1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 535: Another batch of fans has joined the ranks.

Ronan didn't care about what others thought.

Every morning, I will force Huhu and Ma Sai to be paired up.

So many sheepdogs can get along with sheep, why can't these two develop feelings for each other over time?
I don't believe it, not at all.

If humans and sheep, who are incompatible, can become partners fighting side by side, wouldn't it be even easier if they were both animals?
Ronan believed that getting Hoho and Marseille to live in peace only required a little ingenuity.

A dog and a sheep cannot get along right now; if they are taken out together, they will quickly become entangled.

To stop them from fighting, Ronan would yell and run away, at which point the two little animals would become his target.

Therefore, Ronan was actually 'self-inflicted' to be chased.

“Being chased is only temporary. They’ll quickly get used to this arrangement and gradually accept each other,” Ronan explained evasively. “And to put it another way, I can exercise too. Have you forgotten my previous ‘obesity’ crisis?”

News of Ronan being chased by sheep and dogs every day spread like wildfire in Lourmaran.

The people of Provence love to watch a good show, especially a scene that makes them laugh out loud. Every day when Ronan walks his dog and sheep, there are always a few villagers watching.

"Regardless of Ronan's original intentions, just tell me if he achieved his goals of walking the sheep and the dog? He's been running for over ten minutes now, guys!"

"I think we should call it 'walking people around,' Ronan is the fastest one to run!"

"We have to be fast, or we'll be in trouble if they catch up to us."

"I joked before that Ronan wanted to be a marathon runner, and this time it might really come true."

"Haha, keep it up, Ronan, protect your valuable ass!"

Zoe's artistic style is very distinctive; all of her works are animal-themed.

Those who know her know that she has this artistic style because she loves animals.

However, Ronan's reputation for loving animals gradually spread in Lourmarin, but that was not because he forced Huhu and Marseille into a couple.

One afternoon, Ronan finished his work assignment for the day—a woven chair.

After greeting Baty and the women, he immediately got up and left the yard, seemingly in a great hurry.

Bati, having heard the recent rumors circulating in the village, asked in a teasing tone:

"Going to Lucas's to see your dog again? Can't you manage without going for even a day?"

Everyone in Lourmaran knew that Lucas went to Ronan's house every day to check on Margaret at the end of June.

But nobody would find it strange.

That's Margaret, the daughter who made Lucas rich.

But it was strange that Ronan went to Lucas's house every day to see the little black dog.

What abilities or skills does your dog have?

After thinking it over, the only connection I could make was that this action was related to Zoe's love for animals—a case of the husband following the wife's lead.

This wasn't the first time Ronan had heard someone ask him a similar question, and his explanation, both amusing and exasperated, was as follows:
"I'm not going to Lucas's house to see the dogs, I'm going to see my forest."

In early July, Professor Fernand finally brought his students to Lourmarin to begin a new experimental direction.

From then on, Ronan had to go and check on it every day.

The experimental forest was in a very remote part of Lourmaran, and the villagers were unaware that an experimental team had come to their village.

Because the forest was in the direction of Lucas's house, people mistakenly thought that Ronan walked that way every day to look at the dogs.

Batistuta wasn't skeptical of Ronan's explanation, but he found it even more astonishing:
"Why are you going to see your forest?"

The forest isn't going anywhere, so why do we need to check on it every day?
Ronan's simple and clear explanation:

"Help the professor and his students do experiments."

"You can do experiments?" Barty asked in amazement. "Really? That's not something just anyone can do."

Barty had eaten with Ronan, Sandrine, and Bruno and knew the general situation of Ronan's experimental truffle forest.

Even Bruno said that it was the most outstanding research team in Provence. What could Ronan do to help them?
“You’re right, I really don’t know how to do those experiments, they’re too specialized.” Ronan sighed. “So I’m going to guide them in doing the experiments. Anyway, I’ll stop here. Professor Fernand must be waiting for me.”

Batistuta: "???"

The villagers were unaware that a research team with the highest level of agricultural technology in Provence had come to their village, but the government was aware.

Professor Fernand needs to report to the relevant government departments when he brings students to conduct experiments.

This is the first time a research team has come to Lourmaran to conduct academic research, and the government attaches great importance to it.

Although there is a severe shortage of personnel, Blanco assigned a staff member to liaise with Professor Fernand's team and to provide maximum assistance if needed.

Professor Fernand has just arrived with his team and is stationed in the wilderness. They need to gradually resolve and adapt to the living conditions, such as water and electricity. During this period, the government staff responsible for liaison work have been frequently visiting this forest.

Sure enough, Ronan ran into Condina on his way to the experimental forest.

