1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 483 A Stomach Like a Bottomless Pit

Zoe's eyes were fixed on the almonds that Ronan's family had bought at the market that morning.

From a business perspective, almonds are arguably the world's premier nut, ranking among the top tier in terms of both production volume and scale.

Unfortunately, France's annual almond production ranks near the bottom internationally, accounting for approximately 0.014% of the global total.

The United States, which has the largest annual output, is more than 5200 times larger than France.

The ancient Greeks introduced almonds to Europe more than 2000 years ago, but the French only began to cultivate them seriously in the 16th century, and only in the Provence region.

But Provence is a land full of wonder.

Official data provided by a well-known international ecological association indicates that:

"After years of verification, American almonds and French almonds taste different. American almonds are far less delicious than French almonds, but France produces too few almonds."

This ecological association is very fortunate that they are able to taste French almonds outside of France.

The French need luck to get their hands on native almonds!
The people of Provence have already tried very hard.

Despite the interference from dominant crops like grapes, lavender, and olives, they still manage to grow almonds, but this effort still can't fill the stomachs of all the French people.

Reports indicate that domestic almond production accounts for only one-twentieth of the country's total consumption.

The French people's love for almonds is inversely proportional to their ranking in the world's annual almond production.

Almonds are very popular with the French, whether they're added to bread, dishes, desserts, or snacks. The French practically devour almonds.

Leaving aside places further away, the most famous dessert in Aix-en-Provence is calison, made primarily with almonds.

The Aix-en-Provence tourism bureau claims that they sell more than 400 million copies annually.

Such reports undoubtedly increased the anxiety among almond enthusiasts.

Whenever almonds appear on the market, customers don't even know what they want to do with them or whether they can cook them themselves, but they just can't resist buying two pounds at the stall—that's what food-loving Provençal people can do.

Ronan's family went to the market early in the morning, which is how they managed to snag such a large bag.

When they returned the way they came after buying the spices, the almond stalls had all packed up and gone home; they were just that popular!
Zoe is also a huge almond fanatic; the picky eater always orders a calison whenever she goes to Aix-en-Provence.

She'd been staring at that bag of almonds for a long time. Such a precious ingredient had to be prepared something while it was still fresh.

Cavaillon melon, seafood, almonds. This is the third food that Zoe has become "obsessed" with since she met her over a year ago.

Ronan really wanted to see when that number would reach two digits.

However, since Zoe has her eye on Almond, Ronan will indulge her.

He searched around the kitchen:
"I'll make you calises. All the ingredients are readily available; we're just in need of dessert."

We have the sauces, the meat, the seafood, the vegetables, and the wine. All that's missing from a perfect barbecue feast is a delicious dessert.

“Mama Calison hasn’t taught me yet.” Zoe bent down to find the butter. “I’ll bake some almond cookies; I know how to do that.”

"You can make desserts?" Ronan's eyes widened, and he squatted down with Zoe. "No, darling... you're going to make more?"

When did my fiancée become a master chef?!

Zoe's tone carried a hint of trepidation:

"I'm not making much, but cookies are simple, so I shouldn't mess it up. Go prepare the rest, I'll take care of the desserts."

The sauce took a lot of time to prepare, so we need to hurry.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Ronan asked, somewhat unsure.

Zoe muttered under her breath:

"I've done such a good job, why are you still worried?"

"Alright, alright, you're the head chef, I'll listen to you!" Ronan rubbed Zoe's face.

Seafood is hard to find in Luberon during the summer.

Hearing that there was still a lot of fresh seafood left over from lunch, Ronan had Freddy order more than planned.

Besides keeping some to grill, Ronan also helped Zoe make two different seafood salads, a seafood platter, and a seafood-related main dish.

Add two lambs, a whole beef rib, and plenty of vegetables to make barbecue skewers.
As soon as Alain arrived in Ronan's backyard, he wanted to have a glass of 'Provence Hole' first, because he had also brought a lot of honey and lavender butter bread.

“Our gathering today can easily accommodate 30 people, no, I guess 35 would be fine too.” Alan noticed the appetizers, strawberries, cherries, and several bowls of tempting sauces already laid out on the outdoor table. “Isn’t tonight’s feast a bit too much?”

