1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 515 The most suitable candidate

Vieri's transformation from student to working person took only two days.

On the third day after receiving his exam results, he successfully "joined the company" and had a "large" team.

When Ronan showed Vieri the list of market employees who had passed the interviews, the young man, not yet 18, asked somewhat self-consciously:
“The youngest of them is six or seven years older than me, and the oldest is my mother’s age. Do you really want me to manage them?”

Merchants in Luberon are accustomed to running businesses as family units. As Ronan's brother-in-law, it was normal for Vieri to help his brother-in-law manage a business. The problem was that Vieri was too young.

Not only Vieri lacked confidence, but Louis and Lia also felt that the matter was questionable.

They support Vieri going to help Ronan, but isn't it inappropriate to give Vieri such an important position all at once?
The couple tried to persuade Ronan to give Vieri a different job, but Ronan thought Vieri was perfectly suited for the position.

He encouraged them, saying:
“Age doesn’t represent seniority, nor does it represent ability. You’ve participated in so many markets in Mena Village and Lourmaran, and you even went to the special market for the Thanksgiving Festival with me. Moreover, you’ve worked with the most popular stalls. Who can compare to you?”

Vieri pointed to several of their names and said:
"Many people here have extensive experience in markets."

“But they don’t know the ‘product’ as well as you do.” Ronan shrugged. “You’ve worked in a restaurant, you know Chinese food, and you know Stella Rosé Winery. Who among these people knows more about what we’re selling than you?”

Vieri was somewhat contradictory.

Faced with Ronan's high regard, he both wanted to prove himself and worried about not being able to handle the job. Unlike when he came to help out before, this was his official job.

Ronan understood Vieri's feelings.

Giving up the opportunity to go to university and entering the workforce directly put Vieri under a lot of psychological pressure.

But pressure alone isn't enough; you also need motivation, young man.

Ronan lowered his voice and said mysteriously to Vieri:
“Once the new store on the commercial street opens, I’m going to promote Isabel to store manager and make her manage the entire restaurant. By then, she’ll have thirty or forty people under her. You don’t want to be too far behind her, do you?”

Vieri's expression changed instantly; he immediately changed his attitude and asked proactively:
What should I do next?

Although this bickering couple has officially started dating, they still enjoy comparing themselves to each other. This is because they built their emotional bond through childish comparisons of "you can do it, I can't" and "I'm better than you." This kind of comparison will continue in every little detail of their interactions.

In his career, Vieri had already started later than Isabelle and could not afford to fall behind. Despite the many difficulties, he was determined to forge ahead.

When Ronan began preparing for the market business, Vieri had already started preparing for his exams and was not involved at all. So Ronan explained from the beginning why he wanted to do this, how he wanted to do it, what his short-term goals were, and what he ultimately wanted to achieve.

“Alright, take the goal of opening markets in every corner of Provence with a grain of salt. The reality is that we can’t even gather 30 workers right now.” Ronan shook his head self-deprecatingly and continued to Vieri, “I have to go to Marseille on business tomorrow. You’ll be in charge of the interviews. Try to gather 30 people by next Wednesday. I don’t need to go into the interview requirements, right? You should know what kind of people you need for the stalls.”

Ronan didn't want to impose too many restrictions on Vieri. In the future, this team would need Vieri to manage it, and he should have his own set of standards for hiring.

Vieri glanced at the list of successful candidates, then looked at the thick stack of A4 papers that Ronan had previously used for interviews:
"Is it difficult to find the right person?"

Ronan sighed:

“It’s not just difficult, it’s extremely difficult. It’s hard to recruit people this season. Shops and factories in Mena and Bonnillo are also recruiting, and we can’t compete with them.”

Vieri lowered his head and thought for a few seconds, then suddenly asked:
"Actually, you could ask my classmate."

He looked up and carefully explained to Ronan:

"The college entrance rate for this year's students at our school is only 32%. More than half of them, like me, are facing the difficulty of finding a job after entering the workforce. Maybe I can ask them for advice? Another reason is that these people are cheap."

Vieri was the most numerically astute person around Ronan. Just now, Ronan said that his expectation for this business was "as long as we don't lose too much money," and Vieri immediately started thinking about "cost-saving."