"Is the professor facing some difficulties?" Ronan asked when he saw Contina arrive, assuming that the professor's team had encountered some problems.

Condina shook her head:
"The professor didn't encounter any difficulties. It was the village chief who felt that the professor was having problems and asked me to persuade him to move to the temporary accommodation we arranged. The weather is so hot, and it's too harsh for so many people to live in the wild. Blanco is worried that they won't be in good condition to conduct experiments."

Lourmaran is the first to have a research team, and the research target is the forest that Ronan bought. If the experiment is successful, Lourmaran will have an additional tourism project that is very advantageous in winter. That could become a good opportunity for Lourmaran to overtake others. With all these advantages piled up, how could Blanco not pay attention?
It's no exaggeration to say that he was even more anxious than Ronan.

They were terrified that this experimental forest would fail.
Like Ronan, Blanco doesn't like to sit idly by when faced with problems; he prefers to take the initiative.

Lourmaran suffers from a shortage of accommodation resources, much like its human resources. Finding proper accommodation during the tourist season is extremely difficult, almost impossible. This problem will only be alleviated once Lourmaran's expansion is completed.

However, in order to provide the professor with the greatest possible assistance, the government coordinated the construction of a stone house 2 kilometers away from the forest, which had been abandoned by shepherds.

Although there aren't many stone houses, and it would be a bit crowded if everyone lived in them, it's still better than pitching a tent in the wild, right?

At least it provides shelter from the wind and rain.

Ronan curled his lip:

"Don't bother, the professor won't go. He doesn't even go to my family's big warehouse, let alone the stone house."

"Oh, you invited the professor too?" Condina asked in surprise. "You're so close to the professor, how could he refuse you?"

There was one more thing Condina didn't say.

That's not a huge warehouse, that's clearly the kind of studio that working people dream of!

If the professor isn't going, can I move in?

Ronan sighed with a complicated expression:

“Go back and tell Blanco not to worry. The professor and his students are taking this experiment very seriously, and these external factors will not interfere with them.”

Since Ronan had said so, Contina had no choice but to continue walking towards the village.
"Okay, I'll head back now."

Ronan's thoughtful reminder:
"If anything happens later, you can call me and let me know. You don't need to come here every day. This place is too remote, and it's not safe for a girl like you to come here alone."

Provence is not a safe area; it has one of the highest theft rates in France. During the harvest season, a large number of temporary workers flood in, and local radio stations report several horrific incidents every week.

Although it's not yet peak theft season or harvesting period, we still need to be careful.

Condina had only been working for less than six months and hadn't yet reached the stage of 'cheating and shirking'. She waved gratefully to Ronan and patted her pocket.

"It's alright, I came during the day, and I brought 'weapons' with me."

Ronan was still worried:
"When I get back, I'll arrange a bodyguard for you."

Professor Fernand chose a shady spot not far from the ecological buffer zone as his experimental base. The location was similar to the forest in Piorank, but there were no abandoned logging camps, and the conditions were vastly different. Although it was broad daylight, several tents had their curtains drawn, and people were sleeping inside.

This wasn't Ronan's first time here. He tiptoed into the open tent and whispered to a student:
"Is the professor sleeping? Or did he go inside to retrieve data?"

The student pointed to a red tent in the center and said, sweating profusely:

"The professor was catching up on sleep inside, but before he went to sleep he said, 'Wake him up when you come.' Wait a minute, I'll go wake the professor up."

Two minutes later, Ronan met the disheveled Professor Fernand.

Before Ronan could speak, Professor Fernand excitedly showed him the new data he had obtained the previous night:
"We have gradually figured out the optimal temperature range for the reaction between carbon and microbial communities. The next step is to conduct independent experiments on humidity, oxygen concentration, and microbial communities. We should be able to enter the laboratory research phase within a month at most."

One of the challenges professors face before planting in the fall is finding effective ways to improve soil sterilization and aeration.

Regarding soil permeability, Ronan once proposed an existing method that has not been widely adopted due to a lack of information: using carbon to increase soil stability.

Upon arriving at the forest of Lourmaran, Professor Fernand immediately led his students to begin experiments in this direction.

The underlying logic of artificial truffle cultivation experiments is to simulate the natural state in the laboratory, allowing truffle mycelium to grow in a safe environment. In this way, the first thing to obtain is data from the natural state.

Only by obtaining this data can we simulate it in the laboratory.

The entire experimental team worked in three shifts, monitoring the experimental plants in the forest in real time, day and night.

Professor Fernand wasn't much younger than Luo Tianhai, and seeing how hard he was working, he couldn't help but advise him again:

"Everyone has worked too hard at this stage. Why don't you come stay at my place? It's a bit far, but with proper staffing and division of labor, the experiment won't be delayed."

