1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 520 The Latest Round of the Anglo-French War

In the days following his return from Avignon, Ronan enjoyed a relatively leisurely and comfortable time.

Aside from dealing with some minor unexpected incidents, most of my energy is focused on preparing for the upcoming 'Goat Race' competition.

With his daily two long-distance trail runs becoming increasingly longer, Ronan confidently believed that perhaps he could add another title to his list—famous long-distance runner from Provence.

Of course, spending so much time together made Huhu and Ronan's relationship increasingly tacit. At first, Huhu would drag Ronan along, and the sheep in front would not care about the life or death of the person behind. The rope would slip out of their hands, and they would often have to search for the sheep everywhere.

Over time, coupled with Ronan's gentle attitude, Huhu gradually began to care about the life and death of the person behind him. Now Ronan can hold the rope and run alongside him the whole way, so the situation where Huhu was thrown off at the first bend, like its previous owner did last year, will definitely not happen again.

Ronan was very satisfied with the results of his recent intensive training. Regardless of the final result or his place, he was confident that he could finish the race without any problems.

The number of tourists coming to Provence for the summer has broken records year after year, and various local events and competitions are being held in full swing. Ronan has not been to Bonnillo recently, but he heard from villagers who have been there that Bonnillo had already become a "city of sheep" about half a month ago.

The shop windows along the street were filled with sheep mannequins wearing skirts and shirts, and the brand graffiti on the walls of the sports field was replaced by muscular sheep lifting barbells, with the slogan below changing to "Everyone can build a strong lamb leg".

From butcher shops to small stalls, from posters to wrapping paper, anthropomorphic sheep elements can be seen in every corner of Bonnillo: cheerful goats, mother sheep laughing heartily while holding their lambs, smiling lambs, sheep vendors making faces, and silly sheep chuckling. All of these serve as a reminder to passing tourists that the centuries-old Provençal traditional competition is about to begin!
When Ronan heard about the sheep mannequins dressed in clothes in the shop window, he thought about making a 'battle suit' for Huhu.

Although Huhu only came in last place last year, its outfit was definitely the most successful among the contestants. Its red clothes and black hat made Zoe notice this 'unruly' playboy at a glance.

Feng Zhen wasn't good at needlework, so Luo Nan asked other women in the village to help him and Hu Hu make matching outfits.

The women were incredibly enthusiastic. They had made clothes for people their whole lives, but this was the first time they had ever made clothes for sheep. Ronan even asked to have a dress made for himself in the same style as Huhu's, which was quite amusing.

This demand spread like wildfire. The competition lasted only one day, but the women designed enough styles for Ronan and Huhu to keep them from repeating the same design for the rest of the month.

"Huhu looks good in red? But Ronan looks dark in red. How about I make them a red and black striped outfit?"

"It's so hot, black is too hot. If you ask me, I'd say white is better. White looks more energetic."

"But white gets dirty too easily. Haven't you watched the games? They're crawling and rolling around the whole time, and they're covered in mud afterward. I think I'll make them something easy to clean. Oh, and I'll make them hats too. Ronan said that Huhu wore a hat last year. With so many of us, how can we be less prepared than Huhu's previous owner?"

Making matching outfits for Ronan and Huhu has become a hot topic in Lourmaran recently. Whenever villagers meet on the road, they have to chat about what outrageous designs they've heard or seen recently.

One day at noon, Cornell ran into Ronan at the old pub:

"Ronan, can you believe it? Boge said he'd make bikinis for you and Huhu so you'd win before the match even starts! That's terrifying!"

Pierre, standing to the side, laughed heartily and commented:

"Was it Fabian's bad idea? This guy said he'd bet 500 francs on Ronan to win on the day of the match. Ronan wearing a bikini is unlikely to attract many bets, so he can get a higher odds."

During the goat race, countless betting platforms, large and small, throughout Bonnie City follow the event. Even the organizers arrange for tourists to place bets. Last year, Ronan and his friends also pooled their money to participate.

"Only 500 francs?" Cornell put down his hat, tapped the table, and said, "I want to buy 2000 francs, 2000 francs Ronan the First! What you say makes sense. Then I'll have my mother design a 'unique' outfit for me too."

