1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 570 The Unfamiliar Lourmaran

The date for the announcement of the marathon runners' list has finally arrived.

The list, which claims to be absolutely fair, just and transparent, includes the names of every villager from Lourmaran who signed up, and it's all very neat and orderly.

Ronan guessed that Claude opened such a large 'backdoor' because he didn't want to dampen everyone's enthusiasm.

After all, this is the first time that the people of Lourmaran have been willing to prepare and put in the effort for the travel season, which is definitely something to be encouraged.

Claude also privately encouraged everyone to try their best to keep the 20 franc prize money in Lourmarin!
Besides the familiar names of Lourmarin villagers, the participants included the wife of the mayor of Gould, members of the Luberon fire brigade, a butcher from Menard, a judo master currently residing in Gould, and more than 100 professional marathon runners from all over France.

Although Henry was confident that the farmers had the strongest physique, the most tenacious willpower, and the courage to fight against nature, it was clear that they were going to fight a tough battle.

The good news is that Lourmaran players can familiarize themselves with and adapt to the 'competition venue' earlier than out-of-town players.

The core building area of ​​Lourmaran is too small, and allowing runners to travel through the village would cause traffic problems that would be impossible to resolve. Therefore, the marathon route runs around the village.

However, in Luberon, it would be a waste to use precious land to build wide roads. All the roads in the Lourmaran district are paths, characterized by their narrowness and lack of markings.

For the first few months after Ronan moved to Lourmarin, he only dared to go near his home or in densely populated areas of the village. If he went to unfamiliar areas on the outskirts of the village, he would definitely get lost, especially when the surrounding area was full of vineyards. You would find that the roads around you were exactly the same, both in shape and texture.

However, two days before the competition, when the Lourmaran athletes went to the official competition route to 'scout out' the course, they were surprised to find many stone 'crosses' erected outside the familiar vineyard.

An arrow points in the direction the race is going.

The other arrow points to the starting point of the race.

If you have keen enough observation skills, you will also find many small towers or boundary stones outside the race route. Their purpose is to maintain order during the race.

The morning exercise group has grown so large that Ronan can no longer bring Huhu and Marseille along.

Ronan had already mastered how to subdue Huhu, but Marseille still needed to undergo 'military training,' so he only brought Marseille out for morning exercise.

As Cornell passed a signpost, he remarked with a sigh:
"Hopefully these signs won't be removed after the competition, so tourists won't have to ask for directions everywhere."

The lack of road signs in Lourmaran village is nothing new, and the enthusiastic Cornell has to act as a walking sign for many tourists every day.

"Hmph, they've made so much money from the marathon, they should be doing even more!" Henry followed behind Cornell, complaining angrily. "That damn government, charging each runner 100 francs, they're insane!"

Someone in the group, with sharp eyes, pointed in a direction and reminded everyone to look:

"Hey, look! Look! The castle gardens have changed!"

Ronan looked over curiously.

The large, wildly growing trees in front of the castle gate have been transformed into two rows of soldiers waiting for inspection, and the grass under the trees has been trimmed into attractive geometric patterns.

In fact, when preparing for the wedding, Zoe had thought about giving the castle garden a 'makeover', but the cost was too high and she had to give up.

"What a grand gesture," Ronan said with a slight smile.

Clearly, the Lourmaran government has invested enormous financial and material resources in a major upgrade of Lourmaran.

"God, what's that ahead?!" Cornell, who was leading the charge, suddenly accelerated forward.

A large pit had been dug out of the gravel in an open space, and a pool of water had appeared inside. The pit was surrounded by stones.

“They built an artificial lake in Lourmaran?!” Henry shouted, grinning.

Luberon is extremely short of water resources; only a small stream runs through the entire mountain area, but the water volume is worrying.

Although the lake is very, very small, it is definitely something new in Luberon.

If local children heard this news, they would definitely cry and beg their parents to bring them here to play, and they wouldn't want to leave.

“There might be more than one—” Ronan saw a truck carrying stones passing by on the main road in the distance, and the stones behind it were the same style as those around the lake.

