1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 530 certainly didn't disappoint me; it's still as 'reliable' as ever.

Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen weren't just talking; they were genuinely considering fighting Ronan for custody of Marseille.

After undergoing surgery at the veterinarian's office in Mena village, Marseille became the 'emperor' of the family.

If someone is thirsty or hungry, someone will bring them food and water. The elderly couple will immediately come over to offer their care whenever someone makes a sound.

Of course, the topic of having Marseille live with them will be brought up repeatedly during the process.

"Let's go to the dog show in Mena Village at the end of July and buy you a new dog to raise from a puppy," Ronan persuaded his parents. "Masai can stay with me. He grew up with Xiao Hei and he won't be used to being away from his brother."

“Xiao Hei won’t be living with you all the time in the future.” Feng Zhen placed Ma Sai’s paw on her thigh and carefully applied medicine to it. “Go buy a new dog. Ma Sai will stay with us.”

"No rush to decide, we'll see when the time comes." Ronan didn't want to be too forceful.

Luo Tianhai blew on Marseille's wound, which had just been treated with medicine:
"Let's decide on this. Marseille will come with us. It's good that it doesn't get along with Huhu. It's better to separate them."

Actually, who Marseille lives with isn't a very important issue.

Even after moving to the commercial district, Ronan could still see it every day, and it wouldn't be much different from how it is now.

However, through the custody battle, Ronan discovered a problem.

Luo Tianhai believes that Feng Zhen's recent feelings of inferiority were due to being too idle and having nothing to do, so she would just think about things aimlessly all day. He wants to find something for her to do to solve the problem.

Ronan believes that the parents were only after Marseille's custody because they were too busy. If they were busy with other things or had found something else that interested them, how could they possibly have the time or inclination to fight him for the dog?

You should know that his 'hardworking' mother has never gotten up early to walk the dogs even once. Luo Tianhai has only recently had time to focus on the dogs. For the past year, it has been Luo Nan who has been taking care of the two dog brothers.

However, this situation was also caused by Ronan.

Over the past six months, he has been deliberately reducing the burden on his parents, hoping that they can gradually get out of their busy work state and enter a state of retirement to enjoy their old age.

They still live with Ronan, and when they're bored, they can use their energy on their son.

Next month, Luo Nan is getting married, and Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen will be moving to the commercial street. Without their son around, the elderly couple hopes to alleviate their loneliness by using Marseille.

So the important thing isn't the dog, but the problem of 'loneliness'.

Luo Tianhai's situation is slightly better.

In a month or two, he will have to devote a lot of energy to decorating and preparing for the new restaurant on the commercial street. He will be busy for a while, and the loneliness is only temporary.

Feng Zhen will be relatively 'free' in the future. Once Luo Tianhai gets busy, she will not only feel lonely, but her inferiority complex may also 'make a comeback'.

"The most urgent task is to find something that the two elderly people are interested in." Ronan grasped the key point. "Especially for the mother, in addition to relieving her loneliness, it would be best to also build her self-confidence."

He started doing this earlier this month.

Ronan hoped to help Feng Zhen find something she was interested in that would take up her time but not be too tiring.

Due to the lack of information in the late 80s, Feng Zhen was not interested in any of the hobbies that Ronan was familiar with.

In order to find something new and fun, he frequently flipped through newspapers and magazines for inspiration. However, he later participated in a goat race and then spent some time cleaning up the inventory in Stella, which put the matter aside.

Now, it's time to get things back on track.

The Ronan family subscribed to two local newspapers and a weather forecast in Provence. The postman, Tracy, would deliver the newspapers to their mailbox on specific days each week, but they had to buy the magazines, which were not available in Lourmarin.

That day, after teaching a pastry class to Vieri's three classmates, Ronan left the restaurant and drove to the village of Mena to buy magazines, which was the closest village to Lourmarin that sold magazines.

Sylvie, who was doing landscaping work at the village entrance, saw Ronan drive away and curiously stopped him:
"What to do?"

Ronan rolled down the car window and rested his arm on the door:
"Going to Mena Village to buy magazines, hoping to find something."

“Ah, magazines? Then you’ll definitely have to go to Mena Village.” Sylvie’s face lit up. “But in the latest issue of the commercial street, there will be tobacco newsstands, and the newly opened pharmacies may also sell some magazines. Oh, right, and bookstores too! In a few months you’ll be able to buy magazines in Lourmaran, and in several places.”

