1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 528 Buddy, the surprise turned into a shock!
In fact, it wasn't just Lucas and Theo who were startled by Lourmaran's 'appearance'.

On the same day, Ronan was taken aback when he entered the village.

He encountered some minor problems during the inventory clearance process. These past few days, he has been frequently traveling between Papal Newcastle and Jerome to meet up, and taking his men to haul goods. He hasn't paid much attention to the 'welcome party'.

He had a little more free time today. He came back from St. Strasbourg and went to a restaurant for lunch. The sight of the village was so 'spicy' that he couldn't open his eyes again.

The ubiquitous presence of dogs, horses, donkeys, pigs, and other animals wasn't the biggest shock to Ronan; he was already somewhat prepared for it.

Just by looking at how eager those guys were that day, Ronan knew that Lourmarin was destined to become 'Zootopia' in the next few days, after all, it was a place of crazy Provençal people.

What made him unable to open his eyes due to the spiciness were several promotional slogans on the street.

In one corner of the food street, a not-so-large but very eye-catching billboard was erected, which read: "The preliminary round of the first Lourmaran Pig Riding Competition will be held at 2 pm today. The preliminary round will be held in the small square in front of the Duma's house at No. 5 Fountain Path, Lourmaran. Only those who pass the preliminary round will be eligible to participate in the official competition."

The background of the entire notice was a photo of Ronan riding on Huhu's back, with Ronan's buttocks slightly off the ground, a look of horror on his face, and his two hands uncontrollably stretched forward with his five fingers in a claw-like shape.

"I feel like I'm possessed by a demon," was Ronan's comment upon seeing the photo.

A new sign has appeared outside the local grocery store that locals frequent: Villagers who are interested in participating in the 'Frog Beauty Contest' are invited to bring their frogs to Cornell's house to register. Registration closes on June 30th. Late registrations will not be accepted.

The background of this billboard is also Ronan, and the scene is Ronan holding Huhu's hand and standing on the first place podium. However, in this photo, Huhu's head has been artificially changed into a chubby frog head.

The overall composition shows Ronan leaning slightly forward, smiling, against the 'frog's' head. I don't know what others think, but Ronan finds it rather creepy. Who would take a picture so close to a frog? Especially such a big one?

Ronan walked all the way to the entrance of the commercial street, where the largest number of villagers were standing in front of the billboard at the entrance of the Rosé Wine Museum.

"I think this competition is great. Dog racing is so interesting. Almost every family in the village has a dog, so there will definitely be a lot of people signing up. Plus, dogs run fast. Maybe we can really organize a goat race."

“I have a dog and a donkey. I’ve signed up for both dog racing and donkey riding competitions. I heard the prize for first place is 10 bottles of rosé wine.”

"But I heard that only one competition will ultimately be held, and most of them will not be able to take place?"

“If that’s what you’re saying, I’m even more determined to sign up for dog racing. Look, the right to decide the race is in Ronan’s hands. Ronan’s family doesn’t have donkeys, pigs, or frogs, only dogs. He’ll definitely choose dog racing.”

“I think so too. Look, he’s holding Little Black in one arm and Masai in the other, and he’s smiling so happily.”

Ronan originally didn't want to go over and watch; he just wanted to pass by quietly. But after hearing what the villagers were saying, he couldn't help but go over and take a look.

In his memory, he had never taken a picture with one arm around Xiao Hei and the other around Ma Sai. He had tried to take a picture a few times, but each time he could only capture a gray shadow of Ma Sai. This guy would never sit still for a family photo.

When Ronan went inside and took a look, he almost died laughing.

The photo was taken a few days earlier in Bonnillo. The original photo shows Ronan on the terrace with one arm around Freddie and the other around Alain. They should also have a stack of francs in their hands, which was to celebrate making money by buying sheep.

I don't know who replaced Freddy and Alan with photos of German Shepherds and other gray Wirehaired dogs. They weren't Little Black and Masai at all. Moreover, the cutout was done very poorly. You can still see the people and dogs clearly. The banknotes in the hands of the three people originally had some key information overlaid in bold font.

Registration deadline: 8 PM on June 30th
Registration location: Henry's house
Registration receptionist: Lisa
"It's one thing to act recklessly yourself, but why mobilize your family members as well?" Ronan's expression was extremely unpleasant.

