1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 534 Slander! Utter slander!

Swimming pools were a 'trend' in southern France in the late 1980s.

According to data, the penetration rate of private swimming pools in France was only 4% in 1985, but it reached 15% in the Vaucluse department, and this number has been increasing year by year.

It's fair to say that, given the opportunity, every resident of Provence would want a private swimming pool.

Moreover, this phenomenon is not limited to wealthy families vacationing in the South of France; more and more locals are also beginning to recognize the necessity of swimming pools in their homes.

Strictly speaking, Provence is an 'arid' region with over 2850 hours of sunshine per year and summer temperatures often reaching 40°C. It also suffers from a severe lack of water sources and lakes, which is why wild boars often come to villages to drink water or damage watermelon fields in farmland. The locals have an obsession with 'water'.

When Ronan suggested making good use of the backyard space, Zoe's first thought was that they had to build a swimming pool.

As times have changed, swimming pools have also become a symbol of status, much like buying luxury goods – having a swimming pool at home means I am a wealthy person.

In Provence, resorts or hotels with swimming pools are always the most popular and the first to be booked.

For the Parisian family, the swimming pool was a completely new experience.

Paris is an inland city, and swimming opportunities only arise during holidays.

Now they can swim at home. How could Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen not be excited?

However, this excitement only lasted for half an hour.

Luo Tianhai left the swimming pool with a dark face, extremely dissatisfied with Luo Nan's appearance.

The little sun had just started burning when it was extinguished!
Ronan knew he was being a third wheel, but he forced himself to remain calm and tried to persuade the other person to stay.
"Let's swim some more. It's so hot right now, it feels so nice to soak in the water."

"If you're hot, just swim by yourself." Feng Zhen struggled to climb out of the water, wrapped herself in a towel, and waved to the three dogs. "Come on, babies, come inside. I'll cut you some chilled fruit."

The two men and three dogs left without looking back, leaving Ronan alone in the hot air.

He squatted down by the pool, splashing the water and muttering:

"Fine, I won't stay with you then. I'll call Zoe to come keep me company."

Ronan's backyard is large, with a big and beautiful swimming pool, and Zoe has done a lot of nice touches.

Such a beautiful swimming pool is definitely suitable for two people to swim together; it would be a waste to swim alone.

With that thought in mind, Ronan happily got up and went to his studio.

A few minutes later.

Ronan jogged back into the house and asked his mother, Feng Zhen, who was feeding fruit to the three dogs:

Have you seen Zoe?

Zoe has no work scheduled to go out today, so she should be creating in her studio.

But when Ronan went to the studio, he found the door locked and Zoe wasn't inside.

Did you guys have too much fun and scare Zoe away?

“Zoe was at the studio this morning and just left. She said a friend came over, and they’re having lunch together and will talk about things this afternoon,” Feng Zhen said without looking up.

It was precisely because Zoe had left and wasn't there in the afternoon that Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen dared to go into the water for a while.

With their children around, how could they dare to be so 'frivolous'? They're all old enough to be grandparents.

Hey, I can't believe Ronan is back!

Are you angry?

"A friend came?" Ronan casually grabbed a piece of chilled fruit meant for dogs and popped it into his mouth. "But Zoe didn't go to the restaurant."

When Zoe's friends come to Lourmaran, she will definitely be treated to a meal at Ronan's restaurant.

But she had no plans to go to the restaurant today because she hadn't informed Ronan in advance to reserve a seat.

"Can't people have their own things to do? Do they have to tell you everything?" Feng Zhen finally remembered that she had a son, and prepared a separate fruit for Ronan. "Besides, there are so many fun and delicious things to do in Lourmaran now, maybe we should go and try something different."

Ronan accepted the fruit without saying a word.

I thought to myself that it wasn't impossible.

The variety of food options on the food street is becoming increasingly diverse, and several restaurants have also upgraded their menus and flavors.

Even the old taverns are selling more types of alcohol now.

Luo Tianhai had recovered from his earlier panic and asked Luo Nan:

What are you doing back at noon?

Ronan dared not say he was coming back to check on the swimming pool; for the past week, he had been avoiding the word 'swimming pool' as much as possible.

He bent down and stroked Margaret's soft fur:
"Lucas is coming to pick up Margaret and Blackie this afternoon, so I came back to check on them."

For as long as Margaret stayed at Ronan's house, Lucas would visit them for the same number of days, sometimes twice a day.

Today, he finally finished cleaning the house and is coming to pick up his beloved daughter and her boyfriend.

Previously, when the topic of Lucas coming to see Margaret every day was occasionally brought up, Feng Zhen's tone still carried a hint of 'not understanding'.

Do you think we'd starve your precious daughter to death?

Upon hearing that Xiao Hei was leaving, she immediately dropped everything she was doing and anxiously said to Luo Tianhai:
"Tianhai, don't go to the restaurant this afternoon. Stew some meat at home and take it with you. Xiao Hei is used to our food. I don't know if he'll be able to eat well at Lucas's house."

Luo Tianhai opened the refrigerator and took things out of it one bag at a time:
"I stewed all the meat; it should be enough for them to eat for a few days."