"Do you have so much confidence in me?" Ronan asked his farmer friends with a smile. "My goal is to finish the race; I have no expectations for my ranking."

Pierre picked up his glass and said admiringly:

"No matter what place you get in the end, I'm going to bet on you to be number one just because of your increasingly dark skin."

Summer was so hot, but Ronan still persisted in practicing for a month without stopping.

Ronan's dark skin is proof of his hard work!

This dedication deserves encouragement!
Cornell looked at Ronan's face and said:
“Ronan, you were so fair-skinned when you first came to Lourmaran last year, but now you’re more than two shades darker.”

Ronan touched his face, wondering if his face was really that dark now.

The next second, Henry rushed into the old tavern in a panic, and what he said made Ronan's face turn completely black:
“Mr. Ronan, you should go to the government building right away. Theo and the tourists are arguing and have taken the incident to the government building.”

Crowded places tend to be chaotic.

Disputes are inevitable in places with many tourists.

Last year, when Lourmaran didn't have so many tourists, Tor could watch tourists argue all day long. Now that Lourmaran has become the 'new art capital,' it's inevitable that there will be several arguments every day.

It could be between tourists, or between tourists and locals, but it's not common for things to escalate to the government.

Theo is now an employee of Stella, so when something happened to him, Ronan was naturally notified to "rescue" him.

Ronan followed Henry to the government building with a serious expression, where he met Theo and the tourist. After listening to their descriptions of the conflict, Ronan's face, which had become several shades darker from sun exposure, turned red with laughter.

Under Theo's watchful eye, the government completed the construction of the St. Scotts warehouse ahead of schedule in mid-June, and it is currently undergoing final inspection.

For more than three months, Theo supervised the workers with a small leather whip every day. After achieving the goal in stages, Theo had two days of leisure.

During the day, I would go out for a drink, stroll around the streets, and observe the exciting and interesting things happening in the village. I never expected to get myself into this mess.

The other party in the conflict was a British tourist, but in fact, the person who initially clashed with this person was not Theo, but Jules, the owner of another restaurant in Lourmaran.

The incident began when the tourist saw lamb tripe and lamb trotters on the menu at Jules Restaurant and sarcastically remarked to his companion that the French were "frogs" because frogs eat everything.

It is well known that the British and the French are best friends.

Hearing his good friend's evaluation of him, Jules naturally had to 'praise' him, and before long they started arguing. At that time, the conflict was still under control, but after Theo joined in, things got out of control.

Theo's daughter Anna loves tripe the most, and when she heard someone making such a sarcastic remark about this delicacy, she naturally wouldn't let the person off the hook.

Although they had arrived at the government building and even alerted Ronan and Blanco, the verbal altercation between the two sides continued.

"Did I say something wrong? Don't the French eat everything? Is 'frog' an insult to you? But I remember you even eat frogs." The British tourist continued to mock, "Or do you think frogs are junk food? But they still end up on your dinner tables."

Theo leaned against the conference room table, a forced smile on his face, and said:

"I remember you have a dish in England called 'Cave Toad'. You even eat toads, so what's wrong with us eating frogs?"

The British tourist, his face flushed and neck red, said:
"'Cave Toad' doesn't actually eat toads, it's sausage meat wrapped in eggs and milk, what an ignorant fellow!" "I know." Theo casually took out a cigarette, "Real toads are much tastier than that, you British don't have that kind of luck."

"You—" The tourist trembled with anger, his face turning as red as a boiled lobster.

Theo was pleased with the other person's exasperated state, lit a cigarette, and said slowly:
"You British are just jealous. God gave all the good things to France: the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, mountains, fertile valleys, the southern sunshine, romantic winters, the most beautiful and elegant language, the best butter and olive oil, the world's most diverse and productive wineries, and more varieties of cheese than there are 365 days in a year. And what do you British have, please tell me?"

Theo's words left the conversation speechless, and the tourist's friend finally couldn't help but chime in:

"Yes, so to make up for this unfairness, God created the French!"

The French onlookers were ecstatic to see that the British had actually become accomplices.

We've wanted to join the fight for ages!