In Luberon in 1987, tobacco shops were the most official distributors of magazines and newspapers, rather than the newsstands that were ubiquitous in big cities.

Larger tobacco shops may also sell coffee and alcohol.

Another place where you can buy magazines is at pharmacies, where health magazines are offered to waiting people for free, and some more recent issues are also available.

Another place to buy magazines is bookstores, where you can find academic magazines; tobacco shops won't sell such niche types.

The above-mentioned shops will all appear in Lourmaran village at the same time.

Hearing Sylvie's introduction, Ronan couldn't help but wonder what the new shopping street would be like, since Sylvie happened to be in charge of that part of the business:
How big is the new commercial street? How's the leasing process going?

Sylvie walked up to Ronan and proudly introduced him:

"The second and third phases combined are four times the size of the first phase, and they are all rented out."

The new shopping street is bustling with activity every day, but outsiders are strictly prohibited from getting close, mainly because they are worried that tourists might get hurt while passing by. Ronan has never been there to take a look.

"Four times? Is it that big?" Ronan said wistfully. "The current first phase is already quite large."

“Of course it’s big!” Sylvie said with great enthusiasm, as if introducing her own child. “It has more than forty shops; how could it hold so much stuff if it wasn’t big?”

Sylvie's pride is only natural.

Lourmaran is not only building the second and third phases of its commercial street, but also schools, hospitals, auditoriums, and activity centers for large-scale urban events.

These important buildings will all appear in the village of Lourmaran within a year!

"More than forty shops have been rented out?" Ronan was even more surprised now.

“It was rented out in less than a month!” Sylvie thought of something and reminded Ronan, “Remember to go to the government office and sign the contract before September.”

After saying that, she quietly blinked a few times:

"Just like the first phase, you can rent or buy this time. We've prepared a very 'favorable' policy, which is definitely more cost-effective than when you bought last time. Moreover, Blanco has reserved three of the best locations for you!"

When the topic of buying shops came up, Ronan lost interest in chatting.

He just spent a huge sum of money to buy 10 hectares of forest, where would he get the money to buy shops?
The good news is that there's still time to raise more money.

Even after saving for another two or three months, Ronan guessed he still wouldn't be able to buy all three shops.

"We'll see when the time comes. I'll buy as many as I can, and rent the rest for now," he consoled himself.

It was getting late, so Ronan said goodbye to Sylvie and continued on his way to his destination, Mena Village.

Sylvie had already left, but suddenly ran back and waved repeatedly at the back of Ronan's car.
"Wait a minute, wait for Ronan!"

Ronan quickly slammed on the brakes and turned around to ask her what was wrong.

Sylvie ran over and whispered furtively:
“Blanco is going to host a big event in Lourmarin, and we’re currently planning the theme. I know Blanco will be more inclined to choose themes that will benefit your business, so feel free to share your ideas with me anytime. There are no restrictions on the type of event.”

Ronan nodded and agreed:
"Understood, I'll think about it carefully and go to the government office to see you in a few days."

The facilities in Mena village were much more advanced than those in Lourmaran at that time.

This place not only has bookstores, tobacco and magazine shops, and pharmacies, but also more than one of the other two types besides pharmacies.

Ronan's first stop was a pharmacy. His mother, Feng Zhen, was very interested in topics related to beauty, skincare, and health, and Ronan had high hopes for the magazines in the pharmacy.

The sweltering weather dampened the enthusiasm of Luberon residents for seeking medical care. Last year, it took a long time to get medicine, but today there wasn't a single person waiting to pick up their medication at the window.

Behind the window sat the same duo that Ronan knew very well—the old man and the young woman.

Ronan was primarily impressed by the older female doctor.

This man had enthusiastically taught Ronan how to use suppositories in front of many people.

Ronan's purpose today was not to pick up his medicine, but to browse through the magazines in the waiting area, so he had no intention of going over to catch up with them.

Unfortunately, he didn't see any magazines in the pharmacy waiting area.

Having already come this far, Ronan went to the window and asked:

"Hello, is the health magazine sold out, or has it all been checked out?"

The young female doctor looked down, seemingly engrossed in something.

But thankfully, the older female doctor remained warm and welcoming.

"Oh, it's you, young man."

Ronan looked a little embarrassed; clearly, this 'cute' young man who almost swallowed the suppository had left a deep impression on the other party.

“Yes, it’s me, but I’m not here to get a prescription today.” Ronan lowered his head and made eye contact with the enthusiastic female doctor through the window. “I’m here to buy a magazine.”

