1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 489 Weight Loss Starts with Controlling Your Diet

Apart from his loud voice and robust physique, the old man showed no other distinguishing features and could easily be mistaken for an ordinary farmer from Luberon.

However, as soon as the word 'executioner' was uttered, not only the guests at the table next to him, but also the people at four or five surrounding tables stopped eating and chatting and turned their attention to him.

This is probably what the old man wanted—attention and focus.

When the audience had all arrived, he poured the drinks, and the speech continued.

“Executioners my age didn’t have the best of luck. I worked for over 20 years and only chopped off about 50 heads. I guess even if the guillotine hadn’t been abolished, that number would have been hard to reach 100, no, even 80 would have been difficult,” the old man said with a mixture of regret and longing. “But over 100 years ago, an executioner’s career required participation in at least 400 executions. You know Henri Sanson, right? The one who executed Louis XVI. He participated in over 3000 executions in his lifetime, averaging five or six heads a day!”

France has had the death penalty since the Middle Ages.

In the late 16th century, the French began to discuss the issue of whether to retain or abolish the death penalty. The parliament debated the matter fiercely, and the final result was that the death penalty system was retained. However, in order to appease those who advocated for its abolition, a resolution was passed to abolish torture and that all those sentenced to death would be beheaded.

In 1792, physician Joseph Iñás Guillotin proposed replacing traditional torture with mechanical beheading to ensure 'equal and painless' executions—and the guillotine was born.

Two years after the guillotine was introduced, the French Revolution broke out, and this 'humanitarian' form of execution resulted in the deaths of approximately 17,000 people, including Louis XVI and Robespierre.

This revolution ushered in a golden age for the executioner profession.

In fact, executioners existed as early as the Middle Ages, initially authorized by the church and the king to execute heretics, traitors, and criminals through methods including hanging, burning at the stake, and dismemberment.

In those days, executioners were a stigmatized profession, and their families suffered social discrimination for generations.

But with the arrival of the golden age, executioners became a hereditary profession with quite generous rewards.

The Henri Sanson family, who carried out the execution of Louis XVI, monopolized the position of executioner in Paris for nearly 200 years. It was not only hereditary but also a large-scale operation. Each execution involved a chief executioner, first assistant, second assistant, third assistant, doctor, recorder, and porters. It didn't look like a head-to-body separation but rather like a delicate surgery.

At its peak, the Sanson family's team consisted of 15 people, and it is said that when Louis XVI was executed, they brought eight assistants with them.

These executioner families gradually declined as the death penalty was reduced in France during the 20th century.

After 1900, the number of death sentences in France decreased significantly, mainly targeting murder and treason, sometimes not even reaching three digits a year.

In 1981, François Mitterrand spearheaded France to become the 35th European country to abolish the death penalty, thus ending the use of the guillotine and the profession of executioner.

Some tourists were drawn to the old man's profession and asked him curiously:
"Are there still guillotines in Provence? Where can we go to see them if we want to?"

"All the guillotines that have been used to carry out executions have been taken away by the state and placed in the Paris Prison Museum." The old man spread his hands. "Child, if you see a guillotine anywhere, I swear it's because someone is trying to steal your money."

"Oh, that's a shame," said the two foreigners at the next table.

The guillotine is definitely one of the most distinctive features of France.

The old gentleman had an endless passion for the topic of executioners, as if it were both his former profession and his most fervent hobby:

"You can buy models. There's a village called Londa north of the Sog River. There's a museum there where you can buy highly realistic guillotines. If you're interested in handcuffs and shackles, they have a variety of styles to choose from, from simple 18th-century chains and neck chains to much more complex double neck shackles and handcuffs. Of course, these entry-level ones are for children. There are also branding irons, thumb clamps, spiked torture chairs that are unbearable to endure for even a second, signed nooses, multi-tipped whips, pliers, neck and hand clamps, tourniquets, acupressure devices, restraint equipment of various shapes and sizes, iron masks, and head pressers."

The old man became more and more excited as he spoke.

The surrounding guests listened, their expressions becoming increasingly distorted; several even rubbed themselves in apparent pain.
Ronan quickly interrupted the old man's explanation of criminal detention, opening his arms in a tone of 'long time no see':

"God, look who's here! It's our 'executor of justice'!"

