The early winter morning light dappled the field ridges of the Hongqi Production Brigade, casting a warm golden hue over the withered wheat stubble. The new signboard of "Late Autumn Food Workshop" gleamed in the rising sun. Against an ebony background, the five large, gilded characters "Late Autumn Food Workshop" were hand-carved by the county's most renowned old carpenter, with lotus scroll patterns adorning the edges. It exuded both rustic elegance and vibrant vitality—it was personally delivered by the commune secretary half a month ago, who said it was specially commissioned to commend the workshop for leading the villagers to prosperity.

The workshop's courtyard wall was newly built with blue bricks, and a spacious awning had been erected at the entrance, with two long benches placed under it for delivery workers to rest. Several wintersweet bushes grew at the foot of the wall, their branches already adorned with buds, their fragrance faintly wafting in the crisp air. As soon as Lin Wanqiu entered the workshop, she saw the villagers already bustling about: Aunt Wang and several women were sorting fruit, their fingers flying as they picked out the bad and small fruits, leaving only plump and bright ones; Uncle Li and several men were moving raw materials, their coarse cloth jackets soaked with sweat, but no one complained of being tired; and several young wives were gathered around the stove, learning from Lin Wanqiu how to make the newly developed candied dates, the sweet aroma of syrup mingling with the rich flavor of red dates, lingering in the workshop for a long time.

"Comrade Wanqiu, you've finally arrived!" Accountant Zhou, who was in charge of bookkeeping, ran over with the ledger in hand, her face beaming with joy. "Yesterday, the county supply and marketing cooperative ordered another 300 jin of dried fruit, and Director Li from the regional supply and marketing cooperative said he'll be coming to our workshop next week to inspect it in person and wants to sign a long-term supply agreement with us!" Lin Wanqiu took the ledger, her fingertips brushing against the yellowed pages, which were densely filled with order information, from the county town to the surrounding communes, and then to the region—the scope was getting wider and wider, and the numbers were getting bigger and bigger. A warm current welled up in her heart—from the initial small workshop to its current reputation far and wide, the journey had been arduous and challenging, but even more so, it had been filled with gains and hope.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the courtyard gate. A mule cart stopped at the entrance, driven by Manager Zhang from the county department store. He jumped off the cart, carrying a cloth bag, and walked in with a smile: "Comrade Wanqiu, I've finally found you! The dried osmanthus pears you sent last time sold like hotcakes at our department store. Now people come to ask about them every day. I'm here to place an additional order, another two hundred catties, and I hope you can deliver it as soon as possible." Lin Wanqiu quickly invited him to sit down and handed him a cup of hot tea: "Manager Zhang, don't worry, we will definitely rush to make them and guarantee on-time delivery." Manager Zhang took a sip of tea, looked around the workshop, and seeing the orderly work and the villagers working with great enthusiasm, he couldn't help but praise: "Comrade Wanqiu, you've run this workshop very well! Not only are the products delicious, but the management is also excellent. No wonder it has become a well-known brand in the county."

Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "This is all thanks to the villagers. Without everyone's support, I couldn't have done it all by myself." She knew that for the workshop to develop sustainably, she couldn't rely on herself alone; she had to involve the villagers and share the fruits of their labor. Therefore, she not only paid the villagers generous wages but also established a bonus system. Whoever performed well and made the greatest contribution would receive more bonuses. Now, almost every household in the Hongqi Production Brigade has someone working in the workshop, and their lives are much better than before. Everyone speaks highly of Lin Wanqiu.

Around noon, Shen Tingzhou returned from the county town, holding a newspaper and beaming. "Wanqiu, look! Our workshop is in the newspaper!" Lin Wanqiu took the newspaper and saw an article on the front page titled "Wanqiu Food Workshop of Hongqi Production Brigade: Leading Villagers to Prosperity and Contributing to Rural Development," accompanied by a photo of the workshop. In the photo, the villagers were busy making candied fruit, their faces full of smiles. She read the article carefully, her heart filled with excitement—this was not only an affirmation of the workshop but also a recognition of her and the villagers' hard work.

“That’s great! Our workshop’s reputation is even greater now, and we’ll definitely get more orders in the future.” Shen Tingzhou sat down beside her, holding her hand; the warmth of his palm made her feel incredibly at ease. Lin Wanqiu nodded, her eyes resolute: “We can’t be content with the status quo. We need to continue innovating, launching more new products, and making the ‘Wanqiu Food Workshop’ brand even more renowned.” She remembered the modern snacks she had seen in the space before, and a new idea came to her: “Tingzhou, I want to try making jam, using fresh fruit as the raw material. It can be used as bread spread or mixed with porridge; it’ll definitely be popular.” Shen Tingzhou smiled and said, “I support you. Whatever you want to do, I’ll help you.”

Over the next few days, Lin Wanqiu began developing jam. She took out fresh strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, and other fruits from her spatial storage space. These were all high-quality and delicious fruits that she had previously grown there. She first washed the fruits, cut them into small pieces, put them in a pot, added an appropriate amount of white sugar, and simmered them over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Once the fruits softened and the sauce thickened, she added a small amount of lemon juice to enhance the flavor. "Lemon juice makes the jam sweeter and more tangy, and it also extends its shelf life," Lin Wanqiu explained to the villagers as she cooked. "After it's done, you should pour it into sterilized glass jars while it's still hot, seal them tightly, and store them. This way, it will last longer."

The villagers learned diligently and quickly mastered the jam-making method. After the first batch of jam was made, Lin Wanqiu sent some to the county supply and marketing cooperative and department store for trial sales. Unexpectedly, the response was enthusiastic, and orders kept pouring in. A young mother bought a jar of strawberry jam and said with a smile, "This jam is so delicious! My child used to not like to eat, but now he can eat two bowls of porridge at a time after mixing it with jam."

As the workshop's reputation grew, more and more people came to visit and learn. Cadres from surrounding communes and workshop owners from other counties flocked to "Lanqiu Food Workshop" to seek Lin Wanqiu's advice. Lin Wanqiu never held back, sharing her production methods and management experience with them without reservation. She also led them on tours of the workshop, explaining each step of the process in detail. "It's better to share wealth than to be rich alone," Lin Wanqiu told them. "As long as we all work together to ensure the quality of our food, we can all become wealthy and allow more people to enjoy delicious food."

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