1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 509 I'm really not showing off.
The experimental group decided to stay in Pioranque to continue their experiments, and Professor Fernand took a student with him to Lourmarin.

Perhaps angered by the students' recent behavior, Fernand did not choose to ride in the student's car, but instead rode in Ronan's car.

Along the way, he took the initiative to talk about many goals and methods of artificial cultivation experiments on black truffles, not only before planting but also after planting. His detailed manner surprised Ronan.

The last time they met, the professor couldn't even be bothered to explain what the 'black truffle tissue culture seedling symbiosis construction method' was to his two benefactors. This time, the meeting turned into a 'report'.

Ronan understood that the professor wanted to extract more information about the 'truffle hunter' from him, but he had received too much information at once and couldn't keep up.

“Let’s take it one step at a time. Before planting, we’ll focus on effectively improving soil sterilization and aeration.” Ronan interrupted the professor’s eloquent speech at the right moment. “It would be great if we could solve these two problems before autumn.”

Fernand realized he was being a bit too hasty. With the experimental forest in Lourmaran, he would have more opportunities to meet with Ronan. He might even be able to bring Ronan along for the entire experiment, which would inadvertently create a whole 'truffle hunter' team for his research team.

The professor was convinced that truffle hunters could provide 'sudden inspiration'.

The history of truffle hunters in Provence is long, dating back to the 3rd century BC. Over the centuries, countless wisdom and experience have been passed down. However, the artificial cultivation of black truffles in Provence only began after World War II.

He's an academic researcher, while the truffle hunter is a 'practice' type; it's really hard to say who holds the truth right now.

Fernand knew Ronan was an excellent truffle hunter, and he guessed that Ronan might have an experienced 'teacher' behind him.

However, all of this is contingent on the successful handover of the Lourmaran forest to the research center.

Thinking of this, Fernand said with a heavy heart:

"Let's go check out the situation there first. If there are no problems, I'll immediately add a team to Lourmaran to conduct new experiments."

“What problems could there be?” Ronan said with a smile. “Actually, you didn’t need to make this trip at all. As long as you agree to take over this forest, I will buy the land immediately and then send people over directly.”

Fernand shook his head and said:
“The ‘experimental field’ project is not as simple as you think. It’s not that you can just start smoothly once you have land and money. The information you need to understand is very complex. I can’t agree to it until I understand the details clearly.”

Ronan smacked his lips:

"But when you took over the forest in Piorank, you didn't know anything about it, did you?"

Professor Fernand turned to look at Ronan:
"How could I not know? Haven't you written an application report? The application reason is for the Ministry of Agriculture to see. They will decide whether to invest money to support the project based on the reason you wrote. We need all the other information in the application form. We will only accept it after evaluating a lot of things."

Ronan remembered that he had submitted an application report for an experimental forest before. The reason for the application was 'polished' by Juliet, and the other information was related to the forest plot, such as the area, jurisdiction, maintenance unit, and which fire brigade it belonged to. It was indeed very complicated.

I thought that since the professors were here, the deal was definitely done, but I didn't expect there to be a seemingly complicated evaluation process behind the scenes.

"What information needs to be assessed?" Ronan asked nervously.

Although Ronan was the "sugar daddy," Professor Fernand ideally treated him as a "partner" in the experiment, someone far more useful than the students. Since he was one of their own, they weren't as tight-lipped about it.
"There are policy-related issues, such as whether this forest is likely to be requisitioned or logged by the state in the next few years, whether the local government supports agricultural-related businesses, and so on. There are also environmental issues, such as the need to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the surrounding area of ​​the target forest. In short, it is very complicated. In the past, we have encountered situations where a lot of effort was invested in a field project, but the experiment had to be stopped due to other policies in the jurisdiction or the investor temporarily withdrawing the investment and using the land for other purposes."

It is extremely rare for the French government to forcibly acquire private land or forests, but if a 'major public interest project' is approved, they will reclaim the land at an extremely high price.

'Major public interest projects' usually refer to national infrastructure, defense, and natural disaster prevention, among which national infrastructure was very common in the 80s, as Luberon's roads were built around that time.

