4 #2
Gwendal is reassured that Bixente is motivated by this shared concern rather than a simple desire for profit; it strikes him as a more solid and sustainable basis for the partnership, and Nolwenn agrees. With the main topics covered, Louane sums things up.
Louane: "So, we have our pricing, a new supply channel with Bixente that should be finalized by the end of next week, and greater availability from Nolwenn to look after the herd—and expand it, if we manage to recruit Guéna?lle, whom I’ll be calling first thing tomorrow. Meanwhile,
Nolwenn is starting to approach couples interested in buying a calf tomorrow. Our little venture is moving forward."
Once the meeting is over, Lo?c heads off to return the van he borrowed, while Gwendal goes to finish a detective novel he started earlier in the week. The young women continue the discussion sparked by the meeting to talk about their livestock operation.
Nolwenn suggests a few improvements.
Nolwenn: "I think we should play some music at certain times of the day and intellectually stimulate our young cows by keeping them up to date with world news."
Louane asks her to elaborate.
Nolwenn: "Cows in the fields enjoy watching cars or trains go by, but here there are no railway tracks or roads in sight, and hardly any planes in the sky.
I suggest installing a large TV screen in the milking parlor—on the wall facing the stalls—tuned to a 24-hour English-language news channel.
I’m certain it will boost the cows' motivation to come in for milking and help pass the time while the milking machines do their work.
We could even organize movie nights for the ones that have been well-behaved and docile.
Another point: our cows need to stay fit and trim to remain attractive to our client couples.
So, I suggest using their GPS chips to track the distance they cover in the pasture and making them gallop for at least 15 minutes a day."
Louane is impressed by Nolwenn’s creativity and finds her suggestions very pertinent. The two women decide to implement them immediately.
That very evening, they test out music in the barn using a smart speaker, and the cows seem to appreciate it.
Abbie proceeds with udder stimulation—a process that begins tonight for Isla and Freja, who have clearly been tipped off about it by the other cows.
However, they don't seem particularly thrilled about it—especially Isla, whose temperament appears similar to that of Hilda, the herd's most recalcitrant cow.
It is Monday, and Nolwenn is meeting a couple in her clinic office to take stock of their situation.
They have one final In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) attempt left, but they have little faith in its success.
They speak openly to Nolwenn about surrogacy but struggle to envision themselves going down that path—especially abroad, since the practice is illegal in France.
The couple, aged 32 and 35, are from Brittany; she is a village schoolteacher, and he is a fisherman.
Nolwenn realizes that, beyond the financial aspect, they are held back by the language barrier and the profile of the surrogate mothers—women who usually undertake the process primarily for financial gain and whose values and lifestyles are worlds apart from the couple’s simple, organic way of life.
Nolwenn can see that while they have done their research, nothing has truly convinced them.
Yet, they desperately want a child; the effort they have already put in makes that clear.
Nolwenn: "I know of a French surrogacy network. It operates outside official channels, of course, but it might be what you’re looking for. Would you like to make an appointment to discuss it privately?"
The young couple readily agrees; they have really hit it off with Nolwenn, and the fact that she is a midwife puts them at ease.
An appointment is set for Thursday evening at their home—before the final IVF attempt scheduled for the following week.
It is clear they are already eager to move on to something else and look toward a positive future.
That same day, after tending to her cows, Louane picks up her phone mid-morning to call Guéna?lle. The two women had lunch together twice after they were both laid off, but they haven't seen each other for a few weeks. They decide to meet for tea that very afternoon at a café in Guéna?lle’s village.
When Nolwenn returns from Rennes at 2:00 PM, she tells Louane about her upcoming meeting with the Breton couple; in turn, Louane mentions that she is meeting Guéna?lle later that afternoon.
Nolwenn: "Take your time talking to her; I’ll be here to start tending to the cows if you aren't back yet."
Louane thanks her and continues working on orders for collars and bells, as well as suits for the new cows. She also takes the opportunity to order a large TV screen for the milking parlor and some whiteboards.
Nolwenn asks what the whiteboards are for.
Louane: "One for the milking parlor, to record each cow's milk yield at every milking. Then I can take a photo of the board and enter the data into my tracking file. The second and third boards will go in the changing rooms, to note when our cows are in heat and see if their cycles are regular.
