1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 516 Top-Tier Ingredients

The mysterious seller did not appear at the Provence Forestry Bureau; an agent represented the seller at the transaction.

Just as Bruno said, as long as the time was short and the money was in place, the agent did not dwell on why there were two buyers for the 40-hectare forest, and even very cooperatively 'suggested' that the on-site notary not make things difficult for them.

In Provence, many transactions require the presence of a notary, even if one party is a government; this rule has been in place for over 500 years.

In some small villages with a population of less than a hundred, there may not even be a grocery store, but there will always be a representative of the legal profession—a notary public.

Their role is that of a legal checker, tax engineer, and payment clearing center when making wills, buying and selling real estate, clarifying land rights and usage rights, and signing marriage agreements or lease contracts.

Before signing the contract, the notary will carefully examine the seller's original property certificate and historical transaction records to confirm that the seller is indeed the legal owner and that the property rights are clear and without defects.

They also need to submit investigation requests to various government departments to verify whether the land area and boundaries are consistent with the cadastral map; to ascertain whether the land is subject to any third-party encumbrances such as mortgages, seizures, or lawsuits; and to draft the final, legally enforceable sales contract based on the intentions of both parties and the investigation results.

At the trading venue, they were also the absolute key figures.

In addition to strictly verifying the identity documents of all parties present to ensure that the signatories are authorized to conduct transactions, they are also responsible for reading aloud the core terms of the contract and asking key questions to ensure that the intentions of all parties are genuine.

In addition to the signatures of the buyer, seller, or their agents, the contract must also bear the official seal of a notary public; otherwise, the contract is invalid.

The bank drafts or checks provided by the buyer must also be handed over to the notary. The notary will first deduct the taxes and notary fees payable, and then give the rest to the seller within the agreed time.

Doesn't that sound like an incredibly sacred and respectable profession?

But in Provence, many people would rather stay away from the high salaries than do this job, because being a notary is not something just anyone can do.
Due to the nature of their profession, notaries must be "know-it-alls." They often work and live in the same place to gain the best understanding of both buyers and sellers. In small villages, almost all of a notary's clients are their neighbors.

Whether notaries are willing or not, they often get caught up in transaction disputes.

Whenever unpleasantness arises from a transaction, those who feel cheated or are the weaker party will join in blaming and insulting the notary, because the transaction was completed under the notary's supervision. Therefore, the notary is also one of the most "wronged" people in Provence.

Often only the most respected elders in the region dare to take on this job (they will be a little more restrained when criticized).

Today's notary is from Marseille. He knows neither Ronan nor the seller, only the Forestry Department. To ensure the fairness and legality of the transaction, he conducted a very rigorous interrogation of both parties.

At this point, no matter how successful a businessman or how great an artist you are, you have to honestly confess.

Although the seller's agent had repeatedly protested that there were too many questions, although Ronan had even explained what his grandfather did for a living, and although he had already answered more than twenty "irrelevant" questions, our notary still dutifully continued to ask:

"May I ask, what is your purpose in buying the forest?"

Ronan drank the last drop of water in his glass:

"To conduct experiments on the artificial cultivation of black truffles."

To be honest, Ronan was starting to lose patience.

He had a notary present when he bought farmland in Lourmaran, but there weren't nearly as many 'obstacles' back then, and in his view, these issues are completely irrelevant to today's transaction.

The elderly notary quickly took notes and then asked:

"If the experiment is successful, who will have the right to harvest the truffles?"

Ronan asked somewhat uncertainly:

"Besides me, who else could have the right to collect the data?"

The notary remained silent and looked at the representative from the Forestry Bureau who had come to sign the agreement.

The young man from the forestry bureau looked in his notebook and volunteered to answer:

"We do not have the right to collect data."

Upon hearing this, the notary addressed the three parties before him:

"The rights to harvest all the truffles produced within the 10 hectares of forest that Mr. Ronan will purchase in the future will be in Mr. Ronan's hands. I will include this in the contract. Does anyone have any objections?"

After waiting for three or four seconds without anyone speaking, the notary began to quickly take notes in his notebook.

Ronan leaned back on the sofa with a subtle expression.

