1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 538 I will definitely do my best!
Lourmaran is a small village nestled in the heart of the Luberon Valley, where the local residents are economically disadvantaged, isolated from information, and lack innovative thinking.

Without Ronan's presence and influence, their attitude towards tourists might still be largely one of resistance today.

Although many people have benefited from the tourism industry, with skyrocketing housing prices and their economic situation only improving in the last six months, it is almost impossible for them to buy or rent a shop on the commercial street.

Those who want to make this money will only use their own old house for something.

Moreover, ordinary people in this era simply do not have the concept of 'investment'.

Therefore, all the shop owners who purchased and leased the second and third phases of the Lourmaran commercial street this time were successful businessmen from other places who had benefited from the tourism industry or had plans to speculate on real estate.

The influx of a large number of shop owners from other places will inevitably lead to a certain degree of capital outflow.

In order to boost the local economy and increase the income of local residents, the Lourmaran government has launched a highly competitive 'Local Villagers Subsidy Scheme'.

Unfortunately, despite showing sufficient sincerity, very few local villagers came to inquire, let alone sign contracts.

Blanco had been eagerly anticipating Ronan's arrival, and finally, he did.

The policy had been in place for a while, but there were few opportunities to use it, which made Blanco forget some of its contents. He was too busy with too many things every day to remember everything in detail.

He started off with a high-pitched 'tune,' which piqued Ronan's interest, and he waited expectantly for what would follow. But several seconds passed, and Blanco was still flipping through his notebook.

"Wait a minute, just a moment, I think it was around this time." Blanco quickly flipped through his notebook. "These are notes from three or four months ago. There's too much stuff written in the back."

Ronan leaned back in his chair and said with a smile:
"No rush, take your time looking. I can wait all afternoon."

Blanco felt a little embarrassed and handed Ronan the stack of documents at the bottom of his notebook:

"Take a look at these materials first; they're about the second and third phases of the commercial street."

“Okay.” Ronan reached out and took it; he was also looking into these matters.

Before receiving these documents, Ronan assumed they were contracts prepared for him by Blanco in advance. However, he was wrong; they were actually introductions to three types of shops on the commercial street.

The second and third phases of the commercial street have three different types of shop units.

The first type of unit is the smallest, with each shop occupying an area of ​​180 square meters and having three floors above ground.

The core dense area of ​​Lourmaran unfolds in a snail shell shape, centered around the old church, while the second and third phases of the commercial street connected to the first phase form a small new shell, like baby snails clinging tightly to their 'mother'.

The smallest of these apartment types are located on the outermost ring of the new shell. The first three-story building at the entrance that Blanco arranged for Ronan is this size.

"180 square meters is actually the smallest unit, 40 square meters larger than the dining room." Ronan put down the first floor plan and sighed to himself.

The first phase of the shopping street was built with funds from the Lourmaran government. It did not deviate from the original architectural plan of the old town and was subject to many restrictions. Ronan's Chinese restaurant is considered one of the larger ones.

This year, the tourism bureau has secured two budgets in succession, and an expansion plan has been confirmed. The total area of ​​the new commercial street is quite 'generous'.

But this 'generosity' made Ronan feel very insecure.

The smallest one is 180 square meters, and the next unit will definitely be even bigger.

Larger area means higher price.
Ronan picked up the second document and immediately looked for its area.

The second type of unit has increased in size from 180 square meters to 260 square meters. There are only 12 three-story shops of this type, which are located inside the snail shell, like a cocoon protecting the most core buildings in the center.

The "street-front shop with a fantastic view across the street from the event center" that Blanco mentioned is this type of unit.

Ronan unconsciously pursed his lips.

Without the extra space included, this is a type of apartment he can no longer afford.

The house price is discounted, but the taxes are not. He remembers paying 15% of the total house price in taxes when he bought a shop last year.

So, it would cost more than 80 francs to acquire this 260-square-meter shop.

"Why are they all built on such a huge area?" Ronan couldn't help but complain.

He understood Lourmaran's determination to expand; in Luberon, the village that expanded the largest area was considered the most powerful.

But why didn't the government consider whether everyone's wallets could withstand it?

The third floor plan description is naturally a 550-square-meter, four-story "landmark building," and there is only one of this type of floor plan.

It sits at the very center of 'Baby Snail', along with the Lourmaran Activity Center and the new square that can accommodate the whole village for large gatherings.

Although his eyes were on the document, Ronan's mind was elsewhere.

The Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative needs this large shop.

In the future, it will be a flagship store for furniture and accessories, a venue for Michelin magazine's photo shoots, and a venue for large-scale VIP events, so the larger the area, the better.