Fernand's expression was serious, but Ronan's was slightly more relaxed:

“Oh, so that’s what you’re evaluating. Then you don’t need to worry. I guarantee that even if something is built near Lourmaran in the future, it won’t be built on my experimental forest.”

Fernand, with a "Are you alright?" expression, equated Ronan with those wealthy, uncultured, pretentious patrons, and said in a very unpleasant tone:

"I also guarantee that the government won't care what kind of experiment it is or what kind of help it can bring to the local area. As long as the policy is implemented, they will immediately talk to you about money. Just wait and see!"

Ronan shrugged twice and then pursed his lips:

"That might be the case elsewhere, but this is Lourmaran."

"What happened to Lourmaran?" Professor Fernand's eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown.

At that moment, the spire of Lourmaran Castle could be faintly seen directly in front of the car; they had arrived at their destination.

“Haven’t you been to Lourmaran in a long time? How about this, before we go to see the forest, I’ll show you around Lourmaran and tell you about it—” Ronan smiled and pointed to Lourmaran Castle, “That’s where I got married. You must come on the 20th of next month.”

Fernand: "?"

“You see these road signs? They all point to my restaurant. The road signs near Lourmaran don’t point to castles, churches, or even any tourist attractions. They were built specifically to guide customers who come to eat.”

"This minibus, full of people, is for taking tourists to picnics in the vineyard. The driver is a colleague from my winery. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the vineyard picnic program is also mine."

“The woven tiger that the child is holding was bought from my handicraft cooperative. The oddly shaped lamp that his mother is holding was probably made by learning from the women. There are dozens of full-time female workers in the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative. Would you like to go and take a look?”

"Hey, the pastries in that girl's hand and the molten chocolate in that boy's hand are my restaurant's signature desserts. They must have just finished eating at my place. By the way, have you had lunch yet?"

"The large area under construction in front of us is the second and third phases of the Lourmaran Commercial Center. Three of the shops there belong to me. You asked me what kind of shop I should open? I haven't decided yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

You ask me for advice? Am I qualified to give you advice? — This is what Professor Fernand most wants to say at this moment.

Everyone in the village of Lourmaran, from top to bottom, inside and out, is inextricably linked to Ronan.

He was beginning to believe that the policies here could no longer affect Ronan.

Finally, Ronan stepped on the gas and took the professor to the north slope where Stella was located.

Theo has been working overtime to oversee the construction for the past few months, and the site is now taking shape. The warehouse can be put into use this month, and the entire project is expected to be completed by the end of August.

“Stesgaard, my rosé winery.” Ronan suddenly looked at Fernand. “Professor, do you drink rosé? Take a few bottles with you when you leave.”

Stella de la Stescato is the most famous rosé winery in Provence, and even if Fernand were solely focused on scientific research and naive to worldly affairs, he couldn't possibly have been unaware of it.

He looked at the ever-growing, magnificent complex of buildings on the mountaintop and asked:
"Are these all your wineries?"

“No.” Ronan shook his head.

Fernand finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He said it was too much!
Ronan pointed further away and said:

"Once the winery is completed, a castle will be built next to it, connecting it to the winery. This entire area will become a castle-winery complex in the future."

Fernand nearly bit his tongue.

He cautiously glanced at his 'patron' beside him. God, is this the 'King' of Lourmaran?!
Professor Fernand was so shocked that he temporarily lost his ability to speak and just stared silently out the window.

The main problem is that he didn't know what to say to praise him; it wouldn't be appropriate for his status.

I don't want to praise it, but I really don't have anything else to say. I'll just watch quietly.

Suddenly, Ronan pointed to the bare farmland on both sides and said:
"Don't be fooled by how ugly this place looks now, all yellowish-brown and bare. Once the grapevines are planted in the ground in autumn, it will turn green next spring and be absolutely beautiful."

This time, Professor Fernand finally spoke:

Why are people buried in autumn?

Thank goodness, he finally found something to say.

Ronan slowed down so that the professor could see the details more clearly:

"Because I improved the soil in the spring, I added clay to the original weathered limestone soil, turning it into a clay-limestone mixed soil. It needs to settle naturally for half a year before planting seedlings."