What seemed like trivial questions were actually supplementary inquiries into the details of the transaction. They were not obstacles at all, but rather a form of 'protection' for both the buyer and seller.

Ronan had just changed his mind when the real 'obstacle' appeared.

The notary looked at the seller's representative and asked:

"If the price of truffles skyrockets tenfold in a week, will you break your contract?"

This is a typical test of true intent. When Ronan bought land in Lourmaran, the notary asked Nemo the same question.

“First of all, there are no truffles this season,” the seller’s representative replied jokingly, “and secondly, I’m afraid my client will spend all the money within three days of canceling the contract in less than a week.”

The notary smiled, put down his pen, and solemnly asked the group:

"Gentlemen, please allow me to ask one last time: was your transaction made of your own free will, without any external pressure? If so, please sign here."

When Ronan signed, he paid special attention to the seller's name above the agent's signature section.

The signature there is Yami Pochettino.

Ronan confirmed that there was no such person as Lourmaran.

"Did some rich people outside inherit the forests of Lourmaran?" Ronan thought to himself as he continued signing autographs.

Knowing that Ronan was coming to sign a contract today, Bruno made a special trip to see him.

"Did I cause you any trouble?" Ronan asked somewhat embarrassedly.

Bruno chuckled and said:
"What trouble could you possibly cause me? We reclaim forests to consolidate land, implement public forestry policies, and protect the environment. Your experiments don't conflict with ours and can even help me complete some of my tasks without costing us any money. We'd be more than happy to support you."

He took Ronan to the parking lot:
"I never expected you could buy such a large area. You really fooled me. You first told me it was 2 hectares, and overnight it became 10 hectares."

Ronan shook his head, both amused and exasperated.
"It's just that too many things happened that night." Bruno smiled and shook his head.

"Keep up the good work, and don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything."

After he finished speaking, he quickly added:
"Loaning money is out of the question, but everything else is negotiable."

Bruno considered it a remarkable feat to raise 55 francs in just a few days; it was almost the amount that a family in Lourmaran could earn in decades of hard work.

He guessed that Ronan had spent almost everything to acquire the 10 hectares of forest, and that part of it might have been financed by a bank loan.

Ronan smiled and waved his hand:

“Who would ask you for money? If anyone is going to ask, it would be Sandrine. I know you don’t have any money at all.”

“Who says I have no money?” Bruno’s voice trailed off. “I get 500 francs a month for pocket money!”

Ronan laughed heartily and put his arm around Bruno's shoulder:

"Just kidding. Come to my house for dinner after get off work today, and bring Sandrine and the kids. I'm going to buy a Camargue bull later so the kids can have something fresh."

Bruno's bald head lit up like a light bulb:
"That most expensive beef from Provence, of which only 1000 are available for consumption each year?"

Bruno had spent more time in Provence than his wife and children and knew more about the place.

Provence is not a major producer of beef. Beef is twice the price of lamb and four or five times the price of pork and chicken. This beef, which is said to be the most expensive in Provence, can sell for one or two hundred francs per kilogram.

Ronan raised an eyebrow:
"And it's a cow with a red label."

The Provence Red Label is the top-level geographical indication of the French agricultural product quality certification system in the Provence region, representing that the product far exceeds industry benchmarks in terms of flavor, quality, and ecological standards.

Bruno suddenly felt incredibly ridiculous!

He was actually worried about the guy's financial situation, who was going to buy beef that was in high demand but had no price.
Ronan's strength must be greater than he imagined!

“What a terrible guy.” Bruno waved his hand. “I’m going to call Sandrine and tell her to eat less at noon. Apparently, Camargue bullfighting is so delicious it’ll make your tongue tingle. I’m reminding her to save some room for dinner.”

Ronan kept Zoe's lack of proper eating habits on his mind.

How can we not eat?
People need food to survive; without food, people will collapse.

To whet Zoe's appetite, Ronan decided to prepare something new for her to try.

Yesterday he called Mr. Llorente to inform him that he could attend the market next week. The two chatted for a while, and Llorente said that he had just returned from the Camargue bullfighting festival and described in detail how delicious the beef, which had a texture as delicate as milk, was. He also said that he could help Ronan get some Red Label beef to try.