Ronan successfully diverted the old man's attention, and he finally stopped announcing the names of those detained, opening his arms to Ronan:

"Oh, it's you! That young man who loves listening to stories, let me think about which head's story I should tell you today—"

After a brief hug, the old man patted Ronan on the back and said:

"Kid, I bet you've had a great time these past few months. You're much fatter than you were in winter."

Around 3 p.m., Theo pushed open the door and immediately saw Ronan sitting behind the cashier.

He tapped on the cashier's counter and urged:
"Bruno asked me to call you over to his house for a get-together tonight. His wife is going to make pizza for everyone, the kind that smells so good you'll bite your tongue off. If you don't have anything else to do, just come over."

Ronan rested his chin on one arm and waved his hand:
"I'll go again tonight. You don't need to wait for me for dinner. I'll just go over for a couple of drinks and won't eat dinner."

"Do you have any other parties?" Theo asked, leaning against the cashier.

Ronan shook his head weakly:
"No, I've canceled all my recent gatherings."

"Why?" Theo asked, puzzled.

Is a day without gatherings even a day?

Life is better than death!

Ronan straightened up and patted his face:
"Don't you think I've gained weight recently? Zoe and I are going to take our wedding photos in two weeks, so I need to lose some weight quickly."

Theo blinked and said seriously:
"No."

Ronan sighed and lay down.
“You see me every day, of course you can’t tell.”

Feng Zhen, Zoe, Sandrine, Henry, and Theo all met Ronan almost every day, so it was hard to see any changes in him.

But people who haven't seen Ronan in a long time can see the changes in him, such as Bruno, whom he hadn't seen for more than a month, and the old executioner, whom he had last met in winter.

Ronan had previously held onto a sliver of hope, thinking, "How easy is it to get fat?"
Now Ronan is certain—he really has gained weight!
But upon closer reflection, this is inevitable.

After arriving in Provence, Ronan's stomach gradually became Provençal, as deep as a bottomless pit.

Last winter, I went into the mountains to dig for truffles. When the weather is warm, I have to farm, so I eat a lot and digest a lot of food.

But after the truffle harvesting season ended this year, he stopped doing physical labor. Making furniture didn't require much physical exertion either. He didn't eat less, and his appetite even improved. Since his energy expenditure was less than his intake, he gained weight.

Theo tried to persuade him a few more times, and finally gave up:
"Okay, then go early. We're all waiting for you. If you ask me, starting tomorrow, find some physical work to do during the day. I guarantee you'll lose weight no matter how much you eat."

Ronan waved:

"I'll think about it. You go ahead and eat more for me."

Ronan and Zoe maintained their habit of going out every night, usually after dinner and resting for a while before going out.

But tonight, Ronan only ate a little fruit, probably afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself. He hid while everyone else was eating, which made Zoe very distressed.

"You're not going to eat dinner anymore?"

"Mwah—" Zoe slapped Huhu, who was trying to squeeze between her and Ronan:
"I wasn't asking you, I was asking Ronan. I'll make you something to eat when we get back tonight, a little bit won't hurt."

Huhu has been behaving well lately. It follows Ronan when he pulls the rope and doesn't seem to want to escape. Ronan is going to Bruno's house later, so there won't be time for a solo sheep walk. Therefore, we're taking it with us for our night walk tonight.

However, since they brought Huhu out, they couldn't go to the bustling areas of the village and could only head towards the desolate areas outside the village.

Ronan, holding the rope, said with a worried expression:
"I'm not eating. I'm even thinking of eating less at lunch. I just calculated the days, and there are less than fifteen days left until our wedding photo shoot. I have to cut back on those fifteen days."

On his way to Zoe's house to fetch sheep that evening, Ronan passed by the post office and weighed himself. He had gained a full 10 pounds since the beginning of the year.

Every bite of pork pie, Provençal stew, tomato oxtail, cream chowder, and honey bread did not disappoint him; they all left evidence.

Getting married is one of the biggest events in a person's life.

Wedding photos are among the most important photos of a lifetime.

The clothes for their wedding photos and wedding dress were all custom-made. Shortly after Ronan proposed, he and Zoe went to X to have their measurements taken.

Judging by the timing, the truffle harvesting season had just ended when he proposed, so Ronan should still be in a 'slim' figure.

He vowed to lose those 10 pounds so he could be in the best possible condition for his marriage with Zoe.