I hope we’ll soon need that information to plan the first breedings."
Nolwenn agrees: "If you still have some budget left, how about two more boards for the wash areas to track the cows' shower days? With the herd growing, we could easily lose track."
Louane agrees and adds two more units to her order; then, it’s time to head to the café where Guéna?lle is waiting for her.
That evening at dinner, Louane confirms to Gwendal and Nolwenn that Guéna?lle has agreed to take over Nolwenn’s part-time position, and Nolwenn tells Gwendal about the upcoming meeting with a couple interested in buying a calf.
He is delighted that things are moving along well and that their efforts are paying off so quickly.
Nolwenn: "You’re going to curse me, Gwendal, but I think we’re going to need your carpentry skills again."
Gwendal: "I’m all caught up on the stalls. I plan to get a bit ahead of schedule, since I have a feeling the influx of cows won’t stop—especially now that hiring Guéna?lle is going to free up some of your time."
Nolwenn: "That hadn't crossed my mind, but I’ve been thinking ahead to the future breedings of our cows for our calf clients. Given the somewhat unique profile of our surrogate mothers,
I think we need to consider a space that’s suitable and comfortable enough to carry out the breeding under the right conditions; a standard barn—no matter how nice it is—really isn't ideal for that."
Louane: "What do you have in mind?"
Nolwenn: "I was thinking of a fairly large cabin—about the size of a big bedroom—with all the comforts of home. It could be built right next to the structure we use as the entry and exit airlock for the barn. At the end of the corridor: straight ahead leads to the pasture,
and a right turn leads to the breeding area."
The image makes Louane and Gwendal smile, but it’s a sensible idea.
Both women turn simultaneously toward Gwendal, who gets the message.
Nolwenn: "I’d be happy to submit a floor plan, and I’ll take care of the décor for this cozy little nest. We also have to keep in mind that the husband—or, more likely, the couple—will need to stay at the farm, at least the night before the breeding, which ideally takes place early in the morning."
Louane: "You’re right; we need something like a g?te for these future farm stays."
The week unfolds to the rhythm of the herds and Guéna?lle’s integration.
She will be working alongside Nolwenn for the next two weeks to get to know the various clients and be introduced to the head of the maternity ward at the Rennes University Hospital.
Gwendal and Louane have approved the plans for the g?te proposed by Nolwenn, and Gwendal has already sourced the necessary lumber.
He sets to work, as the sale of calves is—and will remain—the primary objective of their program.
The carpenter’s full range of skills will be called upon to build a small chalet that is as beautiful as it is comfortable—a structure designed to facilitate successful mating and conception among the herd's cows.
Things pick up on Thursday. Lo?c informs Louane that Bixente confirms his arrival at the end of the afternoon with the two cows.
Lo?c will be there to welcome him to the farm and give him his envelope.
Bixente will then spend the weekend in southern Brittany because he has a professional meeting on Friday with a large real estate agency in Vannes to possibly collaborate together.
Lo?c has already planned a dinner on Friday evening at the farm to introduce Bixente to Louane, Gwendal and Nolwenn.
It was on this same day that Nolwenn had a meeting with the Breton couple.
She is a little sad at not being able to witness the arrival of the two Americans but Louane, teases, reassures her and tells her that she will have plenty of time to discover them in the following days.
Nolwenn and Louane carefully prepared this meeting together.
Louane has every confidence in Nolwenn to cautiously approach this couple and if possible convince them of this French surrogacy option.
It is 6:00 p.m. when Nolwenn rings the doorbell of a small typical Breton house at the exit of a village on the coast.
We are very close to the small fishing port where Quentin's boat is anchored and two kilometers from the village where Ma?lle is a teacher.
Nolwenn is warmly welcomed by the couple who uncork a bottle of cider and serve three bowls.
Nolwenn decided not to beat around the bush.
As Louane did with her, she takes up the origins of the breeding and milk collection project.
Once the observation is widely shared by the couple, she clearly indicates the origin of the surrogate mothers that she is likely to propose to the couple.
Where she expected him to categorically refuse or request time for discussion between them and reflection, a simple look between Quentin and Ma?lle was enough.
They fully agree. Beforehand, Nolwenn made sure that it was Ma?lle who suffered from infertility and not her husband.