Ronan didn't stand on ceremony at all and drove off to buy beef today.

But he didn't get it for free. Even though he had connections with Mr. Llorente, he still had to pay 500 francs per kilogram.

Ronan ordered 10 kilograms at once, just in case Zoe likes it.
This price cannot be compared with high-quality Wagyu beef, but it is definitely the ceiling for local Provençal beef, because Provençal lacks grass and has few dairy cows.

As it turns out, nature has been kind to Provence. Camargue bull is the only type of meat in France with a legally defined appellation of origin, meaning it can only be raised in Provence.

This type of bull is relatively small; the bull is no more than 1.3 meters tall and weighs between 295 and 450 kilograms.

The cows are short and light, living in the marshy countryside of the Rhône Delta not far from Marseille, alongside flamingos and horses, and guarded by Camargue cowboys.

These bulls are not raised to be eaten. The government stipulates that only 1000 Kamalg bulls can be sold as food each year. They are used to participate in a bloodless bullfighting event called the 'ribbon race'.

There are two types of 'ribbon race' competitions.

One version involves a cowboy riding a horse and holding a 'ribbon' to lure the Kamalg bull into crossing the finish line. This process is similar to the 'goat race,' except that the person being punished is a human instead of a sheep, because the bull's horns are long and sharp, and a slow cowboy is in danger.

Another type of competition is inherited from ancient times—a small red cloth, or ribbon, is tied to the head of the bull in bullfighting, and the contestants rush to the bull to snatch the cloth from its head.

However, Ronan didn't get to see Camargue's graceful bullfighting; all he saw was the processed beef.

Cash on delivery, cattle on delivery.

Perhaps because he had just spent 55 francs, Ronan felt that handing over 5000 francs was nothing to worry about.

What's wrong with buying it once a month if Zoe likes it?
However, after buying the bull, Ronan began to think about what he would do with Camargue bullfighting.

The true gourmet, Llorente, told Ronan that there is a special way to cook Camargue bullfighting meat called 'Shepherd's Stew'. The beef is mixed with bacon, onions, garlic, spices, and a little salt, pepper, and flour, and slow-cooked for 3 hours. The resulting stew is rich and delicious, and tastes great with brandy and dry red wine. However, the color is too dark, so it doesn't look as good as it tastes.

Ronan trusted Llorente's taste and judgment; he was sure this 'Shepherd's Stew' would be incredibly delicious. However, he worried that its unappealing appearance would spoil Zoe's appetite.

She didn't want to eat in the first place, and then they brought out a pot of dark, unappetizing beef. There's definitely a risk involved.

'Shepherd's Stew' is a good option, but you can also make some other dishes.

After much thought, Ronan decided to make another pot of authentic Provençal stew. Since it's stewing anyway, the chances of making a mistake are slim. Provençal stew contains tomatoes, making it even more appealing in both color and flavor. Most importantly, Zoe loves it.

However, with such high-quality beef, the accompanying tomatoes cannot be ordinary either.

Dragging the temporarily frozen beef, Ronan went to another place, a farm that supplies tomatoes to upscale restaurants.

That's right, it's a farm that supplies tomatoes specifically for high-end markets!
Ronan was also incredibly surprised when he first heard the news.

This story goes back to last year, when he was preparing to open his restaurant and frequently visited Mr. Jacques' Michelin-starred restaurant.

One day, Ronan ordered a tomato dish, and along with the dish came a small note that read, "Tomatoes provided by Fulfana."

Ronan was extremely curious and asked Mr. Jacques about its origin.

Jacques told Ronan that Fulfana was a professional tomato grower who did not sell her tomatoes to the general public or wholesale, but only supplied them to high-end restaurants, and only during the summer months.

He believes that the tomatoes cultivated by Fufana are of excellent quality and should be renowned in the Provençal culinary world, making it worthy of being known to diners who taste her dishes.

That place was also near Marseille, and Ronan planned to go and check it out.

His restaurant should be considered a high-quality restaurant, right?
I wonder if I could sell him some of his high-quality tomatoes to try?
(End of this chapter)