This wasn't the first time Ronan had raised this issue. Fernand knew that his previous excuses, such as "we're used to this kind of life," were no longer effective, so he came up with a new one.

He tidied his messy hair:
"Don't worry, I'll only be here for a few days each cycle. There are so many experiments waiting for me. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, so I won't have to suffer for more than a few days."

Ronan hesitated before saying:

"But you students will be staying here for quite a while."

After meeting Professor Fernand's team, Ronan became even more hesitant to become a 'scientist'—it just seemed too arduous!

Upon mentioning students, Fernand immediately straightened his face and said in a cold voice:
"You know nothing, you have no skills, and you can't even endure hardship. Do you think money is so easy to earn?"

He glanced at Elden, who was passing by, and launched into a tirade:
"Where is the data for noon? Don't just give me a report that only records temperature and humidity; I need all the environmental data!"

Feeling sorry for them?

If they were as capable as Ronan, that would be fine!

After reprimanding his students, Professor Fernand said to Ronan with a look of affection:

"You said yesterday that you seemed to have thought of some things related to disinfection again, which you overheard while talking to the truffle hunter. You also said that you would think about it carefully when you got back. Have you thought of the details?"

Ronan nodded, suppressing a laugh:
"I did recall a little bit."

Professor Fernand is a very efficient and effective leader.

After finishing his conversation with Ronan, he immediately entered the forest and kept an eye on the students in this round.

Elden had dined with the professor and Ronan and even stayed overnight at Ronan's house, so he was quite familiar with Ronan.

Seeing Ronan about to leave, he quickly reminded him:
"Ronan, you must come tomorrow too. Every time the professor sees you, he becomes 'quiet' for a while, otherwise he'll yell at everyone he meets."

Ronan smiled and waved to him:

"Okay, I'll bring you some delicious food when I come tomorrow."

The headquarters was filled with jubilation.

"Is Ronan bringing food again?"

"Thank you, Ronan!"

"Yay! I'm so happy!!"

In just a few days, Ronan gained another group of fans in Lourmaran.

Professor Fernand's experimental team faced some tough conditions, but putting aside the professor's temperament, the atmosphere was quite good.

Most importantly, they have a good attitude.

It's normal for a group of students who are still in school and have little ability or experience to be scolded.

What's there to be angry about?
Isn't the point of coming here to learn?

In addition to learning, they can also hear exciting and dramatic stories.

Ronan was good-tempered and 'knowledgeable'. Most importantly, he often 'fed' everyone, and it was always delicious food. The students quickly grew to like this 'sugar daddy'.

Whenever the professor was away from headquarters, the students would have to keep Ronan there to tell him something interesting before letting him go out.

Ronan didn't understand at first.

What stories can he tell?
Isn't it just about Lourmaran?
He gradually came to terms with it.

These students are just using him as a 'television'.

Having been isolated from the world for so long, everything I hear outside feels new and exciting.

“Something really happened today.” Ronan said to the people around him while sitting in the shade, “Erimoni came to Lourmaran today, and the whole village was completely jammed. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a traffic jam like that even without cars.”

One student's eyes widened:

"Erimoni? What's he doing in Lourmaran? I grew up listening to his 'Lovely Girl,' and my parents both love his songs!"

Ronan explained with a smile:

"He went to the Lourmaran handicraft cooperative to buy furniture."

Elden looked down and counted on his fingers for a while:

"This is the third celebrity to come to Lourmaran to buy furniture this week."

Ronan said cheerfully:

"It must have been a celebrity in her circle who helped promote me."

Earlier this week, the old nun version of Charlotte made another 'incognito' visit to Lourmaran and even came to see Ronan. She inadvertently revealed that she had promoted woven furniture at a party, and unexpectedly, celebrities and stars kept showing up.

Whether they buy anything or not, their presence is a form of advertising.

Ronan made a special call to Charlotte to express his gratitude.

Charlotte said she was welcome; the more celebrities who bought from her, the more valuable her furniture investments would become, since she currently holds the record for the largest single order.

One female student said wistfully:

"After the experiment is over, I must visit your knitting courtyard."

Ronan welcomed this:

"You'll definitely like it there. The atmosphere in the knitting compound is similar to here. Everyone gets along very well and helps each other."

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone appeared to sabotage him.

Cornell's round face was flushed, clearly from running, and he said breathlessly:
"Ronan, you'd better hurry back. Cafu's men are fighting in the weaving yard. Cafu isn't in Lourmaran today, so Batty sent me to find you."

Ronan jumped to his feet.

How can people on the same side fight each other?
(End of this chapter)