1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 475 I must have been a free gift with a phone top-up!

Perhaps it was Zoe's reminder that caused Ronan's mindset to change.

On his way home, he realized that he missed not only the familiar double bed he had been lying in for over a year, but also the two elderly people in his family.

It's been 48 hours since I last saw you. Did you miss me?

I miss you all so much!
"I'm back!" he called out as soon as he opened the door.

Ronan's parents didn't have the habit of going to bed early. Having lived in Paris their whole lives, it took them a year to get them to go to bed around 10 p.m.

Furthermore, since Ronan was going home tonight, he was certain that his parents were not resting at this time.

The heartwarming scene he had imagined didn't materialize; instead, Ronan was greeted only by a black dog's silhouette.

"I missed you too, Little Black." Ronan squatted down and ruffled Little Black's head a few times. "Where are the others?"

Little Black remained silent, only using its tail to whip people.

Ronan walked around the first floor and found the lights were on, but no one was there.

He went up to the second floor and found his mother in his parents' bedroom, watching TV with cucumber slices covering her face.

"Oh my, you scared me to death! How come you came back without making a sound?" Feng Zhen was startled when she saw Luo Nan appear at the bedroom door. Cucumber slices fell down with a crackling sound as she hurriedly slapped them on her face.

"I was terrified!" Ronan took a step back and then retreated. "I shouted from downstairs, didn't you hear me?"

Feng Zhen tilted her head back and sat up a little straighter:
"I was watching TV, I didn't hear you."

Ronan discovered that there was an extra television in his parents' bedroom, and it wasn't the one in the living room; this one was larger.

"Newly bought?" Ronan stood beside his mother's bed and watched with her. Unsurprisingly, it was a melodramatic romance drama airing on France 1, currently showing the classic scene where the male and female leads, or perhaps supporting characters, reunite in the rain.

Don't be fooled by the 'vulgar' plot; it's incredibly captivating, especially for women over forty. Feng Zhen, for example, watches it every day.

If it weren't for the fact that there was someone in the family who couldn't live without the TV, Ronan would have moved the downstairs TV away and replaced it with something else long ago, just like that unused clock.

Feng Zhen hummed in agreement:
“You went to Monaco yesterday. I was thinking that your father and I haven’t been out for a long time. We didn’t have anything to do in the afternoon, so after lunch we went to Apte and bought a TV. We’ll leave it in the bedroom for a while, and when we move there, we’ll take it with us to the new house.”

Suddenly, she excitedly patted the mattress twice to signal to Ronan that she was about to discuss an important point:
"Hey son, what do you think about adding some decorations to the living room walls of the new house? How about hanging up a few pieces of art? Or displaying a few paintings?"

Because they didn't want to disrupt the restaurant's business, the elderly couple kept the second and third floors, where they would be living, very simply decorated and finished early on.

But a few months after Ronan and Zoe's wedding, as the house remained vacant for a long time, Feng Zhen started having more ideas and often wanted to add something to the new house.

Ronan smiled and sat down beside his mother's bed:
“I’ve got it all figured out. I’ll have Vivian paint a landscape of the Mirabeau Bridge where you and Dad had your first date. I’ll also commission a wood carving from Marini, and other artists’ works as well. I’ll also make a few woven ornaments for you. That’ll be enough to decorate that wall.”

Ronan was also worried that his parents, like himself, would have mixed feelings about the upcoming wedding.

For Ronan, the prospect of going independent and starting a family with Zoe was filled with more anticipation and excitement than reluctance.

But which parent can calmly accept their child growing up and becoming independent?

He was overthinking it.
The mother is in a good mood despite the impending separation.

She has her own life and many things to distract herself from, like shopping, skincare, and going shopping without taking it to heart, which puts Ronan at ease.

This is the best-case scenario.

There was no sadness of parting, no anxiety about the future; both sides happily faced their new lives.

In that case, let's make the most of this last month or so we spend together, and cherish the time we have together.

"Get off!" Feng Zhen kicked Luo Nan off the bed. "How many times have I told you? You're not allowed to sit on the bed without changing your clothes. Go change your clothes and take a shower right now, you stink!"

Ronan staggered several steps before regaining his balance, turning around with a shocked expression.

It's not that you're not sad, Mom; I know you're easygoing.

I no longer expect the warm and loving daily life of a loving mother and filial son, but in these last days, can't you be a little gentler with me?

Ronan went back to his bedroom to take a shower and encountered his father, who was giving Marseille a bath, in his own bathroom.

"How can you give it a bath here?" Ronan poked his head in.

Luo Tianhai wrapped a towel around Marseille to absorb the water, and said without turning his head:
“You have a bathtub here. Marseille likes to play in the water, so I let him play for a while before his bath.”

As the saying goes, girls who can whine and whimper have the best lives.

A dog that can whimper is the luckiest in the family.

Whenever Luo Tianhai is home, Ma Sai will try every means to get him to hold her. Even though she's a big dog weighing over 40 pounds, she still thinks she's a 4-month-old baby.

Luo Tianhai really spoils his dog. The first thing he does when he gets home every day is to give it and Xiao Hei some good food, which is usually meat or fish brought back from the restaurant.

Later, Xiao Hei and Ma Sai went to work at the restaurant for a while because Luo Tianhai was worried about leaving the two dogs at home alone.

But once the tourist season started, the restaurant became too crowded, and it became inconvenient for the two dogs to stay there. They had to stay at home, and before Luo Tianhai's dogs were even affected, he developed separation anxiety.

Ronan often joked with Marseille that he should teach her how to use a telephone.