"Is this enough? Zoe even baked some almond cookies inside," Ronan said proudly. "She prepared all these appetizers, kebabs, and sauces; I was just her assistant today."

"Huh?" Alan, who had already sat down, stood up again upon hearing Ronan's words, drawing a large circle on the table with his arm. "You mean, Zoe prepared all of this?"

“Our little girl has grown up.” Carl appeared, leaning on his cane, followed by his wife and their two sons.

Ronan happily embraced the former village chief:
"I'm so happy you could come. You have no idea how much fun our gathering would be without you."

Old Karl's legs were already bad, and he had to use a cane at all times.

The cold snap at the beginning of the year aggravated his leg ailment, and he missed several gatherings afterward.

As the temperature rose, his condition improved, and he was able to go out and move around more.

“So much has changed in just a few months of leave.” Old Carl hugged Ronan and looked around. “Where is our head chef? I need to praise her in person.”

Ronan smiled and pointed into the house:
"Zoe went to look at almond cookies."

Old Karl happily tapped his cane a few times:

“Our little girl has grown into a young woman, and she can serve as a wife to entertain guests.”

Ronan never tires of praising Zoe:
"Zoe knows so many things now, she will definitely be the best wife in the future."

"Here they come, the cookies are here!" Feng Zhen placed a large tray of almond cookies on the outdoor table. "Zoe said this is her first time baking almond cookies, but they don't look like them at all to me. They look pretty good."

In the area of ​​Quazoi, Feng Zhen is also second to none.

She really loves this daughter-in-law!
She's the epitome of being elegant in public and capable in the kitchen!
"Wow, that's great!" Freddy chimed in, patting his belly excitedly. "Tonight I'm going to unleash my full power and wipe them all out!"

At parties where Freddie was present, there was rarely anything left over.

This guy's stomach is a true bottomless pit. He keeps saying, "I can't take it anymore, I'm going to burst," but he can still eat two more bowls of noodles.

The next second, two more large trays appeared on the table, each containing just as many almond cookies as the one Feng Zhen had brought.

Freddie emitted a nasal sound of 'fear':

"Yes, tonight is indeed very 'sumptuous'."

Zoe took off her heat-resistant gloves and awkwardly tidied her hair.
"I didn't get the quantity right the first time; I made too much," Ronan, Zoe's most loyal supporter, said with a grin.

"Not many, not many, we will definitely wipe them all out!"

Today's gathering is the first time Ronan and Zoe have hosted everyone as the 'hosts'.

In the past, at parties held at Ronan's house, the head chef was either Ronan or Luo Tianhai.

This meant that once the party started, the friends' conversations revolved entirely around Ronan and Zoe's wedding.

Some people are concerned about how the wedding preparations are going.

Some people asked about the date, but it hasn't been set yet.

Old Karl, an insider, reminded them that they could actually start preparations before the renovation of Lourmaran Castle was completed, because the renovation work mainly focused on restoring the historical appearance of the exterior walls and the arcade courtyards, with little change to the interior. As long as they paid attention to safety and security, they could go in and prepare in advance.

"Is it really possible?" Ronan and Zoe exchanged a glance, then asked Old Man Ka uncertainly, "But that's the renovation of a historical artifact."

If they could get in early, that would be wonderful, so they could hold the wedding as soon as the castle was restored; otherwise, the date would have to be postponed.

Old Karl rubbed his palm against his cane a few times:
"I'll talk to Blanco when I see him next time; it shouldn't be a big problem."

Ronan and Zoe simultaneously raised their glasses to thank him:

"Then I'll trouble you!"

Old Karl raised his glass, but it was filled with water.

Last year he was entitled to a glass of wine with every meal, but after his leg injury worsened this year, that privilege was also lost.

Old Karl's wife returned the toast for her husband, and said with a smile to her two children:

"I'll owe you this drink for now. When you get married, I'll make sure Karl has a proper 'relaxation'."

"Oh God, thank Ronan and Zoe!" Old Karl was so happy that he felt young again, and his movements became a little more agile.

Freddie, his mouth greasy, joined in as well:

"Thanks Ronan and Zoe, I had such a great meal today!"

“Thank you Ronan and Zoe for the hospitality tonight—” the friends echoed.

