there and relax.

But the other guests wouldn't give the young couple a chance to breathe; as long as they sat in the private room, someone would always come over to greet them.

Sweet troubles are sweet, but you still need to leave yourself some breathing room.
Ronan and Zoe had no interest in F1 or the race, and went to the bathroom three or four times during the race in order to give their brains and bodies a little rest.

“Yesterday we were racking our brains trying to figure out how to meet more people, and 24 hours later we’re actually avoiding people,” Zoe complained to Ronan in a low voice from a corner.

Ronan rubbed his head:
"Alright, let's go in. If the gossip media see us going to the restroom together so often, who knows what they'll write? Ines said we have to hold ourselves to the standards of a 'celebrity' today."

Ronan couldn't let that morning's 'lecture' go to waste; he was extremely strict with himself, never stopping managing his facial expressions.

Zoe grabbed Ronan's wrist tightly:
"If you hold yourself to the standards of a 'celebrity,' you'll have to break the habit of rubbing your hair, or your hairstyle will be a mess."

"Ugh, I'm still not used to myself like this." Ronan muttered as he tidied his hair a couple of times. "This is just too tiring."

"Haha, I understand how you feel. It was really hard to get used to at first, but you'll get used to it eventually." A strange female voice interrupted Zoe and Ronan's time alone.

They stared intently at it and stopped what they were doing.

"Hello!" Charlotte Virginia, dressed in a radiant outfit, appeared with a smile at the hidden corner.

Although they had met many domestic and international celebrities in the past two days, the appearance of this person still surprised Ronan and Zoe.

Charlotte Virginie wasn't in their box, nor was she arranged by Ines.
Why would she take the initiative to come over and say hello?

"Hello," Ronan greeted Zoe politely.

Seemingly sensing the awkward atmosphere, Charlotte Virginia took the initiative to explain why she had come to say hello, but this reason surprised Ronan and Zoe even more.

“I heard you run a craft cooperative that specializes in woven furniture,” Charlotte Virginia asked enthusiastically. “I’m about to renovate my house and I’m very interested in this kind of furniture. Can I become a VIP member?”

Ronan and Zoe, like twins, simultaneously gasped and blurted out:

"Your new house isn't in Lourmaran, is it?!"

This time, it was Charlotte Virginia's turn to be surprised.

She took off her sunglasses, abandoning all pretense of maintaining a celebrity expression, and stared at him with terrified eyes, asking:

"God, has a magazine published this? Which magazine or newspaper did you see it in? I'm going to have my agent sue them! This is an invasion of my privacy!"

Ronan awkwardly shut his mouth, unsure how to explain.

You can't say that someone deliberately spread this news to inflate Lourmaran's housing prices, can you?

Zoe hesitated for a moment, then confessed:
“During the short holiday, the whole village knew that you went to look at houses in Lourmaran. The villagers talked about whether you bought a house in Lourmaran every day.”

Charlotte Virginia let out a wail:
"No way?! I bought that house to find peace and quiet, how come this is happening even after I escaped to a small mountain village?"

This rising star in the French entertainment industry in recent years can manage his facial expressions well, but he is not so good at managing his emotions.

Upon hearing Ronan and Zoe's answers, she visibly broke down and began to wonder how likely it was that she would cancel the purchase of the house, which she had already paid for in full but had not yet completed the transfer process.

This guy wasn't joking; he was serious.

Because she had already started planning which famous French lawyer she would ask for help if this process didn't work out.

Seeing that Charlotte was going on and on, Ronan and Zoe advised her that everyone only knew she had gone to look at houses, but not which one, so the situation wasn't that bad.

Moreover, the house is some distance from the center of Lourmaran village, so she won't be disturbed there. At least the villagers won't have much of a chance to bother her, and I don't know about the tabloids or the media.

“But do you know where my house is?” Charlotte had just felt comforted when she discovered another bug, and her emotions fluctuated again.

Friendships between girls are always formed very quickly.

In the short span of ten minutes, Charlotte developed a trust in Zoe due to her gentle guidance, so Zoe's words were quite convincing.

“That’s because my dad works as a real estate agent, so he knows some details and has told us about them. But I swear, with his professionalism, he would never have leaked this information. And even we only know that your house is several kilometers away from Lourmaran, but we don’t know exactly where it is.”

Ronan also comforted her:

"If you're not comfortable with that, you can hire a few more security guards, and that will ensure everything goes smoothly."

“Or Ronan and I could spread some false rumors in the village that you didn’t buy the house in Lourmaran. We have some influence in Lourmaran, and people would believe us.”

"Hey, that's a good idea. Let's say we ran into you in Monaco and asked you in person. That would increase the credibility of our claim."

Ronan and Zoe kept trying to find ways to alleviate Charlotte's anxiety.

The French actress, who wasn't very good at managing her emotions, suddenly composed herself, her worried expression vanishing, and cautiously asked:

Are all the villagers in Lourmaran as warm and welcoming as you?

Ronan and Zoe exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously.

"If you ask me other questions, I really can't guarantee anything, but when it comes to enthusiasm, the people of Lourmaran are second to none in Luberon. When my restaurant was being renovated, almost the entire village came to help."

Charlotte Virginie's joy was evident:
"Well, then I won't return the house. Even if the villagers find out where I live, I don't think they'll do anything to harm me, right? Now, please allow me to reintroduce myself. Hello, these are my first and second friends in Lourmaran!"

(End of this chapter)