Marseille, the little black dog, is very perceptive and can tell that Ronan is using it to amuse himself. Lately, he avoids Ronan whenever he sees him, as if he has encountered his natural enemy.

Of course, Ronan was partly to blame. Perhaps it was due to Marseille's personality; Ronan always wanted to tease it and see how this 'movie star' would react. "The swimming pool will be fixed soon, then it and Little Black can play together as much as they want each day." Although Ronan, the 'father,' was a bit of a chatterbox, he was still very good to the two dogs.

Luo Tianhai disagreed. As he combed Ma Sai's fur, he said:

“After you and Zoe get married, Marseille and Little Black can come live with us.”

“No way.” Ronan’s smile faded. “I have a lot of space here, and the backyard is full of things to play with. Zoe even designed a special water tank for her babies. If you go with them, they’ll have to stay at home all day and won’t be able to go anywhere else.”

Luo Tianhai paused for a few seconds, then said in an icy tone:
"I'm afraid you won't be able to take good care of them."

As Ronan took off his shirt, he said with a smile:
"I took great care of Xiao Hei before you came. Even if you don't trust me, don't you trust Zoe? She cares about the children even more than you do. She'll be working from home every day from now on, so she can take care of them."

"What are you going to do?" Luo Tianhai asked, turning around when he saw Luo Nan had taken off his clothes.

Ronan stood there, dumbfounded, completely bewildered.
"Take a shower."

Luo Tianhai waved his hand at him in a rather unfriendly tone:
"You go out first. Marseille doesn't like you being too close. You can come in after we've finished washing."

Seemingly knowing that someone was backing him up, the movie star Marseille even barked twice at Ronan in a dog-like manner.

Ronan left the bathroom speechlessly and joined the queue for a shower.

Through the half-open door, one could hear Luo Tianhai muttering to himself.

"If Ronan bullies you, come find me at the restaurant. You know where the restaurant is, right?"

"Call me three times, and I'll know that brat is bullying you. Watch how I deal with him."

"If Xiao Hei gets bullied, bark at me twice. Understand?"

Ronan stood outside, sighing repeatedly.

Ronan understood his mother's reaction, as she had always been a very easygoing person.

But even a sensitive old father can be like this.
Compared to himself, he seemed to be more reluctant to part with these two dogs?

Because of the long queue, it was already very late when Ronan finished showering, well past his usual rest time. His parents, who liked to stay up late, were also in bed by then.

However, perhaps because he had just taken a shower, he seemed quite energetic.

Just as I was looking for something to do, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the bedroom door had been pushed open a crack.

A pale face was faintly visible in the darkness, and the person had disheveled hair.

"My God!" Ronan was so frightened that he fell onto the bed, his whole body tense up.

"Why are you shouting so loudly? What time is it?" Ronan's mother slapped her face and walked into the bedroom.

"Didn't we just apply cucumber slices?" Ronan asked, still shaken. "Why are you putting on a face mask again?"

"They're not for the same purpose. One is to tighten the skin, and the other is to moisturize. Provence summers are so sunny, you need to moisturize more often." Feng Zhen peeled off the mask, handed it out, and asked with a look of disdain, "There's still some left, don't waste it. You can use it, look how dark you are."

Ronan sighed and waved his hand:
"No, no, leave it for Dad. Why aren't you asleep yet, it's so late?"

Ronan finally understood that a life of maternal love and filial piety was absolutely impossible in this house.

His mother could only keep poking at his heart.

Feng Zhen tossed the face mask into Ronan's hand:
"Waiting for you, what else could I do? You came back so late, I did three skincare routines before I finally saw you! I can't stay up any longer, it'll accelerate aging. I'm going to sleep now. Take this face mask down to your dad so he can put it on his neck."

Ronan took the face mask, and asked, bewildered:
"He wasn't asleep either?"

"The TV said the food in Monaco is expensive and not good. He was worried you wouldn't eat well, so he cooked you soup for several hours, saying you should have a bowl to nourish yourself when you get back." Feng Zhen's figure disappeared into the darkness. "There are also some cold dishes I made for you in the refrigerator. Eat something if you're hungry before you go to sleep."

downstairs.

Luo Nan cooked a bowl of noodles in the broth prepared by Luo Tianhai. In front of him were various refreshing side dishes made by his mother. The familiar taste made him feel like he was home.

"I thought you had forgotten to turn off the downstairs lights, but it turns out you were waiting to make something for me."

Luo Tianhai is the typical stubborn father. He may act well towards his son, but it is absolutely impossible for him to admit it.

"You slept a little too long this afternoon and aren't sleepy at all. I'll make some soup for you to drink tomorrow morning. You made it in time." After giving Ma Sai a bath, Luo Tianhai brushed Xiao Hei's fur. He got up, clapped his hands, and checked how much Ronan had eaten before leaving with peace of mind. "Just soak in the pool after you finish eating. Go and rest. I'm going upstairs."

Ronan asked his father's retreating figure:

"Are we going to buy spices tomorrow?"

Provençal spices are one of the most important raw materials for the restaurant. To ensure quality, Luo Tianhai personally goes to the market to buy them.

“Yes, your mother and I will go tomorrow.” Luo Tianhai continued upstairs without stopping.

Ronan swallowed what was in his mouth:
"I'll go with you and Mom tomorrow morning."

Regardless of his parents' mindset, Ronan was a little reluctant to part with them.

He decided to spend as much time as possible with his parents during this final period before becoming independent.

Just like Zoe said, don't leave any regrets.

(End of this chapter)