1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 513 An Absurd Battle for Love
Charlotte told Ronan that there was no certification and the chair he was sitting on was just a uniquely designed, niche woven chair.

But with a certificate, this chair becomes a high-end collectible with guaranteed quality and craftsmanship, collectible value, and the ability to be passed down for at least three generations, thus demonstrating social status.

Can this be the same?

Even if it were priced at 30000, Charlotte would wait until she had the certificate before buying it, let alone 10000.

“There are some certified furniture workshops in Provence, but most of them use oak or walnut as raw materials, and the patterns must include traditional elements such as cicadas, lavender, or olive branches. You are definitely the first certified woven furniture workshop.” Charlotte suddenly realized, “Look at what I’m saying, whether it’s certified or not, you are the only workshop in Provence making woven furniture.”

The female celebrity seemed very interested in the verification; she asked Ronan:

"How did you obtain the 'Thorns and Blazing Sun' certification? As far as I know, this certification has only been awarded to workshops that make essential oils and leather goods, and it also has requirements regarding the percentage of female workers."

Ronan pointed downstairs:
"Almost all the weavers here are women."

Charlotte looked at Grondin across from her with a puzzled expression.

Grondin rubbed his hands together sheepishly.

"I work in sales, and occasionally I teach classes."

Charlotte looked at Barty's classroom with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism.

Ronan said, both amused and exasperated:

"He is one of only two male workers here. Let me put it this way: besides Batti and another male worker, all the workers in the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative are women."

Charlotte's assistant suddenly became excited:
"I want to buy some too, just to help my sisters!"

Grondin gave this strange-looking 'gentleman' a strange look.

Fearing he would be exposed, Ronan started a conversation that drew Grondin's attention.

He asked Charlotte:
Is the "Thorns and Sunshine" certification widely available in Provence?

Grondin immediately perked up his ears.

Yeah, what kind of certification is this?
Why is it that even with such a significant price increase, this wealthy gentleman still insists on buying it?

This question really puts Charlotte in her comfort zone.

She doesn't have much of a private life; her only hobby is shopping.

"It might not be widely recognized among the general public, but it's extremely well-known among the wealthy." Charlotte's theatrical urge kicked in again, and she looked quite pleased with herself. "My girlfriend really loves anything with the 'Thorns and Sun' certification. This is probably thanks to the Fox family's education of the Provence market. Several of their high-end perfumes are marketed with 'Thorns and Sun' as the core, and they're incredibly hard to find. Girls naturally equate 'Thorns and Sun' with status symbols, and as a responsible man, I naturally have to satisfy her."

Grondin immediately chimed in, saying:
"Your girlfriend must be the luckiest woman in the world, because you have such great taste, you started paying attention to her even before we got verified."

Praise them! Praise them lavishly!

This guy said he wanted to buy 50 francs worth of furniture.

Charlotte was very pleased with Grondin's compliment and chuckled as she said:
“I will come here to shop again when we buy a new house in the future.”

Ronan's lips twitched uncontrollably a few times.

Thinking to myself, "What on earth is this all about?", the two of them actually continued chatting about this strange topic.

Professional matters should be left to professionals.

Grondin's few words had Charlotte thoroughly pleased. She patted her chest and promised that once the cooperative's certification was complete, she would definitely come again, spending 50 francs, and she would even order 'Young Master Ding' when she came.

Hearing this, Ronan finally leaned back in his chair, relieved.

Elian hadn't lied to him after all.

In Provence, certification is a shortcut to 'high-end' status.

After spending a little longer with her, Ronan got up and said goodbye to Charlotte.

He had work to do and hadn't yet called Bruno, so he had to leave.

When they parted, Charlotte brought up the topic again—asking Ronan to consider whether VIP could be upgraded to higher tiers.

Ronan explained that the 5 francs was the threshold for the VIP system before certification. Once the certificate is obtained, the VIP system will be upgraded accordingly. In the near future, they will formulate a new VIP policy based on the actual situation and the attitudes of existing VIPs. He will explain it to Charlotte in detail when she comes to the Knitting Courtyard next time.

