1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 505 Mothers Are Overabundant

How effective is this announcement?
Ronan and Zoe were still looking for the fourth sign in the village when villagers began to line up around them to congratulate them.

The elderly gentleman and lady gave up their afternoon nap, the farmers stopped working, the shopkeepers abandoned their customers, and the roadside vendors stopped hawking their wares.
Ladies and gentlemen, at this moment, please put down everything you are doing, because something wonderful is about to happen in Lourmaran!

"God, you've finally come this far."

"Congratulations Zoe, congratulations Ronan! I'm so happy for you two!"

"Children, am I seeing things? Your wedding venue is Lourmaran Castle? Is it the Lourmaran Castle I'm thinking of?"

“Haha, old Adrian, does Luberon have any other places called Lourmaran Castle? This is Zoe and Ronan, what’s wrong with them having their wedding in the castle? Even if they were to have their wedding in the town hall, Blanco would definitely make room for them.”

"I'm already looking forward to July 20th!"

The lucky villagers ran into Ronan and Zoe right there on the street.

The unlucky villagers saw the notice and, while notifying acquaintances, rushed to Ronan's house, Zoe's house, and Ronan's Chinese restaurant.

As Zoe analyzed, marriage is the most important event in a person's life in the parish of Avignon, and Lourmaran must send his blessings as soon as a new family is born.

In the restaurant, Feng Zhen said "thank you" so many times that she almost lost oxygen to her brain.

When the kind-hearted villagers couldn't find Ronan and Zoe, they talked to her as if she were getting married.

You know what, even though she had known for a long time that her son was getting married, the atmosphere today immediately changed Feng Zhen's feelings. She felt a sense of melancholy and reluctance, as if her son was about to grow up.

There's nothing we can do; women are just that emotional.

Especially older women.

"Do you know where Ronan is?" Feng Zhen asked Cornell, who was about to push open the door.

Ronan and his fellow St. Scottish colleagues would take turns having lunch at the restaurant, while Cornell would rush back to the Rosé Museum after his meal.

Cornell shook his head:
"I don't know, I didn't see him at noon."

Feng Zhen nodded:

"Okay, that's all, you can go back to your work."

Connell, worried that Feng Zhen might have something important to discuss with Ronan, pushed open the door and ran outside:

"There's still some time before his next speech, I'll go to the village to look for him."

Cornell jogged all the way and finally met Ronan and Zoe, who were surrounded by people, at the entrance of the old church.

Knowing that Ronan was from out of town, the villagers congratulated him and then told him some things to be aware of.

In fact, it's not just Ronan who complains about the difficulty of getting married in the Vaucluse province; local residents share the same sentiment.

To find a wife in Lourmaran requires more 'effort' than elsewhere.

"Ronan, why don't you go back to the restaurant? Your mother is looking for you," Cornell interrupted Ronan, who was listening to the lecture.

“Okay, got it.” Ronan nodded in agreement.

Zoe has returned to work and is going to her studio to create this afternoon. They've been outside for quite some time, so it's time for them to leave.

Cornell completed his search and returned to the Rosé Museum on the high street.

He has continued to work as a tour guide for the past few months, introducing Stellar Rosé to tourists from all over the world.

It is well known that marrying a city girl is Cornell's lifelong dream, so his current job makes him extremely satisfied—he can see many girls from big cities every day, and if he's lucky, he can even have a few words with them.

But after mid-June, Cornell will have to hand over this good job.

The Stescahau plant will be completed this month. Ronan has put Cornell back in the rosé business and handed over the presentation work to others, since he is currently the second most knowledgeable person about winemaking after Ronan.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't reluctant to leave. His work environment was going to change from being surrounded by beautiful women to being surrounded by a bunch of smelly men, and without this job, Cornell would have a hard time meeting city girls.

But the thought that he was finally going to enter the core business of Sterling filled him with excitement and anticipation.

"What's the use of just knowing city girls? Being as outstanding and wealthy as Ronan is the key to marrying a city girl, and I'm getting closer and closer to that goal." Cornell's cheeks flushed, and he quickened his pace. "Come on, Cornell, you can definitely marry a city girl!"

As Cornell crossed an intersection, he saw a girl sitting on the side of the road, rubbing her calves under the blazing sun.

He was an extremely warm-hearted young man, so warm-hearted that he was worried the other person might be timid, even accompanying them to urinate. Seeing this situation, he immediately stopped and asked with concern:

"Do you need help, miss?"

When the 'Miss' looked up, both of them froze.

"Ah, it's you, Condina." Connell awkwardly scratched his head.