The only two who didn't react were Louis and Leah on the other side of the table.

While everyone was busy anticipating Ronan and Zoe's wedding, the two were whispering sweet nothings to each other.

The commotion of everyone raising their glasses didn't stop them.

“Louis, Leah! What’s wrong with you two today? Why aren’t you joining our conversation?” Freddy gestured with his cup to get their attention.

Louis, a beat slower, raised his glass and smiled, saying:
"Sorry, sorry, I was discussing with Leah where we'd stay in Nice next month. Staying by the sea would allow us to enjoy the scenery, while staying in the old town would allow us to go downstairs and eat authentic Mediterranean food. I got a little carried away."

"Are you going to Nice next month?" Alain put down the lobster he was holding. "Our group trip plans for this year haven't materialized yet, why don't we all go together?"

Alan looked at old Karl expectantly:
"Karl, are you coming too?"

Last year, these friends and their wives went to Cannes for a trip, which was around May.

Everyone was still having so much fun on that group trip that we started planning another one as soon as we got back.

Old Carl had been cooped up at home for too long, so when he heard he could go out and have fun, he naturally agreed:
"Even if I can't swim in the sea with you guys, I'll still lie on the beach. I've been so bored these past few months."

Louis impatiently interrupted everyone's reverie:

"This trip was just the two of us, Leah and me. How about we go together next time? We can go to Nice again too."

Alan asked, not understanding:
"Why does it have to be just the two of you? Wouldn't it be better if everyone went together and had some fun?"

Louis suddenly took Leah's hand and kissed it:
"This was my honeymoon trip to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary, so of course it was just the two of us."

Lia blushed and dodged away.

How old are they? Who can stand doing this kind of thing in front of everyone?

But Louis hugged her neck, chased after her, and kissed her:
"From now on, I will go on a vacation with Leah every year, just the two of us."

Leah wasn't the only one who couldn't accept such a heated scene.
"What are you two doing!" Alan covered his eyes.

Freddie forgot to chew and stared at them as if he'd seen a ghost.

Feng Zhen turned her face away; her eyes were so hot they were almost watering.

Ronan's features contorted in pain as he stammered softly to Zoe:
Why are they like this?

Zoe, seemingly unfazed, grabbed another skewer of grilled squid.

“I told you, the two of them are back to their honeymoon phase. Vieri is so sick at home that he can’t eat, and he absolutely refuses to come with us today.”

Louis and Leah acted like a newlywed couple, and the focus of the party naturally shifted from Ronan and Zoe to the two of them.

It was Zoe's first time organizing a party, but she wasn't the center of attention, even though the chances were slim. However, the thoughtful and warm-hearted Ronan was worried that Zoe might feel disappointed, so he kept serving everyone food and desserts, praising Zoe's cooking skills, while also keeping his own mouth busy.

According to Feng Zhen's incomplete statistics, his contribution to the food tonight was no less than Freddie's.

Of those three plates of cookies, about a third ended up in Ronan's stomach.

As soon as his friends left, Feng Zhen poured the fennel and rosemary perfume she had prepared beforehand into his mouth:
"You ate too much today, really too much! You're already so tanned, you absolutely can't gain weight. You'll look terrible in your wedding photos!"

Ronan also felt he had eaten too much today, but would drinking spiced water help?
Let's do something practical instead.

"I'm going to walk the dog to digest my food." Ronan thought he had found a good solution and looked down to search. "Where's the dog? I remember it was waiting for meat under the table just now."

Feng Zhen exclaimed, "Ouch!"
"Don't even mention it. Xisen's son chased Xiao Hei and Ma Sai all over the yard. The two dogs were so tired they could barely walk and went inside to sleep a long time ago."

Xisen's son was at the age where even dogs would avoid him; he would jump around and run around while eating, and then suddenly left the dining area to play by himself.

Ronan was wondering what had caught his attention; it turned out the dog really had rejected it.

I can't walk the dog anymore; it's too boring to go for a walk by myself late at night.

But Ronan didn't want Zoe to accompany him either, as she had been busy and tired all afternoon.

How to do it?

Seeing that Ronan was really going to go out, Feng Zhen asked:
"Where are you going?"

Ronan waved his hand:

"Let's go for a sheep walk."

(End of this chapter)