I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 284 Vacation

Chapter 284 Vacation
Gruissan, transliterated as Gruissan.

In Old Gallo-Roman, it means beach.

It is located in the south of France, even further south than Marseille, nestled in the Bay of Lions in the Mediterranean Sea.

To be honest, Liu Jin was unfamiliar with this place.

Although it is only 160 kilometers away from Toulouse, I have never heard of it.

There was nothing we could do; we were poor back then!
Although their situation is better than most international students, they are still far from being financially free, so how can they have the mood to travel around?
The most famous thing here is the salt flats.

The piles of white sea salt and salt crystals drying in the sun are called "white gold" by the locals.

In ancient Roman times, this was a famous salt port.

The abundance and unique halophilic algae give the sea salt here a naturally pleasing pink color.

The pink salt flats are absolutely stunning!

This was the first time Liu Jin had ever heard of pink salt in the world...

The villa that Mela helped book was located between the salt marshes and the beach.

Located on high ground, there is a three-story building with gray exterior walls. The mottled exterior walls give it a strong sense of historical weight.

There was green moss and ivy on the wall.

The style is similar to that of the 18th and 19th centuries, with a touch of Baroque architectural style.

"This house must be quite old."

Mom asked curiously.

Liu Jin said, "It's over a hundred years old. It used to be a lord's castle."

Destroyed during the religious wars of the 16th century, the house was rebuilt by descendants on the site of the original castle. However, the entire family perished during World War II. The Gruysand government confiscated the property and is now using it to entertain tourists.

"This lawn is huge."

"Three thousand one hundred and eighty square meters."

Looking at the vast expanse of green space in front of her, Mom sighed again.

"Let's go in first. There are plenty of rooms, sixteen in total. Please choose whichever you like."

As Liu Jin spoke, he opened the door.

The house is clearly cleaned regularly; it's very tidy.

The first floor is a large lobby.

The restaurant alone is over 100 square meters and has a large table, similar to the long dining table often seen in movies.

Opposite the restaurant is the living room, and next to it is a small living room.

Directly opposite the main entrance is the staircase, covered with a red carpet.

Leslie Cheung couldn't help but laugh and said, "This makes me feel like I've come to a noble family's house."

"The owner of this house was originally a nobleman."

Liu Jin smiled and carried his suitcase upstairs.

On the other side, Old Zhong and Ottilie also came in.

"If Chloe knew, she would be furious. She has wanted to come here for a vacation for a long time, but unfortunately she has not been able to book this house."

Liu Jin said, "You can take a picture for her."

"Yup!"

"But Ottilie, I just don't understand. I came here on vacation, why did you and Old Zhong come along? Don't you have to work?"

Upon hearing this, Ottilie straightened her back and raised her head.

"I'm your assistant, of course I have to come along."

Where is Lao Zhong?

"Don't you need a cook?"

Old Zhong, standing nearby, covered his face.

You've gone this far by taking advantage of others, bringing your whole family along, and you still have the nerve to act all high and mighty?

Liu Jin felt utterly helpless!

……

The second and third floors are guest rooms.

However, there are far fewer guest rooms on the third floor, but they are quite spacious and have an open-air terrace.

It's a full 100 square meters.

Liu Jin immediately chose the third floor as his study for writing.

This house is not cheap.

The rent is 3,700 euros per day.

Liu Jin rented it for a month, and the 100,000 euros disappeared without a trace.

However, he dared not tell the truth.

Otherwise, my mom would never have agreed to come.

What kind of family is this, spending a million a month?

Liu Jin really wanted to tell her that this was nothing. The real magic would be when someone spent millions at an auction to buy a banana.

He went out onto the terrace and looked out over Lion Bay.

You can see the azure sea, with white waves surging, creating a stunning landscape.

Unlike the French Riviera of Nice, it has a unique charm.

It's very quiet here, extremely quiet.

According to Mela, Gruson has a small population, and young people have all gone to work in big cities.

Those who remain here are mostly middle-aged and elderly people who make a living by fishing.

Therefore, the phenomenon of elderly people left behind in rural areas is not unique to China; it exists in every part of the world.

"Leslie, how are you?"

Leslie Cheung stood next to Lau Chun, arms outstretched.

The sea breeze tousled his hair, but his face wore an indescribable expression of joy.

“In 1991, Chow Yun-fat, Cherie Chung, and I came to France to film ‘Once a Thief,’ but we mainly filmed in Paris. To be honest, I didn’t have a deep impression of it at the time; I had no idea that there were such quiet places in France.”

