Chapter 28: Me? An Idol?

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In February, the students went on winter break.

When Vieri saw Zoe return for lunch, he asked nervously, “Is Ronan going somewhere this afternoon?”

He had planned to take the dog to Ronan’s house so they could play together.

But Zoe was back. Did that mean Ronan was going out?

“I don’t know.”

After changing her shoes, Zoe went straight into her home studio, carrying her things.

Vieri ran to the kitchen doorway and called to his mother, Leah, “Mom, I’m going out for a bit!”

Vieri was sixteen this year, at the age when curiosity about the world ran strongest.

As teenagers absorbed knowledge at a rapid pace, it was easy for them to develop a tendency to idolize others—to become attached to a particular idol or celebrity. Recently, Vieri had begun idolizing Ronan, who earned even more money than his father.

He did not want to miss any opportunity to spend time with his “idol.” All he wanted was to hurry over to Ronan’s house and find out what was going on.

If Ronan was going somewhere, Vieri wanted him to take him along.

“Eat first!” Leah called as she came out of the kitchen, but Vieri had already vanished.

Leah shook her head.

“Every one of them is more troublesome than the last.”

……

With Vieri gone, Leah and Zoe ate lunch alone. Leah opened up the sort of subject women often discussed among themselves.

“Have you found another market?”

“No.”

“I asked Louis to ask around among his friends as well.”

Zoe replied calmly, “I’ll handle it myself. You don’t need to worry.”

Leah pretended to speak casually. “Freddie wants to introduce his niece to Ronan. You know… a man who knows how to make money is extremely popular among women.”

Zoe stopped chewing and looked at her mother coldly.

Leah abandoned her pretense. There was no point in keeping it up anymore.

“Ronan is like a drop of water tossed into a pan of hot oil. He’s made every family in Lourmarin with a daughter of marriageable age boil with excitement. Bringing Ronan into the family would mean endless happiness. Zoe, can’t you tell your mother whether you and Ronan have any chance at all?”

He was a Parisian who had dared to buy a house without even seeing it first. He could earn tens of thousands of francs a week, and he was handsome, kind, and dependable… Ronan possessed nearly every quality a “good man” ought to have.

Lourmarin was a tiny village. The good men had either married or died, and Ronan now stood unquestionably at the very top of the local male hierarchy.

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Leah and Louis had discussed the matter privately. Zoe was already twenty-four, long past the age when she ought to have married, and they were willing to do everything they could to secure this marriage for their daughter.

Yet Zoe, the person involved, was not anxious in the least. Leah nearly wished she could speak to Ronan on Zoe’s behalf.

Zoe speared a piece of beef braised in red wine and put it into her mouth. With a calmness that could not have been greater, she said, “Ronan and I are just friends.”

“You’ve spent so much time alone together. Nothing happened?” Leah asked incredulously.

That day, when the two of them had lain together, they had clearly looked so happy!

Zoe continued eating bite after bite, her expression utterly undisturbed.

“Both of us care deeply about our careers and personal development. We have plenty to talk about, and we never discuss anything else.”

Leah lightly slapped the table. After composing herself, she forced out a smile.

“All right, dear. Louis and I respect your choice.”

Leah was deeply disappointed. Distracted by her foul mood, she overlooked many things—many important things.

For instance, Zoe was devouring the olive-oil-preserved sweet peppers she had always refused to taste. And her pale blue eyes were filled with conflict.

……

After closing up his stall and returning home, Ronan began cooking dumplings for himself. Before long, someone knocked on the door.

“What smells so good?” Vieri asked as soon as he entered, sniffing eagerly.

“Have you eaten?” Ronan asked as he headed toward the kitchen, treating Vieri like family.

“No. What are these?”

Vieri followed him into the kitchen, fascinated by the plump white shapes floating in the pot.

Ronan pointed at the refrigerator. “Take out the rest.”

You’re in for a treat!

Vieri was completely won over by this Chinese delicacy. France had dumplings too, but theirs were filled with cheese, and the wrappers lacked the wonderful texture of Ronan’s.

In truth, both siblings were extremely picky eaters, largely because Leah’s cooking was so good. Yet Vieri ate more than twenty dumplings. If the refrigerator had held any more, he would certainly have begged Ronan to cook another batch.

Vieri’s enthusiasm made Ronan imagine inviting his friends over for a dumpling feast.

Fifteen people attending, thirty dumplings each… He would have to make more than four hundred.

No, never mind. The deliciousness of dumplings absolutely could not be discovered by those people.

“Are you going out this afternoon?” Vieri asked.

“No.” Ronan pointed toward the toolbox in the corner of the living room. “I’m replacing a few more windows this afternoon.”

A few days earlier, he had replaced only the most badly damaged windows in the bedroom and living room. The cold wind still occasionally found its way inside at night. The temperature had risen a little, but not by much.

On his way home just now, he had ordered several more windows. They should be delivered soon.

Vieri excitedly rolled up his sleeves.

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“I’ll help you.”

Ronan gave him a complicated look. “You know how?”

He could not imagine Louis, dressed in his immaculate suit, repairing windows. If Vieri’s father could not do it, how could Vieri?

“No, but I can learn.”

Vieri crouched beside the toolbox and began searching for a suitable tool.

“There’s no point in learning this. Isn’t your father hoping you’ll become a farmer?” Ronan leaned against the edge of the table, arms folded across his chest.

Vieri turned his head and pulled a face.

“I’ll do whatever makes money.”

Ronan shrugged.

All right. Being a craftsman in Provence really was quite profitable.

“Following you is bound to make me money.” Vieri rested a wrench on his shoulder, his face bright with youthful confidence.

“Me?” Ronan pointed at himself and laughed. “I can barely support myself.”

Vieri said with absolute seriousness, “My classmates are all jealous that I know you. You’re the idol of many boys in the village now. They hope that one day they’ll be able to go into the mountains and dig up truffles just like you.”

Ronan was about to say something that might dissuade Vieri from this idea, but then he remembered how he himself had felt at Vieri’s age. He, too, had once idolized successful people a few years older than himself. Those admirations were among the most beautiful parts of youth, and they should not be shattered.

“Then you’d better be prepared to work hard,” Ronan said with a smile.

“Of course! There are plenty of things I can do!” Vieri replied excitedly.

……

With Vieri’s help, Ronan replaced every window on the entire second floor of the house.

The two of them worked until nightfall. Vieri did not leave until Leah came to call him home, and even then he was reluctant to go.

That night, when Ronan lay down in bed again, he could clearly feel the warmth.

Even Little Black returned to his own bed after several days away instead of squeezing into Ronan’s blankets.

Once the temperature rose, Ronan felt as though even the bed had grown softer. The blankets felt wonderfully comfortable against his body, and before long, he drifted into a drowsy sleep.

The next morning, still half asleep, he reached out to switch off the alarm.

[Waking up at home has increased your happiness by two points.]

Ronan came fully awake in an instant.

Had the system’s notification changed?

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