After the rosé wine museum was completed, he, as a guide, received a period of government training. The explanations he uses now were edited by the government. The training specialist at that time was Contina, who had just joined the Lourmaran government and was always on call wherever needed.

Condina waited for Ronan and Zoe at the government building for the entire morning, and then rushed over to oversee the renovation and upgrade work on Lourmaran Street. By then, her legs were sore and swollen, and she plopped down wherever she could find a place to sit.

"It's alright, it's alright. I'll just sit down and rest for a bit. You can go ahead and do your work, don't worry about me."

Condina and Cornell weren't close; they only crossed paths during training. But there were many people at that training, and her impression of Cornell was simple: he was just a chubby little guy.

"Okay, I'm off then." Cornell waved and disappeared into the crowd.

Condina continued massaging her legs, secretly vowing to strengthen her lower body fitness.

As I was thinking, a small rattan stool appeared in front of me.

"The ground is cold. I took it from Buddy. I can return it when I'm done." Cornell put down the stool and ran off immediately. He was going to be late if he didn't go back soon.

Contina stared at the bench for two seconds, then sat down.
"A kind-hearted chubby boy."

Ronan arrived at the restaurant.

"You were looking for me?" he asked Feng Zhen, leaning against the cashier's counter.

This wave of emotion came so suddenly and so intensely that Feng Zhen didn't know how to broach the subject with Luo Nan. She couldn't very well say, "Son, I just miss you," so she simply recounted who had come and what they had said, like reciting a menu.

To be honest, she couldn't quite put her finger on what kind of feeling she was experiencing; it was simply an overwhelming maternal instinct, a willingness to give everything for her son's happiness. Ronan listened without any change in expression, simply nodding slightly.
"Okay, I understand. If there's nothing else, I'll go arrange the market interviews."

He sent the job postings to several surrounding villages, and recently some people have started calling to apply. Ronan has set a deadline of mid-June for himself, so he needs to speed things up.

"Hey—" Feng Zhen drawled, sounding annoyed, "Why aren't you as excited as those people who came to offer their blessings? Who's getting married anyway?"

The floodgates of maternal love have been closed a little.

Ronan had a lot of complaints about marriage.

Feng Zhen loved listening to gossip, so Ronan told his mother about the complicated marriage process in the province of Vaucluse, hoping that she would join him in complaining about the complicated system that made him wait so long.

"Submitting that document thicker than a dictionary is the first step, and the 10-day public notice period is the second step, but this is far from over. After the public notice period ends, a formal wedding must be held. Only after the wedding will Blanco sign the marriage register, and only then will my marriage with Zoe be valid. Just imagine how troublesome it is to get married here!" Ronan complained angrily.

Hearing that it was so difficult for her son to find a wife, Feng Zhen's maternal instincts kicked in again. However, instead of joining Ronan in his tirade as he had planned, she changed the subject:
"Alright, every place has its own rules. As the saying goes, 'good things come to those who wait.' Cheer up, son. There's nothing wrong with your and Zoe's records, so this marriage will definitely happen, and you'll have happy days ahead."

Ronan pursed his lips and sighed:
"Alright, I'll get back to work now."

Wanting to cheer her son up, Feng Zhen called him back and whispered:
"I've finished calculating the accounts for May, and I have this number."

Ronan looked down and saw Feng Zhen making a three-pointer gesture.

"So many?" Ronan stopped in his tracks.

When the accounts were settled in April, the restaurant's profit was more than 160,000 francs, but that only covered half of the days with high foot traffic.

In May, the tourist season officially begins, so the number Feng Zhen drew must be 300,000 francs.

"Mom will save it all for you this time," Feng Zhen said, patting Ronan on the back. "Your parents will work hard to earn money for you, and you just need to focus on living happily with Zoe without any worries, understand?"

Ronan gently hugged his mother:
"Thank you, Mom. I am very happy now."

Ronan has a habit of settling accounts at the end of the month, but recently he has been focusing on organizing the market, participating in the dessert competition in Aix-en-Provence, and applying for a marriage certificate. He hasn't had time to discuss the financial figures with the various business managers.

However, having obtained the restaurant's revenue figures, Ronan believed that the entire month of May must have been quite lucrative.

But Ronan couldn't live the carefree, happy life his mother had envisioned, because his financial burdens remained constant.

May can be described as a "major financial loss," starting with the payment of 120,000 francs to Professor Fernand's team for their experiments.

I also bought a second-hand airbag press that Jerome helped me find, which also cost 12 francs.

The wedding with Zoe had to be the best, otherwise it wouldn't be worthy of the venue at Lourmaran Castle. The good news was that the government didn't charge Ronan a venue fee, the waiters for the day were all available, and Ronan could handle the catering for the guests himself. All of this saved him a lot of trouble in choosing a venue.

