The biting wind of December, carrying heavy snowflakes, raged across the dirt roads of the Hongqi Production Brigade. The swirling snowflakes pattered against the window paper, making a soft "rustling" sound, like someone gently knocking on the door. The old locust tree by the courtyard gate had long since lost its leaves; its thick branches were laden with snow, making it look like a silver-armored guard, silently protecting the courtyard. On the twenty-third day after Shen Tingzhou's departure, Lin Wanqiu had just put Shen Nianxi to sleep when she heard hurried footsteps outside the gate, accompanied by Brother Zhou's anxious shouts: "Wanqiu, something terrible has happened!"

Lin Wanqiu's heart tightened, and she quickly put on a cotton-padded coat to go out and greet him. She saw that Brother Zhou was covered in snow, with ice crystals on his cotton hat and eyebrows, and his face was purple from the cold. He was clutching a crumpled piece of paper tightly in his hand: "Sister Wanqiu, the commune just sent a notice saying that someone reported our workshop for 'speculation and profiteering,' and they are coming to check the accounts!"

"Speculation and profiteering?" Lin Wanqiu took the note, her fingertips touching the cold paper. The handwriting was messy yet glaring—"Following a report from the public, Lin Wanqiu's baby food workshop in the Hongqi Production Brigade is suspected of speculation and profiteering, reaping exorbitant profits. You are required to report to the commune within three days for investigation and to cooperate with the accounting." Her hand trembled slightly, but she forced herself to calm down. In this era, "speculation and profiteering" was a serious crime. If proven guilty, not only would the workshop be shut down, but she might even be sent to a labor camp. Without a doubt, this was Zhao Jianjun and Lin Moli's doing. Their attempt to cause trouble failed last time, and this time they'd resorted to such insidious methods.

“Brother Zhou, don’t panic.” Lin Wanqiu took a deep breath, folded the note, and put it in her pocket. “Our workshop’s accounts are all clear. We buy raw materials from the commune’s grain station, and we have receipts. We also have contracts with the supply and marketing cooperative and the hospital. How could it be speculation? Someone must be deliberately framing us.” Although she said this, she was still unsure. Zhao Jianjun had lost his backer, but Lin Moli might still have other connections. If someone in the commune was biased towards them and deliberately found fault during the audit, it would be a big problem.

Brother Zhou stamped his feet anxiously: "But the commune has already issued a notice that if we don't go, they will come and shut down the workshop! What can we do? Brother Tingzhou isn't home, and you're just a woman, how can you fight them?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Lin Wanqiu patted Brother Zhou on the shoulder, her gaze falling on the warehouse in the corner of the courtyard. "Go back and rest first, and organize all the invoices and contracts for our workshop. Bring them to me first thing tomorrow morning. Also, go and tell the women in the workshop not to panic and to resume normal operations. It's precisely at times like these that we must not panic."

Brother Zhou nodded, gave a few more instructions to "be careful," and then hurriedly left through the wind and snow. Lin Wanqiu stood in the courtyard, snowflakes falling on her hair and shoulders, quickly accumulating into a thin layer. She looked up at the leaden sky, her heart heavy—Shen Tingzhou was gone, and all the pressure was on her alone. She not only had to guard the workshop but also protect her two children; she absolutely could not let Zhao Jianjun and Lin Moli succeed.

Back inside, Chen Nianxi was still fast asleep, her little face rosy and a faint smile on her lips. Lin Wanqiu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), gently touching her daughter's cheek, a warm feeling welling up inside her. She opened her spatial storage, where the rice, flour, and medicine piled up now became her source of confidence. She took out a modern copy of "Economic Law"—something she had casually placed in her spatial storage before her transmigration, never expecting it to come in handy now. Although the laws of this era differed from modern ones, the logic within might help her clarify her thoughts.

After flipping through a few pages, Lin Wanqiu's thoughts gradually became clear: to prove she wasn't a speculator, she needed to produce evidence—purchase invoices, sales contracts, and tax payment certificates—these were her most powerful weapons. Furthermore, she could ask Comrade Li from the supply and marketing cooperative and Dr. Wang from the hospital to testify; they were both recognized by the commune, and their words would certainly carry weight.

The next morning, before dawn, Lin Wanqiu got up. She made breakfast for the children and, when taking Shen Nian'an to school, specifically told him, "Nian'an, Mom might be a little busy lately. Be good at school, come home early after school, and help Mom take care of your little sister, okay?"

Looking at her mother's tired face, Shen Nian'an nodded sensibly, "Mom, don't worry, I'll be good. Did someone bully you again? If Uncle Zhao causes trouble again, I'll tell the teacher!"

Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart and patted her son's head: "Mom is fine, I just have some work-related matters to deal with. Don't worry, Mom can handle it."

After seeing Shen Nian'an off, Lin Wanqiu had just returned home when Sister Liu arrived, carrying a basket of eggs: "Wanqiu, I heard the commune is going to investigate our workshop. These are the eggs my family has saved. Take them; if you go to the commune to find someone, you can use them to make some connections."

"Sister Liu, I can't accept these eggs." Lin Wanqiu pushed the basket back. "We haven't done anything wrong, so there's no need to bribe anyone. But thank you anyway."

Sister Liu sighed, "I know you have a strong personality, but in this world, you can't get by without connections. Last time Zhao Jianjun caused trouble, if it weren't for Comrade Li and Doctor Wang's help, we wouldn't have gotten through it so easily. This time they're trying to pull another dirty trick, so you have to be careful."

“I know. I’ve already asked Brother Zhou to organize the receipts. I’ll go to the commune later to ask Comrade Li and Doctor Wang for help,” Lin Wanqiu said.

Just then, Brother Zhou arrived, carrying a thick wooden box: "Sister Wanqiu, all the receipts and contracts are here. Every single account has been kept since our workshop opened, not a single penny is missing!"

Lin Wanqiu opened the wooden box. Inside, the receipts were neatly arranged by date: purchase slips from the commune's grain station, receiving slips from the supply and marketing cooperative, order contracts from the hospital, and records of her paying workers' wages. She carefully reviewed them, feeling much more at ease—these were irrefutable pieces of evidence, and as long as the commune conducted a fair investigation, there would be no problem.

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