In 1987, the average monthly income of ordinary residents in Luberon ranged from 1800 to 4500 francs.

If you work in a well-known village and do tourism-related jobs, your salary could reach 7000 francs or even more.

The female workers in the Lourmarin handicraft cooperative previously earned between 4000 and 8000 francs per piece. Those who performed exceptionally well, such as Josephine, could earn five figures.

However, in Luberon, aside from specialized professions such as artisans and artists, there is a very clear hierarchy of 'seniority' for general occupations.

For example, a novice waiter can only earn about 2500 francs, but a veteran waiter with 7-8 years of experience can't earn more than 4500 francs.

Seeing the list of successful interviewees, each with 7 or 8 years, or at most more than 10 years, of work experience, Vieri knew that just paying their salaries would be a huge expense.

But if his classmates were brought in, the problem would be solved, not only reducing costs but also addressing the labor shortage.

Although high school students may not have much work experience, they are essentially blank slates. As long as they are taught diligently and nurtured, they still have a lot of room for growth.

Moreover, Vieri had been classmates with his classmates for three years, and many of them had been classmates since elementary school. He was relatively familiar with their situations and temperaments, so even if they were not from Lourmaran, he could solve the problem of not knowing their background and not daring to use them.

Ronan hugged Vieri tightly, wanting to give him a big kiss:
"Vieri, I told you you were the most suitable person for this position. Look, you solved such a big problem for me on your first day of work!"

If Vieri's suggestion can be implemented, it's not impossible to gather 30 people, let alone 60 or even 90.
And this might not necessarily be a losing proposition.
Vieri gave a shy yet excited smile:

“I will definitely make sure our stall appears in as many towns as possible in Provence.”

Although these senior high school students had just received their scores, fearing that someone might steal their spots, Vieri immediately threw himself into "introducing" jobs to his classmates.

In the coming period, he will organize the first batch of employees to participate in the first batch of markets that Ronan had previously determined, while also gathering as many classmates as possible.

Vieri set himself a goal to open the second batch of stalls before his sister and brother-in-law's wedding, and if all went well, the second batch of stalls would be several times larger than the first batch.

Zoe didn't have work today, so the young couple got together to cook lunch.

“Vieri has been on the phone all morning. He’s not like this when Dad works from home.” Zoe leaned against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, watching her younger brother in the living room holding the phone and refusing to let go. “I asked him what he wanted for lunch, and he said he didn’t want anything because he ate too much this morning and hasn’t digested it yet.”

Ronan washed his hands and said with a smile:
"Young people who have just started working are still excited. They won't feel this way in a couple of days. So, what do you want to eat, darling?"

When Vieri is at home, he will ask him what he wants to eat first before cooking.

Since Vieri won't eat, then Zoe will eat whatever she wants.

Zoe pulled her hair up, revealing her long, fair neck:
"I don't really want to eat it either. Why don't you make some for yourself at lunchtime?"

"You're not eating either?" Ronan's hand, which was reaching for the refrigerator, froze in mid-air. "Are you feeling unwell?" Zoe fanned herself with her hand.

"I don't feel unwell, it's just too hot, and I don't have much of an appetite."

In addition to bringing a huge influx of tourists who came for the summer holidays, June also brought scorching heat to Provence.

During those few hours at noon, no one dared to go outside, not even tourists. Theo joked that thousands of 'buffalo' had appeared in Lourmaran, consuming thousands of bottles of chilled beer and juice every day.

Ronan opened the refrigerator and took out several kinds of fruit:
"Then let's have some chilled juice. I'll make you something to cool you down."

Zoe shook her head, uninterested, and pleaded in a begging tone:
"I really can't eat or drink anything. You drink it yourself, okay?"

Upon learning that Vieri had found a job, Louis held a grand celebration for his son.

The Ronan family, the Freddie family, the Alain family, and Carl's entire family were all present. In addition to these familiar faces, a newcomer also came tonight—Vieri had invited Isabelle.

As you can imagine, the atmosphere today was incredibly lively.

"Haha, our little boy not only found a job, but also found love."

"Vieri is no longer a little boy; he's a grown-up now!"

