1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 566 Every girl who bravely pursues her dreams is a fallen angel

This 9th-century medium-sized pipe organ belongs to the Aix-en-Provence Antiquities Bureau, and Ronan cannot purchase it on a personal basis.

There might be a way to do it, but the procedures and processes are quite complicated.

After witnessing the efficiency and attitude of this DRAC official, Ronan abandoned the idea—the process might take longer than building a new organ.

Ronan returned to Lourmaran by car and treated Thomas to a meal at a Chinese restaurant to thank him for his help. In the afternoon, Ronan went to the government building again.

Condina, hurrying past with documents in her arms, caught a glimpse of Ronan approaching again out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and joked:

"You've been coming to the government office quite frequently lately, maybe three or four times this week?"

Ronan replied jokingly:

“Every time I come here, I hear good news, so I have to come more often.”

This is his lucky place!
Condina smiled and pointed in a direction:
"Blanco is upstairs, and Sylvie is in her office."

Every time Ronan came to the government, he would either look for the village chief Blanco or Sylvie, who was in charge of the development of Lourmaran village. Condina would give him directions in advance.

But this time the situation was different. Ronan stopped Contina and asked her, somewhat embarrassed:
"Could you do me a small favor?"

He didn't come to the government this time to discuss anything important; he came to "seek help," so he didn't need to find such a high-level leader.

Without hesitation, Contina stopped and nodded to Ronan:
"Of course, is there anything I can help you with?"

Contina is one of the newest employees at Lourmaran. She takes on all the dirty, tiring, hard, and miscellaneous tasks in the department on her own initiative. In addition, this young woman has a strong sense of responsibility. Even if the task is unrelated to her job, she will help out whenever she has time.

Ronan briefly summarized the background of the organ and his observations in Aix-en-Provence that day, and then requested:
“I would like to ask you to inquire about the price of the pipe organ at the Aix Antiquities Bureau from the perspective of the Lourmaran government. It sounds like they consider it junk, so the price probably won't be very high. If the price is within my budget and it can be repaired, I would like to buy it and put it in the Lourmaran Church so that my mother can learn to play the pipe organ right at her doorstep.”

Purchasing state property in an individual's name is complicated; let's just let the government handle the communication between governments.

Ronan guessed that the Lourmaran government might be able to purchase the organ at a lower price, since Lourmaran already had the resources to strengthen cooperation between the two sides through this matter.

Thomas said that the organ was large enough to fit in Lourmarin Church, and that medium-sized organs were designed for easy movement. Although it was still large, it was a 'baby' compared to the large organs in churches outside the Luberon area.

Lourmaran has many artists, including many who are musically accomplished. Even if one is not musically skilled, one can find an expert in the relevant field through connections. If the price is right, Ronan will invite an organ expert to examine its condition.

If the price is right and the condition is acceptable, Ronan will buy it without hesitation.

Condina understood the whole story and, while moved by Ronan's filial piety towards his mother, raised a question:
"You can't buy artifacts from Aix in your personal capacity, just like you can't buy artifacts from Lourmaran. Haven't you thought about how to settle accounts with us?"

Of course I can ask for you; you can get the answer with just one phone call.

But what happens after that?

Delivering assets in Lourmaran is also very complicated.

Without a second thought, Ronan smiled and said:
“I can go through the donation process and donate a 9th-century pipe organ to Lourmaran in my personal capacity, but only if you help me negotiate the price.”

A few months earlier, during the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, Ronan had heard many social figures talk about the special nature of 'donations' in Provence.

In the late 80s, the management mechanisms for 'donations' by local governments in France were not strict enough, and there were no clear regulations. Basically, each place had its own rules, but the attitude was highly unified: welcome, welcome, warmly welcome!

No matter how complicated the process or how difficult the compliance is, as long as you want to "donate," the government will definitely take care of the troubles; all you need to do is contribute the money.

Ronan simply wanted to provide his mother with an environment where she could learn; he didn't really care where the ownership was.

Even if we take a step back, the pipe organ belonging to the Lourmaran government isn't that much different from Ronan's personal one, since the Lourmaran Castle had just been renovated and hadn't even opened to the public yet when they held his wedding.

After much thought, I decided that donating was the fastest and best way.

Condina was stunned for a moment, unable to process who had benefited from this 'donation'.