As soon as Ronan entered the restaurant, he started looking around for people:
"Hakimi is here?"

The wedding photos needed to be developed, and Zoe wanted to give her classmate Hakimi more opportunities, so she invited him to the Goat Race to photograph Ronan and hand over the wedding photos.

Hakimi worked incredibly hard that day, shooting from day to night, producing countless photos. Developing the photos wouldn't take too long this time. He said he would come to Lourmaran in a few days to deliver the photos to Ronan.

Before Ronan even saw what the photos looked like, he let Cornell and his buddies take them and "play" with them.

Photoshop hadn't been invented yet, but professional photographers could still do some simple image processing using other methods. Although the composite photos looked very obvious, it took a lot of time. Ronan guessed that Hakimi must have found a new side job in Lourmaran.

“He came to deliver the photos this morning, but left shortly after.” Feng Zhen knew Hakimi.

When she saw Ronan and Zoe's wedding photos that day, she sent a special thank you to the photographer—they were absolutely stunning.

"Why didn't you stay longer?" Ronan asked.

He also wanted to invite Hakimi for a couple of drinks.

There weren't many opportunities to chat during these meetings, as Hakimi was almost always working each time.

Feng Zhen grinned and shook her head:
"Allerhir wanted to organize a competition to see whose fish can hold its breath the longest. His father gave Hakimi 150 francs to make an advertising graphic for his son. Hakimi took the job and went back immediately, saying that the graphic was difficult to make and would take time."

“Allehir?” Ronan was unfamiliar with the name. “This isn’t a guy from St. Scottsga.”

"Wow, you really have a wild idea!" Feng Zhen exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise. "Allerhil is only 11 years old. Aren't you afraid of being sued for hiring him as an employee?"

Ronan suddenly realized:

"Allehir, old Alpi's grandson, whose father sells fish in Mena village? How come he's organizing a competition too?"

Feng Zhen spat out a mouthful of sunflower seeds, shook her head, and said:
"Thanks to you, the villagers saw so many people spontaneously organizing activities and joined in. Now there are so many people organizing activities, Lourmaran is in complete chaos these past few days."

"Dinner's ready," Luo Tianhai called out as he came over.

Feng Zhen left the cashier:
"What's for lunch today?"

"Eat frog legs."

"Why are you eating frog legs again? You've had them for three meals in a row now. Don't my legs look like frog legs?"

"What can we do? Many frogs died before the 'American Frog Contest' held by Cornell even started, so Cornell had no choice but to send them here. Do you want to eat fish?"

"Oh dear, no, no, no, I'm scared of fish now. There must have been a hundred fish dead in Lourmaran these past few days, and the smell of fish is everywhere."

Ronan sighed helplessly.

It's really worrying.

After finishing two whole bowls of frog legs, Ronan felt it was time to put an end to this farce.

Don't let people go crazy before the farewell party even starts.

He had someone summon Cornell and instructed him to inform everyone—the welcome party should be abandoned, all their preliminary rounds and promotions should be stopped immediately, and Lourmaran should be left in peace. This was no longer a surprise, but a shock!
Cornell said with a mournful face:

"There definitely won't be a welcome party. Theo and Lucas are already back, while we haven't even decided what the match will be about yet."

He pulled a frog out of his pocket in frustration:
"It's all Duma and Henry's fault for not agreeing to my 'American Frog Contest'. In a fit of pique, I said I'd prepare a few more and see which one was the most interesting, which delayed the progress. Otherwise, my long legs could have started preparing for the contest by now."

"Keep your long legs away from me, thank you." Ronan moved away in disgust.

What decent person would put a frog in their pocket?
Cornell is truly a talented individual.

However, Ronan didn't want to waste time on this topic and asked him:

"Theo and Lucas are back? Where are they now?"

Cornell pointed in a direction with his long-legged little paws:
"He went to Stersgaard, saying he wanted to visit the wine cellar."

At the gates of St. Scottish High School, Ronan ran into Lucas and Theo, who were smoking next to the old Jeep.

In fact, Ronan had just returned from the wine cellar in Stella, so the timing should have been just right to avoid clashing with the two of them.

As soon as Ronan got out of the car, he opened his arms and walked toward Theo:
"Why did you come back early? I was planning to organize a surprise welcome party for you!"