Bo Re struggled to catch up with the group of people doing morning exercises, and before he could even catch his breath, he said anxiously:
"God, you have no idea what I saw! I just saw more than a dozen trucks on the road carrying live poultry and livestock. How many people could eat that?!"

Ronan, now in "The Unfamiliar Lourmaran," left the chattering crowd and continued Marseille's training session for the day.

In the final two days before the competition, everything in Lourmaran was proceeding smoothly, and it was impossible to tell that this was the first time the village had hosted such a large-scale event.

The village's appearance has been improved in an orderly manner, the competition has been prepared in an orderly manner, and the massive amount of ingredients have arrived in an orderly manner. The only thing that might not be orderly is the people.

Sylvie wished she could put on roller skates so she could get back to her office from the castle in a minute and call to order more decorative items.

Claude, who has been so busy in the past two years that he rarely has the opportunity to cook, actually put on an apron and a hat and joined the older women in the village to wash the cured smoked meat, just so that tourists could taste the best of the countryside.

Tesla's vehicles shuttled between more than twenty supply points, with the crew unloading cases of rosé wine and polishing the bottles before displaying them.

On the evening before the competition, even the proprietress Zoe joined in wiping the bottles.

"Has the wine for tonight's dinner been delivered?" she asked Ronan, looking up at him.

A banquet will be held tonight at Lourmaran Castle to welcome the athletes who have traveled from afar.

Lourmaran has limited accommodation options, with only one hotel and the rest being family-run guesthouses. Many people choose to stay in nearby villages, as it doesn't take long to drive there, and I've heard that quite a few people will be coming.

As the 'home of rosé wine,' Stellar Winery's rosé wines must be present at this event.

Blanco put a note on Ronan's account and asked him to send some over.

Ronan was engrossed in wiping the wine bottles, wishing he had three heads and six arms.
"We're a bit short-handed, we'll send it over later."

In order not to disrupt the lives of the villagers or the sightseeing of tourists, the supply point was only set up today, and the entire town of Sters is scrambling to get started.

Not only Zoe came to help, but Luo Tianhai, Feng Zhen, Louis, and Vieri were also wiping bottles in various corners of Lourmarin.

Zoe reminded Ronan:

"Go deliver the liquor first, we can clean the bottles later." Ronan looked around and saw everyone was busy, so he picked up his car keys:

"Okay, then I'll deliver it myself."

Perhaps because the wedding had been held at Lourmarin Castle, the image that came to Ronan's mind when he associated the castle with the banquet was of elegant ladies in evening gowns and gentlemen in sharp suits dancing gracefully.

However, Lourmaran Castle looks 'strange' tonight, with discordant elements everywhere.

Lourmaran Castle and its upgraded gardens are stately and noble, but people walk through them quite casually.

Many people looked like they had misremembered the time and were about to start running.

Air-cushioned running shoes, athletic shorts, sleeveless vests, thin t-shirts, backpacks, baseball caps and sun hats of various colors, and countless sturdy legs—this is the evening attire for the guests attending the banquet.

Although the scene wasn't very harmonious, everyone looked very happy.

In his routine remarks before the dinner, Blanco said the weather forecast predicted good weather for tomorrow and wished everyone good luck.

Ronan didn't bring any other men with him, so the unloading process was relatively long. However, Blanco kept talking throughout the process, which allowed him to gather a lot of information.

“A total of 15187 people registered for this marathon, of whom 5034 were given the opportunity to run. Tomorrow, 4877 people will be running on Lourmaran soil in brightly colored and quirky clothes. If you see anyone dressed in proper clothes, be careful—” Blanco said humorously, “because these professional runners will not go easy on you just because you are Mickey Mouse, Madonna, or Elvis.”

The crowd burst into laughter, and Blanco continued:

"The youngest competitor in tomorrow's competition is only 12 years old, while the oldest is 78 years old. It is estimated that more than 3 spectators will come to watch."

There was warm applause from the audience.