You might say Ronan got a good deal, since he still has to pay money, but the government can help him resolve the ownership issue of the organ.

You might say the government got a good deal, but Lourmaran even got a free pipe organ.
But do we lack pipe organs?

Condina couldn't give an answer immediately and needed to inform her superiors:
“I can contact the Aix Antiquities Bureau for you to ask about the price, but whether your method will work depends on Sylvie’s opinion. If not, you’ll have to find another way.”

Ronan wasn't in a hurry; he simply said calmly:

"No problem, but this will be Luberon's first pipe organ, and it's a 9th-century artifact. I believe there's potential to develop something around it, such as holding an organ music festival or creating unique tourism projects centered around the organ. If you'd like to know more, I can tell you in detail sometime. There are many successful examples in Provence."

Around 3 p.m., Condina replied to Ronan.

She said the Aix-en-Provence antiquities authority had priced the organ at 5 francs, but cautioned that this did not include the costs of moving and repairing it, and that it would be best to reinforce it in its new church, so the cost would be quite high.

This time, Ronan was in a real predicament.

If the total cost is 5 francs, he can easily afford it, since his mother likes it.

Ronan was the most generous spender on women.

However, the cost of moving and repairing the organ is unknown, and what's most frightening is that the church also needs reinforcement, which could easily cost several times more than buying the organ itself.

He planned to carefully assess the costs before making a decision; since two days had already been wasted, he might as well delay for another two days.

Ronan told Contina he needed to think about it, then hung up the phone and immediately went to Aix to find someone knowledgeable about the organ to assess the instrument. He also called Cafu and his newly acquainted interior designer Solena to inquire about the cost of reinforcing the church walls.

Feng Zhen saw this and felt that she was causing trouble for her son.

In the afternoon, Zoe and Ronan went to Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen's new home for dinner.

As soon as she entered the room, Feng Zhen brought up the topic:
“Learning the organ is too much trouble, I’m not learning it anymore, son, you don’t need to run around anymore.”

She has learned more about 'Voice of God' in the past two days and realized that she was too naive.

Choosing a hellish instrument for beginners has caused Ronan so much trouble, and all the running around for it these past two days has been completely unnecessary.

“No trouble at all.” Ronan casually turned on the TV and tuned to France 1, his mother’s favorite channel. “I just made a few phone calls. I didn’t even have to run around. I wish preparing for a marathon could be this simple and easy.”

“I heard that thing is really expensive. What wouldn’t you do with that money?” Feng Zhen shook her head and said quickly, “I could learn guitar, or learn to sing, or if all else fails, learn the electronic keyboard. Find a cheap hobby.”

Having chosen a TV channel, Ronan leisurely sat back down on the sofa.
"Didn't you dislike those musical instruments that are 'everywhere'? You said if you're going to learn one, you should learn one that can 'impress' people, preferably one that people can't even name when you show it off."

Ideal is plump, reality is skinny.

Feng Zhen waved her hand and said, "I'll start with something simple and easy to learn. There's no need to invest so much right away."

Zoe, the "rich woman," never hesitates to buy things, especially things related to Feng Zhen's dreams and art.

Every girl in this world who bravely pursues her dreams is a fallen angel, deserving to be protected from behind.

“It’s really not expensive.” Zoe nudged Ronan’s arm and winked. “I heard it’s less than 1 francs, right?”

Ronan and Zoe have their own currency.

A coffee machine costing 2000 francs is quoted as 300 francs upon return, while shoes costing 1500 francs are only quoted as 50 francs. This is how some items are obtained.

Ronan nodded in understanding:
"Yes, the Aix-en-Provence Antiquities Bureau is having trouble figuring out what to do with it. It takes up too much space, and they're willing to sell it for 8000 francs."

“8000 francs?!” Even after Ronan had already offered an extra discount, Feng Zhen still roared in dissatisfaction, “When I was working in Paris, I couldn’t even earn 8000 francs a month. More than a month’s salary to buy a musical instrument? No way, no way, I can’t buy it!”

Ronan looked away from the television and at his mother across the table:
"But when your salary was only 650 francs, you bought me a bicycle for 600 francs, just because you saw me chasing after a little kid on a bicycle, begging him to let me ride it. I had my own bicycle a week later."

Ronan's family was not well-off when he was a child.

Luo Tianhai's business ventures repeatedly failed, and Feng Zhen's job also changed frequently and was not stable. At one point, the family relied solely on Feng Zhen's salary to make ends meet.