Compared to big cities, Provence has a low obesity rate. The traditional Mediterranean diet is low in fat and high in fiber, which does not put too much burden on the body. Therefore, the concept of 'weight loss' is not popular here.

When encountering an obese person, people will at most say "pay attention to your diet" and will not take any drastic measures.

Moreover, Zoe truly believed that Ronan and the fat man had nothing to do with each other.

There's clearly no change.

The thighs, arms, chest muscles, etc., feel amazing to the touch.

Zoe withdrew her hand from Ronan's chest:

“Not eating is very unhealthy, and we don’t think you’re fat. Don’t be too anxious. Just eat less and pay attention to your diet.”

Ronan sighed:

"But what if I can't fit into the dress? Will alterations affect our wedding schedule?"

Zoe shook her head righteously and sternly:
"No, you've only gained 10 pounds, how could you not fit into it? I've talked to the designer, it'll just be a little tight at most. My dad can still wear the clothes he wore when he got married to my mom, and he was 30 pounds thinner back then."

Ronan stopped and stared wide-eyed at Zoe:

"So you noticed I'd gained weight all along??"

"Meow—meow meow—meow meow meow—"

Huhu tried very hard to join the family, so Zoe quickly pulled Huhu away:

"Come on, let's go there and take a look. Ronan definitely didn't take you there, right?"

The area surrounding Lourmaran village is abundant with grasslands, and some farmers have responded to the 'removal plan' by leaving their land vacant. No matter which direction you leave the village, you can find a perfect area to walk your sheep.

But Huhu never stops in one area, even if the surrounding vegetation is lush.

It likes to walk with its head down until Ronan stops it and pulls the rope tight. Then it will try to 'resist' for a while. When it is sure that Ronan will not agree to continue, it will stop to eat grass and rest.

To burn more calories, Ronan followed Huhu to a place far from the center of Lourmaran village, a place he had never been before, before tightening the rope.

Huhu stared blankly ahead in the darkness for a while, and after more than ten seconds, it finally lowered its head and began to look for grass to eat around it.

"You mean Huhu always stares blankly ahead like that for a while?" This was Zoe's first time accompanying Ronan on a sheep walk, and many details could only be heard from Ronan.

Ronan held the rope casually in his palm:

"Yes, every time I stopped it from moving, it would stare blankly ahead. At first, I thought it wanted to go somewhere, but then I realized that there didn't seem to be such a place. It just wanted to keep moving forward because I had taken it out of the village from all directions in Lourmaran and hadn't found any fixed direction."

Zoe pulled at the hem of her skirt, squatted down, and patted Huhu's head:

"There are so many things in this little guy's head that we don't understand. Sometimes I really want to know what he's thinking."

Taking the sheep out for walks twice a day made Ronan find the little guy a bit more agreeable.

Although Huhu still doesn't really respect Ronan, at least he obediently follows him forward and backward.

Ronan also patted Huhu's head:
"After getting to know it better, I sometimes find it quite cute, provided it's not directed at me."

“Huhu is cute anyway.” Zoe removed a few weeds from Huhu’s neck. “Seeing you two get along so well makes me so happy.”

Ronan also crouched down, looked into Zoe's eyes, and said:

"But no one is cuter than you."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then simultaneously leaned towards each other.

"Baa baa baa—" A sheep's head appeared between the two, completely ruining the kiss.

Ronan grabbed the ram's horns, not wanting them to spoil the wonderful atmosphere.

The next second, a sheep's hoof landed on his calf, kicking him so hard he sat down.

"I think only charcoal fire can cook you!" Ronan roared, pointing at Huff.

What's wrong with this sheep?!

Ines was very efficient; a few days after returning from Monaco, she informed Ronan that she had 'convinced' Llorente to send Ronan's stall to as many markets as possible in Provence.

Although the president spoke casually, Ronan knew that things were not so easy behind the scenes, because Llorente was laughing non-stop when he called Ronan, which meant that Ines had promised him something quite generous.

Perhaps in order to get Ines's promise as soon as possible, Llorente was incredibly proactive, constantly urging Ronan to resolve the manpower issue quickly, as he could have his stall appear in any market at any time.

The pressure is now on Ronan's side.

Where can you find people to set up stalls at the market?
Who should be in charge of this business?
(End of this chapter)