1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 7: The Provencal People
The fallen leaves stored in the north of the village have been fermented for more than a year and are great fertilizer.

Zoe told Ronan that when the leaves fall in autumn, the whole village would collect and send the fallen leaves there, and he could do the same if he spent the autumn in Lourmarin this year.

"I will!" Ronan shouted.

Louis' tractor is so old that Zoe said it might be a few years older than she is.

For an old guy like this, the only requirement is to be able to move, and loud noises can be ignored.

However, sitting close to Zoe made Ronan very excited. Even though his ears were filled with the rumbling sound of tractors, he still couldn't help wanting to talk.

"When are you going to the market?"

Zoe is a craftsman who makes ceramics and glass products at home and sells them at the market.

"I attend the market in Lourmarin every Friday." Zoe leaned towards Ronan so that he could hear clearly.

"Can you take me to see it?" Ronan asked expectantly.

Zoe thought about it and quickly agreed:

"Come to my door at 7:30 on Friday morning."

"Okay!" Ronan took his hands off the steering wheel and made an OK gesture.

Zoe touched Ronan's arm and reminded him:

"There are people around, be careful and don't be distracted."

After being reminded by Zoe, Ronan discovered something was wrong.

There are quite a lot of villagers on the road today.

Didn't Alain say, 'In Lourmarin, if you see more than ten people on the road in one day, it means something big has happened in the village'?

Soon he discovered something even more wrong - these villagers were following him, and some were even following him in cars.

"Am I the 'big deal' in the village?" Ronan touched his head in frustration.

Zoe saw the clue and explained to Ronan helplessly:

"In Provence, the last thing people lack is time, so things will be even better. Just get used to it slowly."

Ronan had a very thorough understanding of the "good-hearted" nature of the Provencal people.

He spent the entire afternoon applying fertilizer with a tractor, and the villagers watched him for the entire afternoon.

In the front yard, backyard, and vineyard, Ronan's new home "received" so many people for the first time.

At the beginning, Ronan was timid because so many people were watching him, but as time went by, he relaxed. After all, the sooner he finished the job, the sooner the torture would end.

Finally, he simply drank while working, relying on the alcohol to give himself courage.

"This guy has the spirit of Provence. Driving a tractor and drinking at the same time can only be seen in Provence."

"Who told me he doesn't know how to farm? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would have believed it, you liar!"

"Henry, that fellow is gossiping again. No wonder his teeth are all rotten."

sunset.

Looking at the results of today's work, Ronan couldn't help but feel excited.

Carl said that even in the worst year, eight acres of land can yield 2,000 kilograms of grapes.

That is to say, Ronan can get at least 15,000 francs in September and October, and in the best case scenario, it can reach more than 20,000 francs.

In 1986, the average monthly income in France was between 2000 and 4000 francs, so these grapes could ensure that Ronan would have enough food and drink for the whole year.

"There will definitely be other income!" Ronan encouraged himself excitedly.

"Not a bad job." A middle-aged man wearing a leather hat, a cowboy suit and a carefully trimmed thick beard walked over with a smile.

Ronan had been paying attention to this man for a long time. No matter where he stood, villagers would immediately gather around him. Even the unpopular Henry would smile and pass him a cigarette.

"It's my first time doing this, so there's still room for improvement," Ronan said matter-of-factly.

"First time doing this?" The stranger turned to the crowd behind him and said, "This kid is actually doing this for the first time. Henry, I remember you fell into a ditch when you were driving a tractor for the first time. It took more than a dozen people to rescue you, right?"

Everyone around laughed, and Henry kept his mouth shut, not daring to refute a word. The man took off his hat and introduced himself with a smile:
"I must tell Louis that his son's title of 'Best Farmer' of Lourmarin may have to wait a few years. Hello Ronan, I'm Pierre."

"Hello, Pierre."

Pierre, the best farmer in Lourmarin!

He also watched it for the whole afternoon?

Ronan felt absurd as if he had spent the whole afternoon showing off his sword skills in front of Guan Gong, and humbly asked for advice:

“Is there anything that needs improvement?”

Level 2 [Planting] is not good enough in front of Pierre. Pierre's words are obviously a joke, and only a fool would believe it.

Pierre patted Ronan's shoulder in a familiar manner:

"You've worked all day, haven't you eaten yet? Let's go to Louis's house and eat and talk. I've been craving Leah's beef stew for a long time!"

Ronan: "."

The people of Provence are indeed the people who love to be lively. How could they come up with such a reason?

But what did the Louis family do to offend anyone?

Pierre put his arm around Ronan's shoulders as he walked past Henry and slowly opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Henry immediately forced a smile, ignoring the sarcasm the other person had just said to him.

Pierre is the core of the farmers in Lourmarin village. There are too many people looking for him to work, and Pierre is simply too busy to handle it. If he is willing to share some with others, then everyone will have no worries about food and clothing.

Henry looked expectant. Is he going to invite me to go with him?
"Henry, tell Emma that I won't be home for dinner tonight." Pierre walked away quickly with his arm around Ronan.

Emma is Pierre's wife.

Henry: "???"

Ronan was quite at a loss at the sudden visit.

After all, Louis' family has been fleecing the wool a lot recently, and his tractor is still parked in his own vineyard.

He was afraid of giving the Louis family the impression of being rude and impolite.

But after hearing Pierre's reason for coming to eat, Louis and Leah were not angry at all, and sent Vieri away:

"Go to Carl, Alan and Freddy's house and tell them to stop cooking and come over now."

Ronan: "."

How much do Provencal people love to party?!

The theme of the dinner, 'Helping Ronan improve his planting skills', was just a cover.

Until Ronan gained the 11th point of [Happiness], the topic of the party did not turn to the farming channel.

Pierre went to the toilet to flush the toilet, and when he came back to the table he 'finally' saw Ronan. He immediately raised his glass and said to Louis:

"Louis, you're totally overthinking it. Ronan doesn't need any help at all. He may be more impressive in the fields than Vieri. If I were you, give up the idea of letting Vieri farm, because his strongest competitor has appeared."

Then he shook his head and asked Ronan:
"Is that what you do in Paris?"

Experienced people thought that Ronan's performance in the afternoon still had a lot of room for improvement, but it was totally unbelievable to say that it was his first time to go after Pierre, unless Ronan was a genius!
Louis knew the character of this decades-old friend very well. Pierre loved to play tricks on people:

"Pierre, if I were you, I wouldn't farm anymore. Come and sell my house to me, hahaha——"

There was laughter at the table, only Pierre was explaining seriously:
"What I said is true!"

The story of the boy who cried wolf is also popular in France.

Everyone just thought that Pierre was good at playing tricks on people and his acting skills were so superb.

Are you kidding me?
Ronan?

Farming? ?
Just stop acting with the rich young master!
"Pierre is telling the truth." Zoe, who was always taciturn, looked at Ronan, who was also taciturn, with a complicated expression. "Ronan was not joking. He really came here fully prepared."

The laughter in the audience suddenly stopped.

(End of this chapter)