Pierre, Theo, Henry, and a few other foul-mouthed guys launched a barrage of attacks on each other, nearly giving the British tourists a heart attack.

Frankly, if this person wasn't a Special Olympics participant and that person wasn't a tourist, Ronan would have loved to sit down and listen to the program; it was far more interesting than any of the shows broadcast on France 1.

But his identity and position told him that this matter should be stopped.

"Alright, everyone stop." Ronan called out to Lourmaran's side.

Blanco's gentle demeanor also calmed the British tourists.

The two worked together, and after more than ten minutes, this new round of war between Britain and France finally came to an end.

Theo was pulled away to continue drinking.

British tourists were taken to see the fountains by a guide arranged by Sylvie.

After the crowd dispersed, Blanco said to Ronan helplessly:
"Quickly assign Theo some work to do, so he can watch less of the commotion."

Ronan innocently spread his hands:
"You can't blame me for this. It's because the workers you hired were so capable that they finished the warehouse ahead of schedule."

Blanco feigned anger and asked:
"Isn't it better to finish ahead of schedule?"

Ronan walked side by side with Blanco and asked:

"Okay, okay, of course it's great. But if the warehouse is being built so quickly, how's the progress on the commercial street?"

He needs new restaurants on the commercial street to accommodate the waiting tourists.

The Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative also urgently needs a formal, large shop.

Blanco put his hands behind his back and said with a smile:
"The second batch of budget has accelerated the progress. It should be completed in two more months. If we hurry up, it can be opened in October. However, it will definitely miss the tourist season."

Ronan said nonchalantly:
“It’s okay. My restaurant opened right after last year’s travel season ended. I can use those few months in winter to get the team together and fill in any gaps so that I can be in the best condition for next year’s travel season.”

After a long time apart, Ronan's attitude was still as good as ever, which pleased Blanco greatly. He thoughtfully remarked:

"If you encounter any problems, come to the government office anytime. I still have some rosé wine left in my office."

Ronan stopped and turned to him:

"To be honest, I do have some tricky problems."

Blanco also stopped and asked seriously:

"what is the problem?"

Ronan sighed:

"Human resources are a problem. It's so difficult to recruit employees now. Just thinking about having to recruit staff for three stores gives me a headache."

This was probably not the first time Blanco had heard villagers complain about this issue, and he was already prepared:

“We can’t compete with Mena and Bonieau right now, but I believe this problem will be solved gradually as Lourmaran develops step by step.”

Seeing that Ronan was about to say something, Blanco made a gesture of pressing his hands down, indicating that he should not rush:
“I know this will take a long time, but there is an opportunity to resolve it in the short term. I think I told you before? A technical high school will be built in the new expansion area of ​​Lourmaran. Once this high school is completed, the local labor shortage problem should be alleviated to some extent.”

Ronan shook his head and said:
"High schools won't start enrolling students until next year, right? And those students won't graduate for another three years."

Blanco was taken aback at first, then, as if realizing something, he explained to Ronan:
“Education policies and systems vary from region to region. You may not be familiar with the rules in Provence. Technical high schools in Provence can implement a ‘dual-track system’ where the classroom and industry are closely integrated.”

Seeing Ronan's puzzled expression, Blanco explained in detail:

"For example, the technical high schools in Cavaillon have agricultural machinery programs that are closely linked to the Cavaillon melon cooperative. Students spend a third of their class time at the cooperative. Students studying agriculture in Valensole go to distilleries for practical experience. Now you understand what I mean, right?"

Ronan was taken aback.

Doesn't that mean these high school students can get factory jobs?
but--

"But what subjects will the technical high school in Lourmaran offer?" Ronan asked curiously.

Only by combining academic disciplines with industry can the human resource problem be solved.

Blanco blurted out:

"Winemaking is a must. Lourmarin is to become the rosé wine capital, so we must establish this major and train relevant personnel. As for other majors, we have thought of a few, but we haven't decided yet."

He patted Ronan on the shoulder:

“Technical high schools in big cities will offer 20 to 30 majors, and technical high schools in small towns will need at least a dozen. If you have any good ideas for majors, you can suggest them to us. As long as they are conducive to the development of Lourmaran, we will consider them.”

(End of this chapter)