Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu finally felt relieved, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. Shen Tingzhou looked at the light in her eyes and felt proud as well—he knew how much effort Lin Wanqiu had put into making this fermented bean curd, and now it had finally been recognized.

Old Zhou put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Wanqiu, our supply and marketing cooperative wants your fermented bean curd! Tell me, how much is one jar? How much can you supply us at once?"

Lin Wanqiu had already calculated the price in her mind. She said softly, "Uncle Zhou, this coarse earthenware jar of fermented bean curd weighs two jin per jar, and I'll charge you 8 mao per jar. If you want more, I can give you a discount. We have ten jars left at home. If you need more, I'll make more next time."

Eighty cents a jar wasn't expensive at the time—a pound of pork cost one dollar and twenty cents, and a jar of fermented bean curd could last for half a month. For the villagers, it was very cost-effective. Old Zhou immediately agreed: "Okay! It'll be the price you said! Reserve ten jars for us first. Take two jars to the counter today to try selling them. If they sell well, I'll place an order with you!"

As he spoke, Old Zhou took out some money from the drawer, counted out one dollar and sixty cents and handed it to Lin Wanqiu, and then gave her two cloth coupons: "Wanqiu, this is the money for two jars. The cloth coupons are a personal gift from me. It's not easy for you, a woman, to raise a child alone. Making fermented bean curd is also hard work, so please don't mind."

Lin Wanqiu quickly declined, "Uncle Zhou, I'll keep the money, but you should take the cloth coupons back. We're already very grateful that you approve of our fermented bean curd."

"Hey, just take it!" Old Zhou stuffed the cloth coupons into Lin Wanqiu's hand, his tone sincere. "Tingzhou's father and I are old comrades-in-arms. By seniority, you should call me Uncle Zhou. This little bit is nothing; we'll be working together for a long time to come!"

Shen Tingzhou also chimed in, "Wanqiu, Uncle Zhou's kindness is heartfelt, please accept it." Lin Wanqiu then accepted the cloth coupons, her heart filled with gratitude—in this era of scarcity, cloth coupons were more precious than money, and she would remember Old Zhou's kindness.

Just then, an elderly woman wearing patched clothes walked into the supply and marketing cooperative. Seeing the celadon jar on the counter, she asked curiously, "Xiao Fang, what is this? It smells so good."

Xiao Fang quickly picked up the celadon jar and introduced it with a smile: "Aunt Wang, this is freshly arrived fermented bean curd, it's delicious, would you like to try some?" As she spoke, she used a clean spoon to scoop out a little bit of the brine and handed it to Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang took a taste and her eyes lit up: "Oh my, this braising liquid is so fragrant! Give me a jar! My old man always complains that his porridge is tasteless, but with this fermented bean curd, he'll definitely drink a few more bowls!"

Xiao Fang quickly brought out a jar of fermented bean curd from the inner room and handed it to Aunt Wang: "Auntie, this jar costs eight mao. If you want it, I'll wrap it up for you."

Aunt Wang paid the money readily, holding the fermented bean curd, and muttered, "This fermented bean curd is so delicious, I'll bring a few more jars for my neighbors next time."

Watching Aunt Wang's departing figure, everyone in the supply and marketing cooperative smiled. Old Zhou patted Lin Wanqiu on the shoulder: "Wanqiu, look, we sold a jar as soon as we put it out! From now on, you can do it with peace of mind, our supply and marketing cooperative will guarantee your success!"

Lin Wanqiu nodded, her heart filled with enthusiasm. She knew this was just the beginning. As long as the fermented bean curd gained everyone's approval, her side business could gradually take off, and her life with Nian'an and Tingzhou would get better and better.

It was almost noon when they left the supply and marketing cooperative. Shen Tingzhou suggested going to a noodle shop in town for a bowl of noodles as a celebration. The noodle shop wasn't crowded, and the three of them found a seat by the window, ordered three bowls of plain noodles, and even added an egg for Shen Nian'an. Watching their son eat the egg little by little, his face full of satisfaction, Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou exchanged a smile, their hearts filled with happiness.

While eating noodles, Shen Tingzhou suddenly said, "Wanqiu, Uncle Zhou just told me that if we can get a stable supply of fermented bean curd, he can recommend us to supply and marketing cooperatives in other communes. Maybe then we can rent a small workshop in town to make fermented bean curd, broad bean paste and other side dishes."

Lin Wanqiu's eyes lit up: "Really? If we could rent a workshop, we could mass-produce it and wouldn't have to stay at home all the time. We could also hire the aunties in the village to help us and let them earn more money too."

“Yes,” Shen Tingzhou nodded, “but the most important thing right now is to finish the orders we have. Once we’ve made some money, we can think about renting a workshop and hiring people. By the way, I heard from the villagers that you’re thinking of saving money to build a house?”

Lin Wanqiu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "How did you know? I do want to build a new house. The current house is small and old, and it leaks when it rains. When Nian'an gets older, she will need her own room. Besides, with a new house, our family can live more peacefully."

“Okay, then let’s save money together to build a house.” Shen Tingzhou held Lin Wanqiu’s hand, the warmth of his palm making her feel warm inside. “I’ll go to town more often in the future to see if I can find some other jobs to earn more money. You can focus on making fermented bean curd, I’ll take care of things at home.”

Lin Wanqiu nodded, her eyes slightly red. For the first time since her rebirth, she felt that the future was no longer uncertain, but full of hope. With Shen Tingzhou by her side, her son's company, the support of the villagers, and this gradually improving side business, she believed that her dream of building a house would soon come true.

After finishing their noodles, the three of them pushed the wheelbarrow back home. Shen Nian sat on the wheelbarrow, clutching the remaining half-egg, occasionally offering a bite to his parents. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on them. Lin Wanqiu looked at her husband and son beside her, secretly resolving: she must make good fermented bean curd, earn more money, build a spacious and bright new house, and ensure her family lived a stable and happy life.

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