Chapter 55: Never Mess with a Woman Who Has Been Drinking

"Human energy is limited, and 'filtration' is an important subject." Jacques's smile lasted for only a few seconds.

Ronan thought thoughtfully for a moment, pointed to the empty bottle of rosé, and asked:

"For example, this?"

A new expression appeared on Jacques's calm face, as if his little secret had finally been discovered:

"Yes, for example, this."

"And for example, building the restaurant at the highest point?" Ronan continued to ask.

Jacques tilted his head slightly:

"Oh, this... this is not it. My wife likes the scenery here, but it certainly serves the purpose of 'filtration'."

Do all of you restaurant owners love showing affection so much?

"Are you filtering your customers?" Ronan stopped making mental remarks and continued to ask.

Jacques's gaze was blocked by his black-framed glasses, making it impossible to tell where he was looking:

"It's not just filtering customers, but also filtering what you excel at and others don't, filtering what you possess and others don't. What to filter and how to filter is an endless topic, which is why I describe it as a subject."

Ronan pondered for a moment and finally nodded:

"I think I understand."

...

Jacques was simply too busy; either the restaurant staff were looking for him, or customers were.

They only chatted briefly for half an hour, but it was interrupted three times in between.

After Mr. Jacques left for the fourth time to handle matters, Ronan called the waiter, preparing to conclude this rewarding Michelin-starred restaurant trip.

Seeing the bill, Ronan sighed that Mr. Jacques truly carried out "filtration" to the extreme.

They had eaten sparingly, yet it still came to 850 francs.

This price level mercilessly filtered out a batch of poor people...

However, who could argue with a two-star Michelin establishment?

While Ronan was counting his money, the salesman named Simon reappeared and sat in the seat Jacques had just vacated:

"My friend, as long as you put in a good word for me with Mr. Jacques, I'll treat you to this meal."

Simon was one of those three interruptions.

About fifteen minutes ago, Simon had interrupted their conversation, attempting to make his olive oil the focal point of the chat.

Mr. Jacques had politely declined, stating that he already had corresponding suppliers.

As long as it had nothing to do with the restaurant and Michelin topics, he was the most polite adult Ronan had ever met.

And Simon was clearly not the type to give up easily. Seeing Jacques running over to Ronan's table repeatedly, his "clever little brain" started spinning again.

Ronan and Zoe were dressed quite plainly.

Plain folks dining at a Michelin restaurant must surely find it heartbreakingly expensive, right?

"My friend, as you saw, Mr. Jacques doesn't need it." Ronan spread his hands helplessly.

Simon played the emotional card again:

"You and I are both people trying to earn money from Mr. Jacques's pocket. You help me this time, and next time maybe I'll help you."

Ronan and Jacques had not deliberately lowered their voices while chatting, and Simon had caught the crucial piece of information that Ronan was a truffle hunter.

Everyone was just a supplier, except that you started just a tiny bit earlier than me.

Ronan placed the banknotes into the bill folder without looking at Simon:

"Thank you, but I'm used to paying for a beautiful lady's meal with my own money."

He stood up and pulled out the chair for Zoe.

Simon let out a "hum" and muttered in a voice that was by no means quiet:

"Short-sighted fellow, still dreaming of making money from a Michelin restaurant..."

Zoe had drunk quite a bit of wine today; it would be too wasteful not to finish such expensive wine.

Tipsy yet completely sober, she frowned at Simon.

Ronan gently pulled Zoe, signaling her not to let a fool ruin her mood and urging her to leave quickly.

After walking a few steps, Jacques returned once more. It was clear he had squeezed this moment out of his extremely busy schedule.

He swiftly took away the bill folder and returned the money tucked inside to Ronan:

"My second secret to success is—never be stingy toward things that are worth it. I believe you have already experienced this. I was the one who invited you for a drink, and I'm very glad you could come."

Then, he said with a smile to Zoe:

"I have prepared two bottles of rosé for you, placed them by the door."

"When your stall opens, I will definitely come to taste it." Mr. Jacques patted Ronan on the shoulder and went back to work.

Zoe turned around and smiled contemptuously at the envious Simon:

"Someone already paid our bill. Thank you."

...

On the hundred steps, as Ronan walked, he suddenly chuckled aloud:

"You sure hold a grudge."

He had been savoring Zoe's look of contempt.

"You're no saint either. If I remember correctly, your house finished renovations four days ago, and you even came to the village of Gordes by yourself once already, yet you told Mr. Jacques that you came the moment you finished." Zoe grabbed Ronan's arm. "Hold me, I'm dizzy."

[Physical contact with the opposite sex increases happiness by 4 points.]

Ronan grinned.

Considering that Zoe helped him gather the 500 [Happiness] points ahead of schedule, he wouldn't argue with this tipsy woman.

Still, she was really cute when she was drunk.

...

After a few days of wandering, eating, and drinking, Ronan successfully upgraded [Cooking] to Level 3.

He spent an afternoon testing the changes brought by the upgrade and found that it significantly boosted two abilities.

First, his understanding of ingredients had deepened.

A few seemingly unremarkable basil leaves could now be distinguished by smell and taste to determine which one was ripe and which one had been harvested too early, thus lacking the right "ripeness" in flavor.

This effect was most striking in vegetables. Among a pile of tomatoes, he could pick out the few best suited for stir-fries, while others were better suited for vegetable salads.

In short, Ronan now possessed the ability to maximize the flavors of food and spices.

The second change manifested in his hands.

Previously, he had to be very careful when adding seasonings. Although he knew the optimal proportion and dosage, his hands lacked reliable muscle memory, and a momentary lapse could still result in a culinary disaster.

Now, his hands were the scale.

The feeling was truly magical. Ronan tested it several times with a measuring cup, and the deviation was no more than 5%.

Furthermore, his urgently needed hands-on culinary skills had also improved significantly.

Whether chopping vegetables or processing meat, everything he did looked professional. Although there was still a considerable gap compared to professional chefs, it was definitely enough in the realm of amateur gourmets.

Ronan guessed that those knife-work scenes seen only in Chinese movies would require further upgrading of [Cooking] to unlock.

However, the experience required to reach Level 4 was staggering.

[Level 2 Construction: 0/500]

[Level 2 Farming: 0/500]

[Level 2 Foraging: 0/500]

[Level 3 Cooking: 0/2000]

[Level 1 Fishing: 0/100]

[Level 1 Hunting: 0/100]

...

[Available Experience: 3]

At the current accumulation rate of [Happiness], more than 2,000 experience points would take about 6 months.

To upgrade skills to Level 4 as soon as possible, he needed to unlock more ways to gain [Happiness] while also finding ways to increase the "weighted" coefficient, such as continuing to beautify the house and backyard.

However, the current him would have no problem setting up a stall at the market.

At this point, looking back at the difficulties he had previously listed:

Difficulty 3: Hands-on ability and cooking conditions do not support high-intensity gourmet work.

This had been completely resolved after upgrading the kitchen and the [Cooking] skill.

Difficulty 2: Unfamiliar with the food prices in Provence.

In the past week, Ronan had eaten Michelin meals at 500 francs per person, as well as country galettes at 12 francs each, giving him a general understanding of the situation.

So, only the final question remained to be answered—what should he sell?