Quiet?

Yes, quiet!
Standing on the terrace and looking out, you can see the salt farmers' cottages, standing quietly on the water.

Long-legged birds inhabit the wetlands in the distance.

The purple sand flowers grow in dense clusters, playing with the sea breeze.

It's so quiet here, time seems to stand still. The world recedes into the distance, only the sea breeze keeps you company...

"Southern France and Northern France are still different."

Liu Jin smiled and said, "How about buying a house here and coming here every year for a vacation to relax?"

"You know what, I had this thought on the way here!"

However, I imagine housing prices in France are very high.

"If you ask about Paris, it's definitely expensive. But here in Gruson..."

To put it another way, this place won't see much development in the future; it will remain peaceful for at least the next one or two decades.

"why?"

"You got fooled. Environmental protection... France is the birthplace of the Virgin Mary."

There's a reason for saying that.

Liu Jin first learned about Grysang from a Weibo post.

However, that person wrote Grysan.

When Mela first mentioned this place to him, she did indeed use French, so much so that Liu Jin didn't immediately understand.

That Weibo post was created in 19 and was written by an international student.

Judging from the texts from that time, Grysan was still a tranquil place in 19 years.

According to the international student, her impression of Gruson could be summed up in two words: beautiful and quiet.

This is the kind of quiet I'm looking for!
"What about you? Aren't you planning to buy a house?"

Leslie Cheung asked curiously.

Although he didn't know Liu Jin's exact assets, he roughly knew that the guy was not short of money.

"Next year, I'll decide after I graduate."

"Going back to China?"

"I don't have that plan for now; I'll probably continue going to school."

"go to school?"

"Yes, learning is a boundless sea, and one must work hard to cross it. I feel like I can continue for a few more years."

Leslie Cheung couldn't help but laugh.

……

In the afternoon, Liu Jin and Alizee accompanied the old lady along a red clay path toward the bay.

Qianqian was dragged by Ottilie to buy a bicycle!

Méra said that the best way to visit Gryzan is by bicycle, which is a unique experience.

It's about a half-hour drive from the villa, or more accurately, the estate, to the old city center.

The scenery along the way is breathtaking, but driving would take away a lot of the fun.

Considering they'll be staying here for a long time, buying a few bicycles would be a good idea, as they'd be doing as the locals do.

Old Zhong and Xu Songsheng are preparing dinner at home.

The oysters from Gruysand are not as famous as those from Nice, but they are of higher quality and more delicious than those from the French Riviera.

Lion Bay is calm and peaceful.

The water quality is excellent, with absolutely no pollution.

Oysters can grow freely here and eventually become delicious dishes, satisfying people's appetites.

Yeah, oysters are really pitiful!

Leslie Cheung, on the other hand, strolled around alone and walked to the salt marshes.

He was curious because he had heard that the salt flats here were pink.

Besides, Grusan isn't from Hong Kong, so not many people know him... well, he's somewhat famous in France.

Cheng Dieyi back then was a sensation in France!

But in this remote town...

In Liu Jin's eyes, Gryzan was just a small town with a population of less than 10,000.

Calling it a small town is quite an understatement!
Of course, from an external perspective, Gryzan is referred to as a 'city'.

In a place like this, nobody knows Cheng Dieyi.

He can walk around freely, smoking and carrying a bottle of beer, and no one will care.

At most, he might attract some attention because of his Asian appearance.

But soon, everyone will be busy with their own things.

He liked it here; he felt more relaxed than ever before.

All the anxiety, anger, and grievances I had accumulated in Hong Kong have vanished!

Liu Jin said that time stands still here, and you can dance with the sea breeze...

So beautiful!
He was walking along the path when something suddenly sounded, so he started singing and swaying gently as he walked, embracing the sea breeze.

Not far away, Liu Jin and his two companions stopped.

The old lady heard Liu Jin talk about Leslie Cheung.

She didn't discriminate; on the contrary, she felt sympathy.

She could tell that this was a very innocent and kind person.

In terms of age, the old lady was fourteen years older than Leslie Cheung, but in her eyes, this seemingly ageless man was just a wounded big boy.

"Liu Jin, he's so good at it!"

"what?"

"He dances, he's such a good dancer!"

It's too far away to hear him sing.

All you could see was him dancing among the purple flowers.

Liu Jin couldn't help but laugh and said, "Of course, twenty years ago, he was the most amazing dance king in Hong Kong."

Who still remembers the Storm Clan?
Who still remembers Monica?