Don't be fooled by the 50 or even 100 million visitors figures at the Nice Carnival or the Cannes Film Festival; those statistics cover the entire period before and after the event.

Given Lourmaran's size and location, attracting 3 people on the day of the event is already a staggering number.

Keep in mind that the permanent population here is only around 800!
Ronan couldn't help but clap along, and he clapped with extra enthusiasm.

He discovered that the most enthusiastic applause in the arena came entirely from the villagers of Lourmaran. Only these villagers had seen what Lourmaran was like before, and only they knew how incredibly difficult it had been for Lourmaran to get to this point!
Blanco's voice continued to echo above the castle:
"Our activities have received support from all sectors of the local community in Provence, with more than 300 volunteers joining us. These include cardiologists, orthopedic surgeons, surgeons, nurses—basically every position you can find in a hospital. Tomorrow, we will set up 15 medical tents, capable of handling everything from cardiac tests to minor abrasions on the little finger, from breathing imbalances to heart murmurs. We have also coordinated the deployment of two ambulances that are on standby around the clock."

A beautiful woman whose arms were thicker than her thighs screamed:
"Then we can rest assured and focus all our energy on the competition!"

Blanco raised his glass to the 'muscle Barbie' and then continued:

"Of course, your stomachs will also need to be well taken care of. The 26 supply points along the way will offer a variety of high-energy snacks. In addition, those who are hungry can also enjoy 800 kilograms of steak, 300 roast chickens, 90 local fresh lambs, and 25000 oysters—"

Ronan didn't hear a single word of the menu that followed, because the cheers from the crowd had already turned the castle upside down.

"Yes, yes, eat, eat, eat more." Ronan chuckled to himself amidst the chaotic atmosphere.

During a goat race, 'animal expert' Freddie said that whichever goat pulls the most is likely to be the champion.

This year, even the 'human expert' Ronan said in the marathon that whoever eats the most will definitely be overtaken.

Ronan soon discovered that the Lourmaran government must also be 'human experts', and they definitely wanted to keep the 20 francs in Lourmaran.

The dinner menu was very lavish.

Creamy lobster salad, herb-braised chicken drumsticks with macaroni, and wine-braised beef. The bread on the table is piled higher than a small mountain, and there are four or five wine options.

"I hope everyone enjoys the meal tonight!" Blanco finally put down the microphone.

Those who attended the dinner were certainly happy!
Everything is delicious and refreshing!!

Ronan was happy too.

He firmly believes that even if some of them have stomachs as strong as blenders, it would be difficult for them to run 42 kilometers smoothly the next day after eating such a dinner.

"The Lourmaran government is really rich."

After delivering the wine, Ronan left the castle and went back to continue wiping the bottles, the scene of the dinner party flashing through his mind.

“This is a good thing for us,” Cornell said earnestly, head bowed. “With the government having money, the villagers’ good days are not far away.”

It was past 9 p.m., and there was still some work to be done. Ronan and a few of his men stayed behind to finish up, while Zoe went home first.

Ronan nodded, then, as if remembering something, looked up and asked him:

Have you prepared any clothes?

Actually, Ronan knew long ago that there were no restrictions on clothing for this marathon, and every poster in the village said that everyone was welcome to participate in strange costumes, but he didn't take this information to heart.

But at the dinner tonight, Blanco said that tomorrow the people wearing proper clothes will be professional athletes.

He wanted to see how many amateur 'professionals' like him there were.

Cornell said without even looking up:
“You’re all ready. The clown costume my mom made for you to wear in the goat race didn’t get selected, so she altered it and turned the pants into a skirt for me.”

Ronan rubbed his nose to hide his barely suppressed smile, then turned to Henry and asked:

"Henry, what about you? Are you ready?"

Henry said happily:

“Mr. Ronan is ready. Josephine made me a sailor suit, and she said it would look very dashing with my hat.”

Ronan sighed silently.

Everyone else had prepared clothes, except him.

But the competition starts early tomorrow morning. What kind of 'outlandish costumes' can I wear?

(End of this chapter)