Grondin silently gave Ronan a thumbs up.

The chairman is too good at bluffing.

They don't have a single VIP member yet, so how can they survey the VIP members' attitudes?
On the way back, Ronan's steps were unusually light.

Charlotte is a person of importance and would never go back on her word.

She said she wanted to buy 50 yuan worth of furniture, and that payment would definitely be credited to her account!

With this large order, can we increase our investment in forestry a little more?
But as soon as this thought arose, that voice echoed in Ronan's mind once again:

"The additional area must be within our means. Don't be like Lucas last year, with wishful thinking and a gambler's mentality. You may have money to buy now, but will you have money to support it in the future? Will you not be able to make a living?"

Ronan gradually slowed his pace, calmly analyzing the current situation amidst the bustling crowd of tourists.

Charlotte's willingness to pay for certification does not mean that other wealthy people in Provence will do the same.

Don't forget, this actress had previously been interested in woven furniture, but other clients weren't.

Moreover, Charlotte is among the richest of the rich, with economic conditions far beyond what ordinary wealthy people can compare to.

Take Ronan himself, for example. He is definitely among the wealthy, but if you ask him to spend ten or twenty thousand on a chair, Ronan simply wouldn't do it.

What if most customers are deterred by the high prices?
But let's take a step back and say...
With an additional order worth 50, isn't it worth celebrating?

Thinking of this, Ronan started running again:

"Five hectares, one extra hectare, isn't that being unreasonable?"

I was going to call Bruno first thing this morning.

But one thing led to another in the morning, and by the time he left the knitting compound it was almost 10 a.m.

In June, once it's past 10 a.m., residents working outdoors will find a place to wait for the sun to set and the temperature to drop before continuing their outdoor work.

Sure enough, on his way back to the restaurant, Ronan encountered several groups of farmers chatting in the shade in front of their houses, and almost all of them greeted Ronan with the same words.

"Hey, Ronan, you didn't go out today? Um, when are you going to deliver invitations to your friends? Don't be shy, I'll run a few trips for you."

“I know you’re busy, but you still need to take the wedding seriously. The announcement has been posted and the invitations need to be sent out. People in the village don’t need to go through with it, everyone has seen the notice. But don’t forget to tell your friends in other villages. I’m free lately, I’ll come and help you.”

"Ronan, I heard you know Alain Delon? Will you invite him to your wedding?"

The public notice period for the marriage registration has not yet ended.

Whenever the villagers see those signs, they are reminded that Lourmaran's two most promising children are getting married next month.

Moreover, these two people appear on television and in newspapers frequently, and they are celebrities in Provence. I'm sure many celebrities will attend their wedding.

People in Provence attach great importance to weddings, and inviting relatives and friends to the wedding is a very sacred thing. They need to personally hand the invitations to the invitees.

Everyone knew that Ronan was very busy and might not have time to do this personally, so they all coveted this cushy job.

As soon as Ronan returned to the restaurant, Feng Zhen called him over and asked him mysteriously:

"Have you decided whether to have Cornell or Buddy deliver that invitation from your friend, Ah-something-something?"

Ronan leaned against the cashier's counter and shook his head:

"No, I haven't had time to think about the invitations yet. I'm already so annoyed by the job fair lately."

Logically speaking, now that the announcement has been posted, it's time to start arranging to send invitations to friends.

We can't wait until the end of the month to start delivering; that would be too late.

But the market was giving Ronan a huge headache; he had already delayed Llorente for far too long, and he wouldn't be able to pick up the certification badge until next week.

Feng Zhen clicked her tongue:

"You've interviewed so many people, haven't you found enough people yet?"

Ronan sighed wearily:
“It’s so hard to recruit during the tourist season. I’m competing with big venues like Mena and Bonnie, and I don’t want people who aren’t from the village or who aren’t particularly suitable.”

Ronan had exhausted all his search in Lourmaran and sent out job postings to several neighboring villages.

