The surrounding cadres all stopped and looked over curiously. Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly, but remained calm on the surface. Instead, she turned to Zhou Mingyuan and bowed respectfully: "Secretary Zhou, I am Lin Wanqiu from the Hongqi Production Brigade. I am not here to complain, but to bring you something and let you taste the craftsmanship of our brigade."

Zhou Mingyuan raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the cloth bag in her arms: "Oh? What's so precious that you had to deliver it personally?"

Zhao Jianjun quickly interjected, "Secretary Zhou, don't listen to her! She's just a speculative widow. She probably adulterated the tofu she made before, and now she's here pretending to be something she's not, she definitely has ulterior motives!"

"Zhao Jianjun, you need evidence to back up your claims." Lin Wanqiu turned to look at him, her eyes as cold as ice. "You said I adulterated my tofu, have you ever eaten it? Have you ever seen it? But you, a few days ago, went to the supply and marketing cooperative to spread rumors that my tofu was bought to counterfeit. Now the commune has investigated and found out. Why don't you tell us what your intentions were?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding cadres began to whisper among themselves. Zhao Fugui's face turned pale, then he quickly tugged at Zhao Jianjun's arm, and then smiled apologetically at Zhou Mingyuan: "Secretary Zhou, the child is just being silly and talking nonsense. Please don't take it to heart. Lin Wanqiu is indeed a widow, and her family is in difficulty. She may be trying to find some connections, but this kind of speculation..."

"Secretary Zhao, I think you've misunderstood me." Before he could finish speaking, Lin Wanqiu opened the cloth bag in her arms, revealing a wooden box inside. She lifted the lid, revealing tender yellow pumpkin tofu, and its sweet aroma instantly wafted out, drawing the attention of those around her.

"Secretary Zhou, this is pumpkin tofu I made." Lin Wanqiu handed the wooden box to Zhou Mingyuan. "In our time, everyone is malnourished, and many people have stomach problems. I added pumpkin puree to this tofu, so it can be served as a dish or a meal. It's soft, tender, easy to digest, and has a slightly sweet taste. I thought you might need it because you're usually busy with work, so I specially made some and brought it over."

Zhou Mingyuan paused for a moment, then reached out and picked up a small piece of tofu. The tofu was warm and smooth to the touch, melting in his mouth with a gentle touch. The sweet aroma of pumpkin combined with the rich flavor of soybeans, making it more delicate than the firm tofu he usually ate—it was indeed delicious. He couldn't help but take a few more bites, and his gaze towards Lin Wanqiu changed: "Did you come up with this tofu yourself?"

"My mom thought about it all night before she made it!" Shen Nian'an, who had been hiding behind Lin Wanqiu, suddenly popped her head out, puffing out her little chest. "My mom's tofu is the best. Uncle Zhao said my mom's tofu wasn't good because he'd never tasted it!"

Everyone laughed at the child's words, and the atmosphere lightened considerably. Zhou Mingyuan also smiled and patted Shen Nian'an's head: "Your mother is indeed capable. But Lin Wanqiu, you can't just deliver tofu; you need to tell me how you plan to run this tofu business."

Lin Wanqiu knew that Secretary Zhou was testing her. She composed herself and blurted out what she had prepared beforehand: "Secretary Zhou, I don't use collective land or grain to make tofu; I buy all the soybeans myself. I can make two hundred catties of tofu every day. Besides delivering some to the supply and marketing cooperative, I can also send some to the village primary school so that the children can get some extra nutrition. If I do well, I'd like to teach the women in the village to make it too, so we can all earn money together. It's much better than starving while holding onto those few work points."

These words struck a chord with Zhou Mingyuan. The commune was currently struggling to find ways to increase the income of its members, and Lin Wanqiu's idea, which didn't require collective resources and could even create jobs, was practically a godsend. He then glanced at Zhao Fugui and his son, his tone slightly admonishing: "Secretary Zhao, listen to this. Even a woman can think of things for the collective. You, as the brigade secretary, should pay more attention to the lives of the members and stop trying to come up with useless schemes."

Zhao Fugui's face turned pale, and he quickly nodded and bowed, "Yes, yes, Secretary Zhou, you are right. I will change it when I get back."

Zhao Jianjun stood aside, his face flushed like a pig's liver, but he dared not say another word—he never expected that Lin Wanqiu could make Secretary Zhou look at her differently with just a piece of tofu, and instead scold his father.

Zhou Mingyuan handed the remaining pumpkin tofu to his secretary: "This tofu is good. Keep it for the canteen chefs to learn how to make it. It will also give the commune canteen a change of pace for everyone. Lin Wanqiu, come to my office. Let's have a good chat about your tofu business."

Lin Wanqiu finally felt relieved and quickly agreed. She then turned around and gave Shen Nian'an a wink, signaling him to wait at the door.

Once inside the office, Zhou Mingyuan got straight to the point: "I already know about your cooperation with the supply and marketing cooperative. The commune has already criticized Zhao Jianjun for what he did. But you also need to be careful; doing business is all about integrity. You must guarantee the quality of your tofu and not ruin your reputation."

"Secretary Zhou, don't worry!" Lin Wanqiu quickly expressed her determination. "The water I use to make tofu is drawn from the old well by the river, and I only select plump soybeans. I scald all my tools with boiling water three times a day, so they are absolutely clean and hygienic. If you find even one piece of substandard tofu, you can have the supply and marketing cooperative stop supplying me anytime!"

Zhou Mingyuan nodded in satisfaction and took out a piece of paper from the drawer: "This is the 'Specialty Agricultural Products Support List' that the commune just drafted. Add your tofu to it. From now on, no one will dare to make things difficult for you when you do tofu business within the commune. However, there is one condition: you must give priority to supplying schools and nursing homes in the commune, and the price will be the same as the supply and marketing cooperative's price. How about that?"

Lin Wanqiu's eyes lit up—this was like a windfall! With the "support list" as her shield, not only Zhao Jianjun, but even his father wouldn't dare to cause her trouble. She quickly took the paper, carefully signing her name stroke by stroke, her hand trembling slightly: "Thank you, Secretary Zhou! Don't worry, I definitely won't let you down!"

As soon as she came out of the office, Shen Nian'an ran over and took her hand, whispering, "Mom, does Secretary Zhou like your tofu? Will Uncle Zhao never dare to bully us again?"

Lin Wanqiu squatted down, picked up her son, and kissed him on the cheek: "That's right! In the future, our tofu can not only be sold to the supply and marketing cooperative, but also to schools and nursing homes. Nian'an, as many fried tofu puffs as you want to eat in the future, Mom will make as many as you want!"

As the mother and son were talking, they saw Director Zhang rush over, holding a new agreement in his hand and smiling: "Comrade Lin Wanqiu, I've finally found you! Secretary Zhou just called me and asked me to re-sign the supply agreement with you. From now on, I will purchase 5,000 catties of tofu from you every month, and I can even raise the price by one cent!"

Lin Wanqiu took the agreement and was overjoyed to see the words "5,000 catties per month" on it. Five thousand catties of tofu would earn her fifty yuan a month, which was a top-notch income in the 1960s! She looked up at the fields in the distance. The spring breeze blew and the green wheat seedlings rippled like waves, just like the land full of hope in her heart.

Zhao Jianjun and his father had long since disappeared, presumably having slunk back to the village. Lin Wanqiu knew this was just a small step on her road to success, and many more difficulties awaited her. But as long as her son was by her side, as long as Secretary Zhou supported her, and as long as she had her own hands capable of making tofu, she was confident that in the 1960s, she could lead Nian'an and forge a true path to prosperity.