During this time, Shen Nian'an and Shen Nianxi called to encourage her. Shen Nian'an said on the phone, "Mom, you're amazing! I'm so proud of you for being elected as a representative to the Municipal People's Congress and for being able to speak up for our fellow villagers! You must do your job well and live up to everyone's expectations."

Chen Nianxi said in her childish voice, "Mom, you are my role model! When I grow up, I want to be like you and do practical things for everyone!"

Hearing the children's encouragement, Lin Wanqiu felt warm and motivated. She smiled and said, "Thank you, my darlings. Mom will definitely work hard to live up to your expectations and the trust of the villagers."

On the final day of the conference, a voting ceremony was held for the delegates' motions and suggestions. Several of Lin Wanqiu's suggestions, including "Suggestions on Strengthening Rural Infrastructure Construction and Improving Rural Public Service Conditions" and "Suggestions on Establishing a Platform for Connecting Agricultural Product Production and Marketing and Promoting Rural Industrial Development," were passed with high votes. When the host announced the approval of the suggestions, Lin Wanqiu's eyes welled up with tears. She knew that this was not only a victory for her personally, but also a victory for her fellow villagers, and a victory for all those who care about and support rural development.

After the meeting, Lin Wanqiu walked out of the Great Hall of the People. The warm and bright spring sunshine bathed her, making her feel incredibly comfortable. Shen Tingzhou was already waiting outside the hall. Seeing her come out, he quickly walked over and gave her a warm hug: "Wife, congratulations on successfully completing this meeting!"

Lin Wanqiu leaned against him, a relaxed and gratified smile on her face: "Thank you, Tingzhou. Without your support and encouragement, I might not have made it this far."

“Silly girl,” Shen Tingzhou gently patted her back, “this is all the result of your own hard work. You have always been excellent, but you didn’t have the opportunity to show yourself before. Now, you have a bigger platform to do practical things for more people, and I am proud of you.”

The two walked side by side in the square, the spring breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers. Looking at the distant skyscrapers, Lin Wanqiu's heart was filled with anticipation for the future. She knew that being elected as a municipal people's congress representative was just the beginning; much more work to be done and much more responsibility to shoulder lay ahead. She would continue to go deep into the countryside, among the people, listen to their voices, reflect their demands, and contribute all her strength to rural development and the improvement of people's livelihoods.

Upon returning home, Lin Wanqiu did not rest but immediately threw herself into her work. She compiled the information and experience she had gathered during the meeting into a booklet, and then convened a symposium with the core team of the food workshop and village cadres and cooperative leaders of the Hongqi Production Brigade to convey the spirit of the People's Congress and share her feelings and gains from the meeting.

At the meeting, the villagers were thrilled to learn that Lin Wanqiu's suggestions had been taken seriously and adopted. Captain Zhao exclaimed excitedly, "Wanqiu, you're truly our confidante! We never imagined you would actually bring our voices to the Municipal People's Congress and gain the leaders' approval. Our lives will definitely get better and better from now on!"

Aunt Li added, "Yes, Wanqiu, with a people's representative like you, we feel much more at ease. Now that the village roads are repaired, it will be easier for the children to go to school, and we can see a doctor right here in our village when we're sick. These are all benefits you've fought for for us!"

Looking at the happy smiles on the faces of her fellow villagers, Lin Wanqiu felt a great sense of accomplishment. She said, "Fellow villagers, this is not my achievement alone, but the result of everyone's joint efforts. Next, we must seize this opportunity to continue to improve our industry, expand our cooperative, and help more villagers increase their income and become wealthy. At the same time, we must actively cooperate with the government's work to ensure that all the policies benefiting the people are implemented as soon as possible, making our Hongqi Production Brigade even better."

“Okay! We’ll all listen to you!” the villagers responded one after another.

After the symposium, Lin Wanqiu stayed in the village and worked with the village officials to develop a detailed development plan. They planned to start with road construction, actively seeking government funding and mobilizing villagers to contribute labor to pave the main road as soon as possible. Next, relying on government support policies, they planned to upgrade the village clinic, introducing professional medical personnel and equipment. They also planned to renovate the village primary school, adding teaching equipment and improving teaching conditions.

Just as Lin Wanqiu was fully immersed in the rural development plan, Lao Zhang, the person in charge of the food workshop, rushed over with an anxious look on his face: "President Lin, something terrible has happened! Our main raw material supplier suddenly notified us that the price of raw materials is going to increase by 30%, and the supply cannot be guaranteed. If the price of raw materials really increases by that much, our production costs will increase significantly, our profit margins will be severely compressed, and we may even face the risk of losses!"

Lin Wanqiu's smile froze instantly. The main raw materials for "Natural Taste" food workshop are flour, grains, and honey, most of which come from local farmers and cooperatives. In recent years, as the workshop has expanded, the demand for raw materials has also increased, forming a stable supply chain. Unexpectedly, a sudden crisis of rising raw material prices has emerged, which is undoubtedly a huge blow to the workshop.

She frowned, lost in thought. Rising raw material prices meant increased production costs for the food workshop. Raising prices might affect sales; not raising prices would significantly reduce profits, potentially even leading to losses. Moreover, unreliable supply could disrupt normal production, damaging the brand's reputation.

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