However, two 180-square-meter shops are sufficient for the restaurant and dessert bakery; there's no need to spend more money.

Moreover, the larger the shop area, the higher the renovation cost.

If you want to get them all up and running quickly, it's best to have plenty of cash flow in the next few months.

"See that?" Blanco pointed to the document in front of Ronan and suddenly said, "There's only one 550-square-meter shop, and I've reserved it for you! Many people have their eyes on this building, and I had Sylvie tell them that we already knew who would own it before it was even built, and no matter how much money they offer, we won't change our minds."

"Thank you," Ronan said gratefully.

His gratitude was genuine.

Blanco had nothing to say about him; the problem lay with him—he wasn't rich enough!

“We’ve found the subsidy policy.” Blanco patted his notebook and continued to ask Ronan, “Have you reviewed all the information on these three apartment types? We’ve launched three different apartment types this time.”

Ronan neatly arranged the floor plan information and nodded, saying:

"finish watching."

"Are you satisfied with my arrangements?" Blanco asked cheerfully.

Blanco was so cheerful that Ronan was a little embarrassed to say he wasn't cheerful. He wanted to wait until Blanco finished explaining the policy before finding an excuse to bring up the possibility of exchanging the 260-square-meter shop for a 180-square-meter one.

"Satisfied, satisfied. The government has been so good to me, giving me the best of everything. Of course I'm satisfied," Ronan said, half-jokingly.

Blanco suddenly burst into a dry laugh, which made Ronan feel uneasy. He wondered if his expression had betrayed his true thoughts.
That shouldn't be the case; his 'acting skills' have always been excellent.

"Satisfied? That would be a miracle!" Blanco said 'scolded'. "Ronan, I thought we were inseparable comrades-in-arms, but I didn't expect you to be so 'fake polite' with me. You helped boost Lourmaran's economic development and solved countless employment problems for the residents of Lourmaran. In the end, I forced three shops on you and made you take them over, and it cost so much money. Can you really be satisfied? If it were me, I certainly wouldn't be."

Ronan quickly changed his tune:

"Isn't this what you're waiting for me to say about the policy? I don't want to interrupt you. I'll offer my opinion after you finish speaking."

Blanco took a sip of rosé:

"If you have any opinions, please speak up now."

Ronan said jokingly:

“The shops this time are all too big. What if someone like me doesn’t need that much space? If we built some smaller units, maybe the villagers would be more enthusiastic about participating, and you wouldn’t be complaining here that such a good subsidy program is useless.”

Blanco sneered and retorted to Ronan:

"Do you think the shop I gave you is too big?"

Ronan nodded vigorously:

"Yes, yes, I don't need that much space. Two 180-square-meter apartments are enough. Of course, I definitely want the 550-square-meter one."

Blanco cleared his throat, a sly smile spreading across his face as he looked at the contents of his notebook:

"The first subsidy clause states that local residents can enjoy a capped area of ​​180 square meters when purchasing commercial properties. Tsk tsk, what a pity. Since you don't need it, I'll have Sylvie coordinate to see if we can get you two 180-square-meter units instead." Before Blanco could finish speaking, Ronan started gesturing excitedly:

"No, no, wait a minute, can you buy a 260-square-meter shop for the price of a 180-square-meter shop?"

“But you don’t need that much area, okay? Don’t interrupt me,” Blanco said, suppressing a laugh. “The second policy—”

"You'll need it! You'll need it!" Ronan quickly stood up to pour Blanco a drink. "You misunderstood, what I meant was..."

Two minutes later, Ronan, his mouth dry, took a sip of rosé wine:

"Now you understand, right? That's what it really meant. It's my fault for not explaining it clearly to you. See, there was a misunderstanding."

Blanco cooperated fully with the performance:

"Oh, I understand now."

Ronan excitedly pressed on with more questions:
"So my understanding is correct, right? That is, I can buy a 260-square-meter shop for the price of a 180-square-meter shop?"

Blanco replied with a smile in his eyes:
"Not only that, you can also buy that 550-square-meter one for the price of 180 square meters."

Ronan gave Blanco a thumbs up:

"This subsidy policy for local residents is amazing!"

Great, no words needed!

This is the Lourmaran government!

Blanco looked down and touched the writing in the notebook, saying with some disappointment:

“But even if we have done so, the local residents are still not very enthusiastic, which shows that the government still has a lot of work to do and a long way to go.”

A few months ago, when this version of the subsidy policy was finalized, the Lourmaran government was extremely optimistic from top to bottom, believing that it would definitely attract many villagers.