"My child, I am so proud of you."

Tonight is definitely worth celebrating, in every way.

Correspondingly, tonight's dinner will also be of the highest standard, with Luo Tianhai, Ronan, and Lia serving as head chefs.

This team of chefs, who would be absolutely top-notch even in a Michelin-starred restaurant, soon encountered a problem.

"Don't you still have anything you want to eat, darling?" Knowing that Zoe hadn't eaten lunch, the chefs made a point of asking for her opinion beforehand, wanting to make something she liked.

But Zoe's appetite hadn't changed; she still didn't want to eat anything.
"Go ask Vieri and Isabelle, they're the stars tonight. I'm just not hungry right now, but I might want to eat when I see the food later, don't worry."

Leah sighed, pursing her lips.
"If only that were true, you would lose several pounds every summer."

After saying that, she spoke to Ronan in a accusing tone:

"Zoe's picky eating disorder peaks in the summer. I've been trying to cure this problem for over twenty years, but I haven't been able to. Now the baton has been passed to you."

Afraid that Ronan would worry, Zoe came over with a smile and hugged him:

"Consider it a diet with Ronan."

Although the wedding photos have been taken, Ronan's weight loss continues, albeit passively.

The two daily walks felt like two long-distance trail runs. No matter how much Ronan ate each day, he would always lose a few ounces when he stepped on the scale. Fortunately, these days of high-intensity exercise were coming to an end—the goat race was about to begin next week.

"Can we be compared?" Ronan said sternly. "I'm doing this to prepare for the competition, you just don't want to eat, but how can you not eat?"

At this time last year, Ronan and Zoe hadn't officially started dating yet, unlike now, when they're practically inseparable every day. Back then, he hadn't realized that the weather would worsen Zoe's anorexia.

But thinking about it carefully, Zoe hadn't been eating properly for a while, but Ronan hadn't paid much attention.

Zoe blinked pitifully, seemingly afraid that Ronan would 'discipline' her:

But I really don't want to eat it.

Seeing Zoe's expression, Ronan swallowed his words.

But I can't go without eating.

what should we do?

The next day was the day to go to Marseille to sign the forest contract.

Early in the morning, Ronan first walked the dog, then took Huhu for a cross-country run, took a cold shower when he got back, and immediately set off in his car.

He needed to go to the bank first. Transactions exceeding 50 francs couldn't be processed by check directly; he needed to obtain a pre-arranged promissory note from the bank, which Ronan had already booked a few days prior.

According to Bruno's quote, 10 hectares of forest would cost 50 francs, but in Provence, trading forests would incur certain taxes and additional fees.

Taxes and fees include land transfer tax and special forest land tax.

Additional costs mainly include notary fees, logging rights retention fees, forestry certification fees, and topographic surveying fees.

In Provence, the buyer typically bears all the taxes and fees associated with forest transactions, but not all of them are borne by the buyer. For example, notary fees, logging rights retention fees, and topographic surveying fees are usually negotiated between the two parties.

The seller offered a lower price this time, so Ronan didn't dwell on it and agreed to cover all taxes and additional expenses.

Therefore, the actual cost he will have to pay for the 10 hectares of forest this time is around 55 francs.

In Provence, 50 francs is a threshold for transactions; below 50, you can directly sign a check, and the settlement time is about 10 working days.

For amounts exceeding 50 francs, a bank draft must be obtained to prevent the risk of a bounced check.

Ronan had expected that he would be groaning and sighing in pain on the way to collect the bank draft from the Marseille bank, but the actual situation was not so bad, and he was even in the mood to appreciate the scenery along the way.

After buying the 10 hectares of forest, he only had 10 yuan left in his savings, which was like going back to square one. But surprisingly, he wasn't very anxious.

First, the funds from Stella were calculated separately and were never mixed with Ronan's personal wealth. The investment from the Lourmaran government still had several hundred thousand dollars left, which would be enough to cover any urgent financial needs.

However, the more important reason is that Ronan has confidence in the weaving business.

"With Vieri's addition, I've finally freed up some time. I must make the most of the Thorn Sun Certification." Ronan stared ahead, his face resolute.

(End of this chapter)