I thought the reunion of the three would be filled with excitement and emotion, but Theo was surprisingly indifferent to Ronan.

He gave Ronan a perfunctory hug, his tone tinged with hesitation:
"This surprise is so big that Lucas and I don't know what to do."

Theo has a childlike personality and often gets upset over the smallest things. Ronan didn't know what was wrong with him, but he knew Theo's mood would pass quickly. Then he changed direction and hugged Lucas again, arms crossed.
"Haha, I've already told Cornell and the others to stop those activities. Let's just have a good drink and not do anything else."

Lucas did not accept Ronan's hug:

"The surprise we're talking about isn't those animals."

He pointed behind him with his fingers holding a cigarette:

"Ronan, why is there so little wine in the cellar? You told me about the supply crisis, but now the crisis is getting much worse."

Lucas and Theo signed a big deal at the beach and went straight to Stella's wine cellar upon their return to arrange delivery.

But what they found was astonishing: the enormous wine cellar contained only a small area with bottles; most of the space was empty.

The warehouse worker confirmed that this was all.

Ronan had reminded Lucas more than once that when talking to clients, he must remember the 'product crisis' in Stellaris.

This year they have opened up many new markets, far exceeding Jerome's expectations last year. He did not produce as much wine last year, so the supply will definitely not be able to last until the end of the year. This needs to be stated in advance.

But when Lucas and Theo went into the cellar, they discovered that the stock they had cleared out would definitely not last until September.

Ronan lowered his arm and explained to Lucas:

“I haven’t had a chance to tell you about this yet, but it happened suddenly in the last couple of days. After Jerome and I finished settling things, he informed his friends of his departure date. Knowing that Stella was about to be handed over, these friends ordered a lot of wine in the last couple of days.”

Lucas and Theo both frowned, looking completely bewildered.

Ronan continued to explain:

“Jerome is a very good person, reliable and enthusiastic. He has made many good friends in Provence. Some of these friends are there to ‘send off’ old friends, some want to keep some wine as a memento, and I guess some are worried that the quality of St. Strasbourg will not be as good as before after the change of ownership, so they want to hold onto some stock. However, Jerome and I have calculated that we can hold out until August, but it won’t last until September. The new wine will start to be made in September, and Pierre will try to bring forward the harvest date as much as possible. It’s only June now, so you should explain this to your customers.”

Since customers have already been informed that there will be a period of stock shortage, and it's just a short delay, Ronan believes the problem is still within a manageable range.

Lucas and Theo exchanged a glance, their faces grim.

“But we recently landed another big client who manages many wine supply channels in Cannes. This is probably the biggest order we’ve ever received. I came back early this time to tell you this ‘surprise’.”

Ronan frowned.

Another surprise turned into a 'fright'.

Ronan and his two brothers sat down and took stock of the inventory, discovering that the supply crisis in Stellaris had indeed escalated to a level that required a quick resolution.

However, Ronan had a better mindset than the two brothers.

He could ask Jerome for help, seek advice from his fellow Parisians, or, if all else fails, raise the issue at the rosé enthusiasts' association meeting at the end of the month and have a room full of experts help him solve it.

Having finally managed to preserve the St. Strasbourg brand, these important figures in Provence probably don't want the winery to immediately face a major crisis, right?

"Alright, I'll handle this as soon as possible. You two, don't do or think about anything this afternoon. Go to my house and have a good drink." Ronan pulled the two brothers away. "I'll go tell everyone to come over."

Lucas smiled and shook his head:

"You said I have a strong ability to withstand pressure, but I think you're the one with the biggest heart. You still have the mood to drink when disaster strikes."

Ronan smiled and put his arm around Theo's shoulder:

"I'm happy because you two are back."

at the same time.

Lourmaran government.

Blanco is organizing this week's meeting.

“I heard Ronan just called off those events,” Sylvie reported promptly. “Thank goodness, Ronan stopped those farces before we could.”

“Ronan is always so witty.” Blanco chuckled and shrugged, but quickly composed himself and addressed the roommates, “But this little incident reminds us that Lourmaran should hold a formal, official event, like the Bonigno Goat Race. Lourmaran has the capability for that. Let’s not keep our villagers waiting too long and get this done as soon as possible.”

(End of this chapter)