However, two of Lourmaran's neighbors are Mena and Bonnillo, both located in the Golden Triangle. These villages also offer numerous job opportunities, and what's more infuriating is that they rely heavily on labor from other villages. Furthermore, Mena and Bonnillo are far more well-known than Lourmaran. Many people, upon seeing job postings, regardless of their actual content, tend to favor the Golden Triangle side.

People who can't find work in the Golden Triangle will look for jobs in Lourmaran, so the people who come here are mostly 'oddballs'.

Ronan had high hopes for the market, preferring to find no people rather than have anything unsuitable.

Feng Zhen's face turned ugly:

"How much is left?"

Ronan has lowered the headcount requirement time and time again, but he hasn't even managed to recruit all 30 people for the first batch.

"We're still short 7 or 8, but regardless of whether we can recruit them all, we need to get started next week."

By this time, Ronan increasingly felt that his earlier boast of opening stalls in every corner of Provence had been too 'arrogant'.

Despite her carefree and easygoing personality, Feng Zhen is more attentive than anyone else when it comes to matters.

Worried that his mother was fretting over the market, Ronan comforted her, saying:
"Don't worry, I've sent the job postings to even more distant places now, and we'll definitely be able to recruit all the people sooner or later."

Feng Zhen nodded, thinking to herself that she should continue to cheer Luo Tianhai on tonight.

Look how much work pressure your son is under now.
You, as a father, need to hurry up and become a self-made millionaire!

The two pondered for a few seconds, each lost in their own thoughts, when suddenly, Feng Zhen slammed her hand on the table:
"Look at my brain, I almost forgot the important thing while we were talking."

"What important matter?" Ronan looked over in confusion.

Feng Zhen lowered her voice and said:
"It's that invitation from Ah something, Cornell and Buddy both want to deliver it. I think they're competing with each other. You need to sort this out quickly."

Like the villagers, Ronan's friends had been thinking about his invitation list for a long time.

Cornell believed that he was the only one who could send Astrid the invitation.

From the moment Cornell first saw Astrid in a red dress and driving the latest Porsche at Ronan's doorstep last summer, his heart belonged entirely to her.

For the next year, Cornell often mentioned Astrid, as if introducing his fiancée to everyone. That's how Barty learned that Ronan had such a friend.

Although Barty had never met Astrid, he fell deeply in love with the beautiful, noble, mysterious, and dangerous woman Cornell had described.

Sending an invitation doesn't guarantee the recipient will attend; it's just part of the courtesy.

In case this important figure has other matters to attend to and misses Ronan's wedding, this might be Barty's only chance to see Astrid in person, so he doesn't want to miss it either.

Actually, the initial 'competition' between Cornell and Batty was just a joke, and they even agreed to go together.

The two were among the top talents in Lourmaran, and they had a mutual respect for each other.

But the joke took a bit of a turn for the better. A possessiveness and a competitive spirit that was hard to understand ignited in both of them.

Even Henry secretly informed Ronan that there was tension between Cornell and Batty, and that he should keep an eye on things.

As Mr. Ronan's most trusted confidant, Henry naturally knew how much effort Ronan had put into uniting the farmers and artists on the same side.

Henry brought it up once, and his mother also reminded him, which made Ronan take the issue seriously.

Ronan rubbed his chin, muttering with a headache:

"God, how could this go wrong?"

Excuse me, Astrid, do you know who you two are?

Your battle for love is so ridiculous and absurd!
Feng Zhen urged:
"Hurry up, both of them will be coming for lunch, you might run into them."

Ronan lowered his head and pondered for a few seconds, then opened a notebook behind the cashier and made a phone call.

This problem is not unsolvable.

Both of them wanted to deliver it, and they even got into a fight over it, so neither of them should go. Ronan should deliver it himself.

In fact, Ronan should personally deliver invitations to everyone in the Rosé Wine Lovers' Association of Vaucluse, not just Astrid.

Ronan's rise to prominence in Provence was inseparable from the people there, so it's not appropriate to have a friend deliver it on his behalf.

"Hello, who is this?" After a short while, the phone was answered, and a clear, cold female voice interrupted Ronan's thoughts.