But after hearing the purchase price and rent, everyone fell silent.

When Sylvie inquired about the progress, the only reason given was—it's too expensive, they can't afford to buy/rent it.

This further confirms that the pace of revitalizing Lourmaran's economy cannot be halted!
"Take it slow, it's only just begun," Ronan said gently, offering words of comfort.

Blanco rallied, like a child finally getting a chance to show off his beloved toy, and continued:

"This is just the first subsidy item; there are several more to come. We've been thinking about it for a very long time, and today we finally have the opportunity to talk about it. The second subsidy item—"

Blanco then mentioned three or four more policies, each of which was practical and showed great sincerity.

Just like last year, a renovation subsidy fund of 1 francs will be provided to shop owners.

There are also new subsidies introduced this year, such as water and electricity subsidies for the first few months.

It's clear that the government has put a lot of effort into this.

In order not to waste the sincerity of the Lourmaran government, after hearing the policy, Ronan demanded that all three contracts be signed today.

Based on a floor area of ​​180 square meters, the transaction price of each shop is around 50 francs, which is less than 60 francs including taxes and fees.

Although we didn't achieve our goal of 'securing second place and striving for first', we still got a 180-square-meter, a 260-square-meter, and a 550-square-meter shop.

They've made a killing, haven't they?!
“I’ll buy one shop first, and lease the other two. I’ll buy them in a few months,” Ronan said to Blanco. “Will you draft the contracts, or should I call Sylvie?”

Blanco poured the last bit of wine into Ronan's glass:

"You can buy one when it's convenient for you, there's no need to buy three."

Ronan said with a smile:
"I don't like renting; I want to buy it, as you should know."

This time it was Blanco's turn to lean back in his chair:

“I forced the third shop on you. You never intended to have it. You only started planning it after this happened. So, sign a ten-year lease. If you can operate it for ten years, the shop will be yours after ten years. I’ve talked to Sylvie about this. The rent will remain the same. She knows how to draft a contract.”

Ronan could hardly believe his ears.

Blanco paid him rent at cost price, only a little over 3000 francs per month, so the rent for ten years would only be a little over 40 francs.

But 3000 francs ten years later is certainly not the same as 3000 francs in 1987.

Ten years later, this shop has increased in value to hundreds of thousands or even millions of euros!

This is practically giving away money!
"I—" Ronan was abruptly interrupted by Blanco before he could finish speaking.

Blanco's face turned serious, a rare occurrence.

"Don't say thank you. You haven't come to the government office to see me in too long. Instead of expressing your true feelings, you keep saying thank you. Let me tell you, Ronan, from now on, you have to come see me for a drink once a month. That's a hard and fast rule, you hear me!"

Ronan swallowed his words, unsure of what to do, and could only keep smiling.
"I'll bring wine next time I come."

"What, is this wine not good?"

"This isn't the best-tasting Stellaris."

"I knew we'd been so uncommunicative lately. Why are you only telling me now about something this important?"

"I'll come to drink with you every week from now on."

"You better keep your word!"

"Yes, Blanco, I'll do my best. I mean, I'll manage all my businesses well and make Lourmaran better and better."

"Can you stop nagging like an old man? Shall we open another bottle? I don't have anything else to do—"

Ronan hadn't had a proper chat with Blanco for several months.

He didn't go to the forest to find the professor and his students today; he stayed until Blanco finished get off work.

That evening, Ronan invited Blanco, Blanco's wife, and Sylvie from the government, along with their families, to a restaurant for dinner.

During their casual conversation, Ronan brought up the topic of the reclusive billionaire.

“Blanco, have you ever heard of a guy named Yami Pochettino? I saw his name as the seller when I went to Marseille to buy the forest. Before that, most of the forest in Lourmaran belonged to this guy. That’s terrifying.”

Blanco shook his head; he was busy with important matters every day and wouldn't focus on certain people's names.
“I don’t recall anything. If it’s as you guessed, this person might have lived in Lourmaran before. You can ask Karl if you have the chance; maybe he can give you some information.”

Suddenly, Sylvie, who had been eating in silence, raised her head:

“Yami Pochettino? That man has a 19th-century manor in Lourmarin, so big that you can get lost inside.”

Ronan asked with a complicated expression:

"Is it in the direction closer to Good Village?"

Sylvie blinked a few times:

"That's right, how did you know?"

Ronan smiled and shook his head:

“I saw it once when I was passing by, and it looked a lot like what you described.”

What a small world!

That manor now belongs to Charlotte.

(End of this chapter)