Even so, Ronan has set aside a budget of 20 francs for the wedding, which has been gradually being spent recently. However, as long as the wedding is successful, there is no limit to the cost, since it is the most important event in one's life.

After spending all of the above, Ronan only had 20 francs left in his savings. Even with the 30 francs income from the restaurant this month, he was still struggling to make ends meet.

Because there are three major expenses waiting for him to pay in the future.

St. Strasbourg needed two presses, and after another month, Jerome still couldn't find the good second-hand machine Ronan wanted. After the cellar was built, Jerome was going to leave Provence for Madrid to retire, which meant that Ronan would most likely have to purchase a brand new pneumatic press, priced between 15 and 20 francs.

Another expense that must be made is for three shops in the second and third phases of the Lourmaran commercial street.

The investment promotion work had already begun, but Ronan had not yet signed the contract. If he could not earn enough money, he would have to take out a bank loan.

The last place I spent money was in the forest near Lourmaran where experiments were being conducted on artificial cultivation of truffles.

These three things are the three mountains weighing on his head.

But upon closer examination, Ronan wasn't entirely without the means to 'climb mountains'.

“The market can only earn a few tens of thousands of francs at most, truffles are still a ‘money-losing business,’ and we can’t count on the tourism industry in St. Stephen’s, too, is only a few tens of thousands.” Ronan pondered as he walked. “Before expanding the restaurant, the revenue ceiling is about 300,000 francs, so the only way to turn things around is to look at the situation in the weaving industry.”

This month, he and Zoe went to F1 and heavily promoted his various businesses. I think his income in May should bring some surprises.
Compared to other businesses, the potential of knitting is far from being realized, partly because Sandrine has only recently joined the business, and partly because two events this month will influence the future landscape of the knitting business.

One is that the "Art Guide to Provence" will be published in June, and Ronan and Zoe's rankings will surely bring some benefits. In Ronan's artist profile, there is a lot of information related to weaving, which will greatly help popularize the art of weaving in Provence.

And don't forget Batistuta. Although he ranked very low, he can still play a promotional role, as he only has time to weave one thing in his story.

The second key thing is the 'Free Sprout' certification that Elian helped Ronan apply for, which should be obtained this month if all goes well.

'Free Sprouts' has an extraordinary influence in the Provence region, and the premium for certified brands is multiplied, so it's not impossible for the weaving business to experience some 'miracles' in the coming months, and change will definitely begin in June.

Ronan didn't immediately go to the weaving courtyard to settle accounts; the most important thing now was to get the market arrangements settled as soon as possible.

In the long run, these seeds will surely create more miracles, so the earlier they are planted, the better.

"Let's wait a few days. We can go find Barty again and take a good look at the new furniture designs by the women." Ronan turned his gaze away from the direction of the weaving courtyard and continued along the original route.

Ronan pinned all his hopes on the weaving business.

But Feng Zhen disagrees with this.

Even after she got home that evening, her overflowing maternal love hadn't faded; she was still basking in the echo of "Congratulations!" in her ears.

Ronan didn't go home for dinner tonight; having successfully lost weight, he wanted to get together with his buddies.

The elderly couple often stayed home alone. Feng Zhen would watch TV while Luo Tianhai played with the dog, and neither of them would interfere with the other. But today, Feng Zhen couldn't concentrate on the TV series at all, and consequently, Luo Tianhai couldn't play with the dog properly either.

Feng Zhen tossed and turned on the sofa, unable to sit still, and suddenly asked Luo Tianhai:
"How's Ronan's friend's restaurant doing?"

She was referring to how Luo Tianhai, in order to integrate into the catering industry, took the initiative to help Artur save his new restaurant, which was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Aside from keeping accounts, Feng Zhen hardly ever deals with the restaurant's business, let alone other restaurant matters.

How can that be as interesting as the romance in TV dramas?
Is it more worthwhile to invest energy in something other than becoming more beautiful?

Luo Tianhai was puzzled:
Why are you asking this?

Feng Zhen sat up straight, clutching a sofa cushion, and said:
“Let me tell you, this is a do-or-die situation! If you revive that restaurant, not only will it enhance your prestige, but it will also popularize Chinese cuisine in Provence. My son works so hard every day, it breaks my heart to see him like this. We didn’t have the means or the ability before, but now we have the chance to make Ronan a rich kid.”

When she got emotional, she patted Luo Tianhai's arm repeatedly, as if trying to bring him back to his senses.

"Did you hear that? You have to step up your game! Get our restaurant out of Lourmaran as soon as possible, open new stores elsewhere, and make Ronan lots and lots of money!"

(End of this chapter)