1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 539 Huh? You all don't need me anymore?

With the contract officially signed, the next step is to consider the renovation.

Ronan has been living in Provence for a year and a half, and the renovation project has been a constant companion throughout his time there.

Decorating a house, a yard, a studio, a restaurant, or a wedding room—it seems like they're either decorating or on their way to decorating, and there's never a moment when they stop.

He himself couldn't remember how many times he had arranged renovations.

Fortunately, he's a 'designer' in Paris, so he doesn't find this job a headache and even enjoys it quite a bit.

However, there are three shops to be decorated this time. Before deciding how each shop should be decorated, we need to clarify what each of the three shops does.

The largest space was naturally reserved for the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative. This workshop, whose name includes 'Lourmaran,' is destined to become a landmark building in Lourmaran.

The first shop at the entrance of the new commercial street, with an area of ​​180 square meters, is where Lia opens her dessert and bakery.

This location would be perfect for a coffee shop or dessert shop, providing tourists with a place to rest.

The 260-square-meter shop across the street from the cultural center is now a restaurant.

Whatever type of event Lourmaran organizes in the future, it will inevitably be related to Ronan, at least in the short term.

By opening the restaurant opposite the event center, Ronan can easily entertain friends from all over the world in the future.

Renovating three shops at the same time is a huge undertaking, and Ronan has mentally prepared himself to be incredibly busy for the next few months.

But he never expected that this renovation would be so worry-free. He had overcomplicated the situation.

When eating breakfast in the morning.

“What style should the new restaurant on the commercial street be decorated in? It definitely needs to continue the ‘Chinese’ style. We’re opening a branch, not a new store, especially since they’re only a few hundred meters apart. It’s best if both sides have a consistent style, so you don’t need to put any more thought into the design.” Luo Tianhai suddenly thought of something and asked Luo Nan, “But does that mean we can’t use woven chairs?”

The interior of the first phase restaurant features a large number of woven elements.

Woven accessories and handicrafts are fine, but woven chairs are probably hard to find now.

Ronan has been spending his days helping women make chairs and furniture for others, so he probably won't have time to make anything for his own restaurant.

Ronan put down his spoon and thought about it seriously:
"If I only need the rattan design, I can just tie a layer of rattan around a regular chair. It's relatively simple and quite easy. I'll check the orders from the Lourmaran handicrafts collaboration after the wedding. I should be able to make it myself."

In the same amount of time, Ronan could earn tens of thousands by making chairs for others. His son was contributing both money and effort, which made Luo Tianhai feel bad. He felt uneasy and firmly said:

"This time, you're in charge of solving the chair problem. If you can make them, do so; if not, just find some that look visually consistent with the other decorations. We'll definitely have other woven elements on the walls and floor, so these chairs won't make a difference. You don't need to worry about anything else. I followed you through the whole last renovation, so I remember everything and know how to do it. I'll take care of this, and you can go help with other things."

The restaurant here is quite hassle-free.

The renovation was completed last summer. It wasn't difficult for Luo Tianhai to simply copy the design; all Luo Nan needed to do was prepare the money.

Surprisingly, the Lourmaran handicraft cooperative is quite worry-free.

After breakfast, Ronan went to the knitting workshop to "work" and chatted with Batty about the renovation.

"I've been thinking about the renovation for a while now!" Barty answered fluently, as if he had prepared a draft in advance. "We sell furniture and decorations, so the simpler the renovation, the better. We can't let the decoration style steal the spotlight from the furniture and decorations. We just need to put some effort into the zoning and layout."

"What are your thoughts?" Ronan asked casually as he worked.

Barty rested his chin on his hands, looked at the sky, and muttered to himself:

"A furniture display area, a separate experience class area, a large open space for events, a private space for VIPs, and an interview and photography studio—"

A hopeful smile suddenly appeared on his face:

“How many studios do you think we should set up? When the magazine isn’t using them, they can also be used as ‘showrooms’ for display. How about four? I already have four scenes in mind. We’ll change the setup of these places every few months to keep things fresh for them, the kind of place they’ll miss after a few months of not visiting.”

"Them?" Ronan was startled.

French distinguishes between masculine and feminine genders, so when we talk about interior design and furniture, why is 'them' appearing?

