Chapter 65: Pierre Cardin

Ronan returned home and immediately called Louis.

He simply refused to believe that not a single normal toilet could be found in the whole of Provence!

Louis gave an unexpected answer:

"Remember Simon? The heating merchant. Besides heating systems, he also sells toilets."

A bad premonition instantly rose in Ronan's heart.

The things that guy sold were never cheap.

......

The next day.

Two months later, Ronan called Mr. Simon once again.

"Oh, Ronan, I remember you, I remember you! The weather is warming up, we can talk about heating solutions now!" Simon responded enthusiastically.

"This time it's not about heating, I want to look at toilets." Ronan kept his tone as calm as possible, not daring to show any eagerness so that he could hold the initiative in potential future price negotiations.

The money in his hands was not abundant right now, and everything had to be budgeted carefully.

"I have some toilet samples at home, as well as many product brochures, you are welcome to come take a look anytime," Simon invited Ronan.

"Would this afternoon be okay?" Ronan wanted to get this trouble sorted out as quickly as possible.

"You've chosen a wonderful time slot, my wife is currently preparing for an accordion concert, we can talk business while enjoying her accordion performance..." Simon started chattering endlessly.

Ronan speechlessly closed his eyes.

Enjoying an accordion performance surrounded by a collection of toilets... could there be anything more "wonderful" than this?

However, why did he remember that Simon's wife played the piano?

......

Facts proved that Madame Simon was omnipotent.

Before touring the toilets, Ronan was invited into the living room to admire Madame Simon's collection of musical instruments.

Accordions, saxophones, pianos, hand drums... wind, string, percussion, and vocals were all fully represented.

After watching the performance for half an hour, Ronan was reminded of a British film he had seen in his previous life—*Florence Foster Jenkins*.

"Splendid, splendid, splendid!" Simon stood up and applauded.

Ronan also offered his praise to Madame Simon:

"If my mother could also possess such high musical literacy, how happy I would be."

Only then did Simon let Ronan go with satisfaction:

"Let's go take a look at the toilets."

Thank goodness Madame Simon did not follow along playing the accordion!

......

Simon's heating units and toilets were piled up in an outdoor warehouse.

"I don't want a 'Turkish-style toilet'." On the way, Ronan directly stated his requirement.

"I admit the French are terrible at making boilers, but the high-end toilets they produce are second to no other country in the world, I don't have Turkish goods here." With that, Simon opened the warehouse door.

......

A bad premonition suddenly welled up in Ronan's heart.

Whether now or in the future, France had never produced any renowned bathroom brands; German, American, and Japanese bathroom brands were far more successful.

Sure enough, the toilets displayed in the warehouse were either bright red or vivid yellow, engraved with intricate patterns and designs.

They looked much more like works of art than household items.

Ronan imagined the feeling of sitting on these "vases":

"Are there any pure white ones, without any patterns on them?"

Simon waved his hand dismissively:

"French sanitary equipment has been undergoing a great revolution these past few years. Designers have been boldly adopting bold styles and colors, abandoning white entirely. This is the future trend."

Ronan had found the reason why French bathroom fixtures failed; apparently, the revolution had failed.

"Were there no products made before the revolution?" Ronan was not discouraged. Toilets in Paris were normal; it was impossible for the revolution to have taken place exclusively in Provence.

"Oh, let me think..." Simon rummaged through the messy product catalogs piled in a box in the corner of the warehouse. "I seem to remember having some white toilets."

"Here!" Simon threw a product catalog at Ronan's face, pointing at a certain photo on it and saying, "You're really lucky, this batch of toilets was never sold."

Ronan looked closely, and at the very bottom of the photo were a few prominent characters—Pierre Cardin.

"Pierre Cardin?" Ronan brought it closer. "Is that the Pierre?"

Pierre Cardin was an Italian-born fashion designer, but he made his fortune in France, and this elderly gentleman was quite famous in China as well.

Ronan's uncle, far away in China, had once proudly said on the phone that he bought a new Pierre Cardin leather jacket.

Simon spread his hands flat:

"Who else could it be? This was personally designed by him."

Ronan asked in surprise:

"He designs toilets too?"

Simon chuckled a few times:

"Isn't that how all rich people are? They think they can do everything. I've seen him twice at the café in Lacoste village; even from ten meters away, you could smell the arrogant aura on him."

Lacoste village was in the "Golden Triangle" region, home to an ancient centuries-old castle that Ronan had always wanted to visit.

But Zoe had told him that the castle had been bought by a rich person and turned into private property.

Combining the two, it wasn't hard to connect the dots.

"Mr. Pierre Cardin bought a house in the Luberon too?" Ronan asked, voicing the speculation in his heart.

"He did, bought a lot of them. He has dozens of properties in the Luberon, 'collecting houses' is one of rich people's hobbies," Simon said, unsurprised by this. "If you want to chat with him, you can go to the café in the church square of Lacoste village on a Monday afternoon; he's there every week."

Those unassuming little villages in Provence were truly crouching tigers and hidden dragons... Ronan couldn't help muttering inwardly.

Yet he secretly noted down this information.

Just in case it came in handy?

"Why haven't the toilets he designed sold?" Ronan continued asking.

Creations by such an international master should have been very popular, and besides, Ronan had never seen this stuff in Paris. Could it be a Provence-exclusive item?

Simon smacked his lips:

"That's why I say he's an arrogant fellow. There's a huge signature of his right on the toilet, right on the inner bowl! Who wants to use the restroom under the gaze of 'Pierre Cardin'? This model stopped production before it even left Provence. Truly a terrible product!"

"Is it expensive?" Compared to the terrifying "Turkish-style toilet," Ronan didn't mind being watched by Mr. Pierre Cardin; at least it was clean. What he cared about was the price.

Simon reined in his personal emotions and became professional:

"900 francs."

Ronan shook his head regretfully:

"Sorry, Mr. Simon, you don't have a suitable toilet for me here. I'm going to go check out 'L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue'."

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue had the third-largest flea market in the world, along with many antique shops.

Whenever a Provençal person told you "I'm going to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to take a look," it meant their wallet wasn't flush and they were going to buy second-hand goods.

"L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue... there certainly are quite a few choices there." Simon's eyes drifted, catching up to the leaving Ronan. "How many do you need?"

"Three." Ronan shrugged. "That's quite a hefty expense."

Simon nodded and said casually:

"These unsold items can totally be sold at 'clearance' prices. You know, they take up a lot of space."

Ronan replied indifferently:

"Maybe."

Simon walked with Ronan to his car:

"Perhaps I could ask the manufacturer and see if they agree?"

Ronan got into the driver's seat and started the engine:

"Actually, I really mind his signature design; isn't that weird? If the price exceeds 450 francs, I'd rather buy second-hand ones. You know, they feel the same when you sit on them."

"Understood, understood." Simon waved at Ronan. "I'll convey your feedback to the manufacturer."

......

That same evening.

Simon's call arrived right on schedule.

"Thank goodness, although it was difficult, I managed to talk the manufacturer into it. They decided to clear up space as soon as possible for better-selling products, and can 'dump' this batch of goods at the price of 450 francs."

A wave of regret washed over Ronan.

Just how much profit margin did this little old man hold onto...

Was the "halve the asking price" strategy actually too conservative?

After agreeing on the delivery and installation time, Simon didn't rush to hang up the phone:

"Shall we talk about the heating plan again? Now is the best month to start construction."

"No thanks, I've already decided to go to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. I believe everything else I need is there." Ronan hurriedly hung up the phone.