Ronan immediately smiled:

"President, it's me."

Ines was somewhat surprised that Ronan would call at this time, and asked in a very formal tone:
"Ronan? What's wrong?"

Ronan immediately stated his purpose:

"Are you less busy this month? Could you organize a gathering? I'd like to send out wedding invitations to everyone."

The Rosé Wine Lovers' Association hasn't had a gathering in a long time. Last time in Ines, Monaco, they joked that they absolutely had to have a meeting in June, or the organization would 'disintegrate'.

Ronan could take this opportunity to send out invitations to everyone, saving him the trouble of going to each one individually.

Ines is busy because of the "Guide to Art in Provence," but she won't be so busy once it's published in the middle of the month.

Ines' tone remained serious:

"The publication date has been postponed to the end of the month, so if we're going to have a gathering, it will have to be around that time."

"Hmm?" Ronan couldn't help but make a nasal sound. "Why the delay?"

Ines' tone immediately turned cold:
"I'm not satisfied with the design and layout of some of the sections and want to refine them further."

Ronan nodded silently; Ines had always been a perfectionist.

The magazine was due at the end of the month, and it was too early to arrange a meeting now. Ines also had work to do, so the two agreed to contact each other later, and she hurriedly hung up the phone.

But at the last moment, Ronan suddenly called out "Chairman" again.

Ines raised the microphone again:
"What else?"

Ronan, with a tentative attitude, cautiously said:
"Since the publication date has been postponed, could we perhaps revise the artist introductions for Baty and me? The Lourmaran Cooperative has obtained the 'Thorns and Sunshine' certification; could we add that to the report?"

Ines said that when the Provence Art Guide was launched, Michelin magazine society gave it a lot of exposure resources, which boosted the sales of the first issue.

The first-ever 'Provence Artists Ranking' published in the inaugural issue will undoubtedly receive massive exposure. This is the core content of the 'Provence Art Guide,' much like the Michelin restaurant rankings; people buy the magazine for that.

Mentioning the Lourmarin Cooperative's 'Thorns and Sunshine' certification here would be the most effective way to advertise, as the news would reach every reader who bought the "Art Guide to Provence".

The publication date is in the middle of the month, so Ronan gave up on that idea. Even if Ines was his biological mother, it was a bit of a stretch.

But Ronan only dared to ask this question after Ines said the publication date was postponed and the content was still being adjusted.

Ines wasn't in the mood to talk about the party, but she was willing to talk about work-related matters, especially news that could highlight the brilliance of the artists they had selected.

After learning about the progress of the 'Thorns and Sunshine' certification and confirming that it had been fully approved, she immediately agreed to Ronan's request:

“I will arrange for someone to update your and Batty’s artist profiles right now.”

After hanging up the phone, Ronan excitedly pumped his fist in the air:
"Our knitting business is about to take off!"

He's been thinking about how to quickly promote the 'Thorns and Blazing Sun' certification after it's obtained next week, as relying on sales staff to contact old customers one by one is too slow.

Having a report in the Provence Art Guide is tantamount to buying a multi-million dollar advertisement.

By the end of June, Provençal residents will not only meet a pastry artist named Ronan, but also a woven furniture workshop called the Lourmarin Crafts Cooperative, which has received important local certification.

With the Thorns & Sun certification, coupled with Ronan's ranking among Provençal artists, Ronan was confident that the turnover of his weaving business would definitely be several hundred percent higher.

This unexpected gain changed Ronan's mindset once again.

The restaurant's income is a safety net, and the weaving business has officially started. Even if we buy more forests, we can still afford to feed them, right?

But as soon as this thought arose, the voice in my heart arrived as expected:

"The increased area must be within our means. Don't be like Lucas last year, relying on wishful thinking and gambling mentality. You—"

"Alright, alright, stop with Lucas, Lucas's already out of the mire!" Ronan quickly stopped his thoughts.

He picked up the phone and finally dialed the number:
“Hey, Bruno? I’ve made up my mind. I want to buy 10 hectares of forest.”

(End of this chapter)