1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 480 I Have a Plan, Would You Like to Hear It? (Revised)
With Quincy around, it will be difficult for Ellian to intervene in Lourmaran from a governmental perspective. Blanco and his ilk will definitely listen to Quincy, the person in charge, without a doubt.

It wouldn't be good to bypass Quincy and directly influence Blanco; that would affect Quincy's working relationship with him, and it would be foolish.

But there was something Elian really wanted to do, a feeling that was incredibly urgent.

Therefore, she had to find another way, or rather, another person.

Bypass the government, find a key person, and connect with them privately.

With the backing of the wealthy tourism bureau, it wouldn't be difficult for Ellian to find someone like that.

Who can resist the temptation of sweet words?

But not just anyone can be chosen, because the key requirement is that they must be able to influence the independent women of Lourmaran.

The first person Elian thought of was the person in charge named Badi, whom she had met in the weaving courtyard that morning.

The women of Lourmaran seemed to trust him, and when they arrived, Baty was discussing contract details with them. It was clear that Baty would be their direct supervisor once the women became full-time employees of the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative.

By bringing someone of that status to their side, they could organize the women to do what Elian wanted to see. It was simple and efficient to execute.

But when she recalled Barty's gaze, Elian felt uneasy. She didn't know what was wrong, but she felt that the gaze was very naked, but she couldn't figure out what emotion was being naked.

Moreover, Barty seems too easy to talk to; he quickly gives in to women's sweet talk and seems to lack any independent thought. This kind of guy is not a good partner.

But who else can we turn to?

The candidate had to be from Lourmaran village and have some influence, but Ellian had only been to Lourmaran twice and didn't know any of the villagers there.

Quincy's words reminded her of a very important name—Ronan.

How could we forget about this person who appears so frequently in the project proposal?
This name will definitely appear in any document related to Lourmaran.

Ronan is the head of Stella, the chairman of the Lourmarin Handicraft Cooperative, the owner of Lourmarin's most popular Chinese restaurant, and a national treasure artist of Provence. These honors and titles underpin his influence in Lourmarin.

But Ronan's influence in Lourmaran goes far beyond that.

Ellian recalled what Blanco had said during his last visit to Lourmaran—that Ronan was the one who influenced the villagers to spontaneously repair their houses, that Ronan was the one who gave women jobs, and that Ronan was the one who encouraged women to use their own hands to create a better future.
Blanco referred to this man named Ronan using the 'label' of Lourmaran.

This is her perfect partner!

After figuring all this out, Elian took another stroll around Lourmaran, mainly to sort out her thoughts and confirm that no one else was more suitable than Ronan before she went to Ronan's restaurant.

Unfortunately, Ronan is not here.

Fortunately, they finally met and got off to a pretty good start.

However, things started even better than Elian had anticipated; Ronan actually managed to squeeze out a seat for him in the crowded restaurant.

“These are some of the restaurant’s specialties that I ordered. We’ve made some modifications, and the locals really enjoy them.” Knowing that Elian hadn’t had lunch yet, Ronan warmly offered to treat her. After arranging the food, he tentatively asked, “Are you in Lourmaran for work or personal reasons? May I have a drink?”

Ellian smiled and said:
"Whether for official or private reasons, drinking rosé wine is for business purposes, so it's okay to have a little."

They were definitely prepared. Ronan was even more certain of their situation. The restaurant was crowded, so Ronan personally fetched the rosé wine and glasses. When he sat down again, a cold dish had already been served.

"Eat, you're welcome."

Elian didn't rush to pick up his chopsticks, but instead looked at the cold dish and asked:
"It seems to have changed?"

The last time they visited Lourmaran, Blanco hosted them here and ordered this specialty dish as well.

But Elian clearly remembered that it wasn't like this last time.

It's not just the posing that's different; it seems the ingredients and cooking methods have changed as well?
"You've been here before?" Ronan was a little surprised. Ellian hadn't mentioned this when they were ordering. But he still explained seriously, "The dishes are upgraded every now and then. Some are to cater to everyone's tastes, some are technological innovations, and some are to create our own 'specialty'. Try it, the taste is different now."

Ellian has met many successful people from Provence.

Her impression of wealthy and famous men was that they were preachy, constantly lecturing, or talking eloquently about their glorious history, and when it came to business, they only talked about the good side.

But Ronan gave her a different feeling than those rich and powerful men.

It's hard to put into specifics, but perhaps it's because of his respect and emphasis on 'women' that Elian developed a bias against him, finding him exceptionally 'refreshing'.

With that in mind, she finally began the important topic:
"I came here today to talk to you about the Lourmaran handicraft cooperative."

Ronan leaned forward, indicating that he was listening attentively.

“I think you should do something about getting women out of their homes and into society. Do you know how difficult this is in Luberon?” Ellian asked patiently. “Have you ever thought about using this to influence more people?”

Ronan said very frankly:
"The initial intention was to make the villagers happier and wealthier. Their income was too low before, and I happened to have a way to earn money. They also had the time and ability to do handicrafts, so the 'cooperation' started. But fortunately, the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative has developed quite well, and we have found a more challenging but also more promising path. So this 'cooperation' can be upgraded. As for what you said about influencing more people—"

Ronan gave a bitter smile:
"I really hadn't thought of that, mainly because my abilities are limited."

Ronan's answer was exactly what Elian expected.

If Ronan wanted to do something around this, she would have done so long ago, and the Lourma government would have cooperated with this key villager without her having to actively seek her out.

Since Ronan cannot agree with him on the same goals, he needs to find common ground elsewhere in order to win over this powerful partner.

She quickly found a breakthrough:

"May I ask about the future development plans of the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative?"

Ellian was unaware of the future development of the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative; the information she had seen was very general on this topic.

Ronan was certainly happy to share their new direction and plans with Elian.

Regardless of her job title, women of Elian’s age are their target audience.

“We hope to develop the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative into a high-end furniture brand.”

Elian pondered for a few seconds, then rested his elbow on the table:
"I have a method here that can help you achieve your goal quickly. Would you like to hear it?"

(End of this chapter)