Batistuta looked at Ronan, as if to express his grievances:

"Who can be satisfied with just one encounter with pretty girls? You have no idea how sad I was when they left. Now, I can invite them back to visit by frequently changing the set and decorations, so leave the renovation to me, and I'll be in charge of changing the decorations afterwards!"

Restaurants can learn from past mistakes.

The Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative has the shrewd and successful American artist, Batty, as an advisor, and the interior design here pays more attention to coordination, with white walls and the simplest flooring being quite suitable.

All Ronan needs to do is prepare the money, then sit down with the F4 and think about how to make good use of the fourth floor.

As a result, he plans to focus more of his energy on the dessert bakery.

With no established shops to reference and no artists in charge, Ronan was the only option for the dessert and bakery business.

Unexpectedly, when Ronan went to Leah to discuss his decorating ideas, Leah said she already had her own ideas about what the space should look like.

"You have an idea? What's your idea?" Ronan asked in surprise.

It's true what they say, fortunes change every thirty years.

Last year, everyone was calling him "the great designer Ronan," but this year, nobody is counting on him.

Have they all sought other paths?

You guys are making me feel invisible!
Lia had just finished a two-day training course in Avignon and returned at noon, but as soon as she got back to Lourmarin, she went straight into the restaurant's kitchen.

While she was working, she explained succinctly to Ronan:

"Last week, Zoe brought a friend to my house. She had a lot of beautiful photos in her bag, including pictures of restaurants, cafes, and kitchens. I saw one of the photos and thought, 'Wow, it's so beautiful!' I asked about it and it seemed like it wasn't very expensive."

Ronan's tone was even more surprised:
"Zoe met a designer friend last week?"

Computers were not common in those days, let alone laptops.

When Ronan was an interior designer in Paris, he would carry a large stack of photos of model rooms in his bag and meet with clients every day.

Upon hearing Leah's description, he immediately realized that this person was a colleague.

Moreover, what Leah said should correspond to the afternoon when the Zoe sisters 'disappeared'.

But why did they go to see the designer?

“A designer?” Leah was also quite surprised. “Zoe didn’t say she was a designer, she just said she was a friend who came to Lourmaran for a visit.”

Ronan stroked his chin, pondering.

Did he guess wrong?

Or is Zoe Lianlia going to keep it from them too?

Leah described the features in the photo, and Ronan understood immediately, quickly forming a mental image. It was the most popular style in dessert shops in big cities over the past two years.

It is indeed very suitable for use in dessert and baking shops, but there is one process that he is unsure whether Cafu's team can do.

To be honest, this designer is too 'sophisticated', he looks like he's from a big city, but Cafu and his team are a local Provençal team, they are more down-to-earth.

Cafu has been in Lourmaran during the day these past few days, saying he'll be keeping an eye on those little rascals for a week straight.

After visiting Leah at the restaurant, Ronan rushed back to the Weaving Courtyard to discuss the details of decorating the dessert and bakery with Cafu.

But Cafu didn't even have time to hear Ronan finish speaking; Ronan had only uttered half a sentence when he shook his head repeatedly.

"I've already done my best to furnish my house and the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative. I really can't take on two more shops. Didn't you notice? Your swimming pool was completed a month later than expected. I had to ask my friends' helpers to come and help out after that."

He pointed to several salespeople behind him and said to Ronan in a low voice:

"It's even more impossible now. Nobody wants to leave the Lourmaran handicraft cooperative. I've been looking for people these past few days."

"Huh? You can't handle it?" Ronan was at his wit's end.

After arriving in Provence, all his renovations were done by Cafu.

Ronan trusted him and his team.

He suddenly says he wants to change teams. Where is he going to find people?
As is well known, artisans in Provence are very hard to find, and Cafu was introduced to him by Lucas.

Cafu lit a cigarette, frowned, and said:
"I'll try my best to borrow someone, but it's a huge project and it's difficult. You should ask around."

Ronan thought he could leave the renovation to the team and not worry about anything, but he got stuck at the very first step.

That afternoon, instead of going to the professor's forest, he inquired about the artisan team everywhere, asking everyone he could to help find reliable people.

But today's topic is definitely 'unexpected'.

Ronan never imagined that the person who would help him through this difficult time would be Zoe.