Even under those difficult circumstances, Feng Zhen couldn't bear to see her son Luo Nan lack what others had.

One day, when she came home from get off work, she saw Ronan desperately following behind some children, pleading to be allowed to ride his bike. The children laughed and refused to stop, so Ronan just kept running and running behind them.
Seeing this, Feng Zhen felt awkward and didn't sleep all night.

As soon as she received her salary that month, she bought Ronan a bicycle without batting an eye, even though it would cost her almost a month's wages.

“But that’s different. A bicycle costs 600 francs, but this pipe organ costs 8000 francs, not to mention the cost of moving and repairing it. I don’t know how much it will ultimately cost.” Feng Zhen was a little agitated as she recalled this old story.

Time flies! Back then, Ronan was only a little taller than the bicycle seat.

Now that I'm grown up, successful in my career, and married, I can buy things for my mom. And they're always so expensive.

“But you were willing to spend everything for me, weren’t you?” Ronan didn’t want to get too sentimental, so he changed the subject, pointing at the TV and saying, “It’s just an organ, it’s nothing to me, don’t worry about it, look at the TV, why are those two kissing? I remember they’re siblings!”

Feng Zhen earns 650 francs a month, but is willing to spend 600 on Ronan.

Ronan earns hundreds of thousands of francs a month now. What's wrong with buying his mother a big toy?!

After watching a melodramatic French TV series with Ronan and Zoe for a while, Feng Zhen went to the kitchen to help Luo Tianhai cook.

Zoe secretly whispered to Ronan:

“If the situation is confirmed and we decide to buy it, I will pay for the pipe organ.”

Ronan was startled and asked in alarm:

"Why? I can afford it."

Zoe said, moved:

“Because your mother is good to you, I want to thank her. And since she will be studying music in the future and will also be an ‘artist’ in Lourmaran, as a ‘senior’, this organ is a gift from me to her. Well, it’s settled then.”

The atmosphere at Ronan's house was completely different from that at Zoe's house.

Although both families are happy, Ronan's relationship with her parents is different from hers.

It could be because Zoe's family has a younger brother, or it could be because the two families have different cultures. In any case, there is no doubt that Ronan grew up in a happy family.

As a wife, Zoe also wanted to do something for her family.

This can be interpreted as gratitude to Luo Tianhai and Feng Zhen for their meticulous care and dedication to Ronan over the past twenty years, or it can be seen as Zoe wanting to fulfill her mother's wish together with her husband.

In short, Zoe also wants to get involved in this!
And she has plenty of money.

Ronan chuckled at Zoe's use of the word 'artist,' and hugged her head, giving her a kiss.
"Why thank her for the organ? If you want to give her one—"

He whispered a few words in Zoe's ear, which angered Zoe so much that she punched him:

"Let's get down to business, and you're bringing this up again. Besides, these two things don't interfere with each other!"

Over here, Zoe and Ronan were having a heated and serious discussion about the organ.

On the other side, there was another group of people talking about this topic.

"You mean, Ronan wants to donate a 9th-century pipe organ, and even suggested some tourism activities that could be developed around the pipe organ?"

Blanco had important business to attend to, so Sylvie waited until almost the end of the workday to find an opportunity to tell him about it.

Ronan was a special case in the village, so she didn't dare to make a decision directly.

Sylvie nodded and said:

"Yes, and I went to the church to learn about the situation. Due to historical reasons, Luberon doesn't have a single pipe organ. If Ronan's donation is successful, it can indeed become a unique tourist attraction, especially for local religious believers, it would be a big deal."

Blanco listened as he packed his things, his expression remaining unchanged.
"Let me think about it, I'll talk about it tomorrow."

“Okay.” Sylvie turned and left.

Thank goodness, I don't have to work overtime today!

Suddenly, just as she reached the office door, she heard Blanco's voice behind her:

"Wait, wait, organ. What day is 'The Feast of the Assumption' again?"

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary is Lourmaran’s second major event after the marathon. It is a religious event, and the promotional posters have been up for several days.

“Mid-August,” Sylvie blurted out.

Blanco's expression brightened, and he said excitedly:

"Call Claude and Ayman over for a quick meeting. This organ can boost more than just tourism. Ronan, Ronan, you've done us a huge favor again!"

(End of this chapter)