Feng Zhen took a large cloth bag out of the cupboard and muttered to herself:

"I'll go buy some more of Xiao Hei's favorite fruits and snacks."

“There’s no need.” Ronan stepped in front of his mother. “The Lucas family has everything; would they mistreat Little Black?”

He wouldn't stop him from stewing the meat, so Lucas could also try his father's cooking.

But fruits and snacks are out of the question.
Feng Zhen didn't dodge; she grabbed Luo Nan's arm and walked away.
“Drive me to Mena Village, and we’ll buy the freshest ones.”

Ronan: "."

Outrageous!

Who is the son in this family?

Ronan drove Feng Zhen to Mena Village to do some shopping, and the mother and son had lunch there on the way.

After taking Feng Zhen home, Ronan went to Codia's art shop, only to find that she wasn't there either; only two local villagers were minding the shop.

“Where’s Cotillard?” Ronan asked the two villagers.

One of the answers:
"He went out with Zoe."

Another addition:
"It seems like we're going to meet some friends together."

Ronan pressed further:

"Did your friend say so? Is it an artist?"

The two shop assistants exchanged a glance and shook their heads simultaneously.

"I didn't say it."

After leaving Cotillard's art shop, Ronan went to the restaurant, then wandered around to the art market, only to find that several members of Zoe's group had disappeared.

And without exception, none of them explained to the people around them what they were going to do.

In the afternoon, Ronan had to go to work at the weaving workshop. On his way back, he muttered to himself:

"With so many people 'disappearing' at once, they must be plotting something. Are they planning a surprise part of the wedding they designed beforehand?"

The proposal was designed and arranged by Ronan.

Zoe took on more responsibility for planning and executing the wedding.

Several months ago, she and her bridesmaids began planning surprise elements for the wedding.

Moreover, fearing that the clever Ronan would discover the surprise in advance, Zoe informed Ronan that there would be a 'surprise' at the wedding, while asking him not to be curious or expose their secret plan in advance, but to wait patiently.

Ronan connected the events of the day with this surprise, and didn't dwell on it too much or try to find out more. He simply doted on Zoe even more when he saw her that evening.

"When shall we go swimming together?" Ronan wrapped his arms around Zoe and buried his face in her neck.

But Zoe shoved Ronan aside and walked toward Marseille, who was lying alone by the door with her dog, her back to him looking incredibly lonely.

"Is baby Marseille lonely? Come here, let me keep you company."

Ronan: "."

Speechless, utterly speechless!

Marguerite and Little Black went back to her parents' home, making Marseille the only one favored in the family.

Having entered a semi-retired state, Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen devoted themselves to Ma Sai every day, treating her foot as if it were still a patient even after it had healed. However, Ma Sai's condition visibly deteriorated.

She spends all day lying by the door, having lost her usual liveliness and spirit, and nothing I do can coax her back to normal.

He started living with Xiao Hei when he was only a few months old. The two brothers were inseparable for more than a year. Now that the older brother has another dog, the younger brother has become the superfluous one!
It's impossible for it to go with Xiao Hei. What would it do if it went to Lucas's house?

Buy one get one free?

Zoe felt sorry for Marseille and wanted to take it to Louis, where there were three dogs that could play with it.

But Luo Tian and Feng Zhen currently dote on Ma Sai the only dog, and they have just gone through a separation from Xiao Hei, so this is not practical for them; they certainly wouldn't want to part with it.

After much thought, I think Marseille is still the best place to stay.

Seeing Marseille lying alone at the door like a 'brother-gazing stone', Ronan felt a pang of sadness.

Don't let the fact that this kid is the most dramatic fool you; he's also the most insecure. His attempts to win favor, act, and seek attention are all ways he tries to get people's attention.

“Your brother just has a girlfriend now, he doesn’t abandon you, and he’ll be back soon.” Ronan squatted down next to Marseille and stroked his body tenderly. “Or should I find you a ‘partner’ too?”

Marseille's ears perked up excitedly.

With Xiao Hei leaving home for the first time and Ma Sai not feeling well, Feng Zhen hasn't been sleeping well these past few days.

Sometimes I dream that Xiao Hei was bullied at Lucas's house, and he came back whimpering, saying that being a live-in son-in-law was too hard. The two of them hugged each other and cried bitterly.

A while later, she dreamed that Marseille was being chased by a hawk in the sky. She tried to chase the bird away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch up with it. She was so anxious that she woke up crying.

Sometimes, she would dream that Marseille had run away from home, and on the way, it was chased by wild dogs, pursued by bees, and bitten by vipers. It was a miserable wanderer, crying out in pain.

"Uuuuuuuuuu——"

In a hazy state, Feng Zhen bumped headfirst into Luo Tianhai's arms.

Luo Tianhai felt immense pressure on his chest, slowly opened his eyes, and stroked his wife's head, asking:

"Having a nightmare again?"

Feng Zhen said haltingly:

“I dreamt that Marseille was being bullied and was screaming so pitifully. The dream was so real that I could still hear its heart-wrenching cries when I woke up.”

Luo Tianhai's eyes gradually widened, and his mind gradually cleared. He rolled his eyeballs a few times:

"That wasn't a dream, was it? I heard Marseille call too."