People from Provence will find every excuse to eat and drink.

Today's gathering is about celebrating Ronan's signing of three shops on the high street.

At the dinner table, Ronan naturally asked Louis, Freddie, Alain, and old Carl's two sons if they knew any reliable teams of artisans.

“I just called my designer friend in X, and she said she can take over both of our shops, so you don’t need to worry,” Zoe reassured Ronan.

Ronan couldn't help but ask:
"A new friend?"

When the two first met last year, Zoe said that Ronan was the first interior designer she had ever met in real life, a profession that is very niche in Provence.

Zoe nodded without changing her expression:
"Yes, we met recently."

She lowered her voice and said in a tone only Ronan could hear:

“I sent her a wedding invitation, and I will introduce you two at the wedding.”

Ronan nodded obediently:

"Ok."

Evening, at Louis's house.

Zoe, dressed in her pajamas, anxiously paced around the sofa, holding a landline in one hand and a microphone in the other.

“God, Cotillard, could Ronan have already found out? He kept looking at me when I mentioned Solena. I swear, if we made eye contact, he would have asked me more details about Solena. I was afraid of being exposed, so I didn’t dare to look at him, but now that I think about it, it was too stupid. It would only make him more suspicious.”

A kilometer away, Cotillard sat on his bed in his bedroom, holding a microphone to his ear and painting his nails.

"Relax, honey. So what if he finds out? You haven't done anything to betray him. You were just secretly renovating the kitchen in his studio. Don't be nervous."

“But I want to surprise him; I don’t want him to find out beforehand.” Zoe covered her forehead.

Cotillard's half-hearted advice:

"Then be more enthusiastic towards him tomorrow. If he continues on this topic, just answer him naturally, giving the same answers we prepared beforehand. Do you need me to review them for you?"

"No need, thank you." Zoe sat back down on the sofa. "I didn't realize the person giving the surprise was under so much pressure."

"Close your eyes now and think about Ronan seeing the kitchen you've 'splurged' on. Isn't it all worth it?" Codia held up her fingers, examining them with satisfaction. "Alright, stop thinking about that. Instead, think about what color nail polish to wear for the wedding. It'll be in a few days, my beautiful bride."

Zoe took a deep breath:
"Let's talk about it tomorrow. I'd also like to discuss the headpieces for the bridesmaids' dresses with you."

"No problem, darling!" Codia happily agreed.

at the same time.

Ronan was also holding the phone receiver at home.

But the person he spoke to on the phone wasn't a best man, nor a close friend with something on their mind; it was Llorente.

He hadn't expected the person making the call, nor the content of the call; this gentleman was actually calling to "catch up" with Ronan.

If I remember correctly, all those calls before, made by Ronan to Llorente, were attempts to make him feel important, had no real purpose, were just attempts to keep the other person from forgetting him, and were awkward attempts to start a conversation.

Now the identities are reversed.

"Times are tough these days, so we friends must stay close together," Llorente said passionately. "In a while, I'll invite you to a gathering of the Vaucluse Culinary Alliance."

After the call lasted for more than ten minutes, Ronan roughly guessed why Llorente had called.

The new EEC policy targets the livestock industry, and Juliet says it will not affect the Arnault family.

Even if it doesn't affect you, you'll still be so disgusted that you can't sleep for days.

Llorente has had a tough time being a son-in-law. Perhaps something happened that made him shift his focus outside the family, such as the great cause of the Vaucluse Culinary Alliance.

"Let's wait until next month," Ronan replied with a smile, "after I've finished preparing for the wedding."

“Yes, yes, the 20th!” Llorente laughed heartily. “And congratulations to you, Ronan! Getting married in Provence is the most important thing in your life. Congratulations on bravely stepping into a new stage of your life.”

"You've married a woman more than 20 years older than you. Who could be as brave as you?" Ronan thought to himself.

Mr. Llorente, an expert in social interactions, offered congratulations for ten minutes straight without repeating himself before finally stopping:
"Anyway, don't forget that you have a friend like me in Provence, Ronan. There are many things we can do together, and we should communicate more in the future."

Ronan replied with a smile:

"Of course, the most outstanding 'gourmet' gentleman in Provence."

(End of this chapter)