The doctor's expression showed a moment of surprise:
"Have you ever come here to get medicine? I only remember that the mushrooms you brought were quite delicious."

Ronan: "."

He almost forgot that he had crossed paths with this female doctor more than once.

Last year, he went up the mountain to pick the most delicious mushroom in Provence, as described by Pierre, called 'French Lily of the Valley'. Because no one had ever seen or eaten it, and their knowledge of it was still lacking, he brought it to a local pharmacy for identification.

Every year during mushroom season, pharmacies in Luberon offer this free service.

It was this kind-hearted doctor who used his own tongue to determine the result—the mushroom was not poisonous.

"I'm glad you like it," Ronan replied awkwardly.

Provençal women possess a magical charm.

Once she wants to talk about a topic and hasn't reached a satisfactory conclusion, the other person can't change the subject no matter how hard they try.

"What's that mushroom called? Let me think, what month did you pick it? Soon, right? Oh, that stuff is so delicious! I added just a little bit to my soup last time and it was so fragrant I almost bit my tongue off. Hey, do you think it would be good in baked rice or pizza? Have you tried it?"

"What a pity, I used it to make soup last year too," Ronan replied with a wry smile. "But this year I'll definitely try to make it into other dishes."

"Are you going to collect them again this year?" the doctor asked, his eyes shining.

Ronan said with a smile:
"Yes, I will definitely bring you some to try once I find some."

"Oh, what a lovely young man," the older doctor asked with satisfaction. "By the way, what did you just ask? The magazine, wasn't it?"

Ronan nodded repeatedly:

"Yes, I want to buy health-related magazines."

“What bad luck, child.” The female doctor looked disappointed. “In the past few weeks, we have only received three magazines. You know, magazines published in Paris have to go through four or five transfers to reach the village of Menard. Each transfer reduces the number by a large margin. After all, there aren’t many people in Luberon who care about their health as much as you do and know to follow health magazines. Even though the residents here have the highest incidence of liver disease in France, they think they are perfectly healthy.”

People in Provence eat healthily and live a relatively regular lifestyle.

However, their heavy drinking and insatiable stomachs make them very susceptible to liver disease.

Ronan stated the facts as they were:

"I bought it for my mother, because she is quite concerned about health."

"Oh, what a filial child." Ronan's words stirred the older doctor's maternal instincts, and she rummaged through her things. "Don't let your mother down. I remember there's another one here. At least take something back with you; she'll be happy."

The woman's enthusiasm exceeded Ronan's expectations; she searched for over a minute before finally handing out a beautifully printed booklet through the window:
"Here, this should be able to help you."

Ronan accepted the booklet:
"Thank you so much."

Leaving the pharmacy, Ronan eagerly opened the magazine, hoping to find some information that might spark his inspiration.

But the more I looked at it, the more something seemed off.

This doesn't look like a magazine, but rather a health brochure.

Since he was looking for inspiration anyway, Ronan wasn't picky. In particular, he remembered that the man said that if he took it back, his mother would be happy, so he immediately turned to the first page.

The first thing you see is a cartoon of a golden retriever sitting on a toilet.

The golden retriever looked rather depressed, as if it had been sitting for a long time without achieving anything.

Its eyelids drooped, and its gaze was dull.

Below the accompanying image, the words "The Dangers of Constipation" are prominently displayed.

Ronan closed the constipation health handbook and used it as a fan:

"As expected, it has never disappointed me and is still as 'reliable' as ever."

Will my mother be happy if I take this back?
Thank you so much!
The pharmacy found nothing.

Ronan's second stop was a bookstore.

The bookstore has a wide variety of magazines.

Besides niche, professional magazines, there are also mainstream categories such as entertainment, gossip, movies, and sports.

Ronan planned to buy a little of each type, and if that didn't work, he'd keep them at home and see which one his mother would pick up first.

Then, based on the type, find things that can involve her.

"This one, this one, this one, and this one, please get me one of each." Ronan kept pointing at the shelves.

Suddenly, among the many magazines, he spotted an unexpected one—"The Provence Art Guide."

“This one, and this one!” Ronan said, pointing to the “Art Guide to Provence”.

"Okay, I'll get you one of these too." The shopkeeper reached out and took one down.

“Not just one book, I’ll buy all the ones you have here,” Ronan said excitedly.

He wanted to place the "Provence Art Guide" in the weaving courtyard so that all passing tourists could see his and Batti's rankings.

Wait, since it's already been published...
Will the weaving business benefit from this?!
(End of this chapter)