The screams were indeed quite devastating.

Feng Zhen sat up straight and glanced at the clock on the bedside table:

"It's not even 6 o'clock yet, why is Marseille making such a racket?"

She kicked Luo Tianhai:

"Tianhai, go downstairs quickly and see what's going on."

Luo Tianhai rolled over:
"What could possibly be going on at home? Maybe Ronan made something delicious and it smelled it and got anxious."

Feng Zhen kicked hard, nearly launching Luo Tianhai away:

"Go and take a look, I can't sleep without seeing it."

Luo Tianhai got up angrily.

How can I possibly fall asleep after all this commotion?
Two minutes later, Luo Tianhai returned to the bedroom in a rage and, without saying a word, began to put on his clothes with a clatter.

Feng Zhen propped herself up and asked nervously:
"What's wrong with Marseille? Why is she still yelling?"

Luo Tianhai pulled a belt from the wardrobe:
"Nonsense! Absolutely nonsense! Ronan forcibly tied Marseille and Huhu together!!"

"That little brat!!" Feng Zhen ran downstairs barefoot.

lunch time.

Ronan finished her knitting work in the morning and went to the restaurant for lunch.

As soon as he entered the restaurant, Pierre and the others surrounded him with mischievous grins, asking gossipy questions:
"I heard your dad hit you this morning?"

Cornell hesitated for a moment, but was still curious, so he couldn't help but ask:
"And it was with a belt? Is that true?"

Ronan stretched out his arms, rolled up his sleeves to his shoulders, and showed them:

"Do you think it's true?"

Pierre examined the area thoroughly, from head to toe, left to right, and found not a single scratch. Disappointed, he said:
"Damn it, Theo is getting more and more unreliable. He actually joked about this kind of thing, which made me lose my appetite. I've been waiting here to watch the show."

Ronan rolled down his sleeves and said with a smirk:

“My dad just chased me with a belt, he wasn’t going to hit me. He told Theo to come out when he was fully awake in the morning and to keep an eye on me.”

"Let's go, let's go, let's disperse." Pierre waved to everyone.

They had only taken two steps when they heard a "ouch" behind them.

Turning my head, I saw Ronan rubbing his buttocks, looking like he wasn't walking very smoothly.

Cornell mouthed to Pierre:

"Was it a spanking on the buttocks?"

Pierre frowned and made a 'retreat' gesture:

"Ask Theo again."

Near Lourmaran Castle.

Theo patted his chest and guaranteed:

“I swear, I really saw Ronan’s dad chasing him this morning, waving his belt as he did so. His mom was chasing him too, but she was running slower and cursing under her breath. You can ask Rebecca if you don’t believe me; she heard it at home too.”

Theo and Ronan lived very close to each other, only a few hundred meters apart.

His words were quite convincing, and he even swore an oath!
“But Ronan doesn’t have any marks on his arms,” Pierre asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips. “Did his father spank him on the butt?”

Theo's expression turned ferocious, as if something terrifying had occurred before him:

"His father couldn't catch him at all. You have no idea how fast Ronan ran this morning. It's no exaggeration to say that he was practically a blur."

"The goat race is that fast?" Pierre crossed his arms.

Theo shook his head, took a cigarette from Pierre's cigarette case, and put it in his mouth.

"It's much faster than that, because between him and his father there's a sheep and a dog, and all three of them are chasing Ronan. One is waving a belt, one is baring its teeth, and one is baring its horns. None of them are easy for Ronan to handle."

Cornell's eyes widened:

"God, what exactly happened to Ronan this morning?"

Pierre then made a 'retreat' gesture and said to his brothers:

"Go ask Ronan again."

Louis's house.

Ronan lay on Zoe's bed, his pants half-down, grinning as he explained:
"I was just bumped twice, I'm really fine."

Zoe, wearing sterilized gloves, examined Ronan's injuries and asked speechlessly:
"What were you thinking? Why did you tie Huhu and Ma Sai together? Now everything's out of control, and you're the only one who'll get hurt in the end."

Ronan's innocent explanation:
“Little Black and Margaret went to Lucas’s house. There was only one dog, Marseille, at home. It would be a waste of time for me to walk the sheep and the dog separately, so I thought I would walk them both at once.”

After the goat race ended, Ronan still kept up his habit of walking the goats, only the distance wasn't as long anymore.

Huhu loves freedom and running, and since it usually lives alone in the yard, it takes time to spend with it. The trust between the human and the sheep is not easy to build.

“How could those two possibly get along? You know what it’s like when they meet.” Zoe picked up the rubbing alcohol.

Ronan turned to Zoe and gave her a bright smile:

"How will we know if we don't try? Since both Marseille and Huhu need a 'companion,' why can't it be each other?"

Zoe ruthlessly pressed the alcohol onto Ronan's wound on his buttocks:

"Then you can continue to suffer this hardship."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, it hurts! Zoe, be gentle!"

Outside Louis's house.

Pierre and the others grimaced as they overheard Ronan's howls from inside the house, their smiles straining as they strained their lips.

What are they doing in there?

(End of this chapter)