Professor Fernand, an expert in agricultural science, immediately and instinctively asked:

What kind of grapes do you want to grow?

“Merlot.” Ronan wasn’t sure if the professor knew anything about grapes, so he explained, “It’s a grape variety widely used on the right bank of Bordeaux. Actually, I participated in two ‘experimental field’ projects in Provence, and this is the other one.”

"Stop the car." Fernand suddenly called out. Ronan stopped the car and immediately opened the door and got out.

Fernand walked around the farmland closest to the dirt road, then squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, and examined it closely. After a while, he asked:
Which college is supporting you in this project?

Ronan shrugged:

"No one supports it."

"You did the soil improvement yourself?" Professor Fernand looked up abruptly.

“Yes,” Ronan nodded. “I designed not only the soil improvement, but also the drainage pipes and drip irrigation equipment.”

After a brief silence of a few seconds, Professor Fernand asked with a complex expression:

"Does this project lack technical support? I mean, I can send a few students over to assist you."

Ronan nodded immediately:

"Sure, of course, you'd be very happy to have that."

Great, another experimental group has been added.

Professor Fernand smiled with relief.

That's great! Another intersection with Ronan, and another subject those useless students can learn from.

Before even setting foot in the new experimental forest, Professor Fernand's assessment was already nearly complete.

Given Ronan's strength and influence in Lourmaran, the government would likely not dare to easily touch his projects.

Moreover, Professor Fernán guessed that Ronan might even be able to decide what Lourmaran would develop and build.

Therefore, his concerns about policy are basically gone, and the probability that the forest he bought will be expropriated by the government is very, very small.

However, environmental factors still need to be considered.

In fact, Ronan had never been to the forest Bruno mentioned, only knowing the general direction—it was on the northwest side of Lourmaran, behind the forest where Lucas's family lived.

Before going, Ronan made a special call to Bruno to inquire about the details.

Bruno responded with remarkable nonchalance:
"Yes, yes, that's the place you mentioned. There are 40 hectares of forest there. You can choose whichever piece you want to buy. As long as you don't dig a hole in the very center, buying along the edge is fine."

Ronan knew the forest and its current situation, and Bruno tried his best to help Ronan squeeze out a little bit of land from the 40 hectares, and in a rather conciliatory manner—brother, you pick first, and then we'll buy.

But Professor Fernand was unaware of this, and Ronan did not want him to know.

Having fully understood the meaning behind Bruno's words, Ronan led Professor Fernand and his students to the vicinity of Lucas's house.

"Is the forest you want to buy here?" Fernand looked at the edge of the forest in front of him with a serious expression.

He only had the opportunity to have frequent interactions with Ronan if there were no problems with this experimental forest, so his original intention was to take over this forest.

However, he will still conduct a professional and objective assessment of the environment, though he is a little nervous.

Ronan waved his hand, pointing to the endless, dark green 'walls' and said:

"Look around this forest, where is the best place to conduct artificial truffle cultivation experiments? That's where I want to buy them."

Even Professor Fernand's students couldn't hold back this time.

Good heavens, what a boastful tone!

He glanced furtively at his teacher.

Everyone in the institute knows that Professor Fernand hates people who like to 'show off,' especially those who are big spenders.

Oh no, the professor is definitely going to retaliate.

Unexpectedly, after a brief silence, Professor Fernand waved to the student:
"Let's go in and take a closer look."

The student: "?"

No, the professor was 'possessed' in the sugar daddy's car?

Fernand led his students on a serious investigation in the forest for several hours. Even after dark, they were still sketching and pointing around the area. Finally, they determined a rough target – the starting point was 2 kilometers west of Lucas's house.

The professor told Ronan that the area extending 5 kilometers forward from here could serve as the edge of the experimental forest's ecological buffer zone, and how far it could extend inward depended on how much area Ronan wanted to buy.

Although Ronan followed the professor throughout the forest expedition, he still couldn't understand how the professor determined the target based on which aspects.

He humbly sought guidance:
"Can I ask why?"

Professor Fernand, whose self-esteem had been hurt all day, finally straightened up, his eyes gleaming green in the dim light.

Haha, finally something you don't understand?

(End of this chapter)